Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1257458
JUNE/JULY 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 19 Boots On The Ground There's no way that a handful of dedicated goalie coaches can do it all by themselves. It has to be a team effort, that ranges from the grassroots to those at the junior, collegiate and professional ranks all working together to put forth a unified and consistent message. They need boots on the ground, or in this case skates on the ice. That's where goalten- ding development coordinators come in. This nationwide network of coaches working in local affiliates take a hands-on approach to enhancing grassroots goalie development. These coordinators meet with local clubs and associations to implement goalie train- ing curriculum by conducting goalie coaching clinics and distributing materials to aid them in their effort. "This program is about identity, uniformity and accountability," said Steve Thompson, who joined USA Hockey in 2019 as the new ADM manager of goaltending. "We have unbelievable people across the country that have been doing things like this well before we came up with the idea. It's been a matter of traveling around and seeing who's doing things well and then adopting all those good examples to build a world-leading program so that if you're a young goalie and climbing a ladder, what's the safest way for you to climb as high as you can?" Changing The Perception A big part of scaling to new heights starts with tearing down the tired old perception that goalies are somehow strange or different because of the role they play on a team. A deep- er dive into the position shows how instru- mental a goalie is to his or her team's success. Thompson equates a goalie's value to that of a quarterback in football and a pitcher in baseball. "Baseball teams have a long history of ded- icated pitching coaches. The same holds true for football. Yet in hockey, this is a relatively new phenomenon, at least at the national level," he said. But now, thanks to USA Hockey's continued emphasis on teaching and training those who stand between the pipes, the future is bright. "In order for the game to continue to evolve and get better, you need more kids playing, you need more innovative minds working with those kids to make the game more fun," Osaer said. "And then you need people who are doing everything they can to do all the right things for the kids. I'm proud that we're doing that." P Ask any coach and they love getting off the bus with the best goalie." K E V I N R E I T E R , d i r ec to r o f p lay e r p e r so n n e l a t US A H o c key 's N a t i o n a l Tea m D ev e lo p m e n t Pr o g ra m Steve Thompson, left, has taken the Goalie Development Program to new heights since taking over as the ADM manager of goaltending in 2019. The brain trust behind USA Hockey's Goalie Development Program includes Kevin Reiter, Phil Osaer, Ron DeGregorio and Thomas Speer.