McKenna’s Mailbag: How many protective cups do goalies wear?
Welcome to McKenna’s Mailbag. Questions answered every Saturday: be sure to use the hashtag #AskMcKenna on social media. Published questions have been edited for clarity.
Do you think John Gibson asks to get traded this season/off season? #AskMcKenna
— Tommy Huynh (@GLaSnoST9) October 27, 2021My Answer: I’d be surprised. After this year, Gibson has five seasons remaining on this deal at a cap hit of $6.4 million dollars. That’s a reasonable ticket for a goalie that most executives view as a top-tier NHL netminder. There would be suitors.But I think the Ducks – Gibson included – believe they will have a chance to compete by the later years of his contract. There’s a lot of optimism surrounding rookies Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and Mason McTavish. They’re top end prospects who should put the Ducks back into contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
If Gibson enjoys playing in Anaheim – and there hasn’t been any indication he doesn’t – wouldn’t he want to see it through with this influx of young talent?
Homegrown goaltenders are at a premium in the NHL, and right now the Ducks don’t have anyone ready to fill Gibson’s shoes in net. Anthony Stolarz is still in the process of establishing himself as a bonafide NHL goaltender. Lukas Dostal – a 3rd round pick of the Ducks in 2018 – is in his second season of pro hockey in North America and has shown well. But he’s at least a year or two away from challenging for NHL minutes.
What would a return for Gibson be? A first rounder and maybe a mid-level roster player? To me, that’s kicking the can down the road prolonging Anaheim’s rebuild. Gibson also has a modified no-trade clause in his contract so he does have some control. Bottom line: if I’m John Gibson, I want to give the the rebuild a chance. But there needs to be improvement. Let’s revisit this in a year or two.
#AskMcKenna who was your favorite player growing up?
— Justin Mah (@jmah1996) October 27, 2021My Answer:The simple answer is whoever was in net for the St. Louis Blues when I was a kid. My Dad is an off-ice official and so was my Grandpa, so we always had tickets to games. I’d show up early and watch the visiting team’s goalies in warmups, studying every aspect of their equipment. I loved the gear.
But it all started with Greg Millen. He was my earliest goalie hero. I wore 29 for a long time because of him. And I catch the puck with my right hand – just like Greg. I’m convinced it’s because I watched him so often when I was young.
After Greg, the Blues had a string of goaltenders that I looked up to. Curtis Joseph. Pat Jablonski. Guy Hebert. Brent Johnson. Grant Fuhr. It’s pretty amazing to think that years later, I’ve been able to connect with most of them. I try my best not to fanboy too hard.
What can I do to help a 9 year old with fear of disappointing his coach by being scored on and then being pulled if he does? This year he is playing scared not focused on his game but worried #askmike
— Levi Elanik (@levie1851) October 27, 2021After practice last night I was told he won’t be playing in many games, the kid is on par with all the kids who are considered elite in his age group with technical skills. He lacks size and now his mental game is beat down. What do I do? #askmike
— Levi Elanik (@levie1851) October 29, 2021My Answer: First off, no kid at 9-years-old is “elite.” That word has been completely distorted over the years by parents and coaches who wish to assign value to children and push them up the ranks. Think about how many hockey camps have “elite” in their branding. It’s a joke.
Semantics aside, your son’s coach shouldn’t be allowed behind the bench. I’m terribly disappointed that whatever organization your family pays to play for accepts such a mindset. Coaches are role models and responsible for making sure that kids 1) have fun and 2) grow as individuals and athletes.
Pulling a 10U goaltender based on performance is completely ridiculous. It’s negative reinforcement to the highest degree. You need to contact the president of your son’s youth hockey organization and tell him what’s going on. And if that person thinks the coach is in the right to determine playing time based on performance, you need to find a new organization for your son. One that values the children over an egotistical blowhard coach.
In terms of keeping your son’s spirits up, I think Robert Gherson’s tweeted response (below) is spot on.
Unfortunately, 1 of the most important skills for a goalie to have is ignoring their coach without the coach knowing you’re ignoring them. Keep your kid focussed on things that they can control…work ethic, watching the puck, being centred and square as much as possible.
— Rob Gherson (@goalie_school) October 29, 2021#AskMcKenna Have you consider playing for Ducks during your Career?
— MooseDuck (@MooseDuck93) October 29, 2021My Answer: I played for the Ducks organization in 2007-08 while with the Portland Pirates of the AHL. But in terms of the big club, I was never offered an NHL contract. Would I have liked to play for Anaheim? Absolutely. But I am forever grateful to the organization. If it hadn’t been for the Ducks I may have never gotten a full-time crack in the AHL. That season changed the entire trajectory of my career – I’d been a primarily ECHL goalie until then. The next season I made my NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Loved your column last week and thanks again for answering my? My #askmckenna relates to Jonathan Quick giving up 2 crucial goals this week over the blocker while paddled down – can you see a situation where a goalie should still use that? Maybe wrap around?
— Biff plays hockey (@Biffplayshockey) October 29, 2021My Answer: Long story short: paddle-down kills. Both of the goals you referenced on Jonathan Quick were completely preventable.
There are still instances where paddle-down makes sense, and yes, a wraparound is one of them. It can also be used effectively to cut off passes. But in general, paddle-down leads to a goaltender abandoning space, playing small, and unable to rotate. Years ago we used paddle-down to seal the 5-hole area along the ice, but today the pads take care of it. It’s a bad habit for Quick and a big reason why he has struggled the past couple of seasons.
Keep your eyes peeled for an in-depth analysis of these goals on Tuesday at Daily Faceoff. I’ll break them down in detail.
#AskMcKenna How many full-right goalies are right handed? I'm a righty and I catch with my left, but I have tried with my right too and I feel pretty comfortable that way.
— Grahamslamthankyoumaam (@Therealkrakatau) October 30, 2021My Answer: Not sure. Unfortunately, that’s not a statistic that’s tracked. Anecdotally, more Canadian goaltenders shoot the same way as a goalie and player than Americans. Turco, Smith, Price, Fleury, Allen, etc all shoot left handed when they pick up a player stick. Jose Theodore was a left-shot but played goalie catching right. He’s the only goalie to score a goal on the backhand by turning the stick over and putting the knob in his catch glove.
@MikeMcKenna56 Were you two cups or did you go three? Asking for a couple of friends. #AskMcKenna
— Chris Fram (@chrisfram) October 30, 2021My Answer: Three. I wear a player cup under a goalie double cup. Gotta keep everything in place with the player cup so the goalie cup doesn’t wander. Several goalies have unfortunately suffered severe testicle injuries while playing the position and I was never willing to risk it.