USA Hockey Magazine

20 // JUNE/JULY 2017 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM S p eaking at the 2016 USA Hockey N a t i o n a l H o c k e y C o a c h e s Symposium in St. Louis, long-time NHL goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck offered a stark assessment of his Hall of Fame career. "As a goaltender at 5-foot-9, I'm a fossil now," Vanbiesbrouck said. "A goalie at my height may never be drafted again." Vanbiesbrouck, who owns the mark for the most wins of any U.S.-born goalten- der, is referring to the trend of goalies at hockey's highest level getting bigger and bulkier. And while American-born goalies such as 6-foot-7 Ben Bishop and 6-foot-6 Scott Darling make their mark in the NHL, smaller netminders continue to have a place in the crease. For decades, netminders were on aver- age some of the shorter players on the team. Aside from Vanbiesbrouck, goalies such as Rogie Vachon (5-8), Gump Worsley (5-7) and Glenn "Chico" Resch (5-9) all excelled between the pipes. Even Vanbiesbrouck's former teammate and fellow Hall of Fame goaltender Mike Richter couldn't break the 6-foot-0 plateau. But in recent years, the wave of taller goaltenders has come in at a rapid pace. During the 1997-98 season, four of the 11 American-born goalies in the NHL stood under 6-foot. This past season, all 16 U.S.- born goalies eclipsed that height. Vanbiesbrouck, who currently serves as the general manager and director of hockey operations for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League, sees the change in goaltender size as the biggest change in the position in recent years. "Most goalies now play from their knees. Everyone uses the butterfly style," he says. "In the past, smaller guys played a stand-up style that wouldn't give up the top part of the net. Now, if you're a small goalie and playing butterfly style, half the net is exposed." Phil Osaer, USA Hockey ADM manager for goaltending, agrees that this trend can also be traced to leagues putting a limita- tion on the size of goalie pads. "At some point in the 1990s, goalies start- ed to find ways to make their equipment bigger to gain more net coverage, and the NHL caught on and rules were put in place, so then teams started to look for bigger bodies to play goalie," Osaer said. "So, the player who once may have been tabbed as a 'big lanky defenseman' became a player who 'looks' like a goalie." But while taller goaltenders continue to make their way to the collegiate and profes- sional level, there are a number of smaller goaltenders that continue to stand out. Jeff Lerg is one of those success stories. Growing up in Livonia, Mich., Lerg was always the smallest as a young player and faced plenty of coaches that doubted his ability because of his height. Despite those doubts from coaches, Lerg played his way to a scholarship at Michigan State University and backstopped the Spartans to the 2007 National Championship. "AS A GOALTENDER AT 5-FOOT-9, I'M A FOSSIL NOW." 5'7 5'9 5'8 For decades, netminders were on average some of the shorter players on the team. J O H N V A N B I E S B R O U C K R O G I E V A C H O N G U M P W O R S L E Y G L E N N " C H I C O " R E S C H At 5-foot-9, Hall of Fame goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck is small by today's NHL standards.

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