Another quick and easy mod to use if for a stick grip. I first saw this done by Pekka Rinne (the Finnish great who obviously isn't doing too well coming off an an unexpected layoff due to surgery complications) and thought it'd be worth copying. Always preferring a grip when playing in goal, I thought it would be useful and highly recommend it. Kind of acts as a minimal buffer against harder shots but also is handy for gripping the stick with a 'trigger grip', with the taped grip providing something to grip on to in the ready stance.
To complete the grip, I used a more buffed grip produced for field hockey sticks, to give a greater density to hold onto the stick with, then taped over with electric tape to clean up the edges!
Rinne uses this for his sticks. And Lundqvist does similar with his. Although you need to be beady eyed (like a hawk), you should be able to get just enough of a good look at Rinne's stick (especially when he drops it to 'ice' the puck with his blocker hand a la Hasek style!) in the video clip below:
Although a lot of goalie schools and technical think tanks preach a more conservative, calm and cool deep in the crease approach to goaltending, due to being able to get across for in-close passed shots and to avoid getting sniped, I'm still a firm believer in attacking shots. Not negatively, but positively challenging the shooter and appropriately. Just like Jonathan Quick!
Intensity is what gets you nominated for Vezina trophies and is what wins them. You don't get called "The Dominator" (like Hasek) by being easy to beat. The more intense you are, the harder you look to score on and the tougher you are to beat. Killing two birds with one stone as you try and get in shooter's heads!
He's an example of "Bob" warming up with the same approach he had in every game of his Vezina winning season, whilst playing in the KHL during last season's lockout:
Never quit on the play: don't ever, ever give up!
Battle until the puck ends up over the line
Push out explosively; the harder you drive, the quicker you get to places, but this obviously needs precision and control
Want it: if you want it badly enough, you'll make it (and that's for anything in life really!)
Be hard to beat; not just giving up soft goals but really push shooters to work to be able to score on you
Fight for space, fight to see the puck and fight against the shot
Position aggressively and challenge the angle and shooting space
Play like "it's your last game" - sounds a little random and morbid, but play like there's no tomorrow and you'll soon see an improvement in how hard you battle!
Although Tim Thomas is often compared to a street hockey goalie, he is a definitive competitor. His story of how he got to the NHL is extroardinary, but he got his head down, knuckled on with it and look how far he went! Dwayne Roloson too, a late bloomer, but one game away from a Stanley Cup ring. Or Niemi who went from zamboni driver between periods whilst paying his way to play in Finland, to a rookie winning a Stanley Cup with Chicago, all out of hard work, drive and determination.
In my opinion, having an intense approach really helps you "get in the zone" every game, which is arguably where you want to be to play your best. And it also helps you stand out from the crowd at trials and camps. Why? Because you're the hardest working goalie out there! It's worth a thought if not anything else!
And for some motivational videos, just watch Rinne and "Bob" and how much they hate being scored on!
Something proving newly popular is using cable ties instead of skate lace for tying plastic danglers to masks. I'm not sure which equipment manager cottoned onto the idea first, but . I first noticed Sergei Bobrovsky (of Columbus Blue Jackets atm) using a set-up like this a while back and it looks like there a few goalies cottoning on to the idea. Robin Lehner has also made the change very recently amongst others.
They don't bounce around, unlike when using skate lace to tie the dangler in place and then material is strong and tensile/flexible enough to deal with impacts! With the security of having the dangler in a fixed position, it also means that the dangler will stay in a constant, fixed position; there will be no massive shifting up or down as you move your neck around to look for the puck whilst in your stance, given you more confidence in having it there to do its job - of protecting your exposed neck - in the first place.
Which means there's no excuse for saying they're too loud and noisy, banging around causing too much irritation as reasons to not wear a dangler, which is no now more, all thanks to: cable ties!!
Below you can see my own mask with cable ties wrapped round the central bar and the side gaps to fix the dangler in place:
The method is well recommended; it works and is a great alternative to using skate lace!
