by Fiddlehead

Created on: January 30, 2009   Last Updated: February 01, 2009

Many people have the idea that being a goaltender in the sport of ice hockey is simply slapping on some thick padding, and standing in the little blue semicircle at the end of the ice. Then there are those who believe that, to be a true goalie, you must want it, love it, breathe it, and train tirelessly to achieve greatness between the pipes. Closer though the latter is, neither philosophy is entirely correct; the first is quite shameful. Though strength, flexibility, agility, and love of the game and position are substantially useful, one's mental game is considerably more important in countless situations. Let the following be the goalie's fundamental guide to the "mental game" of hockey goaltending.

A. "Ouch!" Being a goaltender, there is something you should keep in mind: In most instances, you will find that getting hit with the puck doesn't hurt. There are times, however, when getting hit with the puck does hurt. Sometimes, getting hit with the puck really hurts. To be frank, you basically have to "suck it up". As a goaltender, you will receive countless bruises; they can often be very large, purple, and a bit painful. You might even need stitches at some point (haha). If a goalie-in-training learns to accept only one thing in the job description, it better be the fact that goalies take a beating; not only from pucks, but fists, sticks, and bodies, as well as the occasional kick (don't say that nobody warned you). To be a successful goaltender, you can't be fearful of these various "ouchies", because that is usually all they are: "ouchies".

As a friend of mine put it, "you need to know the difference between being hurt, and being injured,". Though this friend of mine is a quite the "tough guy" (he once played with a broken hand), and his idea of injury might differ slightly from mine, he is quite right. You need to be able to work it out in your head whether you have just had a trivial "ouchie" or an injury. An example of being hurt is having just been nailed with a nice hard shot in the "right" spot (like the inner thigh, for instance). An injury is more serious (i.e. broken bone, torn muscle, etc). The ability to tell the difference is important.

B. The Loci, And The Little Goalie That Could Many athletes (of all kinds; not just goalies, and not just hockey players) believe that their performance not only depends on their own abilities, but also those of their opponents, as well as their opponent's sizes, etcetera. Another concern among some youngsters

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