14-NHL 2013 Finals Commentary

The NHL Goalie Shift

From five to twelve years old, I played soccer; I played football from seven to eighteen. In elementary school, I taunted my grown brothers until they chased me. I spent my youth dodging giants (largest at 6'7”) and enjoyed it. In soccer, this translated into playing defense. Balls did not last long in my territory. No sacrifice was too great. When the giants caught me, they threw me into the bushes; at the time, I didn't realize guilt prompted their question, “Doesn't it hurt?” My answer, “No, I like it.” When you factor in the basic fact my brothers were paying attention to me, it's no wonder I felt nothing but the sound of their joy. In football, these slippery skills and acclimation to pain made me a natural running back/line backer. I am thankful to have shared in more than one moment of sports greatness.

When I played both sports, I had the occasional opportunity to step into the roll of a quarterback, kicker, and goalie. In each case I did better than at my regular job. Needless to say, I was asked to switch positions. I declined each for the same reason: I only played so well because I was expected to fail. I'm a team player. I'm not equipped with the ego required to shoulder the burden of a quarterback, goalie, or kicker on a regular basis but offered to fill in whenever needed. I must also say I respect those who handle these roles with grace and professionalism because it takes steel to strike with true focus at the moment of absolution. But what takes maturity is the skill set to handle the success/failure of great risk. It takes real guts to be an NHL goalie.

So what's my point? Who lost the Cup? A goalie, right? Watch the game. The ice was terrible yet the offense had chances, albeit not a shelf full of mentionable attempts. So many injuries and so many shots on goal. It was so close, too close for any one player to influence. The series was so long and the season so dense due to the lockout. We were all so poisoned by such incredible play that we might seriously expect the same level next year. Call this season luck, fate, pure emotion … I call it wonderful. But I got greedy. I expected overtime when the tying goal was scored. I thought, this is even better than a 2-1 win. Less than twenty seconds later, I was heart-struck, not only because Boston would lose, but over the death of game seven.

Boston is my second favorite team; the Hawks, my third. The season was glorious. I cheered for Boston but knew Chicago earned it. I just wanted a game seven; I wanted the journey to last a little longer.

Those last few seconds raised a question: is there a role for swapping NHL goalies when fatigue becomes a factor? Just because it hasn't worked well in the past doesn't mean it's not worth revisiting, considering the evolution of raw offensive talent in the aggregate. Consider the fact that quarterbacks rest when the defense takes the field. What role did exhaustion play in Boston's loss? When the intensity of play becomes chronic, a single break at the end of the second period would do two things: warm up the backup and provide a long rest for the primary. What if a goalie's concept of rest was no longer failure but a flexible tool of a forward-thinking defensive strategy? With the festering epidemic of offense spilling forth from the horizon, might we consider the cost of a goalie's fatigue in the last few seconds of a pinnacle game?

In a game so old, it's ironic the technology of slow-mo provides the best POV. Hockey is the freaky evolution of power, speed, grace, and skill. And the target of all this progress? Goalies. Maybe it's time to reconsider their shift.