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061 - How You Can Make an Impact As a Goalie Coach
100 Plays19 days ago
Show notes are available at https://thediygoalie.com/pod061
On this week's episode, we go through our drill of the month for June and talk about a few ways you can start your transition to be a goalie coach, if that's the route you want to go. We also provide some tips from our own experiences on how to be a better goalie coach and how to improve as you go.
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Transcript
Introduction and Gratitude
00:00:06
Speaker
Welcome to the DIY Goalie Podcast, where hosts and goalie coaches Nathan Park and Connor Munday share their insights on how to become a better goalie.
00:00:18
Speaker
Goalies, welcome back to another episode of the DIY Goalie podcast presented by true North Goaltending. We are on episode 61. So again, thank you to all of you guys who tune in both to the podcast side of things as well as on the YouTube side of things.
00:00:36
Speaker
We very much appreciate it It's pretty cool to see the listenership slowly growing and kind of getting all across the world we've got a couple listens in uh vietnam and bangladesh and wow some weird random place we even had one in south africa i don't know if that was somebody uh accidentally clicking it or what that's that's that's the kenya ice hockey team they're reaching out to us yeah i don't think they're that close to uh south africa i could be wrong my geography over there is not the greatest
00:01:11
Speaker
um But yeah, so ah just a reminder, guys, what helps us out a lot is if you guys can leave a rating or a review, share the show with friends. um it It just helps us kind of get out there discovered by other goalies. But appreciate you guys tuning in.
00:01:28
Speaker
As always, thank you very much for that.
Drill of the Month Introduction
00:01:31
Speaker
So we are going to dive right into it. We have a new month this month. even though we are what, one or two, I guess one episode in already this month, but we couldn't ruin the hot takes with the drill of the month. So we are doing a drill of the month for today's episode.
00:01:50
Speaker
Connor's got one lined up, and this is... One that we both really enjoy when it comes to starting an introduction to post play and kind of the overlap position. So I will let Connor take it away and then we're going to talk about becoming a goalie coach and dive into that. So. um I'm fine. Thanks for asking. it's been a it's been a fun It's been a fun weekend. Truenhorth did the rodeo parade happening in Leduc here in Alberta. So that was ah that was a fun time. Glad to be a part of that.
00:02:29
Speaker
um Yeah, this drill, um it's good for both kind of the introductory side of things when it comes to post-play and overlap. But it's also a good drill for, you know, especially like considering we're in the offseason right now, not a lot of goalies are on the ice.
00:02:46
Speaker
um And then when you do start to get back into the ice and starting to work on your angles again, um this is probably a drill that I would incorporate just because it's it's simple, it's it's easy, and it's not you're you're not overthinking it, if you will, ah especially for those experienced goalies.
Dead Angle Lane Drives Drill
00:03:04
Speaker
And so this drill that we're talking about today, you can find it over on True North Goaltending now, maybe Not quite close. Not quite close. Everything that's left is basically me literally just copying stuff over and I got to make the courses page. So we're close, but pages, I guess. But yeah, if you're if if if you're listening to this three months from now, true north goaltending.com, if you're listening to this the day it releases the DIY goalie dot com, it is the dead angle lane drives drill. And this is a good drill because it it focuses on kind of just the different angles a forward can take when they come into the offensive zone or into the defensive zone um in this case.
00:03:49
Speaker
So if you're watching if you are watching over on the YouTube side of things, we do have a diagram over here. But if you are listening on the podcast, we do have um a coach with some pucks just below the blue line about where the blue line is as they are entering, as the player would normally enter into the zone.
00:04:05
Speaker
Against the boards. Against the boards. Thank you. um This is my drill of the month here. ah we do We do have some cones set up closer towards the boards.
00:04:15
Speaker
ah One at the top of the circle, one about where the hash marks are, and then another one just just below the circle, but just above the the goal line. so in this instance the shooter will come in to will come into the zone and then they can go around one of the three pylons there one um just kind of above the circle the other one below the uh below the hash marks and then the the last one below the circle there uh so what this excuse me is meant to simulate is obviously the different drives and different angles that a shooter can take When they do come in to the defensive zone ah as a state screen description coach has pucks high just off the boards goalie coach or goal coach goalie gets set on the coach coach takes a puck drives down the wall and then attacks through one of the lanes around the cones that are set up and takes a shot.
00:05:04
Speaker
Play out the rebound. Goalies have to make small adjustments to follow the coach on these dead angles. ah If the coach drives to the lowest lane, that's just above the goal line. Goalie must maintain the overlap position and stay off the post.
00:05:18
Speaker
this So what this is focusing on here is making sure that you're getting those small adjustments, those small shuffles to make sure that you're staying square to the shooter.
Importance of Post Play Skills
00:05:25
Speaker
And then especially when the the shooter does go um below the below the circle on that very dead angle, that we want to make sure that We're not getting set up on the post as that can create open net, especially from that side.
00:05:39
Speaker
Watch Connor McDavid. um So we want to make sure that we stay in that overlap position. ah Generally that I think it's a inside leg just above the, or basically in line with the post there.
00:05:50
Speaker
ah So then we do maximize the net coverage there. Rebound pops out, obviously play it key points to, to, to, key points, ah very small adjustments as a coach, stra as a coach drives down the wall, maintaining that overlap position in front of the post, staying square to the puck. So that is our dead angle lane drive drill. Again, this is good for those smaller goalies that are,
00:06:15
Speaker
learning to understand and read angles a little bit better, and as ah as well as getting used to working on their posts or working around their posts. And again, this drill is very, very good for the more elite-level goalies, keeping it tame, and just especially when you're coming off from a off of a summer holiday and getting ready for the upcoming season.
00:06:36
Speaker
Yeah, I... am I find there are so many goalies we work with that just have no idea what to do in and around their post and in these situations. So when we talk about dead angles, we're basically talking about, um kind of like the little triangle, I guess that, uh, the bottom of the triangle is kind of the goal line starting at the post.
00:07:04
Speaker
Um, the one side is the boards and I would argue probably, about to the top of the circle. And then you just kind of make the triangle to the middle of the net from there.
00:07:15
Speaker
um So that area of the ice is the dead angles. And we we call them that because when the puck's there, the net is very small. So from the puck's perspective, just the angle that they have, because they're not straight on on the net, what the puck sees is very little net, even when there's no goalie in there.
00:07:34
Speaker
um So realistically, the goalie, like goalie shouldn't have... any issues covering the net, but what ends up happening is goalies just don't know what to do. And what I find a lot of goalies do is when players drive down the wall, they just suck back to their post.
00:07:51
Speaker
And they end up getting kind of caught. Like, so if a shot comes, it's hard to drop into a butterfly if you're against your post or they end up flattening out along their goal line and open up the far side and just causes a lot of issues. So this is a good drill to kind of get used to playing in front of your post, not defaulting back to that post. And again, like Connor mentioned, those small adjustments, because on the dead angles,
00:08:17
Speaker
the puck has a lot more to move than goalies do to maintain that angle, even more so than when the puck's going east-west, like in the middle of the ice.
00:08:28
Speaker
Um, which again, you don't have to move as much as you think you do, but on the dead angles, it's even less. So those are kind of two big things to work on. Cause I find both things we see a lot of goalies struggle with. They move too much and they suck back to the post or just really don't know what to do.
00:08:47
Speaker
Um, so I think that's a good one. And in the show notes, we'll link up, uh, our episode on post play, as well as our kind of little YouTube video of general rules of thumb when it comes to post play, which kind of touches on some of that stuff too. And as always, the drill will be in the show notes as well.
00:09:08
Speaker
um Once the official changeover from the DIY Goalie website to the True North one is done, i will go back and change all the show notes um links in the descriptions for all the episodes.
00:09:23
Speaker
So if you guys are listening to this in the future, um it might be changed to the True North site. So we'll make sure that all that is swapped over properly. Yeah. yeah Good drill for that sort of stuff.
00:09:38
Speaker
Yeah. Good choice. um Thank you. um Yeah. No, i mean, like i was I was just going to kind of chime in there quickly, just with the sucking back part. Like, I find... especially when it gets to that. like i call it's more I call it the uncomfortable area, basically, you know when it's that space um like below the circle and above the goal line. right it just it's It's one of those areas where it's like you you're so used to just for retreating back to the post because that's what...
00:10:06
Speaker
kind of what we did for the longest time and then so getting used to kind of playing in that space just outside the post there is still a relatively i new uh newer concept there and so just being able to get used to playing in the uncomfortable area i think is uh is is a good thing Yeah. One of the, I think, biggest things that elite level goalies can do is transition in and out of their post really well and play their posts really well. And we've talked about it before. Post play is something that doesn't get worked on enough for the amount of times that goalies are in and out and around their posts.
00:10:49
Speaker
so if you guys like we've talked about a few skill sets like skating being one of them tracking being one of them but post play is probably up there with one of the more important skill sets that you guys can get good at so um yeah drills like this like this is more of an intro post play drill but uh it's a really good starting point to kind of get you know familiar and a little bit more comfortable with with those dead angles before you actually start working on the in and out of the post Um, but yeah, definitely a good starting point and, uh, get good at working your post goalies. That's all I can say.
00:11:26
Speaker
If, uh, I guess, I guess I'll
Listener Engagement and Drill Submissions
00:11:28
Speaker
throw this out there. If you are goalie coach, or if you have a drill that you would like to submit as a drill of the month, feel free to send it to us at goalies at true north goal 10.com.
00:11:38
Speaker
And, uh, we can, uh, we can throw it in there. so And we can shout you out and exactly put put your stuff in the show notes, assuming we like it. If we don't like your drill, then we'll shame you.
00:11:50
Speaker
We'll publicly shame you. shut well yeah wellll public public Yeah, publicly shame All right. Yeah, no. um So i guess I guess we're talking about how to become a goalie coach today.
Paths to Goalie Coaching
00:12:02
Speaker
um And obviously everybody's experience is different when it comes to when it comes to getting into this profession. um Some goalies who have played at the highest level just kind of automatically fall into that kind of situation.
00:12:19
Speaker
that kind of thing. um For guys like myself and Nathan, I think it comes from a little bit of a different path. um So the aim in today's episode um is just kind of our experiences getting into it we've touched on it before in a in a recent in another podcast so we won't get into the uh into the specifics of it but i think just kind of the logistics of it i think is also uh um kind of the main part of today's thing but just nathan and i both have different experiences when it comes to this so um that's kind of that's that's kind of the the goal for for today's episode
00:13:00
Speaker
Yeah. and I think ah it's good to touch on some things that at least we believe make a good goalie coach. um Cause I think that's another thing too. Like there are a lot of people out there that are really good, like players slash goalies um that just aren't good coaches. Yeah. yeah,
00:13:22
Speaker
and There's a lot of people I think that would make really good coaches, but kind of shy away from it because they didn't play at a specific level. Like there's no, there's no like bar. Like it's not like, oh you can't coach unless you played X level. Like it's not like that.
00:13:43
Speaker
Um, so, you know, don't get discouraged if maybe, you know, you're teacher. tier four goalie or whatever um it's it's not like i don't know there's there's we we've seen it with gretzky's tenure as a coach sometimes the uh the high quality play does not translate to high quality coaching so so we'll kind of get into a little bit of that but uh I know we touched on when we talked about why we personally became goalie coaches, we kind of did touch on a little bit of, um, how we got started. So maybe we'll just do a quick recap on that. Like me personally, um i did kind of start dabbling and coaching a little bit when I was playing junior a in Manitoba.
00:14:31
Speaker
Um, one of my mom's friends, uh, had a goalie and they lived in the area. So I kind of, Started mentoring a little bit, doing some coaching a little bit.
00:14:43
Speaker
um And then kind of same thing when I came back home for college when I was playing at Nate, our coach, his kids ah team, their goalie. There's only one goalie on the team.
00:14:57
Speaker
Kind of didn't really have a whole heck of a lot of goalie coaching. So they brought me out to kind of help with that a little bit. and just got the itch for it from there. And another reason why i kind of wanted to start was because i didn't really get any solid goalie coaching until I played Junior A as a 17 year old and kind of ah was wanting to give younger kids the opportunity that I wish I had when I was their age instead of waiting till I was 17. So um and then it kind of went from there.
00:15:32
Speaker
um
Nathan's Coaching Journey
00:15:33
Speaker
I don't know if I've talked about it on the pod. I can't remember. But so with True North Goaltending specifically, like with actually starting the business side of things on on my own, um basically, there is a guy that I work with whose kid became a goalie.
00:15:52
Speaker
And um we kind of just started talking about that. And, and you know, i was like, oh, yeah, I'm a goalie, too. And you know, kind of went from there. And he yeah he was like, well, do you do any coaching or any sessions? And I'm like, well, don't. But maybe, you know, I I'll start like maybe I'll gauge interest on it. And he's like, well, worst case scenario, if nobody else books like we can cover the ice cost and whatever, because we ended up getting like cheap ice at at ridiculous times in the morning on Sundays.
00:16:27
Speaker
Um, so yeah, we ended up doing that. I put it out to a couple Facebook groups and ended up making my own private Facebook group. Uh, that was literally called Nathan Park goalie sessions had a few, i think it got up to a hundred people or something like that.
00:16:44
Speaker
And then it was like, okay, well, let's make this into a legit thing. And that was kind of how True North goaltending was born. And it's just kind of snowballed from there. So that's a brief overview on my journey anyways.
00:16:58
Speaker
And, uh, couple of years, think a year later, we brought Connor on board and it's gone downhill since. No, I'm just kidding. I was waiting for that. I know. I had to throw that in there. Of course not.
00:17:14
Speaker
No, that's kind of my journey, I guess, the 100-foot overview. So yeah little recap on on your situation. So...
Connor's Coaching Journey
00:17:24
Speaker
My, uh, my, my situation is a lot different. I was one of those career tier four goalies that we were talking about.
00:17:31
Speaker
Um, and so like my, my path was different. i went to, so here in Edmonton, there's a school called Vimeo Ridge Academy. And so they had a part of one of their programs there for sport was, uh,
00:17:45
Speaker
was the hockey program. So when I went there in grade seven, the now Edmonton Oilers goalie coach, Dustin Schwartz, was there as a science teacher, but he was also the goaltending instructor for all of Vimy hockey goalies.
00:17:59
Speaker
So Schwartz, he was my goalie coach for up until grade 11 when he got hired by the Oilers. So he obviously left. And so it was around that point in time where um i like um Bantam WHL draft had come and gone. The NHL draft was quickly approaching, and now I'm still playing Tier 4 hockey.
00:18:22
Speaker
So it was at this point now where it's like, okay, well, I don't want to... like Obviously, all roads led to Brearley, but I wanted to... I wanted to basically emulate Dustin Schwartz because he was...
00:18:35
Speaker
biggest hero of mine like i've i've i've gotten a lot of goalie coaching kind of playing working with guys like atc and jane mckag and david rathjan those were the the two big ones were working with schwartz just kind of clicked something i guess and um so when he got hired by the owners it kind of sparked an interest just to say like well if mr schwartz can get hired by the owners doing goalie coaching why can't i virtually um So then i ended up reaching out to one of the local spring hockey teams in February, I think.
00:19:07
Speaker
And just said like, hey, I'm looking to coach goalies. You know, if you have anything, let me know. And then they reached out back. They said, yeah. um And then that's that's just kind of snowballed from there. I've worked with numerous goalie academies since then ah because I started coaching when I was about 14, 15 years old. And then, yeah, in September of 2022 was when Nathan Park desperately reached out and was like, I need people.
00:19:35
Speaker
And i I answered the bell and I came to save the day. And that's kind of how things ended up where they are now with with with me and TrueNorth. But yeah. Yeah, but like yeah like mine, it was it was just a different patch just because Mr. Schwartz was a huge influence on my life and obviously still have a lot of respect for him by calling him Mr. Schwartz.
00:19:55
Speaker
And so um he was he was the biggest reason why I became a goalie coach today. Yeah, I think the the desperate plea you're referring to was because of my wife. She was like, I would like Nathan home more, so you need to go get more coaches.
00:20:14
Speaker
so Yeah, no, my wife is suffering. Yeah, that's okay. They can talk together when we're out and about doing yeah you on sessions all the time.
Starting as a Goalie Coach
00:20:26
Speaker
But yeah, no, when it comes to starting out as a goalie coach, I honestly like the best way you can get your feet wet is to reach out to a local like minor hockey organization and offer to volunteer with one of their teams.
00:20:44
Speaker
um Because like the thing is, what I've kind of learned is there's a lot of experience that goes into it. Like you learn so much on the job, like you can take, you know, courses or watch videos and stuff like that. And those can obviously help for sure.
00:21:08
Speaker
But there's a lot of things that go into it that you don't really realize until you start. And the growth that happens personally ah along your journey of being a goalie coach is crazy. Like my biggest tip to you guys, if you are becoming a goalie coach and you want to become a good goalie coach, the best skillset you can have is being resourceful and open-minded. So constantly learning, constantly evolving, like
00:21:44
Speaker
the way I coach now is completely different than even two, three years ago. And I expect two, three, four or five years from now to be completely different than how it is now.
00:21:55
Speaker
um You know, constantly listening to podcasts, looking at posts from other um other goalie coaches and goalies and people in the goalie community. And it's like, oh, you know, I never thought about that. Like one of the stories I like to tell was one of our former coaches at true North Jordan, the first time he came out with me, he, um, and kind of did a ah skating drill. Like I let him kind of run things for the skating part.
00:22:27
Speaker
And he did a skating drill with butterfly slides. And he was like, I don't want you to slide to your feet. I want you to slide and stay down because more often than not, when we're sliding,
00:22:40
Speaker
if you have time to slide to your feet, you probably shouldn't have slid anyways. So i was like, Hey, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Right. Like that's something that, uh, you know, I've kind of adapted when we work on, on slides now. And there's some stuff too, that, uh, you know, I'm, I've kind of evolved, like,
00:23:02
Speaker
I do a lot more situational stuff than I used to. And I want to even still do more than I have um before. and And trying to be a little less of a perfectionist too when I coach, because that's how I was when I played, was like, oh, that went in. Why'd it go in? Let's analyze it. Let's see what we can do better. And sometimes it's...
00:23:24
Speaker
There's a time and a place for it for sure. and And you have to analyze and break stuff down to get better. But there's some times where it's like, hey, you know what? You made the save. Good job.
00:23:36
Speaker
Let's try again. Let's move on. Whatever. Right. like um So if if you guys are open minded, you guys um are constantly learning, constantly evolving,
00:23:49
Speaker
just that's the biggest thing. So get your feet wet, volunteer at some point, like with an organization, or even if you can get on with a goalie coaching company and just say, Hey, can I come shadow for a couple sessions?
00:24:05
Speaker
Um, and be okay with not getting paid for it for the first little bit. I mean, you might luck out and you might be able to get paid for it right off the bat and kudos to you. But, uh, The best thing to do for somebody who doesn't have a big name or anything and is just trying to get started is just like Connor did reach out to however many organizations you can and say, hey, I'm starting out as a goalie coach. I just want to volunteer. And you have a spot for me to work with one of your teams?
00:24:35
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, like even with our past guests, Ethan, i mean, different situation, but similar story, right? Wanted to stay the game, reached out to one of the many, um, double A, triple A teams here in here in the city and eventually ended up getting on as a head coach. Now I was promoted to a, uh, to, to, to a head coach.
00:24:57
Speaker
Um, but yeah, no, Nathan raises some great points. There's just, Don't hesitate just to reach out and say, like hey, I'm looking to get into this. And um the more connections that you're able to build,
00:25:14
Speaker
the better. um You know, like when I first started out coaching, the only goalie connection that I had at the time was Edmonton Olkins goalie coach Curtis Mooka. And i was doing just some off and on volunteership with another place, but that kind of wasn't really going anywhere. But but by the time that i graduated from playing hockey, I was kind of on my own in that aspect. So I kind had to learn as I go and kind of Um, the internet was probably my best friend at that point in time. Right.
00:25:45
Speaker
Um, and so just, you keep going, you keep going. And then and just eventually, you know, your name starts to, your name starts to get around. Um, a lot, but that's how I ended up in kind of coaching the the junior programs that I ended up with along with, you know, working with the, the other, um, the other organizations, um,
00:26:04
Speaker
as well. But yeah, just don't, don't, just don't be afraid to put yourself out there is really the biggest thing. Social media can be your biggest friend, you know, and that's, that's how Nathan and I met and that's how I've gotten the opportunity to work with some of the other, um, goalie places that I have gotten the chance to work with.
00:26:21
Speaker
Um, and then just, yeah, but, uh, I don't know where i'm going with the story, but that's kind of the yeah that's that that's kind of just the gist of it there. Yeah, well, and that's like the networking side of things. And I do think we mentioned this in one of the previous episodes, but. um it's It's honestly game-changing just because the hockey community itself is pretty small and the goalie community is even smaller. That's right. so like
00:26:55
Speaker
yeah you Like even with us. So you take this podcast as an example, right? You reach out to somebody like Dave Hutchinson from In Goal magazine and he's like, yeah, sure. I'd love to come on. And then all of a sudden, you know, it's like, oh, cool. Now, you know, we reach out to Jamie Phillips. He says, oh yeah, cool. I'll come on and reach out to Marlene Bosano. Yeah. It's good to say this is Marlene, which also, um, sorry, just to cut you off there. Congratulations to her and, uh, PWHL Minnesota Frost for on winning the, uh,
00:27:27
Speaker
the Walter cup. So yeah, big congrats. Although I think you did can congratulate them. And then like one of the recent episodes, but anyways, did we, Oh, I don't remember. We we can double congrats, but, uh, but yeah, like it's, it's crazy just where things can lead if you literally just put yourself out there. So just as an example, like, um,
00:27:50
Speaker
After i was done college, my wife and I, we like literally probably two weeks after we got married, we ended up buying a house and we moved to Leduc, which is, i don't know what, 10 minutes from the south edge of Edmonton, probably something like that. 15.
00:28:10
Speaker
20, 15, 20 thereabouts. and But ah so when I moved to the Duke and we got settled, I literally emailed probably every single program that I could, like the minor hockey, the women's side, the rep side, like the double A, triple A side and a couple like spring teams.
00:28:34
Speaker
um And I mean, this was in like December because we moved in September. And once we got settled, I think it was December when I started reaching out and nobody got back to me and I was offering to volunteer and nobody got back to me except for one team. And they were the spring team called the Junior Riggers.
00:28:54
Speaker
And what ended up happening from that is they grew their program into and HSL program. So the Hockey Super League over here and moved to doing winter as well. And i think this upcoming season, they have 10 or 11 teams.
00:29:14
Speaker
And since that time, like myself slash True North, once it came to be, um has provided their goalie development and have kind of grown as they've grown as well. So you just kind of never know when these things um or where these things can go. Like you might get involved with the program that's growing and then you can grow with the program.
00:29:39
Speaker
or you might get involved with a coach that you really click with. And maybe the coach moves up to a junior team eventually. And they say, Hey, I need a goalie coach. Do you want to come on board? um All of this stuff, like you just, you never know what it can lead to and putting yourself out there, being eager to learn, getting the experience that you can.
00:30:01
Speaker
Like that's a big thing when it comes to getting these opportunities. um i was even talking to, ah One of Connor's old bosses who's kind of stepped away from running his own show and kind of just wanted to you know work for somebody else's show. So he's come on board as one of the coaches with us at True North.
00:30:25
Speaker
But he also does some scouting stuff um in in the States for some teams in the States. And so I was even talking to him. I was like, hey, just out of curiosity, like, how did you get those opportunities? Like, how did that come by? And he was like, honestly, just people, you know, making a good impression.
00:30:45
Speaker
And, you know, they kind of circle back and and bring you on. And, you know, it's it's literally that simple sometimes is if you can make a good impression to people that end up in the right spot at the right time, um it's crazy what can kind of come back to you with that. And I think that's a lot of like, I know people kind of, i don't know,
00:31:12
Speaker
discredit things sometimes because of the quote unquote nepotism that happens in the hockey world. But it's true. People in the hockey world deal with people that they like. And so if people like you, they'll bring you along for their ride, right? So um meet who you can, be professional, make good impressions, ask questions, be eager, and you'll be surprised at where you can end up from what seems like the smallest kind of relationship or connection.
Evolution of Coaching Methods
00:31:50
Speaker
Stepping away from that, um just talk about the, just kind of the more development side of things when it comes to starting out. I mean, when you and I fell into this job, we obviously thought we knew everything for the most part.
00:32:10
Speaker
And, you know, just kind of here's how I played. And so, yeah,
00:32:18
Speaker
Like you had said earlier, just the way that you coach now isn't the same as when you did three years ago when you did me. Like I, I, I've been doing this for 10 years. And so the way that I coach now isn't the same that one, like when I started coaching year three, you know?
00:32:36
Speaker
um So just like Nathan had said earlier, just don't be afraid to evolve your game as a coach, be open to learning, um you know, new ideas. And, you know, like you had said as well, you know, you're touching more on the situational side of things, which I'm following suit on that versus the, for lack of a better term, that the the the technological side of things you know with how to track the puck and moving into your saves and and all this is just no here's the situation here's how we should be playing it type of deal um but the other thing that you need to think about as well and when you are starting out is that what's going what's going to set you apart from the other coaches and that's so so so minuscule in the grand scheme of things
00:33:25
Speaker
You know, because like a lot of a lot of coaches or a lot of goalie companies in general will say like, well, you should come join us because we focus on this, this and that versus goalie coaching company B says, no, you should come join us because we focus on X, Y, Z. Right. So again, like we talked about with Ethan, when he was on the podcast, it's just finding the right fit for you as a coach and joining the program that you want to be part of.
00:33:54
Speaker
Yeah, basically any goalie coach worth their spit or whatever the saying is, i don't even know.
Coaching Philosophy and Adaptability
00:34:01
Speaker
ah um We're all going to be teaching relatively the same stuff because we've gotten to a point in goaltending that, you know, there's not a whole heck of a lot of revolutionary ideas because we've gotten to a point where right now that we've at least with our current knowledge base we've kind of established a way that works and it's mostly a matter of just finding the efficiencies and kind of refining the edges now that we could be eating those words like two three four five years from now when somebody comes in with some sort of amazing revolutionary idea but
00:34:44
Speaker
I think some people do get caught up on that thinking that they need to come in with the next big thing. And to be fair, like it's all about kind of relationships and, and what you bring to the table as you like your personality and the way you approach things. Right. So even within an organization like us at True North,
00:35:08
Speaker
there'll be goalies that click better with Connor. There'll be goalies that click better with me. There'll be goalies that click better with some of our other coaches and they just have that preference. Right. um But I think if you guys are looking to make an impact as ah coach, discussion is probably one of the biggest things to incorporate. Like we,
00:35:36
Speaker
i and I personally personally believe anyways that if you can have an environment where you can have that open discussion with your goalies and they can come to you and be like,
00:35:50
Speaker
hey, I know you and said to do this, but I don't find it's working. I actually like doing this better. And then you can kind of have that discussion and then you can see it. And if you're like, you know what, this is working for them.
00:36:03
Speaker
Let's let them ride with it, even though it's not necessarily what I like to do or how I coach or how I play. it's working for them right because we've talked about it before like there's gonna be ah bunch of different ways to get the same thing done at the end of the day if we are stopping pucks that's our job and yes there's technically certain efficient ways to do it but there's even variances to that right like
00:36:35
Speaker
Not everybody holds their glove in the exact same spot. Not everybody has the exact same stance. Not everybody has the exact same skill set. Some guys make it work because they're incredibly good skaters.
00:36:48
Speaker
Some guys make it work because they're incredibly good at reading the play. Some guys make it work because they're incredibly athletic. Right. And that's where that kind of adaptability comes into play as a goalie coach. If you can work with your goalie, if you can have that open discussion, you can be that sounding board to be like, hey, what did you see here?
00:37:11
Speaker
OK, I get that. What if we did this instead, though? Try that out. Oh, OK. You like that? That worked. OK, let's ride with that or whatever the case is. um I think that's one of the most important things.
00:37:24
Speaker
developing that relationship with your goalies is what's going to be your personal flavor. and That's going to be what sets you apart. And it's not going to be everybody's cup of tea. You're going to have goalies that don't resonate with that, right? Like me personally, I probably over explain things. I over talk sometimes.
00:37:45
Speaker
Some goalies love it. Some goalies probably get sick of hearing me talk and that's just how it is, right? um But I do think if you can actually break things down and help goalies to understand and get that good discussion with them, that's to me where the real magic happens and where you can really make a big impact as a goalie coach.
00:38:13
Speaker
Yeah. um Again, just to kind of just touch on that. mean, like obviously the way that I explain things probably isn't the cleanest way of, of, of doing it.
00:38:23
Speaker
But again, as long as the point gets across at the end of the day, that's, that's all that matters, right? When it comes to explaining the drill, like we just did with the drill of the month here, as long as the,
00:38:36
Speaker
the the base idea, the base point gets across and then you build on that from there. That's the that's that's the biggest thing for that. um But yeah, no, like Nathan said, like we're all teaching relatively the same thing, how to stop pucks.
00:38:54
Speaker
in different ways of going about it. And so what separates a good goalie coach from a great goalie coach like Ian Clark, as an example, is just the ability to be able to get the point across to get the job done, no matter which way that looks.
00:39:09
Speaker
Thatcher Demko plays a different way from when, um don't even know who's the backup now on Vancouver. Is it Lankanen? It's Lankanen. No? Yeah, there's Lankanen. Yeah, Lankanen. She loves. She loves and and all those guys.
00:39:20
Speaker
um But they all play different styles. And so even though Ian Clark's not the goalie coach for Vancouver anymore, he is one of the most successful goalie coaches on the planet. Mitch Korn, another one of those guys. That's what makes those guys so great. It's just their ability to get the point across to get the job done.
00:39:39
Speaker
and how they explain things is just top notch in that regard. Right. So you, you, you want to be somebody who can articulate themselves well enough to get the point across.
00:39:53
Speaker
So, yeah. Well, and kind of like we talked about last week when we were talking about the whole Skinner Schwartz thing, like, those guys aren't doing a whole heck of a lot of technical teaching.
00:40:07
Speaker
Yeah. It's a lot of small refining and a lot of discussion, right? Like that's, they probably do most of their work in the video room as opposed to like on the ice, right? Like that's kind of where the magic happens.
00:40:19
Speaker
And so I think, if you guys are looking to get started in the goalie coaching side of things, or if you guys have, and are looking to, you know, grow or expand or whatever the case is, whatever situation you're in, the, the relationships that you build with your goalies, I think is the most important way of going about it.
00:40:44
Speaker
um And just, you know, being, know, able to change your mind or being able to work with what you're given because you're going to have some goalies that are that'll actually teach you a couple things they'll say oh i do it this way and it works for me and you're like huh you know what i never thought about that but that actually might be a pretty good way of doing it right And then there's also like personal variances to like one of our coaches on staff is like six foot six and I'm five foot ten.
00:41:23
Speaker
And if you were coaching us when we played, there would be two completely different approaches. Right. he'd be able to get away with being in the RVH a lot earlier than I would. Right. Yeah.
00:41:34
Speaker
But there's other things too, um, that go into it. Um, a couple other just points that I want to make, I guess, if you guys are going this route, uh, for coaching and if you do want to be successful, um,
00:41:51
Speaker
As best you can, incorporate video like and that's one thing that we get a lot of positive feedback on.
Role of Video Analysis in Coaching
00:41:59
Speaker
i know listening to the goalie science podcast with Jamie Phillips, he talks lots about his video app or whatever that is that he uses being popular and important and all that stuff.
00:42:14
Speaker
And a lot of the goalie coaches at high levels, they're taking game footage. They're going through it. They're videoing goalie sessions and practices and stuff like that. They're going through it.
00:42:27
Speaker
If you can find a way to incorporate video, it's a huge game changer. um you can tell a goalie that they're not doing something or they are doing something and they need to change it. And they'll be like, no, I'm not.
00:42:41
Speaker
And then you're right. You're like, okay, well let's go to the video video. does And then you pull it up and they're like, Oh, look at that. And it's like, yeah, there you go.
00:42:52
Speaker
um The other thing I would say too is go at your own pace.
Developing Coaching Skills
00:43:00
Speaker
Like when you're starting out,
00:43:04
Speaker
Don't try and change the world, I guess, you know, like learn as much as you're teaching, take your time to kind of you know, get a feel for things.
00:43:17
Speaker
um We don't have to be going out and being a coach for six different teams to start or anything like that. Like, Get your feet wet, get some experience under you, grow at your own pace that you're comfortable with.
00:43:32
Speaker
um A lot of times with goalie coaching, it's a bit of a side thing for people. So that's totally fine, right? Like it's still a side thing for me and I own a goalie coaching business.
00:43:45
Speaker
Yeah. You know, it's, uh, it's one of those things that it's a process, much like goaltending itself. It's a process. It's going to take time. You're going to have to build, you're going to have to learn, make mistakes and grow and all that stuff.
00:44:02
Speaker
Um, so just be patient with it. And, uh, again, just take in as much information as you can. That's probably the most important thing. Get a mentor if you can, even if it's not somebody close to you, like in person, if it's somebody that you can like message and maybe hop on the odd Skype call with or something like that.
00:44:24
Speaker
Or I guess not Skype anymore. Teams, Zoom, whatever. i don't know. ah andm I'm getting into boomer status here now, but yeah.
00:44:37
Speaker
But yeah, so and honestly, if you guys have questions or anything like that, feel free to reach out to us. You can hit up Connor on Instagram at Monday GC. You can email us at goalies at goalie goalie at true north goal tending dot com. almost said goalies at goalies.
00:44:57
Speaker
long night um but yeah goalies at true north goaltending.com you can find us on instagram yg goalie coach or facebook true north goaltending we'll be happy to try and help or at least steer you in the right direction but uh learning from somebody else having a bit of a mentor a couple mentors can make a huge difference but uh yeah that's kind of my rant on uh on things that can help make you a better coach make some saves goalies we'll see you next time geez i did my whole outro um wasn't meant to be the outro it was just reach out to us
00:45:35
Speaker
Yeah. um No, absolutely. more More than happy to chat, Gold 10. More than happy to to to share my knowledge and just kind of my experiences with that.
00:45:46
Speaker
um Yeah, like like Nathan said, for a lot of us is that like a lot of this is a side thing. A lot of us have nine to fives. And so it just... Unfortunately. Unfortunately, but it just, yeah, it just, it it it takes its time. Like, I, like...
00:46:03
Speaker
Like I said, like I've been doing this for 10 years and I'm still haven't still haven't been been able to do this full time just yet. um I just wanted to circle back just on the experiences thing quickly.
00:46:18
Speaker
um And I just want to say is just like, don't ah hesitate to jump at new experiences. Okay. And what I mean by that is, like, I look back on, you know, my time with spring hockey, um because I remember at the time, like, the team was called the AAA Junior Oil Kings.
00:46:37
Speaker
And I was so hyped up, you know, about, you know, oh, it's Junior, or oh, it's AAA, it's AAA, it's AAA. And then I realized, like, every spring team is called AAA. So you're like, oh, okay, cool. um And then even then, as much as Nathan has knocked on me for it, you know the the the tier two Junior A things, even though to the general hockey population, it may not be considered true Junior A at any point, but it was still an experience that got me in the door, got me to where I am now, where I was able to jump from that to junior B, despite other political stuff that's happened.
00:47:11
Speaker
um And then, you know, to be able to, to continue doing what I'm doing and be able to still have the reputation that I have as a coach in the, in, in the hockey community, let alone the, the goalie community. So just,
00:47:27
Speaker
Don't hesitate just to jump at new experiences and jump at experiences that even though it doesn't fall within the the norm of of hockey, it is still an opportunity that is presenting itself at you.
00:47:40
Speaker
And so don't be don't hesitate really to to jump on it, as long as it's going to be a good fit, of course. So to wrap things up, I'm going to throw two questions at you.
00:47:53
Speaker
Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh boy. and so I'm still mad at you for that, by the way. Hey, I could have made it part of our official intro like for everyone or every episode, but I didn't. So you're welcome. And that listenership from ah Vietnam and Bangladesh wouldn't have been gone.
00:48:15
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. um No, I'm going to ah say or ask two things. So first off, what do you think has been the biggest thing that you has been or helped make you successful? Like what has been the thing that you have done as a goalie coach that you think has helped you stick around for this long and still be relevant?
00:48:44
Speaker
like Still be relevant. um Teaching pad stacks.
00:48:51
Speaker
Shout out to that guy, by the way, for for putting that in the hot takes episode. um I think honestly just... Okay, wait, what was the question again? Sorry, just... So what do you think is the thing that has helped you to be successful for this long as a goalie coach?
00:49:10
Speaker
um I think just the... Again, like I said, just like the experiences that I've had. you know, between coaching in spring hockey to coaching in the HSL to working with all these different um goalie coaching companies that I've been a part of, um however long, however short, same thing with teams and, um you know, coaching my brother's minor hockey team and, you know, the junior A team and the junior B teams. It just,
00:49:41
Speaker
being able to, or the experiences that I've had with that. And as well as, you know, my presence on social media as well, and being able to reach out to guys like you and to like, I've had,
00:49:52
Speaker
Brief, very brief conversations with Pascoe, Valana. um I think those would be probably the the the practical answers when it comes to, you know, my successes with it and just being able to pick different things from my time with these teams and be able to say,
00:50:11
Speaker
hey, when I was with Team A, you know this is what we were doing here, so let's see if this works with Team B and then Team C and so and so forth. And then I got to credit Curtis Mooka as well.
00:50:23
Speaker
um when i When he came in in my grade 12 year, and he and I were talking a lot, and he and I saw eye to eye on a lot of things, so when I decided to pursue...
00:50:36
Speaker
goalie coaching full-time full-time in quotations um you know i was i was able to heavily lean on him and be able to pick his brain and take up more lunch times than i'd like to admit and just be able to sit in his office and you know show him some video of teams that i was working with and goalies that i was working with at the time and maybe just kind of see things that maybe and have him see things that maybe i didn't see so there's there's multiple factors to that answer, I guess, but I think just the, the, the short and sweet answer answer is just the experiences and and the mentors that had.
00:51:16
Speaker
All right. So second question, what do think is the biggest mistake you've made as a goalie coach? That's, that's a, that's a good one. Um,
00:51:31
Speaker
i don't like I don't want to sound self-centered, but I don't know if there is one. There probably are. i have to like and i'm like I'm not going to deny that i like that. There probably is.
00:51:43
Speaker
Can I think of them at the top of my head? No, I can't. um well I can interject with the one I feel. Wait, wait, wait. No, no, no. no Sorry. so no I think the biggest mistake that I've ever that that i've made...
00:51:58
Speaker
um Was jumping the gun too early. And so what I mean by that is because I was so gung ho on, um,
00:52:12
Speaker
basically saying like, I know everything you guys don't know anything. Or it's like, yeah, like I'm like, I'm not listening really to what, you know, these other goalie companies that seen. And so that's, um, so for a story, basically a couple of stories, um, second year with the spring hockey team, we brought in these coaches from the Czech Republic because there was a, there was a kind of ah a partnership with them.
00:52:37
Speaker
And so, I basically, I didn't know that we were bringing in a Czech Republic goalie coach to be like a mentor to me. Nobody really told me that. um And so I was heavily dead set against that more. So just because nobody talked to me about it.
00:52:51
Speaker
um And then like I've been fired from, this is going to sound bad. I've been fired from, from, from, from two goalie coaching companies. Number one, because the guy basically felt threatened by me. That's the way I'm chalking it up to.
00:53:06
Speaker
Um, and then the second one was this other guy didn't like the way that I coached or the way that the way that I was doing some coaching. And so instead of talking about it, he just kind of let me go.
00:53:19
Speaker
Um, and so I think those are kind of be my biggest regrets because in that as well as like, we were kind of butting heads at that point as well. And so I think just not being open and receptive enough um to these guys and just being it because like it would have been a great opportunity to learn from these Czech Republic guys.
00:53:40
Speaker
But, I mean, like, the team had the full because there was some other internal hockey politics at play. But that would have been a – looking back at it now, that should have been a cool experience. And then I think just, you know, with these other the two goalie companies that I was let go from, um just I kind of wish that they ended better that they did.
00:54:00
Speaker
And so – I don't know. i don't think that either of them speak negatively now, considering I've outlived both of them. But, you know, the the the point that's like that, that's that's the point that I'm being. It's just not being open and open minded enough at that point in time.
00:54:15
Speaker
hate to break it to you connor i'm starting to feel threatened by you so this will be your last episode what are you firing me by parry do i by carrier pigeon or um just by a podcast episode oh perfect live on the podcast connor monday's last episode yeah um no but uh i think just to wrap things up um I'm going to leave you guys with this. If this is something you want to pursue and you want to go after, um start thinking about what your internal coaching philosophy
00:54:55
Speaker
is build yourself around that.
Importance of a Coaching Philosophy
00:55:00
Speaker
Like find your core, find your whatever. Like this is something that I've just had to put onto paper this like over the last month or so, because our organization has gotten a lot bigger in the last year. so i actually to put it down in a document for everybody to kind of have a reference for. but It's um one thing that I found that was cool when doing that is just like
00:55:30
Speaker
even though so much has changed throughout the years of me coaching, that kind of core philosophy has really stayed pretty much the same. And i think that's a good homework kind of starting point for you guys who are new to coaching or want to get into coaching, or even if you've been coaching for a while, just find yourself kind of the values of,
00:55:59
Speaker
coaching and goaltending that you really believe in and build a philosophy around that, that you can really kind of, you know, work on development plans from there and kind of everything kind of balloons out from there. And I think that's kind of a good,
00:56:18
Speaker
good piece of homework that you guys are going to hate me for, but this is cool homework. It's not like there's deadlines or anything like that. So that's, I was sorry. I was just, I was going to say ah like, it must be kind of cool in an aspect to see just kind of your thoughts kind of down on, down on paper.
00:56:42
Speaker
Basically. Especially in the tenure that you've had in doing this. And so being able to basically, for lack better term, pen a book to say, like hey, here's my thoughts on the step-by-step process and the core philosophies you know of've of goaltending at True North Goaltending. It must have been cool to see just kind of how, just kind of seeing that thought process in front of you on paper.
00:57:10
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's been pretty awesome. the The thing that sucks, though, is trying to make it structured and like flow and make it so people can understand. Well, that's standard operating procedures in a nutshell. Even the one that I run with at work is all over the place. but Yeah, but no, it's um it's definitely incredibly rewarding. It's tough. Like,
00:57:35
Speaker
Just like when you're playing, it's a grind when you're coaching. Like the season is long, especially if you're really in the thick of it and you're doing a lot of teams and programs and whatever. But for sure, it's super rewarding. It's cool to see, you know, the feedback you get from goalies, from parents, from coaches.
00:57:58
Speaker
And the nice thing about being ah goalie coach, to be honest, is... you mostly avoid a lot of the flack that regular coaches do because a lot of times people are just happy that there's a goalie guy out there ah or a girl, colleague yeah but, uh, it's, uh, yeah, it's, it's an awesome experience. If you guys have the opportunity to go for it, do it.
Growth of True North Goaltending
00:58:24
Speaker
It's, um, I don't know how to explain. I've done some cool things in my playing career and it's still something that I get to learn new things every day. I get to do something that I enjoy doing.
00:58:37
Speaker
It's not really a job. I mean, it can feel like it's some days, but more often than not, especially compared to the day job, it's... ah it's lot more rewarding and uh cool to see how things can go because yeah if you had told i don't know how long have i been doing this now eight years ish if you had told me eight years ago that i would have had a goalie coaching company that's you know working with multiple organizations going basically halfway around a province because we do stuff up north in alberta too and
00:59:12
Speaker
and kind of gotten the experiences and the opportunities that I have personally and we have as an organization, it's it's pretty cool. So that could be you guys in ah in a couple of years too, if you really dedicate the time and and effort to getting better, to growing, to learning and and to really, like I said earlier, develop those relationships with your goalies.
00:59:39
Speaker
Yeah. I won't add on any more to that. Just, yeah, you, you, you signed it up pretty well. So I won't, uh, I don't have anything to add onto that. Then sign us off. Gladly. Well, ladies and gentlemen, it has been a fun one one going down memory lane here today at the DIY goal podcast presented by true North gold. And you can follow us on your favorite social media platforms. Uh, no, I'm thinking of, uh, the podcasting side of things. You can follow us on your favorite social media platforms, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
01:00:08
Speaker
et etc all at true north goaltending because we are making that switch over except on instagram because we like to be different it yeg goalie coach you can follow myself over on instagram at monday gc if you are listening over on your favorite podcasting platforms first of all thank you for that make sure you share that with a friend and if you want to our new listener make sure you hit the follow button whether it be on apple iheart or spotify or wherever you get your podcasting platform.
01:00:34
Speaker
ah If you are watching over on the YouTube side of things, make sure you guys hit that subscribe button. If you are new to the channel and if you are a returning viewer, make sure you hit that thumbs up and save it to your watch later playlists or whatever it is.
01:00:46
Speaker
um The more goalies that we are able to bring into this little community of ours, the better. We do have some open spots, I think, for our summer camp happening later in August, late July, late August. Yeah, we've got still on both.
01:01:00
Speaker
We still have spots open on both. So if you are in the Edmonton area and would like to come check us out for a for a five-day or three-day camp, make sure you head on all over to truenorthgoaltending.com as we are still making our transition over from the DIY goalie with all of our content there. Go check out truenorthgoaltending.com.
01:01:17
Speaker
We've got a lot of cool stuff happening over there. If you have any questions or anything, do please feel free to reach out to us at goalies at truenorthgoaltending.com. Make some saves, goalies. We'll see you guys next time. Take care.