The Pressures of Being a Minor Hockey Goaltender

IN THIS DAY AND AGE, you might think of minor hockey as one of the safest sports around. After all, the equipment of today is lighter and more protective than ever.

The irony is that while the padding players wear is more advanced than it has ever been, the pressure that players find themselves under has only escalated. The player under the greatest stress on a daily basis is the goalie, the last line of defence. Once the puck gets past the grasp of the goaltender, a goal is scored, and the pace of the game changes immediately.
While some goalies handle stress better than others, the bottom line is that the tension always exists, and, unlike the rest of the team the person in net has no one to fall back on.


Goalies are often referred to as a “different breed” for good reason; not every kid is up to the awesome task. Behind the pipes, the goalie is often the last hope that a team has and can make, or break, the outcome of a game, and sometimes the greatest game-to-game competition they face is to a chance to play in the crease.
Goaltending is definitely not for the faint of heart.