Who's your #1 | Henry Breslin's Blog

Even though the season is only two exhibition games deep, the new NHL is making quality goaltending essential. Last season fans saw more breakaways and odd-man scoring opportunities, not to mention the number of power plays that made penalty killing a necessity. I think that a team's success will depend on who's in goal, and this decision should be influenced by a number of factors. One important decision that coaches must make is how often should they play their starter? Guys like Brodeur and Turco are always top tier goalies that can play most games, but they also tend to face less shots because their teams are good. This enables them to play the vast majority of their team's games without showing signs of fatigue that other goalies tend to show when being overworked. It is critical to find the right balance of playing enough games to feel comfortable and confident, without becoming fatigued mentally or physically. I think the best way to approach goaltending in the new NHL is to platoon two goalies, especially through the first three quarters of the season. Coaches are always afraid to play backups, however every starter was once a backup! In the past few seasons' fans have seen more turnover in goal during the playoffs than ever before. When a fairly unknown backup bails a team out during the playoffs everyone wonders, "Where did this guy come from?" The answer is that he was right on bench all year and is extremely fresh and hungry to show the skills that earned him a spot on an NHL roster. He was the same guy who was MVP of the OHL or the Hobey Baker Finalist from three years ago. Although there are goalies that have proven that they can play 60 games and win a Cup, more teams should think about riding depth at the goaltending position during the regular season. Don't forget that there are likely 5 teams out there that will have their backup goalie emerge as an all-star or Hall of Fame goaltender when put between the pipes.