2017-2018 NHL Gear Sitings

[BauerHockey47]

48 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

Thank you for adding the name. I didn’t want to be creepy and ask 

Happy to help. I only knew because I saw an article somewhere reporting that their first date was a candlelight dinner at Chipotle or Qdoba.

28 minutes ago, Moose75 said:

Is it really that hard to get a matching set together? Or does Schneider just not care?

I've gotta say, as good as Schneider can be, every time I've watched him this season I don't see any changes updates in his game. Same thing with guys like Holtby and Price. Could be factors as to why they have all had off-years. Injuries, past heavy workloads, and incompetent management aside. Quick is the only goalie that plays exactly the same since I first watched him, yet has not suffered for it (yet).

I think you make an interesting point. Pekka Rinne has made slight changes to his game (a taller stance during odd-man rushes) this past off season and is having one of his best season to date. No reason any goalie in the NHL needs to make whole-sale changes--they are in the NHL, after all--but surely some could benefit from minor tweaks.

[TheGoalNet]

2 hours ago, BauerHockey47 said:

Happy to help. I only knew because I saw an article somewhere reporting that their first date was a candlelight dinner at Chipotle or Qdoba.

I think you make an interesting point. Pekka Rinne has made slight changes to his game (a taller stance during odd-man rushes) this past off season and is having one of his best season to date. No reason any goalie in the NHL needs to make whole-sale changes--they are in the NHL, after all--but surely some could benefit from minor tweaks.

I heard Holtby made some tweaks that made him unreal last offseason. He didn’t have the confidence to implement them in the the season though. 

Price has also made a bunch tweaks to his stance too

[Moose75]

2 hours ago, BauerHockey47 said:

I think you make an interesting point. Pekka Rinne has made slight changes to his game (a taller stance during odd-man rushes) this past off season and is having one of his best season to date. No reason any goalie in the NHL needs to make whole-sale changes--they are in the NHL, after all--but surely some could benefit from minor tweaks.

Exactly! The NHL game never stops evolving, and neither should any goalie worth his salt. Even Blues alumni Martin Brodeur changed things up at one point towards the end. I read somewhere that Hellebuyck made a lot of adjustments between last year and this year that lead to his success this season. Even changed his glove positioning a bit, which is big since as far as I can remember he held it low.

I'd even say non-goalie adjustments are important too sometimes. Just approaching your body differently and working on the ideal weight and muscle ratio can make a huge difference for long term performance.

There are a few goalies I'd say need something more than minor tweaks to be honest lol. Jake Allen and Petr Mrazek come to mind. I think those two are at a do-or-die moment in their careers as starters.

[insertnamehere]

5 minutes ago, Moose75 said:

Exactly! The NHL game never stops evolving, and neither should any goalie worth his salt. Even Blues alumni Martin Brodeur changed things up at one point towards the end. I read somewhere that Hellebuyck made a lot of adjustments between last year and this year that lead to his success this season. Even changed his glove positioning a bit, which is big since as far as I can remember he held it low.

I'd even say non-goalie adjustments are important too sometimes. Just approaching your body differently and working on the ideal weight and muscle ratio can make a huge difference for long term performance.

There are a few goalies I'd say need something more than minor tweaks to be honest lol. Jake Allen and Petr Mrazek come to mind. I think those two are at a do-or-die moment in their careers as starters.

Yeah, it's been all over the Jets subreddit and news this season about how Hellebuyck sought out a new agent who introduced him to a new coach (Adam Francilia) last offseason and really worked on biomechanics and stuff. I've watched around 60 Jets games this year and I only recall thinking there was one game where he looked really out of sorts and the loss was on him. His consistency this year has been unreal and he looks incredibly calm in the net, reminding me of Price in a good year.

https://www.nhl.com/news/jets-goalie-connor-hellebuyck-focused-training-on-body-mechanics/c-292085644

[Moose75]

22 minutes ago, insertnamehere said:

Yeah, it's been all over the Jets subreddit and news this season about how Hellebuyck sought out a new agent who introduced him to a new coach (Adam Francilia) last offseason and really worked on biomechanics and stuff. I've watched around 60 Jets games this year and I only recall thinking there was one game where he looked really out of sorts and the loss was on him. His consistency this year has been unreal and he looks incredibly calm in the net, reminding me of Price in a good year.

https://www.nhl.com/news/jets-goalie-connor-hellebuyck-focused-training-on-body-mechanics/c-292085644

Awesome! I'm gonna check this article out. I really like Hellebuyck's game. 

Found another too: https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-jets-connor-hellebuyck-unmasked-changes-pay-off/c-295288216

[insertnamehere]

13 minutes ago, Moose75 said:

Awesome! I'm gonna check this article out. I really like Hellebuyck's game. 

Found another too: https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-jets-connor-hellebuyck-unmasked-changes-pay-off/c-295288216

I like his game too, especially being a Jets fan. He's making up for the years of watching the inconsistencies and panicky play of Pavelec. If I was 6'4" like him instead of the 5'7" I am, I'd probably try to play a style similar to Hellebuyck.

[Moose75]

10 minutes ago, insertnamehere said:

I like his game too, especially being a Jets fan. He's making up for the years of watching the inconsistencies and panicky play of Pavelec. If I was 6'4" like him instead of the 5'7" I am, I'd probably try to play a style similar to Hellebuyck.

Still, there's definitely elements of his game even a shorter goalie can pull away and use for themselves! His ability to stay patient and compact, for instance. Or how he manages his motions; very careful not to expend energy on panic slides, or reacting with D&Ps [Drop & Pray. One of my old goalie coach's sayings.] as other NHL do.

It's funny because I tend to try and watch smaller goalies to learn from them because their footwork and positioning is often better because they can't rely on "just being big". I watched Cale Morris (Notre Dame's stud) a lot this season. His footwork and ability to keep his core in front of the puck and his shoulders large are two things I tried to transfer onto myself. He's listed as 6'1'', but there's no way since he's smaller than me (and I'm 6'1''). It's like if Quick grafted Holtby's simplicity and focus instead of over-relying on pure athleticism to bail himself out.

[coopaloop1234]

19 hours ago, Moose75 said:

. Quick is the only goalie that plays exactly the same since I first watched him, yet has not suffered for it (yet).

You know it's coming. Hands down my favourite goalie in the show and the most entertaining to watch. But you know in about 2-3 years (he's 32 right now), he's going to regress hard. He's a ticking time bomb.

[MTH]

22 hours ago, BauerHockey47 said:

There are definitely worse things in life than dating Taylor Acorn...

Jesus, what's she? 12?

Then again most NHL players are maybe 24.

[Moose75]

22 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

You know it's coming. Hands down my favourite goalie in the show and the most entertaining to watch. But you know in about 2-3 years (he's 32 right now), he's going to regress hard. He's a ticking time bomb.

Well most goalies tend to decline around mid thirties, unless they are Luongo or some other freak case. I meant more his technique than his physical body. But that technique may lead to issues with his body with age. Seems recently he gets beat by shots that should not be going in for a goalie with his speed and reaction time, like that 5-hole shot last night.

[Lucky Pucker]

1 minute ago, Moose75 said:

Well most goalies tend to decline around mid thirties, unless they are Luongo or some other freak case. I meant more his technique than his physical body. But that technique may lead to issues with his body with age. Seems recently he gets beat by shots that should not be going in for a goalie with his speed and reaction time, like that 5-hole shot last night.

Well, shit; I wish I would have known this before starting goal tending at age 39!

But then, you can't really decline from rock-bottom suckage, so I guess I'm safe

[Moose75]

43 minutes ago, Lucky Pucker said:

Well, shit; I wish I would have known this before starting goal tending at age 39!

But then, you can't really decline from rock-bottom suckage, so I guess I'm safe

I meant most NHL/pro guys. Some of us plebeian goalies decline even earlier, haha! 

[Lucky Pucker]

4 minutes ago, Moose75 said:

I meant most NHL/pro guys. Some of us plebeian goalies decline even earlier, haha! 

Ha! Race you to the bottom - well, look at that; I'm already there!

#winning

[coopaloop1234]

1 hour ago, Moose75 said:

Well most goalies tend to decline around mid thirties, unless they are Luongo or some other freak case. I meant more his technique than his physical body. But that technique may lead to issues with his body with age. Seems recently he gets beat by shots that should not be going in for a goalie with his speed and reaction time, like that 5-hole shot last night.

Of course, we all know the 26-32 range is the prime for goalies. But for Quick, who is the most agile/unorthodox goalie in the league right now, his regression will become much more apparent at a faster rate than someone who plays like Jones does.

[Moose75]

32 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Of course, we all know the 26-32 range is the prime for goalies. But for Quick, who is the most agile/unorthodox goalie in the league right now, his regression will become much more apparent at a faster rate than someone who plays like Jones does.

This is what I like to debate about! Jones is very much a rigid, more "technical" goalie. I feel like it would be easier for him to regress since his technique is greatly tethered to the current style of the game, where as what Quick does seems to stop pucks no matter what era you're in since its natural athleticism. I'd like to see how Jones and Quick will adapt to game changes the next 2-3 years. As far as efficiency for their bodies go, I also gotta say Jones economic movements will definitely be more forgiving for his body over time, where as if Quick gets a few more injuries, playing like Gumby won't be an ideal option anymore. Part of me does wonder if more "robotic" goalies like Jones are actually doing more damage to their bodies by forcing themselves to play against what their body dynamics naturally dictate. 

Also I think that age range has changed a bit now. Seems like 24-30 is the new 26-32.

[coopaloop1234]

18 minutes ago, Moose75 said:

This is what I like to debate about! Jones is very much a rigid, more "technical" goalie. I feel like it would be easier for him to regress since his technique is greatly tethered to the current style of the game, where as what Quick does seems to stop pucks no matter what era you're in since its natural athleticism. I'd like to see how Jones and Quick will adapt to game changes the next 2-3 years. As far as efficiency for their bodies go, I also gotta say Jones economic movements will definitely be more forgiving for his body over time, where as if Quick gets a few more injuries, playing like Gumby won't be an ideal option anymore. Part of me does wonder if more "robotic" goalies like Jones are actually doing more damage to their bodies by forcing themselves to play against what their body dynamics naturally dictate. 

Also I think that age range has changed a bit now. Seems like 24-30 is the new 26-32.

But we can always argue that proper technique is able to close gaps in reaction time and reads. With a picture perfect technical game, you don't need to react much to shots.

I also remember that Jones goes to a lot of drop in ice times to work on his scramble game. The guy has been coached to oblivion from such a young age and was able to get some high level coaching as his dad worked for the Canucks. Jones is almost a definition of a robot goalie, but it's his game and I don't think there will be that much adaptation over the next few years.

Where as Quick had the exact opposite issue. When he got drafted, they spent a lot of time to teach him the technical side of goaltending and to calm him down. Once his athleticism starts to really drop, he's going to need to adapt his game far more than Jones will. It's the same aspect as Brodeur. Late in his career he had to be taught which is the proper leg to get up on

[RichMan]

9 hours ago, coopaloop1234 said:

But we can always argue that proper technique is able to close gaps in reaction time and reads. With a picture perfect technical game, you don't need to react much to shots.

I also remember that Jones goes to a lot of drop in ice times to work on his scramble game. The guy has been coached to oblivion from such a young age and was able to get some high level coaching as his dad worked for the Canucks. Jones is almost a definition of a robot goalie, but it's his game and I don't think there will be that much adaptation over the next few years.

Where as Quick had the exact opposite issue. When he got drafted, they spent a lot of time to teach him the technical side of goaltending and to calm him down. Once his athleticism starts to really drop, he's going to need to adapt his game far more than Jones will. It's the same aspect as Brodeur. Late in his career he had to be taught which is the proper leg to get up on

Not technically pretty but he got the job done regardless, which leads to ponder on one of coaches rules: don't try to make a goalie a certain style, but rather work within his own and hone it. True that we will apply this to the little fellas starting. Can it also be applied to professionals?

I remember the first games I saw Clemmensen play in for Brodeur in Jersey, he seemed like a carbon copy of Marty's game. Couple years later he all of a sudden seemed to have a new style, more modern, more main stream. Was this a necessity? Did he get pulled aside and told "listen kid, if you wanna last in this game at this level for a while, you gotta adapt the new style"

[ruckus007]

Quick's already had a few groin injuries, which I believe is largely due to his style. 

Nevertheless, you can also look at some goalies that are still thriving on similar styles as quick at an advanced age (Fluery, Rinne). Some have changed with some success (Miller), and some, like Lundqvist have kept fine tuning their game to stay competitive. 

It'll be interesting to see how Quick deals with this as time progresses.

[sebastiancp1]

On the topic of goalie tweaks, two things:

First, Craig Custance did a great podcast with Mike Valley.  He runs the Axis goalie camp and was a goalie coach with the Stars for a number of years.  They talked about goalies learning from other goalies when they get together as opposed to talking to coaches.  He went in depth about how guys will ask other guys how they handle certain situations and almost feel more comfortable with that then hearing from a coach.  He also talked about how Jimmy Howard came to his camp last summer and basically said I know you're not my normal goalie coach, but I need to change up my game and update it.  And sure enough he had a great year.

Secondly, as Penguins fan it's really interesting to see Niemi improve this season.  He was very bad to start the year and it looked like he was still trying to play mid-2000s hockey.  I can't remember where I saw it or read it (maybe was in the Valley podcast too), but there was a lot of talk about how Niemi refused to adjust his game.  I wonder if the relationship in Montreal was just comfortable for him to make tweaks or if he did it out of necessity of being waived twice in a season.

[stackem30]

9 hours ago, RichMan said:

Not technically pretty but he got the job done regardless, which leads to ponder on one of coaches rules: don't try to make a goalie a certain style, but rather work within his own and hone it. True that we will apply this to the little fellas starting. Can it also be applied to professionals?

I remember the first games I saw Clemmensen play in for Brodeur in Jersey, he seemed like a carbon copy of Marty's game. Couple years later he all of a sudden seemed to have a new style, more modern, more main stream. Was this a necessity? Did he get pulled aside and told "listen kid, if you wanna last in this game at this level for a while, you gotta adapt the new style"

Brodeur (and some other goalies) had a natural athletic ability and a hockey mind that allowed him to get away with eschewing some pretty core technical aspects. His athletic ability allowed him to make some amazing saves that bailed him out of some sticky situations he'd get himself into, for sure. But a ton of the goals he let up were pretty soft (his low stick-side, woof), and I'd sometimes wonder how much better his numbers might have been if he'd tightened up some aspects of his game earlier on. And yes, he got up with the wrong leg all the time, it was kind of great. I still do it too, and it's not so great :-/

[TheGoalNet]

[Lucky Pucker]

Saw this - and him losing his shut after (looked a bit like Lundy! lol!)

But for realz; Rask’s push/slide with no blade is WAY better than mine WITH steel! 

[Aquilzz]

16 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

Good  

Yes, I'm a salty Leafs fan. 

[SaveByRichter35]

Damn that sucks 

[mr_shifty1982]

Rask is the biggest primadonna in the NHL today, he cries like a Mexican soccer player I can't really compare it to anything else.  He could have done so much more to stop the play or at least try to get back in the middle of the net on the butterfly, so weak.