Creating A Positive Culture for Goalies Prepared by Joe Bertagna, Bertagna Fall, 2016

What is in this packet: NOTE: Joe Bertagna and his staff of goalie • General program guidelines (Two Pages)) coaches will be providing goaltending instruction • Essays on Goaltending (Five Pages) and consultation for the following programs during Stick Discipline the 2016-17 season: “Reacting” vs. “Blocking” Billerica YHA Marblehead YHA Controlling Rebounds Cape Ann YHA Central Mass. Outlaws Follow Your Eyes Dedham YHA Reading YHA Dropping to the Ice: “Why” and”When” Duxbury YHA St. Sebastian’s School Framingham YHA Top Gun

What constitutes a positive culture? — The best programs do one or more of the following: a) provide equipment for families who wish to try goaltending; b) provide instruction, either from within the program or from qualified outside instructors; c) emphasize positive reinforcement from inclusiveness at practices to discouraging negative comments directed toward goalies.

Equipment — This can be expensive but there are programs being created by USA Hockey and certain manufacturers that make this more practical. And there are also plenty of older goalies within a given community who will donate used but still effective equipement if they are asked.

Instruction — A few of the prgrams with which I work have set a great standard for providing meaningful instruction for their goalies. The best of these do so on their own ice and involve their program coaches and age-appropriate shooters, along with qualified outside instructors.This method allows the program’s instructors to join in the education, learn drills, learn how to “trouble shoot” and, in the process, become part of the year-long instruction the goalies will receive. the shooters also get an education on how goalies are taught and can learn from this themselves. Other programs will send their goalies to qualified instructors and while this also benefits goalies, it does not provide the benefits to the non-goalies in the program (coaches and shooters) and does nothing to educate the program’s coaches. Another way to accomplish this is to ask a goaltending consultant to offer an off-ice (or on-ice) session with coaches and goalie parents to discuss goaltending philosophy, drills, updates on rules and equipment, etc. This is a great way to start a season. Another early-season session that we encourage is to have goalies and defensemen on each team meet with their coach to reviw situations of common interest that will come up time and again (See Page Two.) Finally, in addition to providing basic instruction on movement, positioning, technique and game strategies, a complete instructional package should also include some actual game observation. Most goalies are different at practice, where they are usually quite comfortable in familiar surroundings. In games, a qualified instructor can observe what the goalie is really like when it counts. What are their game skills like? What is their compete level? How do they react when things are not going well? What does their body language reveal? How do they interact with their defensemen? Are they vocal?

Positive Reinforcement — This might seem a little overly sensitive to a non-goalie but it is so easy to fall into the habit of verbalizing criticism of the goalie, particularly after a loss, and doing so in a way that implies that more blame falls to that position than others. Yes, there are some goals that are tough to watch and the goalie may be primarily responsible: a long shot that is simply missed, a soft , a loose puck that isn’t cleared or tied up. On most goals, however, there are usually a few people who could have prevented the puck from ending in the net. The larger here is to treat all the players the same and not focus attention on the goalie. The best goaltenders understand the responsibility they have and they step up and accept it after a tough loss. But program-wide, there should be an understanding that it is a team game and that goalie should not be singled out inappropriately.

BERTAGNA GOALTENDING — 7 CONCORD STREET — GLOUCESTER, MA 01930 JOE BERTAGNA, DIRECTOR — 978-376-5494 — [email protected] Priorities for a Goaltender — For all the changes in equipment and technique, effective goaltending still comes down to three universal areas and priorities. These have not changed with time. 1. Positioning: it is still a to goaltending. You need to know where to be and how to get there under control. 2. Puck Control: if you are sloppy with the puck and give second and third opportunities, you will give up more goals. 3. Timing: the best goalies have a sense of where the trouble lurks and where and when the play will come to an end.

Types of Drills— Practices should resemble games, at least at times, so that goalies have a chance to work on those things that are causing them problems in actual games. There should be screens and rebounds. There should be crease movement drills. There should be drills where goalies can handle pucks and tie up pucks. There should be drills where the goalie doesn’t know in advance who will shoot and when. There should be drills that cause the goalie to change direction quickly and work on balance.And please make sure there are drills done in the actual goal crease. With the popularity of cross-ice games and teams sharing rinks, it seems that nets are being moved around and goalies not always getting to practice in an actual crease. This is a key component of precise movement in and around the crease. Goaleis need to work in creases.

Game Management— Obviously, a goaltender’s ability to stop the puck will be how he or she is judged. But there are so many things that happen in a game that are not directly involved with making a save. A lot of this I like to call “Game Management.” Here are some of the things that fall under this heading: 1. Tying Up Pucks: How many times, particularly at younger levels, are goals scored because of the goaltender’s inability to cover a loose puck. Keep it in play, teammates get tired and sloppy, and bad things happen. 2. Keeping Pucks in Play: Conversely, if a team dumps a puck in and changes and the goalie has a chance to get to the puck and start a breakout, he should do so, rather than tie up a puck unnecessarily. Or what about the closing seconds of play in a period where a goaltender could keep the puck in play to a teammate rather than risk an in-zone face-off? 3. Being Vocal: The goalie is in a position to let defensemen know if it is an odd man rush, if there is a forechecker bearing down on them, if there is an open opponent out in front, or if the teammate is screening. They need to be heard. 4. Handling Pucks: Maybe not for younger goalies but the ability to handle and set up a puck behind the goal line is a skill that falls under “Game Management.” These are just some of the areas that come to mind. The complete goaltender needs to excel here as well as in stopping shots.

Pre-Season Goalie-Defensemen Meetings— Picking up on the last section, I think it is a good idea for the head coach and assistants to hold a brief on-ice meeting with the goalies and defensemen. This allows a “walk-through” on such topics as avoiding screening the goalie, not fighting the goalie for a losse puck, verbal communication, setting up pucks beside or behind the net, etc. Better to go over situations in advance than face them in early games and not be on the same page. STICK DISCIPLINE

By Joe Bertagna

One of the key observations I find myself offering to goalies, and usually early in the educational process, is that we are, at our core, a collection of habits. We are our habits, both the good ones and the bad ones. Hand-in-hand with this observation is another that is usually met by blank stares: a lot of what makes a suc- cessful goalie is the repetition of simple things. Over and over and over again. A parent seeking state of the art goaltending instruction is hoping to hear some secret that no one has ever suggested to his son or daughter. They want to know how their child can move from good to great and there is an expectation that something exciting awaits them for their hard earned tuition fee. Yet, in the end, it is fairly simple. Most goaltending coaches preach positioning, puck control, and a respect for basic skills. Nothing is more basic, and more deadly when not under control, than sloppy stick discipline. How many times do we see a young goalie do the hard part, read a play and react with strong body move- ment to the right location, only to get beat because the stick came late, or not at all, and an average shot finds five-hole space en route to the back of the net? Or the goalie reacts to a deke to his glove side.The leg pad is there, but the stick trails the play, preventing the proper rotation that allows the goalie to get more than just that pad into the play. Or maybe it’s a young goalie with stick right up against the skates, setting themselves up for a kicked rebound back to the shooter or, worse yet, a toppling over as shoulders get ahead of feet due to this poor stick position. Goalies have to understand the dual roles of basic stick positioning: to help stop pucks and to help with overall balance. The stick blade should be positioned so as to cover the space between the skates, to stop a low shot, and comfortably ahead of the feet, to cushion a shot. The goalie should be able to envision a “tri- angle” formed by lines connecting one skate, the other, and the stick blade. (No triangle exists when the stick is up against the feet.) This allows for the cushioning referenced above as well as good overall balance. Goalies are taught to “re- ceive” shots, which is facilitated by the hands being out ahead of the body. We are also taught to lead with our hands and follow our hands when moving in and around the crease. The stick leads the way. And inherent in all of this is the need to KEEP THE STICK BLADE FLAT ON THE ICE. The emphasis is provided as an acknowledgement of the many goalie coaches who scream this endlessly at young goalies who straighten up out of their stance, lifting the stick at the same time, and making themselves vulnerable to getting beat along the ice or, perhaps, falling over as they lose balance by being too erect in their stance. This doesn’t even touch on the overuse of the “paddle down” technique, which further erodes stick discipline as goalies get caught between “blade down” and “paddle down” and have nothing to provide ice coverage. The more they use the paddle down technique, the more time they spend in transition. Finally, parents and coaches have to know if a goalie’s stick problems come from their having a stick that is either too big or too small. Here is where a retailer that knows their stuff can be very helpful. And parents, un- less it is your child’s very first adult model, do NOT cut anything off the top of the stick shaft. We hold the stick in the middle. The extra length is usually an asset for us. The one exception is when that first long stick seems to get caught in the net when a young goalie goes post-to-post to hi stick side.

BERTAGNA GOALTENDING — 7 CONCORD STREET — GLOUCESTER, MA 01930 JOE BERTAGNA, DIRECTOR — 978-376-5494 — [email protected] “REACTING” vs. “BLOCKING”

By Joe Bertagna

One of the topics du jour among current goalie coaches is the observation that these days, there are many goalies who don’t execute saves as much as they shots. What? Another way to couch this is to start by acknowledging that there are “reaction saves” and “blocking saves.” Here’s the difference: A “reaction save” would be one that is deliberately executed on a shot that the goalie sees come directly off the shooter’s stick. The goaltender has time to use a preferred technique, allowing the puck to be stopped and controlled efficiently. This would include such saves as catching a puck, trapping or smothering a puck against or into equipment, or directing a low shot to a safe area. By contrast, a “blocking save” would be one where a goaltender reacts to puck movement and an antici- pated shot from in close by moving his entire body into an unoccupied space, dropping (usually) and centering on the puck, close to the puck, so that no matter where the shot goes, it has to hit the goaltender or go wide. In this instance, it could be said that the goaltender reacts to the play (as opposed to reacting to a shot) so that when the puck is eventually shot, he does not have to react to the new path of the shot as the entire angle is filled. In the course of a typical game, a goaltender will employ both of the above techniques. What goalie coaches observe these days, with significant frequency. is the phenomenon of goalies using blocking techniques on shots from outside. That is, the goalies drop and let pucks hit them where there seems to be time to efficiently act on the puck and actually execute a save. The fallout from failing to execute an efficient save can be rebounds into immediate traffic or to distant spots in the vicinity of enemy attackers. The goalie, down on his knees from the original move, has to scramble to deal with a decent scoring opportunity. It is easy to understand how this can happen. The number of scoring opportunities that take place down low is significant and goaltenders frequently get into a rhythm of moving low and staying low. In the midst of all of this puck movement down low comes a shot from the point and some goalies fail to distinguish between the two situations, dropping and, in effect, letting the puck play them, rather than them acting deliberately on the puck. This phenomenon is reminiscent of an earlier time, when goalies might move out on a shooter and freeze, somewhat upright, expecting the puck to either hit them or go wide. On the occasion that a shooter was able to catch a corner with a well-placed shot, the goalie had to be reminded that positioning alone isn’t always enough. There still must be the ability to react to the shot. The same message can be issued in response to the misplaced blocking technique. Don’t give up — mentally — the ability to execute a save. It is the more complete goaltender who can recognize that he has time to play that long shot in such a man- ner that he can control or limit the rebound and thus the second (and often better) scoring opportunity. What is required to do this regularly would be the following: • The ability to anticipate where the next action will come from. • The ability to have feet set so the proper technique can begin efficiently. • Knowing before each scoring situation where trouble lurks and where it would be safe to direct shots. • Consistent precision in the goalie’s positioning. • Proper practice of basic save techniques, combining the gloves, pads, stick and body. Part of the reason that this has become an issue is the successful use of blocking techniques. Like anything else, when something works, there is a tendency to over-use it. (See: paddle down.) Still, it is the goalie’s job to differentiate between one situation and another and use that technique a given situation calls for.

BERTAGNA GOALTENDING — 7 CONCORD STREET — GLOUCESTER, MA 01930 JOE BERTAGNA, DIRECTOR — 978-376-5494 — [email protected] CONTROLLING REBOUNDS

By Joe Bertagna

At the start of every season, I try to simplify a goalie’s challenge. “There are two things you need to master before anything else: proper positioning and control of the puck.” The former comes from knowledge of situ- ations, regular angle adjustments, (particularly early in the year) and good footwork. The latter comes from awareness of open opponents and constant repetition of save techniques. New techniques come and go but these two basics remain the same. It is the matter of puck control or “re- bounds” that I would like to address here. The older the goalie gets, the less likely he or she will be beaten on “first shots.” That is, their development as a goalie will likely mean that if they see shots, they will stop them. Most of them, anyway. The goals start to come almost exclusively from the second shot, the deflected shot, or the scramble after the shot that doesn’t get through. Goalies need to work on the following to limit goals after the first shot is taken:

1) The ability to prevent rebounds entirely. Shots right at goalies sometimes are the toughest for them to control. They are geared to deflect and steer when in fact, they need to be able to kill and absorb shots. The toughest ones may be the shots along the ice directly at them. Goalies have to “receive” the shot. Not attack it, if they want to maintain possession. This goal may be to get a whistle and allow fresh teammates as much as it is to prevent the other team from getting possession. High shots should be trapped by both arms and the chest. The ones between ice level and mid-section may have to be controlled best by dropping behind the shot and fielding in “the gut.”

2) The ability to deflect and steer. Sometimes the shots are too quick to kill so the goalie has to get in the habit of steering to safety or deflecting appropriately with the blocker. It follows that in order to steer a puck to safety, a goalie must know in advance where it is safe to steer it. This means that goalies must know the immediate area around them even before the shot is taken. Some goalies have trouble with rebounds because of lack of knowledge; some because of poor technique. (Okay, some because of both!)

3) The ability to stay with the puck and make split second decisions. So let’s say that #1 and #2 above fail. There is a loose puck. The goalie has to: a) Clear or tie up those within reach. b) Recover to a new position or even to their feet. c) Freeze and fill as much open net as possible for that next shot.

Note: to do #2 and #3 effectively, the goalie needs to work on that time just before a shot (playing swivel-head- ed to know who is open around you) and just after the shot (acting on a loose puck or reacting to a second shot). But if coaches continue to only drill goalies at practice via rapid-fire shooting drills, rebound control will only get a partial treatment and limited improvement as the year goes forward.

Finally, to back this up, keep track of goals allowed. How many come from a first shot that the goalie sees? How many off a rebound? How many off a puck that is partially blocked or deflected? Keep track and learn where your attention should be directed.

BERTAGNA GOALTENDING — 7 CONCORD STREET — GLOUCESTER, MA 01930 JOE BERTAGNA, DIRECTOR — 978-376-5494 — [email protected] FOLLOW YOUR EYES

By Joe Bertagna

Mike Morrison is a young, former elite goaltender who shows great promise as a goaltending coach. The former University of Maine Black Bear played 27 games in the National Hockey League in a decade-long pro- fessional career. Speaking at a summer goaltending clinic recently, Morrison had this to say to young goalies: “Your eyes are the window to your brain. Always locate the puck first before recovering or moving. What you see will help you factor in all the things that will dictate your next move.” He is correct, of course. Yet so many times in a summer of clinics, we observed countless goalies starting to recover and in some cases recovering completely before turning and looking for the puck. Part of Mike’s point is that when you can see the situation first, you will be informed as to what conditions are acting on the play. Where is the puck? Who is closest to it? Is a shot imminent? Do I have help? Do I have time to move out? Should I get centered and concede depth? This suggestion of “following your eyes” is an extension of what many of us have preached for years. When moving around the crease, lead with your hands (and stick). The hands, in a way, can frame what you see. By amending this to include “the eyes,” we now incorporate the necessity to turn one’s head and shoulders (upper body actually) as a first step toward lateral movement. Consider these situations: a) Puck is passed laterally from right wing to left wing. b) Player cuts across crease with puck. c) Player dekes on a breakaway. d) Pass goes from high in zone to opponent behind goalie on far side. In each of these, from subtle to less so, the goalie has to deal with a re-positioned puck and, with that, a new angle. The goaltender is more likely to re-position himself with precision if he begins the move with the eyes (head) and shoulders (upper body) rotating to the proper side, with the body following. This might be from a standing position to a standing position as in “a” above. Or it could be from a standing position to a butterfly as in “d” above. It is the same dynamic when starting from the ice and staying on the ice as in a move com- monly referred to as a “butterfly push.” A good warm-up movement drill with which to emphasize these points has the goalie turning and executing a “T Push” out to cones. Turn, push to the right, stop. Turn, push to the left, stop. After hitting five or six such marks, the goalie then retreats to the same marks, but this time turning and executing a sliding butterfly to each of those marks and ending up back where he started. Failure to make that “turn” first can result in a goalie being “flat” and not properly squared to the puck.They end up just a little shy of where they want to be and they give up more net than they want to the shooter. When goalies are presented simple movement and recovery drills, watch how they get up and how they pre- pare for lateral movement. Stress the importance of assessing the situation and turning head and upper body, following one’s hands to effectively establish a new position.

BONUS TIP: Follow “THEIR” Eyes Mike and I were working a clinic together once and a young goaltender was having trouble finding the puck during a scaramble in front of him. Mike said something I had not heard in my three+ decades of coaching: “When I got in a situation like that, I would quickly look at the opposing fiorwards eyes,” said Mike. “Maybe I didn’t know where the puck was but often they could see it and their eyes or, more specifically, where they were looking, told me where I should be looking.”

BERTAGNA GOALTENDING — 7 CONCORD STREET — GLOUCESTER, MA 01930 JOE BERTAGNA, DIRECTOR — 978-376-5494 — [email protected] DROPPING TO THE ICE: “WHY” and “WHEN”

By Joe Bertagna

Goaltenders are frequently criticized by their coaches for leaving their feet and dropping in a butterfly or other variation. Often the criticism is too broad: “Don’t go down.” Or, “You are going down too much.” Such criticism is incomplete. Often, when the goalie drops to the ice, it is the “right move” or “right tech- nique.” The problem is usually more specific than the fact that he is going down. Perhaps he is going down too soon. Or maybe he is going down in the wrong place (too deep in the net). Goalies drop for different reasons: • The shot is low. They drop to make the save with their stick, backed up by their pad. In these situations, they see the puck and execute a “reaction save.” • They are screened. Low shots have a better chance of getting through screens. They play the percentage by dropping behind the . (Preferably close to the screen.) This way, they can stop shots they don’t actually see. • A pass near the goal results in a scoring opportunity so close to the goal that the best the goalie can do is drop and fill open net and execute a “blocking save.” • They lack confidence. This sometimes manifests itself in goalies who drop on everything. Too often. Too soon. They lack the confidence to stay up and wait to see where the puck goes, fearing they won’t be quick enough to wait and react successfully. So they drop, insuring that at the least, they fill the lower half of the net. Goalies who fall into this habit can get beat a few ways: a) players wait and shoot high; b) players wait and deke; c) players wait and pass the puck. Better players will be more patient and they will give problems to goalies who drop too soon. [Note: Older goalies, whose habits are better known by opponents, are particularly vulnerable here.] • They mis-read the angle. If a goalie feels his best way to react to a shot is to spread his stance a little and drop in a butterfly, then that is what they should do when challenged by a shooter. One exception to this: when the shooter has such a bad angle that the goalie needs to simply take a step out and fill the entire angle. When you can fill the angle on your feet, why risk opening up holes above or through (five-hole) by dropping? (This is particularly the case when there is no imminent lateral pass option.) A final note on the butterfly technique and goalies who drop...and this is to coaches: don’t cling to memories of goalies who stayed up a lot. The game is different and has been for a while. Goalies have to drop. Rather than try to get them to stop, give them help on when, where and why to drop. Ask your goalie: Why did you go down? Could you have waited? Could you have gotten closer to the puck? This method will give you more credibility and hopefully provide better results.

BERTAGNA GOALTENDING — 7 CONCORD STREET — GLOUCESTER, MA 01930 JOE BERTAGNA, DIRECTOR — 978-376-5494 — [email protected]