Just like in real life, the goalie in hockey doesn’t always block shots cleanly. Sometimes they get hit with the puck, or it bounces off their chest and gets blocked by one of their teammates. In fact, when played at a high enough speed, it’s not uncommon for a few of the shots to go uncalled for.
That’s why it’s such a vital part of an NHL goalie’s job to be able to block a shot. If you’re unable to stop all the shots, you’re defence will collapse and find it much easier for the other team to rush in and score.
But with a little bit of strategy, you can ensure that even if a puck comes in hard, it won’t go in. Here are some tips on how to block a hockey shot.
Table of Contents
The Timing
In order to properly block a shot, you need to be in the right place at the right time. This means that instead of just charging in and hoping for the best, you need to be thinking about where you’ll be in relation to the puck and who you’ll be next to. For instance, if you’re a goalie in the butterfly position, you’ll need to be ready to quickly dive to your right to stop a shot from directly behind you.
If you’re in the middle of a breakaway, you might not want to hang around to catch a deflection off the goalie’s mask. You might want to be going the other way regardless in order to get there first and block the shot.
The Path
Besides having the right place and the right time, you need to make sure that the puck is going in the right direction when it comes your way. This is especially important when you’re in the butterfly position, where a lot of your game is based around stopping shots from above the circles. Shots coming from above the circles are usually the result of a quick breakaway or a power play, so you can be sure that your attention will be on them. This means that in order to properly block a shot, you need to be looking upwards when the puck is coming in.
The Height
Last but not least, we have the height of the goalie above the ice. This is another important factor to consider when trying to block a shot, especially if you’re in the butterfly position. You can use your hands to your advantage to reach for the puck, but you don’t want to get too high or too low, because then the puck will either hit you or pass you by. Somewhere in between is the sweet spot, which is why most goalies wear the equipment designed for golfers – boots that raise your heel at the appropriate height.
As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into properly blocking a hockey shot. Even if you do all of those things correctly, sometimes the puck will slip through and go in anyway. But as long as you do your best, you can be sure that it will be stopped.