Angle.Square.Depth
The new high-skill, high-offensive game that has been present in the NHL the past two years due to new rule changes has begun to trickle down through all levels of hockey, from College hockey through mites, forcing goaltenders to adapt once more to a faster-paced style of game play. In order to do this, the modern goaltender must be in tune with the technical side of the game more than ever or else be left behind in favor of those that do. In this article, I will touch on one of the fundamentals that should be a foundation to any goaltenders game, the often used and seldom understood aspect of “Angle, Square, and Depth.”
You may have heard of this technique, which has become a staple in the theory of many modern goaltending coaches, most famously Francois Allaire, goaltending coach of the Anaheim Ducks. Allaire is most famous for his work with arguably the best goaltender in NHL history, Patrick Roy. He has also been the lifelong goaltending coach of possibly the best example of this technique in the NHL in Ducks’ net minder, Jean-Sebastian Giguere. While there has been much controversy over this player regarding equipment, the fact is that Giguere is a master of all things technical including “Angle.Square.Depth”, thus leading to the large number of “easy” chest saves he makes in a game. While you may not enjoy watching this type of goaltending, in favor of the more acrobatic game played by New Jersey’s Brodeur, Giguere’s mastery of the percentages allows him to compete at a high level on a consistent basis, and can be applied to any goaltenders game.
I should start by saying that this and other things regarding to a goaltender’s positioning should revolve around keeping the goaltender in the easiest position to make a save, regardless of the situation. To do this a goaltender’s positional game must revolve around keeping your body between the puck and the midpoint of the net, a basic part of goaltending and chances are, one you probably already knew. This system of play derives from three basic elements of goaltending:
- Angle, learned early in a goaltender’s career, angle is the aligning of the goalie’s body in/or outside the crease between the puck and the center of the goal net.
- Square, positioning the body in a position where the puck is aligned with the center of the body. This involves the hips, shoulders, toes, and all blocking areas of the goaltender “facing” the puck.
- Depth, the distance a goaltender puts between himself and the net, another thing that most goaltenders have used (and probably been harped on by parents and coaches!) for their entire careers.
These three things, when used correctly can make the goaltender a very effective, puck-stopping machine. To work effectively however, these three things must be combined in order.
For example:
Goaltender X is playing is about to face a shot on goal. FIRST, X must acquire his angle, placing himself between the puck and the center of the net. By acquiring the angle, Goaltender X gives himself a chance to stop any shot taken by the player even without being square or having much depth in net. NEXT, goaltender X must become square to the shot, allowing all blocking surfaces of his body to “face” the puck. Skipping the “angle” step and becoming square first will hinder the goaltender’s ability to make a save, as simply placing the puck in the center of the goalie’s body can be done from any point on the ice, whether or not the goaltender is in position. On the other hand, while a save is possible with only angle, these saves will be made awkwardly which can lead to unpredictable rebounds and the inability to recover for a second shot. Becoming square allows the goaltender to be in a set, stable position allowing him/her to make a save in a more controlled fashion and easily handle rebounds as well as allowing them the opportunity to recover for a second shot. LASTLY, goaltender X can acquire depth. Should this goalie have skipped both of the earlier steps, he/she easily will have taken themselves out of the play, as the slightest positional error is magnified with depth, consequently leaving the goaltender too far out of position to make a save or at best scrambling to recover from one. By using the two prior steps, and subsequently reaching the desired depth in the crease (normally the top of the crease, though it is dependent on the situation), taking away much of the area a shooter can score in, the goaltender has given himself a chance stop any shot from a stable, controlled platform, all while taking away the shooters area in which he can score.
Rob Madore
Goalie, USHL Chicago Steel
Pat McGann, USHL Chicago Steel
