“Them”

Don’t forget about “them”. You know the kid donning the mask, the kid who has the heavy equipment on and does those pop-ups in an instance (impressive feat), the kid who’s heart is beating out of their chest watching the clock wind down, the kid who keeps bending over saying a silent prayer to themselves….”them” don’t forget about “them”.

Who is “them” you ask? They are your goalies! The one’s that feel the weight of the world on their shoulders, the one who feels they carry an entire team. The one who sits alone after a loss, the one being told by coaches “we need you”.

I am writing this article to hockey players everywhere with reminders (because there can never be too many), on how to treat your goalie and show your appreciation to your goalie teammate.

• Game Losses / OT losses: don’t leave your goalie out there by themselves. Don’t race off the ice in disgust and anger, and leave your tender out there alone replaying what just happened. A loss wasn’t a loss because of 1 player. A loss was a loss because the team didn’t score enough goals, the team was undisciplined, the team didn’t have a strong enough work ethic that game, the team was off their game, or simply put the team was just outplayed etc ….key word the team, not goalie. Believe me when I say this….and I will say it over and over until I am blue in the face. The silence you give your goaltender after a loss is NOT the way to go …..ever!

• Ice Entrance: Ok – this may sound silly to non-goalies, however, a pretty big deal to the goalies. Goaltenders should always lead the team onto the ice. They are the captain of the ship that day. There should be no player who is racing and pushing ahead to be on that ice before their tender (unless there is something special taking place for another player). This entrance also looks like a unified team.

• Pre-game Warm-ups: For the love of God – do not shoot at your goalies’ head – why does this continue to be a thing, why? This is your tender, your friend. This never makes sense to me. We have all seen the “How to warm up your goalie” post, but time and time again this remains an issue. Your goalie needs to feel the puck – that’s all – feel the puck – not feel the most amazing clapper you have ever taken – go try that clapper during the game!

• Dressing Room: Did you know that most goalies often feel alone? They are alone in their own thoughts, they are alone when they are plugged in doing ball toss, they are alone when they are in their crease. Often alone in their own warmups as opposed to with the team. Please don’t alienate them in the room – include them, and include them whether you just collected a W or L. The goalie is either relishing is sweet victory or is in complete heartache. It doesn’t matter which emotion is happening, check on them, chat with them, joke with them…..you are all on that ship together. You are all teammates.

Its play off time! It’s a stressful time of year to say the least, stressful for the whole team, but even more stressful for 2. Please, please I encourage all players, coaches, trainers, parents etc to support your tenders. Let’s also remember that they are children, and that they are human and make mistakes also. Let’s be mindful that they have given their best effort, and if they had an off night, they already know that, it doesn’t need to be pointed out. Hockey is such a thing of beauty to watch, the ultimate team sport! Hockey is an amazing sport – truly the best sport – let’s make sure we ALL know that! Let’s ALL support each other – it doesn’t matter if we are on the ice, on the bench, in the stands, following along at home, watching on the Go Pro – it doesn’t matter, feeling like a part of it is what matters, and supporting every single kid wearing a jersey is what matters. Teammates supporting each other is what matters. Lifting each other up to achieve glorious results in what matters. Being a friend is what matters! Very simply put, being kind and supportive matters.

“We work for each other, compete for each other, we battle for each other”

– Sergei Bobrovsky