One of my favorite "parlor tricks" as a goalie coach is to meet with a group of coaches from a particular program, on the ice. I’ll demonstrate a handful of goalie-specific skating techniques, including shuffles and drop steps (also known as a T-push or T-glide). Then I ask the coaches to do the same. Invariably, the coaches struggle, because these movements are far different than a traditional player.
Interestingly enough, oftentimes the better the coach was as a player, the more difficult these movements are, because the traditional edgework is so ingrained in their muscle memory. And, typically, everyone gets a good laugh.
While the exercise is designed to demonstrate just how different goalie-specific skating is, and emphasizes that goalies need to work on those skills instead of simply joining in the team skate, it serves another purpose as well. No, I’m not trying to embarrass the coaching staff (though it does get their attention, in a fun way). I’m driving home the point that the goaltender is a much different animal than the rest of the team.
