Who’s your goalie?
December 5th, 2007By Tammy Stankey
I recently had the opportunity to watch my nephew play a Peewee hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta – home of Wayne Gretzky. Besides noticing the obvious – eleven-year old boys in Canada can really skate – I noticed something more. I noticed the tenor on the ice each time a goal was scored. At the end of the first period my nephew’s team was up three goals to one. But in the beginning of the second period the momentum shifted and the other team scored. Not to panic, the defensemen (including my nephew) gave their goalie a soft swat across his backside with their stick and a word of encouragement. This happened not once, but two more times. What was going on, I wondered. It was as if each player was going out of their way to take some of the responsibility for the scored point off the shoulder of the goalkeeper.
By the third period my nephew’s team was back into scoring goals. I wondered, would the other team encourage their goalie in the same way? They did not, and in a matter of minutes my nephew’s team had won the game. I was so impressed with how the players on the winning team had encouraged their goalie, that I mentioned it to my husband (former hockey great that he was). He said, “yeah,” as in ‘duh, that’s what you do.’
That got me to thinking: Is there a goalie on your team that needs some encouragement? Someone that is always there to back you up, protect your net, keep the action at the other end of the ice? There are several at Standing.
So here’s to Susan Z; Sharon; Linda; Jenny; Gretchen; and Dennis - thanks for making great saves, day in and day out!
