Wroclaw Times - The mentality needed to be a backup [1/2]

[Greg_Di 1,030]

The life of a backup

 

 

 

 

Earlier today the Vancouver Wolves acquired goalie Ismond Kingfisher, which cemented Greg Eagles as the backup for this season. When we spoke to Greg Eagles he was happy at the acquisition. Going into this season as a rookie, he knew he would be a backup. During conversations with his GM, he told him that he is comfortable backing up for 1-2 seasons and that he is willing to do anything to help Vancouver get back into the finals.

Now Eagles is going to have to mentally prepare for a season as a backup, which is a harder role then most people believe.

 

The hardest part of being a backup goaltender for Eagles is not serving as target practice for the hardest-shooting players during team practice.

 

It isn't being the guy that has to stand in net for one-timer drills from close from some of the strongest shooters in the VHL.

 

The hardest part isn't between the pipes at all.

 

The hardest part is the mental side of the game and staying fresh, and it gets harder the less you play.

 

 "The most challenging part for me is going to be staying fit and fresh when you know there will be long stretches of time where you will not be playing any games" said Eagles "I played so many games coming in from the VHLM, all of a sudden, you know you won't play for weeks, but it’s OK! We acquired a great goalie in Kingfisher and I hope to learn a lot from him"

 

Part of that challenge is knowing you'll have to sit on any mistakes for a long stretch.

 

"It's a mental change," Continued Eagles "The hardest part is if you have an average game you have to sit and wait for that next start which could be couple weeks or a month away. Whatever mistake happened in the previous game, it will sit in your head and brew" stops

 

VHL practices are not always an ideal environment for goaltenders, especially when there are a lot of no-defense rush drills. Players are taking their time to tee up shots from prime scoring spots that, in a game, they might not get uncontested all season.

 

As a result, goalies are tempted to come out and challenge shooters more than they would in a game, or to cheat the pass option, when available, during rush drills. For most backup goalies this will throw them off in a real game, thus they have to make sure they are staying mentally sharp in-between games.

 

Backups rely on goalie coaches to come up with drills to help them stay sharp technically. While it's important to learn common movement patterns, The Vancouver goalie coach said those drills shouldn't always be predictable.

 

“ We try to change it up for Eagles, making sure he is staying sharp and trying to give him some game type situations. He has been great to coach so far and seems very mentally capable. He have no fears with him and the whole coaching staff believe this will be a great mentoring experience for Greg “

We are hoping that playing on a potential contender and having the mentorship of Kingfisher will propel Eagles to be a great goalie in the future, for now we await to see how Eagles progresses this season and how he will perform in his first ever backup start.

Edited July 9, 2019 by Greg_Di

[fonziGG 1,075]

Review: Great write up on what goalies in the VHL go through on a daily basis, especially the backup goalies. As a rookie goalie myself, I understand the thought process of walking into the VHL being a backup goalie. I, too felt that way considering I was expecting to be a backup goalie myself. Good luck to you and I look forward to reading your future work.