Curtis McElhinney

Curtis McElhinney was born on May 23, 1983, in London, Ontario, and was selected by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, 10th pick of that round. He went on to play 249 NHL games across a 16-year career, finishing with 94 wins, 95 losses, 20 overtime losses, a 2.83 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and 12 shutouts. Along the way, he suited up for the Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, and Tampa Bay Lightning — concluding his playing days with back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in Tampa Bay.

After retiring, McElhinney moved into goaltending instruction, coaching online through Mountain High Hockey with programs that include video reviews, mentorship, and Goalie IQ Zoom sessions breaking down goaltenders across the league ^[1]. One such session, which opened to the public for $20, launched on January 9, 2022, with a breakdown of his former Tampa Bay teammate Andrei Vasilevskiy, and was followed by sessions focused on Sergei Bobrovsky, Frederik Andersen, and Marc-Andre Fleury ^[1].

InGoal Magazine has covered Curtis McElhinney in two podcast appearances and three Pro Reads. His first podcast appearance came on Episode 28 ^[2], and he returned for Episode 144 in November 2021 ^[3], where he discussed his transition to coaching and his use of video following retirement as a two-time Stanley Cup champion ^[4].

His Pro Reads debut ^[4] featured a shorthanded 3-on-1 chance against the Florida Panthers from his final Tampa Bay season. In that session, McElhinney described his preference for playing off defenseman Victor Hedman and forcing opponents "towards the top of the circles to create a decision-making process that opens something up and allows me to make a read." Recognizing that forward Alex Wennberg was in tight on the pass, McElhinney noted that "his time to make a decision and move is drastically reduced," adding that from there "it's all about building that wall low and then going up from there and trying to get as much vertical coverage as we can."

His second Pro Reads ^[1] covered a 5-on-5 screen shot from his time with the Carolina Hurricanes, a situation involving multiple layers of screen from players on both sides. McElhinney broke down how he worked to locate the puck through traffic and the value of staying in the middle of his net and finding the puck rather than committing to one big, blind push.

In the third Pro Reads ^[5], McElhinney analyzed a breakaway sequence against Panthers forward Anthony Duclair, discussing what he called "risk management" — preparing for the possibility of a breakaway early in the play — along with his philosophy of being outside his crease when the attack reaches the top of the face-off circles, the importance of not selling out on an initial push, and maintaining stick discipline to close the five-hole on cut-back moves.