Summary

The goaltending position has made huge strides in the past 20 years. From the early 1980's, where National Hockey League players were lighting the lamp at record pace, to the present where scoring is at a premium, the goaltending position has clearly advanced more than any other position in the game of hockey.

Goaltenders such as Martin Brodeur, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Roberto Luongo and Jose Theodore continually amaze fans with their puck stopping abilities. Goaltending in the New Millennium is one of the few goaltending-specific instructional resources that has kept pace with the evolution of hockey's most influential position.

If you are serious about goaltender development and are looking to take your game to the next level than Goaltending in the New Millennium is precisely what you have been looking for: an all encompassing instructional resource that shows you how and why the world's best goaltenders play the position the way they do.

Jam packed with over 90 pictures and 163 pages of detailed instruction, Goaltending in the New Millennium is the perfect resource for the goaltender of any age, ability or gender.

The first in a series of best-selling books authored by Ron Mays, Goaltending in the New Millennium has become a trusted guide among coaches and parents who are looking to guide the development of young goaltenders worldwide.

If you have yet to experience all of the benefits Goaltending in the New Millennium has to offer it is time to make Goaltending in the New Millennium your constant reference on goaltending.

Chapter Listing

SECTION 1:
Building The Foundation

• The Goaltender's Stance
• Skating
• The butterfly
• The butterfly slide
• The paddle-down save
• Angles

SECTION 2:
Save Selections

• Stick saves
• Blocker saves
• Glove saves
• The poke check

SECTION 3:
Save Situations

• Screen shots
• Deflections
• Wraparounds
• The one-on-one
• The two-on-one
• Shots from the slot
• Passes to the crease
• Shots from the point
• The breakaway
• Recovery
• Puckhandling, Passing and Shooting
• The three-on-two

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Sample 1

Section 1, Chapter 1
The Goaltender's Stance

The goaltenders stance refers to the way a goalie positions his body before and after stopping every shot. All of a goaltenders movements in and around the crease should start from the stance, or as it's often referred to, the set position. Once the goalie has made a save he should immediately return to the set position.

What does the perfect stance look like? The truth is there is no one stance that works for every goaltender. The best goalies in the world, like Patrick Roy, Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour, all have unique stances that allow them to be successful. I do not recommend simply copying the stance of your favorite goalie. Every goalie is different physically, mentally and emotionally. Therefore, the best approach is to experiment until you develop a stance that provides you with a maximum feeling of comfort and balance, covers a large area of the net, and allows you to move with great efficiency.

The goaltenders stance plays a crucial role in maximizing net coverage. A tight, compact stance leaves the shooter with the impression that there is very little net to shoot at. The only hole an offensive attacker should be able to see is the five-hole, the opening between the goalies legs. Everything else should be closed up tightly, forcing the shooter to be precise by shooting the puck around the goalie and inside the post, or over the goalie and under the crossbar to score a goal.

Although there is no one stance every goalie should make use of, there are a number of key ingredients that should be incorporated into the stance. The goaltender should start by positioning his feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart at the very least. This puts the goalkeeper in a balanced position and provides him with the ability to respond to a shot in any direction. Once the goalie has positioned his feet properly, he must make sure that he is balanced on the inside edges of his skates.

Next, the goaltender must set up low to the ice by dropping the rear end down and bending the knees comfortably. The toughest shots to stop are the low drives to the bottom corners. By setting up low to the ice the goaltender gives himself every opportunity to rapidly descend into the butterfly and cover the bottom corners. The goaltenders gloves should be positioned at knee height off the edge of the pads and on a plane out in front of the body. This allows the goalie to move his hands independently of the body and improves his field of vision by permitting him to watch the puck from the shooters stick all the way into the blocker or glove. Proper positioning of the gloves also puts the goaltender in a balanced position giving him the ability to respond to a shot in any direction.

One of the biggest mistakes a young goaltender can make is to hold his catching glove too high. Goaltenders who hold their glove too high are often forced to drop their glove down in order to make a save. This makes it increasing difficult to control the glove since the puck is moving upwards from ice level while the glove is moving in the opposite direction. It is much easier for a goalie to lift his glove up to take away the top corner than it is to lower the glove to stop shots at knee height.

Last, but certainly not least, the goaltenders shoulders, hips, and feet should all be square to the puck. If these body parts are not facing the puck at all times the goaltender will give the shooter much more net to shoot at and the ability to respond to a shot in any direction will be lost.

Key Points- The Goaltenders Stance

1. Position the feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and make sure you are balanced on the inside edges of your skates. Experiment until you come up with the foot position that works best for you.
2. Set up low to the ice by keeping your rear end down and knees well bent in order to give you maximum leg extension on the bottom corners.
3. Position your gloves at knee height off the edge of your pads and on a plane out in front of your body. The glove must remain open and square to the puck at all times.
4. Move your stick forward and away from your skates. Make sure your stick is slanted so that it can be moved in a semi-circle.
5. Keep your shoulders, hips, and feet square to the puck at all times

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Sample 2

Section 3, Chapter 13
Wraparounds

The wraparound is one of the most unique and challenging confrontations a goalie will face in today's game. It is the only occasion where the play originates from behind the goalie and out of his direct field of vision rather than out in front of him as is custom. Defending the player behind the net has become a headache for goaltenders ever since a superstar from Brantford, Ontario by the name of Wayne Gretzky decided to set up his office behind the net. In fact, play behind the net has become such a commonplace occurrence that many teams now structure their entire powerplays around the man behind the net.

 
Follow the puck over your glove side shoulder as much as possible.

When defending against the wraparound, the goalie should attempt to follow the puck over his glove side shoulder as much as possible. It is much easier for the goaltender to follow the path of the puck over his glove side shoulder than over his blocker side shoulder. While tracking the puck over your glove side shoulder, move your stick so that it remains parallel or in line with the puck at all times.

The goalie must display an incredible amount of patience and wait for the player to commit himself. If you lose sight of the puck over your glove side shoulder quickly turn your head and pick up the puck on the other side. Once the opposing player commits to jamming the puck the goalie has two options: he can stay on his feet going from post-to-post using either the t-push or the shuffle, or he can move side-to-side in a paddle-down position. Younger netminders who decide to stay on their feet generally have more success using the t-push while older, more powerful goalies, can generate enough power to shuffle from one side of the net to the other with one strong push.

The goalie who intends to turn aside the wraparound play consistently must learn to be aggressive with his stick. The stick is not simply a tool to lean on. Get the stick involved in the play by getting it out in front and over to the far post early, before your skate arrives. Bringing the stick over first allows the goalie to prevent many wraparound goals and dangerous passouts.

A new method of denying the wraparound has emerged in recent years thanks in large part to the Quebec goalies. Netminders such as Felix Potvin and Jocelyn Thibault often use the paddle down save to take away the bottom of the net on wraparounds. Francois Allaire, the Quebec goaltending guru, described the advantages of using the paddle down method of stopping wraparounds this way:

The idea is to take away the bottom of the net. Timing is key. Go down too soon and the player wrapping it will pass it in front. Go down too late and the puck is stuffed in. The reason you can't defend it standing up is time. If you stand against one post and have to move to the other post, you have to travel almost six feet. If you butterfly and switch sides, you only have to go a foot or two because your pads are already covering most of the net. Sure, there is a chance your pads may not get right up against the post but if the puck comes out in front, the whole bottom of the net is covered and you're forcing the shooter to put it in the top of the net from close range.

There has been a lot of debate in recent years over the advantages and disadvantages of using the paddle down save. The most obvious disadvantage is that once you have committed to going down your ability to move laterally is greatly restricted. The key to using the paddle-down save on wraparounds effectively is getting the paddle-down on the ice early. At the same time, the blocker must cover the opening between the legs while the pad is locked up tight against the post.

Be aggressive with the stick.	The paddle-down method allows the goaltender to maximize coverage along the ice surface.	The glove must remain above the pad to cover the top corner.

Defending wraparounds is a skill that takes many years to master. In fact, there are many goalies in the NHL today who still have not learned how to defend the wraparound properly. With a lot of hard work and a tremendous amount of persistence it will soon become second nature.

1. Make it easy on yourself and try to follow the puck over your glove side shoulder as much as possible. Once you lose sight of the puck over your glove side shoulder quickly turn your head and pick up the puck over your blocker side shoulder.
2. Be patient. Force the puck carrier to commit himself before you do.
3. Move with the puck carrier so that your stick remains parallel or even with the puck at all times.
4. If you feel more comfortable staying on your feet to play a wraparound, use the shuffle or t-push to move from post-to-post as quickly as possible. Stay low and maintain the set position throughout the movement. Keep your stick glued to the ice at all times. The shuffle is the easier of the two movements provided that you possess sufficient strength in your legs to execute it properly.
5. Get the stick out in front and bring it over quickly, before your skate reaches the post. Do not let it drag behind.
6. If you intend to use the paddle down method on wraparounds concentrate on getting the paddle down early and make sure your pad is tight to the goal post to prevent any soft goals.

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