Goalies steal the show...John Scott withstanding.

The NHL continues to beat it's drum that the game needs more scoring and the New NHL All Star format almost guaranteed that. I don't think anyone would have predicted a 1-0 nail biter in the championship game. Fans were treated to some outstanding saves and, John Scott withstanding, the goalies stole the show.

I don't think many fans will argue that the championship game was a lot of fun to watch. What made it fun was how close the score was and trying to break through to tie up the game. Soccer is the most popular game in the world and one reason is that, because of the low scoring, games stay competitive for much of the game and blow outs are far and few between.

Lets face it, the goalies yesterday are exceptional athletes and it was an exhibition of talent. The NHL should worry less about promoting goals and more about promoting how great their goalies are. Maybe then fans will even enjoy more how special these athletes are and what a great era of goaltending we are experiencing.

I just can't explain it

Last spring it was a thrill to see long time SIG goalie Scott Darling raise the Stanley Cup. It was an incredible year for a lot of our goalies winning championships at all levels. It is always a thrill for me when I see these moments and I always feel a sense of pride. What I can't really explain though is how I felt when I returned from my trip to Germany to find a Cory Schneider bobblehead waiting for me.

Above is a picture of my new bobble head proudly decorating my office. What amazes me is why I am so excited about this. Cory has been to game 7 of the Stanley cup finals and is an NHL all star but I when I saw the bobblehead it really hit me how far he has come since our first summer together some 15 years ago. For some reason having a bobblehead to me is a great accomplishment but I can't really explain why it has this impact on me.

Being a coach and a mentor is a never ending roller coaster. You live the ups and downs with the kids and hope that you are helping them find their way. Its a great honor and privilege to work with so many motivated goalies and I am truly grateful for the opportunities this career path has given me. Maybe it just took a bobblehead for some of this to sink in.

Outlier or the beginning of a shift?

At last years NHL draft there were only two goalies that measured under 6'2 that had their names called. College coaches are enamored with "the big guy" and youth hockey coaches are now following their lead. The day of the average size male having a chance to play professional hockey seemed like it had passed until this years world junior hockey tournament.

The world junior's hosts the best young players in the world competing for their countries and is a showcase of recent and future draft picks. Representing the USA was a goalie from Ohio named Alex Nedeljkovic, weighing in at 5'11 and 190 pounds. The most striking thing about Nedeljkovic is that not only does he not fit the NHL size prototype but it is his ability to make saves. The Niagra Ice Dog from the OHL shows incredible patience on his feet and does not rely on progressive blocking techniques. His ability to read a release, project where a shot is going, and read a play is world class.

Alex Nedeljkovic just showed the hockey world that you don't have to be 6'5 to play goal effectively. His play at the world juniors should spark more discussion about the size trend in goaltending and credit goes to USA hockey on picking the best goalie available as opposed to one that fit a mold. By placing "a size restriction" on goalies we are limiting the selection pool and may be missing out on some tremendous athletes. The Carolina Hurricanes selected Nedeljkovi in the second round with the 37th pick in the draft and it looks like they have hit a home run.

The key to making a marriage work

I recently read an article online about marriage and something really struck me... Marriages that last are not because the couple agrees on issues but they have the ability to communicate about the issues. Naturally, I had to immediately apply this to goaltending and the relationship between the head coach and the goalie.

I cannot get over the lack of communication that goes on with head coaches and their goalies at all levels. You would think that a coach who's good fortune rides on his goaltending staff would make it a point to communicate with them and make sure they have a clear head. Far too many goalies are left hanging and spending way to much mental energy trying to figure out where they stand. There are even still coaches that do not notify their starting goalie a day in advance of a start.

Goalies don't need coaches to blow smoke but they do need to know where they stand and what role they have on a team. It is on the coach to do his part by communicating with his goalies and therefore earning their respect and trust. If a coach is straight up with a goalie there is a greater probability that he will be able to perform at a higher level, in which case everyone win's.

Import Goalies Need Not Apply

As a current coach in Germany and a former goaltender in Switzerland my ears always perk up when hearing about goalie jobs overseas. I, along with many Canadian goaltenders, played in an era where there was a tremendous demand for North American goalies. Today is a different story where European clubs have the luxury of signing a national born player and save one of their import spots for a forward or defensemen.

For a quick snapshot of how the tables have turned over the last ten years I compared this weeks German DEL top 10 goalies with the top 10 goalies from the 2005/2006 season. Currently, eight German goalies appear in the 2015/2016 top 10 with the two non national goalies being one from Finland and the other from Sweden. The highest ranked current North American goalie is 14th*. In the 2005/2006 season, Germany only had three goalies in the top 10. Seven imports were at the top of the DEL with four of the top 10 goalies being Canadian.

Goaltending has improved around the world thanks to information technology, European goalies coming to North America to play junior and the North American goalie coaches that traveled to Europe 10 and 20 years ago to coach at camps, clinics and to share information. Will their own home grown supply of goalies and limited import spots, clubs are opting to go with local talent which has made if more difficult then ever for North American goaltenders to find job overseas.

* Chet Pickard, currently #2 in the DEL playing for Iserlohn, is a duel Canadian/German citizen.

Current DEL 2015/2016 Top Ten Goalies

TOP TORHÜTER

№	Spieler		Nat	Größe	Gewicht	Geb.Datum	SH	Mannschaft	Sp.	Min.	S	U	N	SO	GT	GTS	SV	SV%
1	Dennis Endras		GER	183 cm	78 kg	14.07.1985	L	Adler Mannheim	19	1142:58	14	0	5	4	36	1.89	535	93.7%
2	Chet Pickard		GER	188 cm	98 kg	29.11.1989	L	Iserlohn Roosters	8	478:03	3	0	4	1	16	2.01	269	94.4%
3	Mathias Niederberger		GER	180 cm	80 kg	26.11.1992	L	Düsseldorfer EG	16	931:38	8	0	7	1	32	2.06	454	93.4%
4	Gustaf Wesslau		SWE	193 cm	88 kg	05.02.1985	L	Kölner Haie	16	965:30	10	0	6	0	36	2.24	521	93.5%
5	Dimitrij Kotschnew		GER	184 cm	80 kg	15.07.1981	L	Hamburg Freezers	11	603:38	3	0	7	1	23	2.29	271	92.2%
6	Felix Brückmann		GER	180 cm	83 kg	16.12.1990	L	Grizzlys Wolfsburg	13	791:13	6	0	7	2	32	2.43	312	90.7%
7	Andreas Jenike		GER	179 cm	80 kg	14.07.1988	L	Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers	20	1187:21	13	0	7	2	49	2.48	602	92.5%
8	Petri Vehanen		FIN	187 cm	84 kg	09.10.1977	L	Eisbären Berlin	18	1083:14	11	0	7	0	45	2.49	514	91.9%
9	Danny aus den Birken		GER	186 cm	87 kg	15.02.1985	L	EHC Red Bull München	14	830:50	7	0	7	0	37	2.67	375	91.0%
10	Dustin Strahlmeier		GER	193 cm	87 kg	17.05.1992	L	Straubing Tigers	7	396:51	2	0	4	0	19	2.87	197	91.2%

DEL 2005/20006 top Ten Goalies

TOP GOALKEEPER

№	player		Nat	size	weight	Date of birth	SH	team	Sp.	Minute	S	U	N	SO	GT	GTS	SV	SV%
1	Tomáš Pöpperle		CZE	185 cm	85 kg	1984-10-10	L	Eisbären Berlin	11	655: 29	0	0	0	1	23	2.11	290	92.7%
2	Jimmy Waite		CAN	185 cm	82 kg	1969-04-15	L	ERC Ingolstadt	7	395: 27	0	0	0	1	17	2.58	179	91.3%
3	Lukas Lang		GER	188 cm	84 kg	1986-07-27	L	Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers	1	21:56	0	0	0	0	1	2.74	12	92.3%
4	Roman Čechmánek		CZE	191 cm	91 kg	1971-03-02	L	Hamburg Freezers	6	366: 17	0	0	0	0	17	2.78	171	91.0%
5	Jeff Maund		CAN	186 cm	80 kg	1976-04-08	L	ERC Ingolstadt	1	20:00	0	0	0	0	1	3.00	12	92.3%
6	Thomas Greiss		GER	185 cm	98 kg	1986-01-29	L	Kölner Haie	9	533: 13	0	0	0	1	27	3.04	239	89.8%
7	Andrei Trefilov		RUS	183 cm	82 kg	1969-08-31	L	DEG Metro Stars	14	839: 01	0	0	0	0	43	3.08	295	87.3%
8th	Trevor Kidd		CAN	188 cm	88 kg	1972-03-26	L	Hannover Scorpions	10	596: 41	0	0	0	0	32	3.22	286	89.9%
9	Robert Müller		GER	172 cm	85 kg	1980-06-25	L	Krefeld Pinguine	5	297: 09	0	0	0	0	21	4.24	133	86.4%
10	Jean-François Labbé		CAN	175 cm	78 kg	1972-06-15	L	Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers	4	220: 07	0	0	0	0	17	4.63	96	85.0%