Different Hockey Goalie Positions

Playing goalie in ice hockey may be the most difficult position in all of sports. The goaltender is in harm's way most of the time as opponents who dominate play may fire the puck--a hard piece of vulcanized rubber that is as hard as rock--at him 40 or more times in a 60-minute game. More than stopping the shot and blocking the puck, the goaltender has to enjoy his job and relish the opportunity to frustrate his opponents. The goaltender has several different styles with which to stop the puck.

  1. Stand-Up Goaltenders

    • This style is the way that all goaltenders played the game through the 1960s and is still in use quite a bit today. Goaltenders challenge shooters by staying on their feet and coming out on shooters--known as cutting off the angle--and making the goal look as small as possible. The theory behind this style is that by standing up tall, the goalie can absorb most shots with his body and also catch them with his glove or deflect them with his stick. This style is most effective when defending high shots, but it can be vulnerable to low shots since so much of the bottom portion of the net is uncovered.

    Butterfly Style

    • This style of goaltending became quite popular in the 1980s and 1990s and is used by many professional and college goaltenders today. Goaltenders are in an extreme crouch with their upper legs together and their feet spread apart. As a goaltender senses that the opponent is about to shoot the puck, he drops to his knees with his legs spread apart. Think of an inverted letter "V" or butterfly, hence the name. This style depends on great reactions and athleticism by the goaltender. The butterfly style allows goaltenders to defend the lower portion of the net extremely well but it is vulnerable to high shots, since the goalie drops to the ice. It was popularized by Tony Esposito of the Chicago Blackhawks and Russian goaltender Vladislav Tretiak during the 1970s.

    Hybrid Style

    • The hybrid style combines the best of the stand-up and butterfly style. Most of the time, hybrid goalies will start off by standing up as the offensive team steams into the zone. However, as soon as the puck goes from one side of the ice to the other--left to right or right to left--the goaltender gets down on ice level and throws his body at the puck. This method depends on athleticism and quick reactions but is not stylish. The goaltender's only priority is to keep the puck out of his net and by any means necessary.

    Conditioning

    • This is one of the key areas that has changed for goaltenders in the last 20 to 30 years. Goaltenders are asked to work hard, show great reactions and stay on the ice for 60 minutes. Goaltenders must get and keep themselves in remarkable physical condition. In years past, goalies were often the worst athletes on the ice and they were put in the position because they skated poorly and were often overweight. That's no longer the case, whether at the amateur or professional level. Goaltenders have to be able to skate well in all directions. They also have to do a lot of work to keep their reactions as sharp as possible.

    Importance

    • During discussion of the most important overall positions in sports, the subject usually centers on quarterback in football and the goaltender in hockey. No matter which position wins the argument, it is clear that goaltenders can radically determine how many games a team wins during a season and can dominate a playoff series if he gets hot. Average teams can beat good teams when their goalie is playing at the top of his game. They can even compete and sometimes defeat great teams if a goaltender continues to rise to the occasion. While luck is almost always a factor--some shots will end up ringing off the post while others will hit the inside corner of the post and bounce inside the net--confidence, athleticism, anticipation and courage will help a goaltender get the best of his opponent.