With the NHL season now in full swing, I’ve been looking around online over the last few days for hockey-related news. Based on what I’ve seen in a few comment bars, I’m surprised to see that many fans aren’t familiar with the jargon associated with the sport.
I’d like to focus on what a playing style is, specifically, my preferred position – goalies. Not to state the obvious, but goalies have an incredibly precise job to perform. That is, making sure the other team doesn’t score, but that is often easier said than done, mostly because there are a ton of factors that go into a goalie’s effectiveness, such as rebound control.
To get the job done, goalies can focus on one of three mainly recognized styles: standup, butterfly and hybrid. I’ll describe each in detail below, based on my experience with the sport.
1. Standup
These goalies almost never go down to make a save. In fact, they utilize a slight “kicking” motion, which is little more than moving their leg out, to make saves. These goalies have the advantage of being squared with the play, thereby allowing them to react more quickly and easily to any rebounds that occur. However, they have the disadvantage with low shots – if the shot is outside the motion of their legs, odds are high it’ll be a score.
Consensus: all-around good style that was the norm for goaltenders until the like of greats Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur brought in styles similar to butterfly and hybrid. I used this style when I learned to play; only going down into the butterfly in times of desperation.
2. Butterfly
A majority of goaltenders now use this style (it’s extremely rare to find a standup goaltender in any league today). These goalies go down onto their knees and perform a variety of acrobatics to keep the score as low as possible. Basically, whatever they have to do to keep the puck out, they do it. Butterfly ‘tenders have the advantage of being to control more of the net, but are extremely open to rebounds. Think of it like this: if you’re on back trying to make a save, about 90% of the net is open. Unless you’re a god, you’re probably not going to be able to make the save in time.
Consensus: this style became popular in the modern era because the NHL in particular wanted to increase scoring in their games. The standup style just couldn’t keep up. Goalies have learned how to make a save without always responding desperately, so the style is effective depending on his or her skill.
3. Hybrid
This one’s interesting. The easiest way to explain it is that it’s a combination of both styles. This goalie will have moments where he/she will stand up for saves, but will go down in moments of desperation. These ‘tenders are on the rarer side because learning two styles is difficult, and in moments where you have less time than you can blink to react, it can be difficult to rely on two styles.
Consensus: this is the style I use when I’m playing now. In my opinion, it takes the most skill to master and makes players more diverse. Positioning is the biggest deal here if you want to make a good save. Most players use some form of this style in their play today.
Final thoughts: the style that you’re most comfortable with is up to you. It doesn’t matter how much other players are doing a particular style; it’s your preference. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that if you’re not comfortable in the net, you aren’t going to be able to make saves effectively – you’re tense, so your muscles can’t stretch as much; your focus is off, which affects reaction time and speed; and you can’t expect to have endurance that matters.
