The Art of Goaltending is driven by three main elements of human creativity: the evolving playing styles, the various training methods, and how we share ideas with one another. The Goaltender’s canvas? A clean piece of ice, painted with a colorful palette of graceful movements and core concepts in physics, geometry, sports psychology, and more.

Goaltending is a noble position embraced by very few athletes, but deeply respected by all. Like other physically demanding team sports, hockey is also a major grind on the body and mind. For the brave puck-stoppers, being the ‘Last Line of Defense’ may increase those mental and emotional pressures, yet no calling tells a more satisfying story; a team’s success quite often rides on the back of their goalie.

Across the globe, the number of young children discovering a natural desire for goaltending is on the rise. Grassroots programs are sprouting up in more regions and reaching more demographics than ever before (welcome to the NHL, Las Vegas.) Goalie coaching is also growing at a rapid pace, bringing with it more focus and commitment to national-level development programs. As a result, the goaltending culture has reached a point where it is more prominent, in-depth, and “position-specific” than ever before.

The biggest downfall? Goaltending is an expensive endeavor, so playing competitively or as a hobby is not always easy. The gear, the training, the traveling, and the team fees add up to a point where it shuts out a large percentage of the general population. It is also a complex position, one full of many different terms and teaching methods. In fact, just getting coaches to agree on a similar and consistent language has been an ongoing issue, so goaltending is certainly not without its fair share of obstacles.

Therefore, it is our duty as educators, coaches, and parents to provide today’s enthusiastic young hockey fans with affordable and accessible educational tools. These tools should not only improve their on-ice skills, but important life skills like self-awareness, time management, creativity, and intelligence.

With this duty in mind, we are proud to offer the Periodic Table of Goaltending Elements.