Goaltending Trends

Ten years ago you could count the number of European goalies in the NHL on one hand. I will admit outright that I'm not researching this and can only recall Salo, Irbe, Khabibulin and Hasek playing in any meaningful way a decade ago.   Back then, guarding the pipes was dominated by Canadians, more specifically by Quebecers playing in the echo of Patrick Roy's incredible success with Montreal teams that probably wouldn't have won Cups in 86 and 93 if it weren't for his MVP performances in those playoffs.  Sandwiched between those Cups was another run to the finals only to lose in six games to Calgary. 

The goalies winning cups before Roy played stand up.  Billy Smith, Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog won a bunch without spending much time on their knees.  They played angles, made kick saves and stacked the pads, remember those moves?  Roy changed things.  Big time. 

Roy is credited with perfecting the butterfly.  Some might say it was actually Francois Allaire, his original goalie coach in Montreal who perfected the style for him.  It was certainly Allaire's goalie school that pumped out a generation of goalies that played the style to great success.  In an age where the chances came in tight after a lot of cycling the butterfly was an effective way to counter these down-low opportunities.  Drop down square to the puck, stick on the ice, spread the pads, knees together, elbows in and your in the club.  When it works, it looks like you're hardly trying and when it doesn't work it really looks like your hardly trying. But it is generally successful  And in the NHL, if it's successful, it will be copied.  It became de riguer for the position and Kirk McLean was the last stand up goaler in the NHL although an argument can be made for Martin Brodeur playing stand up.  More on him later.   
With most of the league playing butterfly in rote repetition along came Dominik Hasek.  His career started slowly in Chicago and they traded him away electing to go with Ed Belfour instead. In Buffalo, Hasek hit his stride.  And what a stride it was and remains to this day.  His is a style that really can't be copied. Its the no-style style.  While his saves often look accidental,  they aren't.  Hasek is a student of the position and he has amassed a series of reactions for every conceivable situation he encounters.  They are efficient, not so stylish and highly effective.  Hasek won a couple of Hart trophies for his efforts with very average Buffalo teams.  Vezinas too, and soon the scouts in Europe weren't looking past those goalies that didn't play butterfly for every situation.

The game in Europe on the big ice doesn't reward butterfly as much as the pre-lockout game did here.  Bigger ice and more chances from further out means a goalie that drops to his knees for every shot hears a lot of pucks whistle past his ears on their way in the net.  Add to that more cross-ice plays and the dogmatically butterfly goalie can look right out of it.  European goalies tend to play a hybrid stlye.  They kick a bit more than the average butterflier.  They stand up on a few more shots and they look like they are trying a little harder in the process.  Think Kiprusoff's style versus Giguerre's.  Think about Brodeur's style and why he plays so well in the International games.   

Tim Thomas, who is playing really well despite Boston's woeful performance this season, credits his time spent in Europe learning the hybrid style as the main reason his career has turned around.  When he went to Europe he was another in a long line of butterfly goalies that couldn't crack the NHL.  Since he has returned to Boston, albeit as an emergency recall, he has been making eye-popping saves while keeping the Bruins in games they should be getting blown out of.  He shouldn't have to worry about riding buses or carrying Euros again.

With the game opening up, either by way of less interference and stick work or by power plays that result from rules actually being enforced, the stock of goalies who play a hybrid style is on the rise, big time.  Look at all the European goalies that are on the scene now.  Hasek and Khabibulin remain and have been joined by Hedberg, Toivenen, Vokoun, Nittymaki, Toskala, Huet, Gerber, Aebischer, Lehtonen, Lundqvist, Kiprusoff,  Nabokov,  Noronen, Budaj, Bryzgalov, Markkanen, Tellqvist, Prusek and Kolesnik.  Forget using your hands, it's time to take off your socks and call one of the kids over.

As I said earlier the NHL is a league where success is copied.  This wave may have come earlier had it not been for the tragic death of Pelle Lindberg who passed away in Roy's rookie year and was, by all accounts, on his way to greatness in the league.  There is also much to be said for the level of coaching the position receives as compared to twenty years ago.  There will certainly be more developments in goaltending.  It will be interesting to see if they have such geographic charachteristics as well.

Comments

[Budfan]

Best bit I've seen on goaltending in ages.

[Piglet]

Nice read, always interresting to get a well round point of view on the state of goaltending......I might just have to try that hybrid style myself......of course I will look more like Billy Ranford than Hasek....just call me the flopper

[Robert Davidson]

Wow! Glad someone is waking up!!

kipper owns all

[Flames fan]

NO one is better then kipper! he can waste all goalies!

[grayson]

i love to hate kiprusof and i loathe cam ward because of his performance against the oil, damn hurricanes