By Darren Pang
Special to ESPN.com
As much as hockey is a team sport, the goaltender is an individual. It's almost like sitting on the first tee of a really tough golf course, and you're not ready to play. If you aren't ready or warmed up, the odds are that you won't have success.
A goalie gears himself up through training camp to get ready for Day 1. If a goalie isn't ready on the first day, he is letting everybody down. There is a lot of tweaking that goes on during camp because the position is a lot about rhythm and being comfortable and balanced. If a goalie doesn't find that rhythm early, he'll have a one- or two-week mini-slump to begin the year. That can translate into a terrible year, whereas a great start can translate into an unbelievably successful year because of momentum.
If a goalie hasn't skated at all over the summer, it takes a good solid week for him to feel comfortable in his equipment. They start breaking in their equipment in training camp, and the first week is so critical because they need to get used to the pads, the creases, the skates and the edges. Goalies have to get right into the fire, face some shots and get moving up and down in their equipment as much as they can.
|
|
By Brian Engblom
Special to ESPN.com
I don't pretend to know what goalies go through or what they take from camp. And these days skaters are physically fit, but there's a difference between physical fitness and game shape.
It's fine to be physically fit, and that's where it starts. But to get the feel and timing back is something you just have to play your way into, and it doesn't happen overnight. That's what skaters need to take out of camp, and that's why it's so important. Training camp is a ramping up procedure that leads up to the first regular-season game. You have to know if you're in optimal shape, and you can only tell that by how you feel in camp.
Players need to manage their time in camp well. If a player senses that he's a step slower, he needs to get working on that right away. And that cannot be forced because that's when you risk injury and end up even farther behind. It doesn't take very long for a player to figure out if he's not up to speed.
It's important to make an honest assessment of your own skill level because if you don't, management won't hesitate to let you know it's time to turn it up a notch.
|
