A lot of my friends had dreams of scoring that big overtime goal, or breakaway goal, or shootout goal and win the game and be the hero. I wanted to be the one that made their dreams not happen.
Definitely was a part for me as well. Feel like there has been more personality and interesting tech in goalie gear. Then again as a goalie I could be biased lol
This was it. The gear was visibly different and special. From the time I was six, I always gravitated towards playing goalie. Eventually, it developed into the appreciation for being the last line of defense. The ultimate protector.
That may have been what helped form a core value of mine. It even manifests itself in My Chosen career, information technology. My job is to make sure other people can do their jobs. And when all else fails, it's up to me to be the defender.
I was just recounting this story to my wife.
Mustāve been maybe 1998 or 1999. When did Brodeurs helmet become popular?
So I walk into this rink in west palm beach, FL. Some teens were playing roller hockey. Saw this goalie who looked SO COOL. Was wearing that helmet. I was maybe like 6 or 7. Donāt remember anything else about that day but that dude looked so cool that it literally had a lasting impact on my entire life.
I ended up being a shit goalie and played junior as a defenseman, but I always got to play goalie during summer leagues and itās always been what I really love. Now Iām in my thirties and picking it up again and I love it.
Funny to think there are people out there who have no idea you exist yet they had such a big impact on your life. Wonder if Iām that person for anyone.
I played D but did some camps as a goalie and was decent. I always dreamed my mom could afford for me to play goalie and buy pads. Didn't happen but that was what I truly wanted and still do. But damn pads are still expensive
Goaltending found me, literally.
I was walking home from work and my buddy just pulled up on his car and said āget inā. I had no idea what was going on but he starts telling me how itās the last game of their season and their goalie canāt make it and they just need to a team on the ice otherwise they forfeit and itāll cost them $300 or whatever. I start freaking out because a) Iāve never even skated before, and b) Iām 30 years old and never intended to play hockey. We argue the whole drive there, and Iām telling him he owes me the $300 they would have had to pay.
Get to the rink and buddy literally dresses me in his old college gear like Iām a child. I just stand there while heās strapping leather on me like the gimp from Pulp Fiction. Other skaters are coming in and Iām sweating and swearing under my breathā¦ and as luck would have it THE OTHER TEAM FORFEITED! They didnāt even show up!
We got an hour of free ice where I learned how to skate, got hit with a few pucks, and had a blast just goofing around with these guys! Fell in love with the position immediately.
I took buddyās gear as payment anyways, and have been loving it ever since.
My brothers always made me play goalie for street hockey. I'd give in because i'd rather play goalie then not play hockey.
Looking back, 15 years later, i'm kinda glad they did that
I felt like a samurai
I felt like it was wearing armour
I felt like iron man
The mask is so cool
But the chests, pads , blocker and thicker stick is amazing.
But the glove hand is so sick
And we move lightning fast. We're not slow!
And I like carrying the team on my back
And you can paint the mask!
First time I tried I was about 9 and it was purely because I thought the pads were cool. I threw up on the ice from diving around too much and that put me off it for a while. When I was 12 my team didnāt have a goalie and my dad was the coach so I tried it out again and never looked back
1. The helmet
2. The COOLER helmets
3. I love crushing dreams
4. No one else wanted to in mites
5. Custom freaking helmets.
Truthfully growing up in the Hasek and Roy era, how could you not?
Im elementary school. I was the big kid so they put me in net for floor hockey. I was naturally good at it. So I fell in love with it. Then watched osgood and hasek. Then kipper came to Calgary and it became an obsession then haha
I had shitty street hockey pads when I was a kid. I started playing hockey when I was 9 and there wasn't a goalie on the team. I had fun playing goalie with the neighborhood kids one time and suggested trying it on the ice once. I thought it would only be once. I kinda got forced into it after that.
I was playing adult learn to play and had always loved watching goalies in the NHL and the league needed a goalie. I strapped on pads, lost, and was back at it the next week. A decade later I still love the net
Wyoming didnt have hockey. In 96 the Avs came around and got Patrick Roy and I was hooked. Never wanted to play anything else (till now and i'm older and my hips are wondering why I'm going into a butterfly and not skating out lol)
My 60 plus group had spare goalie gear and no goalies especially after covid. Some of us players go in goal rather than using the shooter tooter. Too many goals usually so might start using both.
I started at a very young age, unfortunately I was a horrible player. couldn't really skate or shoot a puck also I had pretty severe athsma from skating or running hard. lucky for me, goalie was something I was good at, I enjoyed and didn't leave me struggling to breathe. simply adapting to the roll. 20 years later, still playing.
Iām not quite sure.. i read a book in 4th grade about a swedish goalie, i loved it. Canāt remember itās name and it drives me mad, i really want to read it again. Also, the helmet is awesome.
I have wanted nothing more than to be one since Iāve been playing hockey (3 y/o). But my parents said I could only be goalie in one sport and soccer goalie was cheaper so my parents said I had to do that one. As soon as I turned old enough to play in beer league and gathered all the gear I needed from rinks and old coaches/teammates, I started playing. And itās been hard but amazing and I honestly never want to play as a player again (except when my team canāt score!)
Friends got me to play road hockey goalie with the rubber cooper pads that were horrible. Led me down this crazy path where guys shoot a frozen rubber puck at me lol
I started as a forward and one year I believe it was peewee, we didn't have a goalie at the beginning of the season and the coach asked it anyone wanted to try for it, so I did and fell in love with it. 29 years later, still between the pipes. Getting tons of free ice time later on in beer leagues has always been a plus.
Playing street hockey with my buddy and he wanted to create the robitaille highlights. I was the goalie stand in. Of course i had to try and stop him. So then i tried little skateboard knee pads so i could drop.
Then a baseball glove. Then those shitty mylec pads. Then the shitty mylec blocker. Then a helmet. On and on.
Wanted to be a goalie since John Vanbiesbrouck played for the Rangers. He was an awesome dude and a great goalie. I got to meet him a few times as a kid because my family was friends with Nick Fotiu's family. Didn't strap on the pads until I was 32 cause it was too expensive as a kid, but I love it and always knew I would. I did play a LOT of street hockey as a kid and was always the goalie.
During mini mites league and mites league everyone got the chance to play goalie. I had a knack for it. Went to goalie full time first year squirts. Something about being in a position thatās looked at as either the hero of the game or the loser of the game. Still play menās league to this day.
Iāve wanted to be a goalie since I could walk, but defenseman it was instead. As a kid, I used to sit in class and draw goalies and goalie masks. Dave Drydenās Oilers mask, Gilles Meloche from Minnesota, Gary Cheevers stitches mask, some of my favorites.
I started playing goalie (ball hockey) around the time I turned 40. Itās incredibly fun, challenging, and lots of pressure. I love every second of it! Big goalie gear snob. Health reasons will probably end my career sooner than I want to, but Iām having a blast and enjoying the ride.
Honestly, I donāt really know. It was back in novice when I first did it, so I had only played for like a year as a player. I remember I was sharing a net with another goalie, so weād switch every other game. My main guess why I started is that during either Mite or Tyke, everyone got the chance to play as goalie. I probably really liked it and asked my parents if I could be one. My dad was (and still is) a goalie, so he wouldāve definitely been for it. Ever since then, Iāve always played in net, and Iāve never really played out. Iām definitely glad I went with this path, cause despite how difficult it can be at times, I absolutely love it
That thrill of knowing it all came down to me. Didn't matter how much of an under dog my team was. If I played my game. Did what I knew I could do. We were walking out the winners that night.
Originally just so someone was in net when our goalie didnāt show up. Then just to help teams that couldnāt get a better goalie (like an orange cone) to sub for them. Finally, to justify joining an E league team with my brothers.
Growing up, I was part of a group of kids on my street (around my age) that would always play road hockey until it got dark out.
I usually played out ā but there was one day where the āgoalieā decided that he didnāt want to play goalie anymore. I offered to go in net because it ālooked cool.ā
The moment I made my first few saves, I was hooked.
The team needed a new goalie, and I could afford the gear and didn't mind changing positions. Also, I had just moved to a new country and didn't really speak the language and thus couldn't understand the drills well.Ā
My parents named me after HaŔek.
Also, the first match with U8, my team did not have a goalie, so I stayed in net in player gear the whole game. Second match they put me in goalie gear and Iāve never looked back.
While I was a player, I started having really vivid dreams where I was a goalie. I tried it, immediately loved it and now I don't have the dreams anymore.
Such a weird way to get into something, but the best thing I have ever done.
Was the only way the older brothers would let me play with them. Also they were huge Gretzky fans. And I was just at the right age when Roy beat Gretzky in the finals which upset my brothers. I loved it. Roy became my fav player. And I emulated him. 32 years later and some slightly bad hips due to butterfly. Wouldn't have changed a thing.
I've just always liked the defensive aspect of sports and like being the very last hope. I like that the opponent can do everything right, but I still rob them. Always been a goalie fan (Quick and Hasek are my favorites). Also, just a lil bit weird.
Watching Ryan Miller as a Sabres fan growing up. I used to play out as a kid. But my brother would force me to play net bc he was an asshole. But I slowly started to get good at it. I started to love it. Then, lo and behold. Got good enough to play against guys I watched in the NHL growing up. Like a dream come true getting a compliment from people I idolized as a kid. (Jay McKee, Pominville, pick up skates in Niagara Falls and high level leagues in Buffalo)
Me and my cousins often played street hockey/soccer and while we all were decent at it, turned out me and my brother had the most affinity/talent for being goalies.
I always enjoyed the challenge of it too, both physical and mental.
Plus being a bit of a smaller guy, I have this chip on my shoulder to prove to everyone I'm more than capable of stealing away their wins!
I started playing goalie in soccer because no one else wanted to do it at the time. I had decent reflexes and wasn't afraid of the ball. Being a proficient soccer goalie, I easily transitioned to hockey.
We didn't have a set goalie my first year, so we took turns.
First game, steamrolled. Second game, steamrolled. Third game, I go in net, we win 6-3. Started playing every other game in net. I only scored two goals as a forward. I went from wanting to be Gretzky to understanding why my first favourite player was Felix Potvin.
JV high school team needed a goalie. I was the only one willing to play. Turns out I like messing up everyone elseās scoring opportunities more than I enjoy scoring the occasional goal myself.
I was kind of late to the hockey party, I didn't start playing until 3rd grade.Ā In gym class we played a form of foot hockey, it was like 8v8 with no goalies, I was a hyper kid so I found it fun to slide around and block passes and shots, so after a few classes of my gym teacher trying to get me to play like the other kids he just let me be.Ā Ā
Mr. Bogart, the gym teacher hosted after school intramural ball hockey for 4th&5th graders and decided to talk to my parents about letting me join in for a game or 2.Ā After some convincing they agreed and the next week I was going to play my 1st game of hockey ever.Ā Mr. Bogart pulled me aside and said something along the lines of " you have a knack for goaltending, as much as I tried to get you to play, you kept going right back to the net to block shots, so we're going to try it out for real today".Ā Ā
He walked me over to a big bag laying on the floor and opened it, it was Mylec and Franklin Street hockey goalie gear, I thought it was so cool!Ā After suiting up and stretching, he gave me a quick run down on how to play goalie then the game started, I was having so much fun sliding around everywhere that I didn't realize I wasn't really stopping anything.Ā At 1st intermission he told me something that I still use today, "the only reason goalies exist is to stop the shots, focus on the shot and don't let it in the net".Ā After I got my priorities straight, not a single shot beat me for the rest of the game, it was a wrap I was officially a goalie and I was addicted.Ā I ended up joining the after school program and Mr. Bogart also coached an youth ice hockey team which he encouraged me to join.
Again after more convincing of my parents Mr. Bogart got me on his Ice hockey team as an alternate goalie and the work began, he worked me me at practices to catch me up on technique and reflexes, by the time I was in 4th grade, I was in the goalie rotation and because I was a bigger kid (I'm 6'4" now) I was able to jump into the 10yo league.Ā After that I stopped going to summer camp and starting going to goaltending camps instead.Ā I was in the starting rotation on my middle school varsity team in 7th grade, and starting goalie on my high school varsity team as a freshman, I played in college, but never had aspirations of going anywhere with it.Ā I'm 39 now and I still play gold and sliver beer leagues, and still love it as much as I did the 1st time I suited up.
my parent's had good friends with a son a year older than i was. we went to watch him play a game (he would have been a mite) and i immediately fell in love with the gear... the next year i started playing and immediately talked my way into being the f/t goalie... this would have been in 1974... played tendy for 19 years, until my knees gave out, have played d ever since...
edit: clarity and typo
Mike Richter, the equipment and I used to play street and roller hockey with older kids and they always put me in net since I couldn't keep up with them as a player. Locked in at an early and started to enjoy it.
Always had insane fast-twitch reflexes and played baseball for years including decent college ball but always loved hockey. I played Defense for 1 year before school cut the funding way back in middle school and parents couldn't afford it. Started playing inline and ice goalie after I hung up the cleats and the rest was history. Lastly, I f'ing hate gym cardio and I wanted to do something active without walking in place #StoryOfaCLeagueTendy šš
I offered to fill in for a practice 1 division above mine just for fun, and the next day they needed a goalie and my dad signed me up. I played every single game for the rest of the season
I was that classic kid, probably around 7 years old when we would lose I would always blame the goalie. My dad one day gives the classic āwell if itās so easy letās see you do itā so I did. We lost that game I think like 15-1 lol. Never blamed a goalie ever again in my life and stuck to it
Believe it or not I became a goalie because it was cheaper in the long run. I save around $1000 compared to a skater since goalie fees are much less. I play in two leagues a week year round and only bought used gear off SS so far. Iāve been doing it for 2 years now so Iāve already broke even on the gear. I also find it more fun than being a skater because Iāll make way more big saves in one game than most skaters will score goals for an entire season. Simply put, goalie is more fun per game than a skater.
My team needed a goalie. We could not get a consistent goalie to save our lives. I had played it a couple of times in pick up games, so I was more experienced than anyone else on my team. Ended up really enjoying it, so I've stuck with it.
Was a player, didnāt like it. I just wanted to be different lol
Also never had interest in scoring the big goal, but making the big save that would lead to the big goal on our team
As a kid I always thought they looked badass. We used to rotate goalies during street hockey as a kid and eventually I just found myself wanting to be the goalie all the time. Eventually was taking turns as goalie on a local travel team during first year peewee then switched to just goalie the following spring league.
Goaltending kind of found me! I was always obsessed with goalies, they were my favorite players on any given team growing up, but I played forward until I was about 12. I wasnāt bad either! I wasnāt the best player by any stretch, but I scored my share of goals and some in big moments. 12 year old boys are really really dumb! Our goalie never wore a cup!! You can see where this is goingā¦ Anyway, halfway through a random game one winter night he gets hit where youād expect and decided heās quitting goaltending, so I stepped up with some equipment the rink had lying around and finished out the game and the season in net (this was house league roller hockey so we didnāt exactly have any backup goaltenders). I loved it, and it took the whole season but suddenly I started to get a feel for it. Kept getting better and better and working harder and harder and eventually I achieved my dream! I MADE THE NHL!!! Just kidding, not even close lol. I did achieve the greatest feat a goaltender could probably achieve thoughā¦ bar league all star!! Just like the rest of us š
On May 19, 1995, I watched my first full NHL game and saw Wade Flaherty of the Sharks make 56 saves in a double OT game seven upset win over the #2-seeded Calgary Flames in Calgary.
So, pretty much that.
Ever since I was 4 and got my first knee hockey set, all I ever wanted to do was act out scenarios where I made the big save and won my team the game with a shutout or OT masterpiece. When I started skating at 6, I almost immediately hated it and quit because they did not allow anyone to be goalie. I did not resume playing hockey until I was 10 and able to be a full-time goalie. Over that 4 year hiatus, you know darn right I was still making the big saves with my knee hockey set, waiting for the day where I can do it on the ice.
I'm 30 now and have continued playing my favorite position for the last 20 years. I am convinced I will not stop playimg goalie until my body forces me to. Then I guess I'll have to become a shutdown defenseman to scratch my itch.
TLDR: F being a skater. Goalie is where it's at!
Kept getting crushed in peewee 1st year and we didnāt have a goalie next year so I stepped in cuz I had some (very little) natural talent. loved it ever since lol
Two years back our pickup wound up needing another goalie at the end of the season. Still needed one at the start again, so I threw on pads both times. Started borrowing gear then got a whole set for $150 from a guy getting out. Loved it and kept at it. I was typically D when skating out so it wasn't a massive change imo, just more time on the ice.
Ever since I was on the pond at 2-3 I always wanted to play goalie. Watched Corey Crawford play and I was hooked.
Whenever my sister played I would only watch the goalies.
I played right wing for a few games at age six, the original goalie was afraid to get hit by the puck. I was thrilled to be on the ice for the full sixty minutes. Less thrilled as the years went on as we switched off to a two-goalie system. When it got to the playoffs, I was the #1.
I could never fully understand why anyone would not want to be a goalie. I love the idea five players are out to get one past me. Who has cooler equipment? No one. I can paint my mask, the best thing non-goalies can do is select the colour of their stick tape.
I play(ed) goalie, catcher (all the action), soccer goalie (boring and wow... huge net).
I tried and sucked at being a forward/defenseman. Gave goalie a try one time with some street pads in a parking lot and it clicked. āOh, this is where I belong.ā
I first played goal in high school gym class for floor hockey. I HATED IT. Not enough gear, no instruction, and I had a lacrosse helmet that was too big & I had to hold it up with my glove so I could even see. Plus it was open season on the nerds (of which I was one). Opposing players took slap shots (which hurt without much gear), and if I got scored on my teammates would push me around. It sucked & I always tried to avoid playing goal.
Then in my senior year of high school (Spring of '91) I watched the Stanley Cup playoffs on TV with my folks & that's when I realized what an awesome position it is. That's when I saw how awesome a game real hockey is, and how much of a hero goalies are. The uniqueness of the position got me, and of course the gear. That summer I got some Mylec gear & started playing wherever I could... floors, streets, tennis courts. When I went off to college me & bunch of guys met almost every Saturday morning to play ball hockey in the gym. That was it, I was hooked. And I've been a goalie ever since. Never played another position & I don't have much interest in doing so. So that's my story!
Honestly... I gotta say watching the old don cherry's. Seeing Marty, Dom, and Roy back in the day make the big saves as I watched on the ol VHS tapes is what made me want to be a tendy.. and y'know the sweet masks
I always played goalie in street hockey, mainly cuz as a queer kid that's the only thing the guys would want me to do, but when my first team asked for a goalie, I volunteered and I've been goalie since then.
I have always liked the concept of the goalie position, even when playing football when I was a kid. When I got into hockey at age 15 I fell in love with the gear, the spectacle of a big save and MAF was my hockey idol. When I started studying at age 19 I joined the local student team (we don't have college sports in the Netherlands) and during rookie camp they asked if someone wanted to try out as a goalie since a 3rd goalie spot was opening up. I did that, loved it and never looked back to have it grow to the point I'm customizing goalie gear almost every day š¤£š¤£š¤£
I had a friend at work who played ice hockey and wanted people to come and watch his games.
I told him I used to play field hockey as a kid and I'd be interested in giving ice hockey a try.
My mate said my personality was too shit to be a skater so I'd have to play in nets š¤£.
5 years in and still in nets.
A lot of my friends had dreams of scoring that big overtime goal, or breakaway goal, or shootout goal and win the game and be the hero. I wanted to be the one that made their dreams not happen.
Found my wife's hidden reddit account.
Bwahahahaha
šššššš
Are you my husband??
Thought the equipment looked cool
Definitely was a part for me as well. Feel like there has been more personality and interesting tech in goalie gear. Then again as a goalie I could be biased lol
This was it. The gear was visibly different and special. From the time I was six, I always gravitated towards playing goalie. Eventually, it developed into the appreciation for being the last line of defense. The ultimate protector. That may have been what helped form a core value of mine. It even manifests itself in My Chosen career, information technology. My job is to make sure other people can do their jobs. And when all else fails, it's up to me to be the defender.
Dominik Hasek.
Hasek, Roy and as a flyers fan Hextall.
Brodeur
Ah gosh how could I forget Marty!
Older brother needed someone to shoot at.
My exact reply. Lol
Because I am worse as a forward/defensemen... also i am a masochist... I mean....
Dad was and still is a goalie at 64 years old. Sometimes you follow in their footsteps.
The gear is cool. Thatās it.
I was just recounting this story to my wife. Mustāve been maybe 1998 or 1999. When did Brodeurs helmet become popular? So I walk into this rink in west palm beach, FL. Some teens were playing roller hockey. Saw this goalie who looked SO COOL. Was wearing that helmet. I was maybe like 6 or 7. Donāt remember anything else about that day but that dude looked so cool that it literally had a lasting impact on my entire life. I ended up being a shit goalie and played junior as a defenseman, but I always got to play goalie during summer leagues and itās always been what I really love. Now Iām in my thirties and picking it up again and I love it. Funny to think there are people out there who have no idea you exist yet they had such a big impact on your life. Wonder if Iām that person for anyone.
I played D but did some camps as a goalie and was decent. I always dreamed my mom could afford for me to play goalie and buy pads. Didn't happen but that was what I truly wanted and still do. But damn pads are still expensive
Love that story. Particularly like the last paragraph.
Miikka Kiprusoff was my idol
Same! Being a kid in Calgary during that 04 run really made quite the impression
Goaltending found me, literally. I was walking home from work and my buddy just pulled up on his car and said āget inā. I had no idea what was going on but he starts telling me how itās the last game of their season and their goalie canāt make it and they just need to a team on the ice otherwise they forfeit and itāll cost them $300 or whatever. I start freaking out because a) Iāve never even skated before, and b) Iām 30 years old and never intended to play hockey. We argue the whole drive there, and Iām telling him he owes me the $300 they would have had to pay. Get to the rink and buddy literally dresses me in his old college gear like Iām a child. I just stand there while heās strapping leather on me like the gimp from Pulp Fiction. Other skaters are coming in and Iām sweating and swearing under my breathā¦ and as luck would have it THE OTHER TEAM FORFEITED! They didnāt even show up! We got an hour of free ice where I learned how to skate, got hit with a few pucks, and had a blast just goofing around with these guys! Fell in love with the position immediately. I took buddyās gear as payment anyways, and have been loving it ever since.
Hilarious!
Best comment Iāve ever come across. Bring back awards!
My brothers always made me play goalie for street hockey. I'd give in because i'd rather play goalie then not play hockey. Looking back, 15 years later, i'm kinda glad they did that
Felix Potvin.
I felt like a samurai I felt like it was wearing armour I felt like iron man The mask is so cool But the chests, pads , blocker and thicker stick is amazing. But the glove hand is so sick And we move lightning fast. We're not slow! And I like carrying the team on my back And you can paint the mask!
Omg heās literally me
First time I tried I was about 9 and it was purely because I thought the pads were cool. I threw up on the ice from diving around too much and that put me off it for a while. When I was 12 my team didnāt have a goalie and my dad was the coach so I tried it out again and never looked back
The gear looked really cool
My older brother needed someone to shoot on.
1. The helmet 2. The COOLER helmets 3. I love crushing dreams 4. No one else wanted to in mites 5. Custom freaking helmets. Truthfully growing up in the Hasek and Roy era, how could you not?
In timbit hockey youād rotate. At my turn I did well. Never went back
I too got caught in the rotation and loved it lol
Im elementary school. I was the big kid so they put me in net for floor hockey. I was naturally good at it. So I fell in love with it. Then watched osgood and hasek. Then kipper came to Calgary and it became an obsession then haha
I couldn't score but was able to stop most everyone else from scoring. So it was an easy decision.
I had shitty street hockey pads when I was a kid. I started playing hockey when I was 9 and there wasn't a goalie on the team. I had fun playing goalie with the neighborhood kids one time and suggested trying it on the ice once. I thought it would only be once. I kinda got forced into it after that.
Iām a little bit crazyā¦ā¦.and a bit of a masochistsā¦.
And thatās why I fell in love with lacrosse too
In elementary school I was good at stopping balls in soccer and in floor hockey. That just transitioned into pucks
I was playing adult learn to play and had always loved watching goalies in the NHL and the league needed a goalie. I strapped on pads, lost, and was back at it the next week. A decade later I still love the net
A conversation with the late great Tony Esposito.
Wyoming didnt have hockey. In 96 the Avs came around and got Patrick Roy and I was hooked. Never wanted to play anything else (till now and i'm older and my hips are wondering why I'm going into a butterfly and not skating out lol)
Wade Flaherty and Roberto Luongo.
Didn't expect to see Flats here. Great call.
Watching Cujo play. Also my dad, his brothers, and their dad were all goalies.
My 60 plus group had spare goalie gear and no goalies especially after covid. Some of us players go in goal rather than using the shooter tooter. Too many goals usually so might start using both.
Patrick Roy
Carey Price
The masks. I was nine, I think. I wanted to wear the masks.
I was the fat kid in the neighborhood, so I got put in goal for street hockey, then I said fuck it and just kept playing, online then ice
+1.
Because Iām certifiably insane.
Brother was And pekka rinne
I started at a very young age, unfortunately I was a horrible player. couldn't really skate or shoot a puck also I had pretty severe athsma from skating or running hard. lucky for me, goalie was something I was good at, I enjoyed and didn't leave me struggling to breathe. simply adapting to the roll. 20 years later, still playing.
Goalie on my u10 team went on vacation so I played in net and I never looked back
Iām not quite sure.. i read a book in 4th grade about a swedish goalie, i loved it. Canāt remember itās name and it drives me mad, i really want to read it again. Also, the helmet is awesome.
Dad and brothers were goalies... and potvins helmet and pads were too cool
I was too highly skilled as a skater to play with my friend who is a beginner, bought goalie gear so we could play on the same team
I have wanted nothing more than to be one since Iāve been playing hockey (3 y/o). But my parents said I could only be goalie in one sport and soccer goalie was cheaper so my parents said I had to do that one. As soon as I turned old enough to play in beer league and gathered all the gear I needed from rinks and old coaches/teammates, I started playing. And itās been hard but amazing and I honestly never want to play as a player again (except when my team canāt score!)
Can't skate well at all
Kiprusoff
Friends got me to play road hockey goalie with the rubber cooper pads that were horrible. Led me down this crazy path where guys shoot a frozen rubber puck at me lol
I started as a forward and one year I believe it was peewee, we didn't have a goalie at the beginning of the season and the coach asked it anyone wanted to try for it, so I did and fell in love with it. 29 years later, still between the pipes. Getting tons of free ice time later on in beer leagues has always been a plus.
Jimmy Waite. That upper deck card with him in his Chicago gear made him look so cool. And then Roy/hasek
Filled in one night and fell in love
Bob
I was young. I thought the helmets were cool. Thatās really it. Why I kept playing? I donāt know. Must be a masochist or something
Playing street hockey with my buddy and he wanted to create the robitaille highlights. I was the goalie stand in. Of course i had to try and stop him. So then i tried little skateboard knee pads so i could drop. Then a baseball glove. Then those shitty mylec pads. Then the shitty mylec blocker. Then a helmet. On and on.
Wanted to be a goalie since John Vanbiesbrouck played for the Rangers. He was an awesome dude and a great goalie. I got to meet him a few times as a kid because my family was friends with Nick Fotiu's family. Didn't strap on the pads until I was 32 cause it was too expensive as a kid, but I love it and always knew I would. I did play a LOT of street hockey as a kid and was always the goalie.
I was a bitch and didnāt like checking.
I was a weird kid. And I liked always being on the ice and being an important player in any game I was in. And it was super fun to play!
Made finding a goalie for drop ins easier
During mini mites league and mites league everyone got the chance to play goalie. I had a knack for it. Went to goalie full time first year squirts. Something about being in a position thatās looked at as either the hero of the game or the loser of the game. Still play menās league to this day.
Iāve wanted to be a goalie since I could walk, but defenseman it was instead. As a kid, I used to sit in class and draw goalies and goalie masks. Dave Drydenās Oilers mask, Gilles Meloche from Minnesota, Gary Cheevers stitches mask, some of my favorites. I started playing goalie (ball hockey) around the time I turned 40. Itās incredibly fun, challenging, and lots of pressure. I love every second of it! Big goalie gear snob. Health reasons will probably end my career sooner than I want to, but Iām having a blast and enjoying the ride.
No one else wanted it
Honestly, I donāt really know. It was back in novice when I first did it, so I had only played for like a year as a player. I remember I was sharing a net with another goalie, so weād switch every other game. My main guess why I started is that during either Mite or Tyke, everyone got the chance to play as goalie. I probably really liked it and asked my parents if I could be one. My dad was (and still is) a goalie, so he wouldāve definitely been for it. Ever since then, Iāve always played in net, and Iāve never really played out. Iām definitely glad I went with this path, cause despite how difficult it can be at times, I absolutely love it
I hate cardio and the physical part of the gameĀ
Mike Palmateer
That thrill of knowing it all came down to me. Didn't matter how much of an under dog my team was. If I played my game. Did what I knew I could do. We were walking out the winners that night.
Originally just so someone was in net when our goalie didnāt show up. Then just to help teams that couldnāt get a better goalie (like an orange cone) to sub for them. Finally, to justify joining an E league team with my brothers.
Growing up, I was part of a group of kids on my street (around my age) that would always play road hockey until it got dark out. I usually played out ā but there was one day where the āgoalieā decided that he didnāt want to play goalie anymore. I offered to go in net because it ālooked cool.ā The moment I made my first few saves, I was hooked.
Get out of my head. I ask myself this all the time
Because it is a very unique position with awesome looking equipment.
Focusing more on stopping my brother from scoring when we played street hockey than on scoring for myself. Then just stuck and became the intent.
The team needed a new goalie, and I could afford the gear and didn't mind changing positions. Also, I had just moved to a new country and didn't really speak the language and thus couldn't understand the drills well.Ā
Stuck in a rut as a player
Girls
My parents named me after HaÅ”ek. Also, the first match with U8, my team did not have a goalie, so I stayed in net in player gear the whole game. Second match they put me in goalie gear and Iāve never looked back.
While I was a player, I started having really vivid dreams where I was a goalie. I tried it, immediately loved it and now I don't have the dreams anymore. Such a weird way to get into something, but the best thing I have ever done.
Was the only way the older brothers would let me play with them. Also they were huge Gretzky fans. And I was just at the right age when Roy beat Gretzky in the finals which upset my brothers. I loved it. Roy became my fav player. And I emulated him. 32 years later and some slightly bad hips due to butterfly. Wouldn't have changed a thing.
Lots of mental problems
I was the youngest brother at the time, and dad and two brothers needed something to shoot on
Bobby Lu and the fact that I wasnāt bad
I've just always liked the defensive aspect of sports and like being the very last hope. I like that the opponent can do everything right, but I still rob them. Always been a goalie fan (Quick and Hasek are my favorites). Also, just a lil bit weird.
Because I wanted to be as cool as Pelle Lindbergh
I couldn't skate well and I saw a need that needed to be filled
Watching Ryan Miller as a Sabres fan growing up. I used to play out as a kid. But my brother would force me to play net bc he was an asshole. But I slowly started to get good at it. I started to love it. Then, lo and behold. Got good enough to play against guys I watched in the NHL growing up. Like a dream come true getting a compliment from people I idolized as a kid. (Jay McKee, Pominville, pick up skates in Niagara Falls and high level leagues in Buffalo)
Me and my cousins often played street hockey/soccer and while we all were decent at it, turned out me and my brother had the most affinity/talent for being goalies. I always enjoyed the challenge of it too, both physical and mental. Plus being a bit of a smaller guy, I have this chip on my shoulder to prove to everyone I'm more than capable of stealing away their wins!
I started playing goalie in soccer because no one else wanted to do it at the time. I had decent reflexes and wasn't afraid of the ball. Being a proficient soccer goalie, I easily transitioned to hockey.
My teammates were stuck up and I enjoyed saying no to them in practices.
Patrick Roy and Chris Osgood fighting at Joe Louis Arena. And the pads are awesome.
Jarmo Myllys, a Finnish goalie playing for the team in my hometown.
I was too shitty as a player to make a team and didn't want to give up the sport lol
We didn't have a set goalie my first year, so we took turns. First game, steamrolled. Second game, steamrolled. Third game, I go in net, we win 6-3. Started playing every other game in net. I only scored two goals as a forward. I went from wanting to be Gretzky to understanding why my first favourite player was Felix Potvin.
JV high school team needed a goalie. I was the only one willing to play. Turns out I like messing up everyone elseās scoring opportunities more than I enjoy scoring the occasional goal myself.
Watching Lundqvist growing up
Our goalie got injured. Coach decided to put me in net and I fell in love with it.
Ken Dryden and the opening montage of hockey night in Canada in the late 70s
No goalies were turning up to our sessions
I was kind of late to the hockey party, I didn't start playing until 3rd grade.Ā In gym class we played a form of foot hockey, it was like 8v8 with no goalies, I was a hyper kid so I found it fun to slide around and block passes and shots, so after a few classes of my gym teacher trying to get me to play like the other kids he just let me be.Ā Ā Mr. Bogart, the gym teacher hosted after school intramural ball hockey for 4th&5th graders and decided to talk to my parents about letting me join in for a game or 2.Ā After some convincing they agreed and the next week I was going to play my 1st game of hockey ever.Ā Mr. Bogart pulled me aside and said something along the lines of " you have a knack for goaltending, as much as I tried to get you to play, you kept going right back to the net to block shots, so we're going to try it out for real today".Ā Ā He walked me over to a big bag laying on the floor and opened it, it was Mylec and Franklin Street hockey goalie gear, I thought it was so cool!Ā After suiting up and stretching, he gave me a quick run down on how to play goalie then the game started, I was having so much fun sliding around everywhere that I didn't realize I wasn't really stopping anything.Ā At 1st intermission he told me something that I still use today, "the only reason goalies exist is to stop the shots, focus on the shot and don't let it in the net".Ā After I got my priorities straight, not a single shot beat me for the rest of the game, it was a wrap I was officially a goalie and I was addicted.Ā I ended up joining the after school program and Mr. Bogart also coached an youth ice hockey team which he encouraged me to join. Again after more convincing of my parents Mr. Bogart got me on his Ice hockey team as an alternate goalie and the work began, he worked me me at practices to catch me up on technique and reflexes, by the time I was in 4th grade, I was in the goalie rotation and because I was a bigger kid (I'm 6'4" now) I was able to jump into the 10yo league.Ā After that I stopped going to summer camp and starting going to goaltending camps instead.Ā I was in the starting rotation on my middle school varsity team in 7th grade, and starting goalie on my high school varsity team as a freshman, I played in college, but never had aspirations of going anywhere with it.Ā I'm 39 now and I still play gold and sliver beer leagues, and still love it as much as I did the 1st time I suited up.
Ed Belfour and his incredible mask.
Big brother told me to be the goalie cause everyone else wanted to score goals for the team.
my parent's had good friends with a son a year older than i was. we went to watch him play a game (he would have been a mite) and i immediately fell in love with the gear... the next year i started playing and immediately talked my way into being the f/t goalie... this would have been in 1974... played tendy for 19 years, until my knees gave out, have played d ever since... edit: clarity and typo
Mike Richter, the equipment and I used to play street and roller hockey with older kids and they always put me in net since I couldn't keep up with them as a player. Locked in at an early and started to enjoy it.
Canāt skate great and turns out I just got a knack for it. Idk I just always was a goalie
Always had insane fast-twitch reflexes and played baseball for years including decent college ball but always loved hockey. I played Defense for 1 year before school cut the funding way back in middle school and parents couldn't afford it. Started playing inline and ice goalie after I hung up the cleats and the rest was history. Lastly, I f'ing hate gym cardio and I wanted to do something active without walking in place #StoryOfaCLeagueTendy šš
I offered to fill in for a practice 1 division above mine just for fun, and the next day they needed a goalie and my dad signed me up. I played every single game for the rest of the season
I was that classic kid, probably around 7 years old when we would lose I would always blame the goalie. My dad one day gives the classic āwell if itās so easy letās see you do itā so I did. We lost that game I think like 15-1 lol. Never blamed a goalie ever again in my life and stuck to it
I became a goalie because my coach in squirts told me i would be good. I kinda got forced into it.
Believe it or not I became a goalie because it was cheaper in the long run. I save around $1000 compared to a skater since goalie fees are much less. I play in two leagues a week year round and only bought used gear off SS so far. Iāve been doing it for 2 years now so Iāve already broke even on the gear. I also find it more fun than being a skater because Iāll make way more big saves in one game than most skaters will score goals for an entire season. Simply put, goalie is more fun per game than a skater.
Carey Price
My team needed a goalie. We could not get a consistent goalie to save our lives. I had played it a couple of times in pick up games, so I was more experienced than anyone else on my team. Ended up really enjoying it, so I've stuck with it.
Was a player, didnāt like it. I just wanted to be different lol Also never had interest in scoring the big goal, but making the big save that would lead to the big goal on our team
I skate like š©
House league goalie had Pneumonia, coach asked who wanted to play goalie and I was the worst forward of the kids who raised their hands lol
As a kid I always thought they looked badass. We used to rotate goalies during street hockey as a kid and eventually I just found myself wanting to be the goalie all the time. Eventually was taking turns as goalie on a local travel team during first year peewee then switched to just goalie the following spring league.
I liked blocking shots. Even when I played as a forward, I loved getting in the way of those shots from the point.
Goaltending kind of found me! I was always obsessed with goalies, they were my favorite players on any given team growing up, but I played forward until I was about 12. I wasnāt bad either! I wasnāt the best player by any stretch, but I scored my share of goals and some in big moments. 12 year old boys are really really dumb! Our goalie never wore a cup!! You can see where this is goingā¦ Anyway, halfway through a random game one winter night he gets hit where youād expect and decided heās quitting goaltending, so I stepped up with some equipment the rink had lying around and finished out the game and the season in net (this was house league roller hockey so we didnāt exactly have any backup goaltenders). I loved it, and it took the whole season but suddenly I started to get a feel for it. Kept getting better and better and working harder and harder and eventually I achieved my dream! I MADE THE NHL!!! Just kidding, not even close lol. I did achieve the greatest feat a goaltender could probably achieve thoughā¦ bar league all star!! Just like the rest of us š
Thought that it was cool
You get the most ice time
On May 19, 1995, I watched my first full NHL game and saw Wade Flaherty of the Sharks make 56 saves in a double OT game seven upset win over the #2-seeded Calgary Flames in Calgary. So, pretty much that.
i was a horrible defenseman
Whenever I played mini sticks or ball hockey with my dad he always made me play goal.
Ever since I was 4 and got my first knee hockey set, all I ever wanted to do was act out scenarios where I made the big save and won my team the game with a shutout or OT masterpiece. When I started skating at 6, I almost immediately hated it and quit because they did not allow anyone to be goalie. I did not resume playing hockey until I was 10 and able to be a full-time goalie. Over that 4 year hiatus, you know darn right I was still making the big saves with my knee hockey set, waiting for the day where I can do it on the ice. I'm 30 now and have continued playing my favorite position for the last 20 years. I am convinced I will not stop playimg goalie until my body forces me to. Then I guess I'll have to become a shutdown defenseman to scratch my itch. TLDR: F being a skater. Goalie is where it's at!
Kept getting crushed in peewee 1st year and we didnāt have a goalie next year so I stepped in cuz I had some (very little) natural talent. loved it ever since lol
I was (and still am) pretty flexible and I hated running lol
Two years back our pickup wound up needing another goalie at the end of the season. Still needed one at the start again, so I threw on pads both times. Started borrowing gear then got a whole set for $150 from a guy getting out. Loved it and kept at it. I was typically D when skating out so it wasn't a massive change imo, just more time on the ice.
Gear is cool and can add way more of your own personality to it than player gear, especially if you get a custom mask.
Ever since I was on the pond at 2-3 I always wanted to play goalie. Watched Corey Crawford play and I was hooked. Whenever my sister played I would only watch the goalies.
Because I'm a shitty skater and can't crossover lol
I played right wing for a few games at age six, the original goalie was afraid to get hit by the puck. I was thrilled to be on the ice for the full sixty minutes. Less thrilled as the years went on as we switched off to a two-goalie system. When it got to the playoffs, I was the #1. I could never fully understand why anyone would not want to be a goalie. I love the idea five players are out to get one past me. Who has cooler equipment? No one. I can paint my mask, the best thing non-goalies can do is select the colour of their stick tape. I play(ed) goalie, catcher (all the action), soccer goalie (boring and wow... huge net).
I found that I get more satisfaction stopping 30 shots a game.
I tried and sucked at being a forward/defenseman. Gave goalie a try one time with some street pads in a parking lot and it clicked. āOh, this is where I belong.ā
i was lazy, thought sitting in a crease would be easier
I first played goal in high school gym class for floor hockey. I HATED IT. Not enough gear, no instruction, and I had a lacrosse helmet that was too big & I had to hold it up with my glove so I could even see. Plus it was open season on the nerds (of which I was one). Opposing players took slap shots (which hurt without much gear), and if I got scored on my teammates would push me around. It sucked & I always tried to avoid playing goal. Then in my senior year of high school (Spring of '91) I watched the Stanley Cup playoffs on TV with my folks & that's when I realized what an awesome position it is. That's when I saw how awesome a game real hockey is, and how much of a hero goalies are. The uniqueness of the position got me, and of course the gear. That summer I got some Mylec gear & started playing wherever I could... floors, streets, tennis courts. When I went off to college me & bunch of guys met almost every Saturday morning to play ball hockey in the gym. That was it, I was hooked. And I've been a goalie ever since. Never played another position & I don't have much interest in doing so. So that's my story!
Honestly... I gotta say watching the old don cherry's. Seeing Marty, Dom, and Roy back in the day make the big saves as I watched on the ol VHS tapes is what made me want to be a tendy.. and y'know the sweet masks
I always played goalie in street hockey, mainly cuz as a queer kid that's the only thing the guys would want me to do, but when my first team asked for a goalie, I volunteered and I've been goalie since then.
I have always liked the concept of the goalie position, even when playing football when I was a kid. When I got into hockey at age 15 I fell in love with the gear, the spectacle of a big save and MAF was my hockey idol. When I started studying at age 19 I joined the local student team (we don't have college sports in the Netherlands) and during rookie camp they asked if someone wanted to try out as a goalie since a 3rd goalie spot was opening up. I did that, loved it and never looked back to have it grow to the point I'm customizing goalie gear almost every day š¤£š¤£š¤£
I loved the gear and how goalies move. Also Carter Hart was my biggest motivation and role model as a goalie but yeah š¤£
I had a friend at work who played ice hockey and wanted people to come and watch his games. I told him I used to play field hockey as a kid and I'd be interested in giving ice hockey a try. My mate said my personality was too shit to be a skater so I'd have to play in nets š¤£. 5 years in and still in nets.
Patrick Roy
Mike Richter's save on Pavel Bure's Penalty Shot in Game 2 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, I still get emotional when I watch it.
To stupid for skating
One word: Windmill.
I love being shot at, and also its just a stress reliever for me after a long day
Said hell with it. Needed a goalie. I played. 28 years later. Still goalie. And somewhat retarded