Elite Goalies

 

Those seven goalies were Antti Niemi, Jimmy Howard, Pekka Rinne, Jon Quick, Craig Anderson, Brian Elliott and Tuukka Rask. And even though they all proved to be elite goalies capable of winning games, it’s just not the same as performing at a high level in an unfamiliar situation like the playoffs.

 

As goalies at all levels know, performing at your best in a new surrounding is not easy. So we decided to spend some time with Dallas Stars goalie coach and Elite Goalies founder Mike Valley about this subject, which created the perfect mental training topic for goalies everywhere that are currently playing in unfamiliar and intimidating situations. 

 

Valley stressed during our interview that success in the playoffs stems from a high level of self-confidence. By the end of our discussion, it was clear that the best thing an inexperienced goalie can do to increase their self-confidence in the playoffs is to visualize their success through elite goaltending. But how does a goalie visualize in a positive and more importantly, an effective manner?

 

“It can't be achieved the night before the first playoff game,” said coach Valley. “It has to be cultivated over the entire season, if not their entire career. It's a process, not just something you either have or don't have.”

 

If you haven’t been cultivating your own self-confidence, don’t panic. It’s never too late to start visualizing your future success. Begin training your mind to conjure up moments of making the biggest saves of your life before every game. Mentally prepare by thinking and seeing only positive results. Relive the successful moments you’ve had on the ice and allow that to become your mindset before you step on the ice. If you can do this, it will reflect in a strong game.

 

Since gaining experience in the playoffs naturally takes time, what exactly can a young or inexperienced pro goalie do to settle into a game and play with confidence, even if they are not familiar with the situation or game speed?

 

“Trust in their instincts, because it’s usually right,” Valley said. “Goalies can’t over-think situations and have to live in the moment. Gradually, their characteristics will begin to emerge that will all become parts of the whole goaltender.”

 

As you can see, building self-confidence is a natural process, like the shaping of the sand dunes or the gradual rise of a mountain. The only way to speed up that natural process is by embracing the natural flow of a game. Trying to force things by over-thinking situations, creating excess movements or wasting valuable energy will only hinder your game.

 

Another important factor for the inexperienced goalie to learn is adapting to the increase in pace and intensity of playoff games. Because you are being thrown into an unfamiliar situation, it’s kind of like the start of a dream. You have no control, no bearings and no sense of surrounding. So how can you train your mind to make it seem familiar?

       

“It takes practice in the areas of mental training, physical preparedness and emotional stability,” Valley said. “Goalies should visualize themselves as a pillar. Their experience and training serves as the baseline that gives them stability. The playoffs are the defining moment when they will showcase their ability to the rest of the world. Kind of like the Statue of Liberty, her brick and granite base is a powerful foundation, but it's her torch that allows her to shine.”

 

Now that’s some deep goalie philosophy, all based around the important value of emotional stability. It seems so simple, yet in the heat of the battle, nerves are sure to come unglued. But the ones that can display composure and have the self-confidence to continue stopping pucks in any given game situation will ultimately come out victorious. 

 

“Remember that this moment in time is just another chapter in a series of events that eventually shape a career,” Valley advised. “View every opportunity as a chance to learn something, take the good and use it to build on what you already have that makes you an elite goaltender.”