Changing your game: Style, Form, Technique

[RichMan]

For the most part, the purpose of change in your game is to improve your performance or learn new and advanced techniques and overall become a better goalie, regardless of your level or goals.

What about the opposite? What if you are forced to change your game due to injuries, due to physical limitations, due to a handicap, or simply due to old age? I'm sure you could come up with even more relevant excuses as to why you would not goal the same way you used to. 

My game over the decades has been constantly evolving, changing and improving for the best. But I do notice more often now at 55 that, despite my experience with sports, conditioning and healthy lifestyle habits, sometimes things don't go as planned and one day you're on top and killing it and the next you're dogging it because something went wrong at the gym or you're just feeling off or over fatigued for some reason, etc.

Just this past few months I've managed to improve my flexibility, my mindset and my stamina. At the same time I'm dealing with a very bad shoulder, my ankle work injury that was well documented on this platform, and stupid gym injuries that seem to just happen even if I'm careful.

Just a couple weeks ago, I was forced to play a stand-up game because I tweaked my groin earlier that week. Although the experience was fun and it brought me back, wayyy back to my younger playing days, it gave me a glimpse of what it could be like playing as I slowly approach that day that I will hang up the pads.

It got me into thinking how maybe others were forced to make necessary changes to their playing style just so they can keep minding the net and enjoy the game. Just look at what pro goalie Blackburn went though before inevitably have to retire early.

What has been your experience with this? I know @Wonder35 and @Fullright and a few others have much to say on this topic  

[DALV1]

This is an interesting take on the idea of change as we age. As an almost 60 yr old goalie playing two to three times a week, I’ve struggled to stay relevant. I’ve adapted to a hybrid style which involves a starting stand up to butterfly, two pad stack or anything else I can muster, style. I started playing net full time in 1981 and it was all stand up for a long time. I’ve purchased the newest and greatest types of equipment as I’ve gone along to stay in the game.

I've recently been getting newer gear to reduce weight(equipment,not me) warrior gloves and new G6 pads. I was hoping this would be the next evolution of my game, lighter, faster, quicker reactions. Although I appreciate the weight reduction,age, flexibility, mental focus all factor into my level of success. I’ve noticed the other “old guys” have adopted a “sit in a modified butterfly” position and STAY there. They don’t get up!! Yet they’re fairly successful with this.

I'm still enjoying the game and have the desire to play well and actually get better, even at 59 1/2 so I’ll keep trying whatever I can to stay healthy and have fun. 
The G6 no break pads are tough to get used to, not sure how you kids do it but wow are they light!

[RichMan]

14 hours ago, DALV1 said:

This is an interesting take on the idea of change as we age. As an almost 60 yr old goalie playing two to three times a week, I’ve struggled to stay relevant. I’ve adapted to a hybrid style which involves a starting stand up to butterfly, two pad stack or anything else I can muster, style. I started playing net full time in 1981 and it was all stand up for a long time. I’ve purchased the newest and greatest types of equipment as I’ve gone along to stay in the game.

I've recently been getting newer gear to reduce weight(equipment,not me) warrior gloves and new G6 pads. I was hoping this would be the next evolution of my game, lighter, faster, quicker reactions. Although I appreciate the weight reduction,age, flexibility, mental focus all factor into my level of success. I’ve noticed the other “old guys” have adopted a “sit in a modified butterfly” position and STAY there. They don’t get up!! Yet they’re fairly successful with this.

I'm still enjoying the game and have the desire to play well and actually get better, even at 59 1/2 so I’ll keep trying whatever I can to stay healthy and have fun. 
The G6 no break pads are tough to get used to, not sure how you kids do it but wow are they light!

A lot of things you've said factor for most of us in response to ageing. I've been able to adapt and play a modern game fairly well over the years, but I still struggle with the RVH but that is mostly lack of flexibility. I dig into my bag of tricks now and then and pull out a 2 pad stack or a Brodeur half butterfly and of course a must have poke-check and the likes. It impresses the young ones while excites the older guys. 

My hockey IQ is definitely much better today and thank goodness because my reflexes and speed aren't what they used to be  

I got into Warrior gear also, initially because of the weight reviews as well, but trying it on (GT2) sealed the deal. 

I'm a little behind you in numbers but I don't know if I will go past the 60 mark. I'm so competitive and performance detailed with myself that I hate to under perform in a game, especially league games. 

[Wonder35]

Here I go again. A medical/work situation stopped me from playing hockey in the early 2000's. Previously I was a goaltender in an aged 47-55 league, very well run, played twice a week from September until April. Then I subbed in summer hockey, same age group.

After retirement, (summer of 2006) we moved across Canada to Kelowna, BC (Pacific Northwest) but my goalie gear remained in Ontario at our son's house. Within a few weeks I discovered Drop In Noontime Hockey. Our Son mailed my gear in 2 large boxes. After only 1 Drop In Session I was asked to join a local 55+ team and here I am, now 18 seasons later.

Oh yeah, change in goaltending style. Before I quit playing, BF Goaltending began to show itself amongst some of the younger goalies. It looked graceful when done well, all of the sliding and posing, dropping down on EVERY shot. Some of the guys tried variations but it wasn't natural to us. Our generation was raised on "Stand up, Play your angles, Goalies don't play the puck", you know, or perhaps many of you don't.

At 5'7" there was no way in hell I can go down and still cover the high hard ones. Over the years I had morphed into a stand up guy who could throw his legs out with the best of them, double pad stacks and single leg splits. 

Then age, arthritis and hip/knee replacements demanded more of a stand up routine. But now that our 55+ team has become born again as a 70+ team (how did that happen) I know the typical moves from most of the guys. So now I cheat a lot, a helluva lot. A more polite version is that I anticipate, yeah, that's it, I anticipate.

We have a roster of 45 players, each guaranteed 2 games per week with an option to spare on a third. I play Mondays and Fridays, mid day, free for guardians of the cage, $6.00 for the great unwashed (the rest of them). The day before each game a Roster is sent out. Are you on the White or Black Team? Everyone has 2 jerseys. An attempt is made to balance both teams but mid game trades are needed at times.

It is rare and unexpected for us to witness a goalie pop up from a slide or skate save. Not that we can't slide. Even I have stolen some modern moves. But the popping up part can be painful to watch, let alone complete. We have one goalie who needs to reach up to the crossbar and haul his carcass into a semi erect position (no sexual innuendo please).

So, there you have it. For those of you who plan on playing this long it may not be pretty hockey to anyone else but us. I will be 74 next week.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Wonder35

[Fullright]

@Wonder35: you are simply bad ass!

My "game" has changed immensely over the decades and now that I am 60 parked because of a stupid, stupid off ice injury, I guess I can reflect back on things. For openers, I've always been a so-called standup goalie partly because that's how I was taught and partly because I am only 5'6". I went down in the butterfly but I suppose if I had to give an example of my approach, I think I was more Grant Fuhr than Tony Esposito with a dash of Mike Palmateer thrown in. (Must be a lefty thing :)) The biggest change in my play happened when I was a sophomore in college. I destroyed my left shoulder in junior but because of my aspirations at the time, I didnt have the recommended surgery (I would have been out for a year at the time because of how they fixed recurrent dislocations back then). As a result, even though I made the team, my blocker side arm was useless for any shot 3' off the ice to the bar. So, I had to learn how to position myself better to eat shots to my upper left corner off the face of my bicep, left shoulder, or chest. I could poke check etc but I couldnt lift my left arm high enough to extend my blocker to that area of the net. Accordingly, I forced myself to stand up even more than I had before. This had the positive result that I got pretty good at my angles. 

After blowing out the shoulder for the last time in my 3rd year of college, I was out of hockey for 2 years. My aspirations died when the shoulder blew for the last time. So after getting back in shape, I got into beer leagues. In that period of time, the biggest change was the chest and arms protection. I bought a Heaton chest and arms combo and it was like discovering fire. Shots off the torso and arms didnt lead to monster bruises anymore. With my shoulder repaired, I was still a stand up goalie but now going down on screens was so much easier. I didnt have to worry about ribs etc and shots were just soaked up in the Heaton combo leaving minimal rebounds. I kept up beer league to age 34 when my right shoulder blew out. More surgery and by this time, I had a wife, daughter and work obligations. I was out of hockey again for 16 years.

At about 48, my mom said I looked like a "fat contented middle aged man". So I trained and lost about 40 lbs. I get a call asking if I wanted to do a skate around with my best friend and his son who was in the ECHL and a few of his teammates. Of course, I said yes and worked my way back into playing at a pretty good drop in with high school, college/junior players when they are home, and pretty good beer league players for the past 10 years with a few games where I subbed in for the regular guy until I had my fall in September of 2023. There were tons of changes for this period. The first was that everyone now shoots hard and goes bar down. Used to be that 2 or 3 guys on a team had major shots; now just about all the skaters can blast. They are better trained and have better sticks. The catching glove is also a major change. These things are huge! A GM 12 or GM 21 looks like a child's glove compared to the Passau 60 degree I use. Also the old gloves were soooo heavy; the first time I used my Passau, I wasnt even sure I had a glove on. Another big change generally is that "crash the goalie" is not much of a play anymore. In youth and junior/college, blowing up the goalie was a play. The idea was to not only screen the goalie but also bang into him. I do not miss that part of it. Almost all my injuries were from getting crashed while in a vulnerable position focussed on the puck.

The biggest change in the game, besides the shot issue and perhaps less physicality, is the skill of the players. These guys are amazing. Everyone can skate. Everyone can fire it. And they skate with their heads up. Used to be that a guy came down the wing or the slot, put his head down, and tried to blast it through the goalie. Not anymore. Now they look to pass or work the puck across the slot to the weak side. As a result, I still play a standup approach, but I dont come out nearly as far as I used to above the crease because of the weak side one timer. One glaring flaw in my "game" is my post work. I cannot effectively use the VH or reverse VH. My pads dont work for it and my knees/hips with all the mileage on them cannot contort that way regularly anymore. So I still "hug the post" but try to use my stick much more to prevent skaters from getting a good stuff angle. My outdated "hug the post" deal, though, does stop the lacrosse goal. It just hits me in the chest and I get a laugh when a hot shot calls me a "dinosaur MF-er".

I think now more than ever goalies need to be able to skate. I think we were always in general the strongest skaters on the team but now a goalie needs to be able to get across faster than ever. I think the game is excellent these days. The players are stronger, faster, and better trained than they were in my time. It is joy to be able to hang with them on the ice and not get blown out. If I recover from this injury, I intend to get back at the same "level". I hope I can; I dont want to be done so if physically I can play with those guys, I will until my ability/skill is exhausted. 

@RichMan, this is a great topic. I hope more goalies chime in. I also wish we could all get together and have a beer/beverage and talk shop. There's some really good goalies and people here.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Fullright

[bildeer]

@RichMan Glad you brought this up. I had been thinking about this lately. While I probably won't be old enough to worry about it for some time, I had been wondering: how long can I keep up my current style of play before I start breaking things? So far I've been able to get by with proper preparation (stretching, general training etc.), but it will be interesting to see exactly what changes will need to be made for me to continue playing for as long as the more "senior" members on the forum given that I grew up playing "the modern game" whereas many here had a different basis to start with. 

I hope my hips can take another 40 years of this, though I likely won't be able to throw myself around as I have been able to. Perhaps I'll find a way to work smarter and not harder. 

[RichMan]

@Wonder35 Do you think that playing against guys your age brings with it the game style of that era? You won't see a 60 or 70 year old do crazy dekes like you see in today's game. They still play a style like they did in their prime, right? When I was 40, I would sub for a 60+ group and the game was so different and my modern game clashed with their old school game. But I think the fact that I started in the old ways of the 70's goalies when I first started playing goal in the late 70's and 80's, I was able to switch between both when needed or expected. After all, Jacques Plante was my first teacher...thanks to his book "Devant le filet"  

@Fullright I got rushed twice in one season in beer league over a decade ago and my back has been an issue ever since. I'm all for competitiveness but certain plays shouldn't be aloud only for common sense and safety for both goalie and player involved.

@bildeer You bring an interesting point supporting this discussion. What of the new school goalies reverting to learning a stand-up style? Imagine Rask or Lundy or Lu playing a la Smith or Liut or Plante.

Edited December 13, 2023 by RichMan

[Wonder35]

Fair to say. We have 6 exPros from the 60's, 4 more College Scholarship guys and the first Round Pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 1967. The main beef in our Dressing Room is where to find straight wood sticks, no curve. We marvel at the size, skill and speed of today's players. 

The odd time I get called up (down?) to play with the 55+ team. I confuse them with my playing style but they get their fair share on me.

 

[Fullright]

@MTH: I have had Plante's book since I was a little boy. I think it is significant that the most standup guy ever wrote that Tony Esposito, who no one would ever accuse of being a standup goalie, was the best at the time of publication. 

[pfeiffjay54]

Definitely not as interesting stories as you guys but I have changed my gave a ton the last year. I’m turning 15 in January and my whole time playing goalie I hated big blocky goalies and loved guys like quick. I played house and low level travel up until my peewee major year when I went to a mid tier Michigan aaa team. I could always make the cool athletic split saves, but simple shots always went in. I got a lot better until I got cut from that team two seasons later. That was a huge wake up call for me and after a few weeks off in the summer to focus on lacrosse, when I got on the ice I decided I needed to change the way I play. I lost most of my hip mobility and couldn’t really move the ways I could a few years back. I hit all the skates and camps I could and developed a ton. I’m still a more athletic-style than most, but I play a lot more controlled and simple game now. Watching old clips I have no idea how I was on the team I was haha. Right now I’m on a top aa team in Michigan and I’m playing better than I ever have. Just felt like sharing what made me change my game thanks for reading lol

[pfeiffjay54]

4 hours ago, bildeer said:

@RichMan Glad you brought this up. I had been thinking about this lately. While I probably won't be old enough to worry about it for some time, I had been wondering: how long can I keep up my current style of play before I start breaking things? So far I've been able to get by with proper preparation (stretching, general training etc.), but it will be interesting to see exactly what changes will need to be made for me to continue playing for as long as the more "senior" members on the forum given that I grew up playing "the modern game" whereas many here had a different basis to start with. 

I hope my hips can take another 40 years of this, though I likely won't be able to throw myself around as I have been able to. Perhaps I'll find a way to work smarter and not harder. 

I’ve been thinking about this a ton too. I’ve lost so much hip mobility over the past few years at 14. Stretching before every skate and at home has helped me feel better lately.

[RichMan]

18 hours ago, pfeiffjay54 said:

I’ve been thinking about this a ton too. I’ve lost so much hip mobility over the past few years at 14. Stretching before every skate and at home has helped me feel better lately.

You're 15...you're supposed to be made of rubber!!

At your age I could do splits but I lost all that in my 40s.

BTW, goaltending done really well looks boring to the onlooker. Like Keeks (Stephen Mckickan) says, if it's real flashy, chances are you were out of position

[DALV1]

It’s good to read about the other older goalies trying to stay in this. I’ve gone through the “I’m done” and miss a week tantrums cuz I had a bad game. Been through the “what am I doing? If get hurt I can’t work”. Yet I can’t seem to leave, so although I’ve never really set an age to stop I’m inspired to think it’s possible in my 70,s! Wonder35…  

In the past year alone I’ve replaced my skates, never would’ve imagined playing net without cowlings, but now I’m all in. My gloves and pads and knee pads to Warrior, I like the looks, the weight and the belief that it’ll help. I’ve convinced my wife it’s all necessary for me to keep playing. My adult son thinks I’m an ass! Although, when he was around he played with me and those are great memories, hopefully for both of us.

i still love the reaction to a two pad stack save, the old guys remember”when” and young guys think it’s nuts. I get the “the what was that sh*t” when I stand there and it hits me. There’s an expectation all goalies drop and when we don’t…. Well, you guys know, it messes with their heads.

I'm still foolish enough to think “I would’ve had that” when I watch the NHL, so I believe it’s the competitive mindset, the social gathering in a smelly small room and the desire to still keep moving that won’t let me stop.

And as I always tell the guys after, “ well, if I was any good I wouldn’t be playing with you guys”

[Fullright]

I left probably the most important things out in my ramble above. The older I get, the more off ice work I have to do whether it be stretching, cardio, or lifting. My diet has changed too....much less beef.   I also use more over the counter anti-inflamatories and IcyHot type ointments. 

@Wonder35: Happy Birthday! You're a monster, brother.