A positive shift has hit the hockey world in the past decade as a greater focus has been placed on training the goaltender position. USA Hockey started a “Goalie Coach” certification, many teams now have a specific goaltending coach on the ice, and there has been a lot more understanding of just how important goalie specific instruction is.
The nature of the goaltending position requires a lot of inner focus as well. Building your mental game is something a coach or mental skills coach can help guide you with, but athletes will still have to take initiative and work on those skills in their own time. It’s the classic “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink” proverb. To help you take that “drink”, I have compiled 5 of the top goaltending related books you should make the time to read and begin sharpening mental skills and discovering more about what it really takes to play the position you love.
1. THE POWER WITHIN, EMBRACING THE GRIND, THE POWER WITHIN II – Mike Valley & Justin Goldman
Okay, so the first book is actually three books…Written by goaltending coach Mike Valley and USA Hockey goaltending scout Justin Goldman, and with quotes and passages from NHL goaltenders and coaches, this trilogy is the pinnacle read for all goaltenders. No matter your age, skill level, or playing level, The Power Within trifecta has something in it for you. I would even recommend goalie parents take the time to read this one.
Goldman and Valley’s collaboration on these books gives goaltenders the most comprehensive compilation of mental pre and post-game techniques, how to deal with the stress of the position, strategies for improvement, visualization, breathing techniques, and ways to measure your own success and the success of the goalies you coach (if applicable). The first Power Within manuscript will always be my favorite. I discovered it at a time in my life when I genuinely needed it. It introduces the Three Pillars of Elite Goaltending to achieve “flow”: Mind, Body, and Spirit, and provides techniques on how to attain each.
These three books are not rambling self-help jargon either; NHL goalies and coaches provide insight on what it takes to be an elite goaltender, and how to handle the pressures that come with it. Providing a look at how elite goalies have overcome emotional and mental obstacles in their careers, gives the reader a way to start their own mental journey between the pipes. These three books are truly a gift to the goaltending community and provide you a path to developing the mental skills it takes to compete at an elite level.
2. ON GOALTENDING – Jacques Plante
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An oldie but goodie and a must read for any goaltender. Jacques Plante is a legend, and his advice will never be out of fashion. Plante is known as much for his on-ice achievements as he is for his dedication to the game and to young, upcoming goalies. His passion for the position and for the sport is captured in his 1973 paperback.
On Goaltending is truly the first “how to” book on the position of goaltender. In his life, Plante began to pave the way for individualized goalie training and was one of the first people to outwardly recognize the need for mental training. While certain sections of On Goaltending show its age, i.e., his guide to buying and taking care of goalie equipment, the majority of the book is applicable to today’s game and a goalie’s mental and physical journey. Plante writes about angles, staying square to the puck, reading the release, playing the puck (another skill Plante pioneered!), and many other fundamentals that will always be part of the game. One section is also dedicated to an at-home workout that Plante himself would have done. For someone with few weights or looking to get a quick exercise session in, the provided workout is a great goalie focused one!
Plante’s work is a short read but packed with tools and tips from one of hockey’s greatest to ever strap on the pads. That alone should be enough to pique your curiosity and pick up a copy.
3. HOCKEY GOALTENDING – Eli Wilson & Brian van Vliet
Eli Wilson is one of the world’s premier goaltending coaches. His “definitive guide to elite goaltending” is a compilation of the knowledge and technique he has amassed over the years. Hockey Goaltending is a perfect starter book for new goalies, goalie parents, seasoned netminders, goalie coaches, and even team coaches looking to have a better understanding of the position. In this book you find comprehensive information for on-ice successes such as: footwork, stick placement, angles, save selection, how to select the right equipment, recovering from a save, rebound direction, and game-type situation breakdowns.
Wilson and van Vliet also include great tips for off-ice and mental game improvement. The section on focus and visualization methods is one of most well written, easy to understand passages on the topic. Also, included from Eli Wilson’s camps, is the on and off-ice training program as well as drills for conditioning year-round.
Hockey Goaltending is a professionally designed, structurally written “how to” book that contains photos, diagrams, step-by-step instructions, and tips from one of the most valued, trusted, and well-known coaches in the goaltending community. This is the type of book you will keep in your bag to refer to through the season!
4. The Hockey Goalie’s Complete Guide: An Indispensable Development Plan – Francoise Allaire
Francoise Allaire is one of the greatest goaltending coaches of all time. Over the course of his 33-year career as a goalie coach in the NHL, he mentored the likes of Patrick Roy and Jean-Sébastien Giguère and worked with four organizations: Montreal, Anaheim, Toronto, and Colorado. Allaire is widely accepted as the man who helped grow the butterfly style of goaltending and develop it into a structured style during its early years. The “Allaire style” emphasizes solid positioning, getting down into the butterfly, and taking up as much net as possible; the precursor to the “blocking” style we see today.
The Hockey Goalie’s Complete Guide was penned by Allaire in 2009 and is the perfect authoritative and practical guide to goaltending. It is different than the other books on this list in the sense that it includes a more specific plan versus a broad vision on developing in the position. Allaire includes a four-year development plan that comprises of basic techniques, skating techniques, and on-ice and off-ice training methods. What really separates Allaire’s manuscript is that it incorporates information specific to coaches too. There’s great information on evaluating goalkeepers on and off the ice as well as a breakdown of the trainer’s role for the goaltending position.
In each chapter you’ll find step-by-step instructions and illustrations on how execute Allaire’s recommended techniques and movements, and the guide also includes forms for goalies, coaches and trainers to record a player’s progress and performance during games. This is such a great instructional guide for both goalies and coaches, it had to be included on this list!
5. The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive Paperback – Jim Afremow (Author), Jim Craig (Foreword)
This is the ultimate play like a champion style book. No, it is not hockey specific, but it has a fantastic foreword written by none other than United States’ Gold Medal winning goalie Jim Craig. The author, Jim Afremow, is a sports psychology specialist and licensed professional counselor, and his book is a breakdown of what it takes to have the mindset of a champion. Many of your coaches have told you “it’s the mental game that matters”, and this book breaks down why certain athletes stand out above the rest and what it takes to get there yourself.
As a sports psychologist, Afremow knows what it takes to be in the right mental mindset. Being exposed to his point of view on mental preparation is a refreshing change when juxtaposed with all the goalie specific books on this list. He covers the importance of staying humble and how to remain modest, breathing, dealing with anxiety, affirmations, overcoming mental errors, playing in the moment, and only focusing on what you can control. Like Goldman & Valley do in The Power Within, Afremow writes about getting in the zone and working to achieve the “flow” that elite athletes are able to accomplish. He also concentrates on how to maintain long-term success in mentally draining sports and positions: invaluable advice for goaltenders of all ages.
Uniquely, Afremow incorporates customizable pre-game routines for all athletes. It’s a really awesome way to jump start mental training on your own using a guide from someone who has worked with professional athletes, Olympians, pro teams, and coaches.
BONUS! STATS TRACKER & JOURNAL FOR HOCKEY GOALTENDERS – The Mental Goalie
Okay so maybe this one isn’t really a book. And sure, maybe it was written by the author of this article, but hey, it’s a great tool for goaltenders to have and this list wouldn’t be complete without it!
This journal was created to provide goaltenders with the best possible stat-tracking and journaling for the season. Every page should be used for a different game, and the provided formulas will help you determine save percentage and ratio of quality chances faced. Rink layouts for each period allow you to track where shots are coming from and look back at the previous games to see the areas goals are squeaking through.
The section that will help your development the most is the “POST-GAME JOURNAL”. This journal should be filled out after each game you play to track how you feel and what you could improve upon. Personal accountability is lacking in youth sports today, and players that hold themselves accountable, rather than rely on parents, coaches, and teammates to do it for them, will develop faster and catch the eye of more coaches and organizations as they get older.
Use this journal as a tool to get better and stay accountable through out your season and career. Check out the full write up HERE.
Take the Initiative – Jump Start Your Mental Training Today
Reading just one of the books on this list will make you a better goaltender. If you have doubts about your game, or are apprehensive to start your mental preparation journey, these guides are a great way to ease into it. Written by some of hockey’s greatest goaltending coaches and mindset mentors, it is a true gift to have their knowledge at your fingertips. Coaches can only guide you so far, your training will only begin to amplify once you take the first step.
