Jan 5th 2009: NHL Saves of the Week
There are some great saves in this week's "Saves of the Week."
Numbers 10, 9 and 5 are textbook examples of staying at the top of your crease when moving laterally. This is a very difficult move to make because it requires the goalie to know where they are in the crease and relative to the net. It is very easy to move too far laterally and be off your angle. These moves are also difficult because it requires the goalie to have very good control over their body and their butterfly slide. These goalies do not "over move;" their movement is precise and accurate. Definitely a goal that every goalie should strive for.
Another strong trend in this week's video: the number of desperation saves. While goalie coaches strive to create a disciplined goalie, sometimes you have to throw all those rules out and just make a save. Be athletic! Be hungry for the puck! And never say never! Having that burning desire to stop everything, no matter what the circumstance, can take you farther than a nice butterfly. This is why I believe that having great hand-eye coordination, athletic ability and deeply competitive constitution will take a goalie far.
**Note on this video. This video is from NHL.com and runs on Adobe Flash video plugin. Right now, this embedded video does not have the capability to pause and play the video (you can only stop and then would have to reload the web page). To go to the video source where you can pause and play:
follow this link: NHL Saves of the Week 1/5/09