Behind the Mask: The Ian Young Goaltending Method

Glynn A. Leyshon is a professor of physical education at the University
of Western Ontario, a former weekly columnist for the London Free Press
and author of 18 Sporting Stories.

In this age of sport and specialization, what could be more fitting than
to devote an entire book (albeit only 107 pages) to the arcane
profession of goaltending. This work is essentially a coach’s manual
laid out in very simple terms by a promising athlete whose hopes for a
career in the NHL were cut short by an eye injury. There being little
call for one-eyed goalkeepers, Young joined forces with Chris Gudgeon to
create something to help those who hope to make it between the pipes.

The text is divided nicely into four sections: positional play, puck
play, equipment usage, and shot situations. While there are no secrets
revealed, there is strict adherence to detail, which is the essence of
good coaching and, ultimately, successful performance. How to play a
breakaway, for example, indicates the optimum position (depending on the
type of situation) as well as the plan of defence, and is followed by a
training exercise. The trainee is then given a checklist to memorize so
he or she can concentrate on something as an opposition forward or two
speeds toward the net, poised to launch at 100 mph a frozen disc that
somehow must be blocked.

Young’s inclusion of references to females was perhaps inspired by
Manon Rheaume, who made history recently by being the first female
goalie to ever play in an NHL game.

This volume should be well received by a legion of early-rising Pee Wee
coaches.