Our Top-5 Episodes For Youth Hockey Goalies & What They Uncover About Pressure & Performance

Lee MJ Elias [0:00 - 1:52]: hello, hockey friends and families around the world. And welcome to another special edition of our Kids Play Hockey. We are celebrating a huge milestone, my friends. 400 episodes of the show. It's a lot of episodes and it's part of the celebration. We're highlighting our favorite conversations and a special best of series. And today's episode is all about the backbone of every hockey team. The net mind of the goaltender, the tendee, the goalies. That's what we're talking about today. So whether your kid just got their first set of pads or you've been lugging goalie gear to rinks for years, which is something that I'm involved in right now, these five episodes are packed with insight, strategies and stories that will help every goalie, goalie, parent, coach, goalie coach, non goalie, parents, athlete, doesn't matter, grow in the game. So again, this is not just for goalies, my friends. These are episodes that will help you visualize being a goalie. It's very important that every player, coach and parent understands that. So we're going to walk you through each episode with a quick intro. We'll throw to a clip and we'll tell you why. It's worth a full replay on your end. Okay, so here we go, the top five Our Kids Play Hockey episodes for goalies. The first one, an NHL goaltender, Steve Alette, who played for the New York Rangers. His episode was Steve Ella Cat goalie development and mental toughness. He actually made a couple of our top five lists because his insight and his episode was so impactful. So again, he's a former NHL goalie and he's an analytics leader in the game. He's really changing how teams and athletes look at goaltending stats. And Steve really breaks down what today's goalies need to succeed. Fundamentals, mental reps, and practice that simulate real game pressure. And he shows us in this episode how data is reshaping the position and the mindset behind it. So here's Steve on why goalies need more than drills and they need pressure, purpose and mental reps in the game. Check it out. 

Steve Valiquette [1:53 - 2:31]: You have to now train the mental part of the game. We always talk about how important it is to be mentally tough. The game's 99% mental. Oh, yeah. Who's working on it? I can tell you how you work on it, though. You have to put players in a position that they are competing with. Posture, engagement, following rebounds, chasing down pucks. The goaltender knows the next shot is imminent. Everything feels like a game and you know what happens. Everybody turns on, they get into the zone, they get into Flow State and now we're competing. And on that competition, there has to be an outcome. You have to have something at stake or nobody gets engaged. 

Lee MJ Elias [2:32 - 3:15]: Okay, we said this on another 400th episode. This, this one really does arm the goalie parents and the parents and the players and the coaches with real strategies to elevate the netminer's performance and their confidence. So, so check that one out. Next up is Sammy Jo Small. The episode was titled Goaltending Grit and Growth. She's a three time Olympian. She shared her incredible journey from playing street hockey as the only girl in Winnipeg to winning an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada. And she opens up about supporting teammates in backup roles, growing through the adversity and maintaining joy in the game throughout her career. There's not many guests we can say have won that many gold medals. So here's Sammy sharing the moment. Her parents asked her the simple question that changed everything in her life. Why not? 

Sami Small [3:17 - 3:48]: And there was a lot. When I went to my first practice, I was playing outdoor on the outdoor rinks in Winnipeg with all these guys that I played street hockey with. So for me it was totally normal. But I think my parents were kind of waiting for the other little girls to show up, like, where, where are all these other little girls? And it really wasn't until the parents kind of asked my parents about, you know, like, well, why is she out there? Girls can't play hockey. And my parents very innocently were like, but why? That? I think the best answer they got was, well, your daughter, she can't play in the NHL. 

Lee MJ Elias [3:50 - 4:36]: Love this clip. Love this episode. Look, you should go back and listen to it because it's a real master class in emotional resilience, leadership and joy. Right? Right. From someone who's lived every role within the crease. Right. Just amazing perspective. The next one. Brian DeCord, tremendous goaltending coach. Many of you will know his son Joey Decord who plays in the NHL. This episode was titled Coaching and Communication for Goalies. And listen, he's a goalie coach, obviously. He's also an author. Brian Decord shares communication tips, mindset tools and tech based strategies that help goalies thrive from from youth players to pros. He also reflects on on his journey coaching his son Joey Decord for the NHL. So check it out. Here's Brian on why developing passion early is essential for long term success in. 

Brian Daccord [4:36 - 5:26]: The net, especially at the youngest levels. It's about driving passion for the game. It's hard it's hard to move up the ranks. It's hard to play for a high school team, a prep school team, where everybody's counting on you. And if you play bad, you feel like you let everybody down or you, you got embarrassed or, you know, there's a lot of resiliency that has to go with goaltending. You absolutely, positively have to develop that passion while you're younger. Because when it hits, when Stuart Skinner goes on that bad streak to start the season, that takes resiliency. To climb yourself out of that when he gets benched in the playoffs for two games, you need. So if you don't have that passion and you don't have that love that you developed as a kid, you're done. 

Lee MJ Elias [5:28 - 6:12]: Again, you don't really need more or less reasons to listen to this one, but if you do, look, he offers a lead, insight and practical advice that every goalie, parent, every coach should hear. So check that one out. Okay, the next one, another one of my favorites. We have the goalie doctors on, and this one's about winning, tryouts and mental edge. So again, the goalie doctors, Matt Tendler leading that group, our elite coaches in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. But they work with teams all over the place. And the. The goalie doctors join us to break down how young net miners can stand out at tryouts and beyond with actionable tips on the mindset, the leadership, the presence. It's a really good one. So here's the goalie doctors on what it means to be where your feet are at, where your skates are at, and only a moment. Own the moment. Excuse me. It's an important one. Check this out. 

Goalie Doctor [6:14 - 6:50]: Worry about what's going to happen. Worry about what you can do right now. Mitch said this to me the other day. He is where his feet are. Be where your feet are, right? Don't be up in the stands thinking about what the coach is thinking about. Don't be on the bench what the coach is thinking about. Be in the crease, be in your skates, be where your feet are and worry about what is right in front of you right now. Be a firefighter. Don't be worrying about, you know, planning what's going to happen after I get off the ice. See a fire, solve it. See a problem, solve it, and just kind of refresh your mind that I am here. I can't fix what happened, but I can make a difference on what's going to happen. 

Lee MJ Elias [6:52 - 7:45]: I actually use that line with my, my goalie, but both my kids have Play where your Skates are at play. Where your feet are at. Let's meet you where you're at, right? Go back and listen to this one. It's perfect for goalies preparing for tryouts, our new seasons. Just great to listen to the mindset. It's. It's got a lot of standout advice, so check that out. Next, one good friend of mine now from the podcast from other things, we're doing Paul Cohen for Mer. AHL goalie. Actually the first AHL goalie to score a goal by shooting the puck into the net. Look that up. Paul Cohen, AHL goal. You won't regret that one. On YouTube, this one was called Physical and Mental Training for Goalies. So again, he shares a unique blend of physical, mental, and even psychological philosophical approaches that define great goaltending, from how net miners should train to the value of integrated practice. It's a really rich conversation. And in this clip, Paul shares the moment he first became a goalie and why it stuck. Check it out. 

Paul Cohen [7:47 - 7:52]: Play goal. And I was like, no, no, no. And then he said, you get to stay on the ice the whole game. I was like, I'm in. 

Lee MJ Elias [7:53 - 8:05]: So, Paul, when we start the show, we always find that goalies have a real interesting story of how they got between the pipes. Sometimes it's because you're saying sibling, sometimes you just find it. What is your reason for embarking on that position? 

Paul Cohen [8:06 - 8:38]: Well, actually, I started off as a, as a forward back in the Toronto days where they had the, the two minute buzzer to change shifts and I was actually five years old. And every time that I would go off the ice, I would start crying because I would want to go and keep playing. So of course, one, one day the goalie didn't show up. Coach looked around the dressing room and was like, who wants to play goal? Who play goal? And I was like, no, no, no. And then he said, you get to stay on the ice the whole game. I was like, I'm in. That's me. 

Lee MJ Elias [8:38 - 8:39]: That's me. 

Paul Cohen [8:39 - 8:46]: And literally, literally, literally, literally, from that point on, it was, it was all right. 

Lee MJ Elias [8:46 - 9:47]: This was a really fun and insightful conversation that you should definitely go back and listen to it. It sheds light on a long term goalie development on long term goalie development. Excuse me, Both on and off the ice. Always love talking with Paul, but that's going to wrap up our top five goalie episodes. For our 400th episode celebration, 400 conversations on our Kids play hockey. So whether your child is again, just putting the pads on or trying to make the team or on the team. These episodes are packed with guidance for people who lived it, coached it, and studied it. And if you got value from this episode, make sure you share it with your goalie friends, your goalie groups in your team chat, or your coaching staff. Again, this episode's not just for the goalies. And stick with us as we continue our Best of 400 celebration. We've got lists of parents episodes, player episodes, coach episodes, NHL guests, non NHL guests. It's all there. Check out the episode. They might already be out, they might not, but they're all there for you. I'm Lee Elias. For my co hosts, Mike Mike Bonelli and Krista Cashburns, thanks for listening. We will see you at the rink. Everybody. Skate arms. Have fun. Thanks for watching our kids play hockey. Take.