USA Hockey Magazine

U S T I N G O L D M A N UNDERSTANDS the life of a goalie as well as anyone. He grew up in Texas and was a standout at the posi- t i o n i n h i g h s c h o o l a n d Junior hockey before mov- ing on to play at Colorado State University. He just finished his sec- ond season as an emergen- c y b a c k u p g o a l i e f o r t h e C o l o r a d o Av a l a n c h e a n d also runs the Goalie Guild a s w e l l o u t i n t h e R o c k y Mountain State. A s s o m e o n e w h o h a s played between the pipes, he understands the pressures that come with it and the challenges that it presents. "So much of the game is out of your con- trol," Goldman said. "You can't control the puck, the coach, the defensemen. You are a product of the environment, and a lot of goal- ies struggle adapting to that environment." Not every goalie can handle it. "It takes a special individual to go with the flow, to not feel anxious, nervous or worried," Goldman said. "Worry takes place in your mind when you are preparing for the game, and that causes anxiety. It's hard to relax and play our game and feel comfortable." For most, it's tough to find someone to lean on, to talk about those fears, those worries, the anxiety. That's where the Lift the Mask Initiative comes into play. Goldman started the project last year t o h e l p g o a l i e s gain access to pro- f e s s i o n a l m e n t a l health and perfor- mance support. T o o u t s i d e r s , goalies appear to be some of the tough- e st p l a y e r s i n t h e game. Their masks h i d e t h e m e n t a l health battles they a r e f a c i n g d a y t o day, week to week, during a long season where the pressure is constantly on to make plays, not mistakes. Lift the Mask helps goalies deal with all of it. Goldman already had a large following on social media and through the Goalie Guild connection as well. It made sense to put it all to good use to help others. "Creating an initiative for mental health and mental performance for goalies was k i n d o f a n o - b r a i n e r," G o l d m a n s a i d . "Something is better than nothing. It's a smaller foundation and I don't have a ton of money or sponsors, but just being able to raise awareness and give goalies a chance to get connected with a mental health provid- er or ambassador, someone with experience working with athletes and their mental health, is huge." The ambassadors have been a big part of the critical sup- port system Lift the Mask provides, giv- ing goalies someone they can talk to and who helps spread the awareness and w o r k s t o e n d t h e stigma associated with talking about mental health. Nicholas Longo is one of the ambas- sadors. The goalie coach at Marist College, Longo was invited to do a podcast called Lift the Mask and shortly after that Goldman reached out to ask him to be an ambassador. Longo was on board with it. The Monday after Thanksgiving, Longo was on the ice with his goalies running a clinic for a youth organization with players of all ages. He said before they hit the ice, they talked mental health. "I asked them if anyone g ets anxious before games or if anyone has a hard time shutting their brains off, and one of the little guys said yes. He said sometimes "Creating an initiative for mental health and mental performance for goalies was kind of a no-brainer." — J UST I N G O L D M A N By Jason Kates What is Lift The Mask? VIDEO CLICK HERE to learn more about the Lift The Mask initiative JUNE/JULY 2019 Goalie Issue // USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 47 J

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