Have you ever noticed how watching a game from the stands offers a unique perspective? Surrounded by passionate fans, you hear some of the strangest comments. Occasionally, you might overhear someone explaining the rules to a friend, or specific skills and tactics that are sometimes completely out of left field. All you can do is relax and enjoy the moment. Just the other day, I went to a Jets game where Hellebuyck played the puck similarly to the clip above. Unfortunately, when the opposing player closed in, Hellebuyck was too slow to pass to a teammate, leading to a turnover. The fan behind me shouted, "Hellebuyck, stay in your net!" I had to resist the urge to explain that it was a strategy that normally works.

Comments like those help clarify why its so difficult to teach young goalies to come out of their net to play the puck. In my personal experience this past season, an icing call was waived off, and the other team's forward easily reached the puck first. Our goalie remained in the net, watching the puck sit in the corner for what seemed like ages. As the opponents gained control of the puck, they managed walk into the slot and take a grade A shot on our goalie. It's crucial to help young goalies develop the confidence to leave their creases during games and play the puck. Coaches need to accept that there are possibilities of allowing goals in a empty net while our goalies learn the importance of being a third D at specific times.

How Do we Practice This;

Here is a clip of Dave Starman in the Breakdown, Strategies and Tips for Goalie Puck Handling, showing a simple, yet effective drill to get your goalies comfortable handling the puck before throwing them into a higher-pace breakout drill.

In this next progression with Jeff Lerg, who I saw present at TCSlive in 2024, brings goalie puck control into more of a game situation; Watch the full presentation on the coaches site by following this link; Preparing Your Goalies For Success In Practice 

Offensive Pieces Drill;

Description;

• Have all the players not going in the middle of the faceoff circle
• Start with two forwards and one Defencemen, as shown in the drill diagram.
• On the whistle, have a coach rim the puck to what he feels is comfortable enough for the goalie to play
• The D starts to back peddle 2-3 strides before pivoting forward.
• Have the forward closest to the wall, act as a winger for the breakout, while the forward closer to the center of the ice, is the low and slow center.
• Once the D reads the goalie is playing the puck, have them report to the strong side corner for a pass.
• After breaking out, the forwards will go for a 2-0 rush to the opposite end, with the defencemen quickly following the rush.
• After the forwards take a shot on the net, forwards can play the rebound quickly, and then one forward becomes a screen in front of the goalie, and the other forward retrieves a puck on the strong side corner to pass for a point shot.

Key Points;

• Once all three players perform a breakout and skate past the neutral zone, the next three players for each side will pop out of line and get ready for the next rep.
• The centermen play low & slow, so he is slightly behind the puck line while receiving the pass from the D.