Just had lunch today with another goalie in my league, and we were discussing why I thought this one defensemen that we’ve both faced was highly underrated. Other than his ability to defend and make amazing stretch passes, I thought he had one of the most effective shots from the blue line.

Not because it was particularly hard or accurate, which it is but to me his special sauce is that he was quiet, quiet in his movements but also very much so in terms of sound.

In a situation where I’m getting screened, my first task as a goalie is to see the release. I will sacrifice positioning to be able to see the release and react to it quicker.

But as I’m fighting to see the release, if I hear the sound of a shot I can usually time my butterfly based on the player’s last known location and do a timed guess based on the severity of the noise.

(To be continued)