The Mental Game: Why Goaltending Starts Between Your Ears

By Eldon 'Pokey' Reddick | Hockey Horizons Mentor & Former NHL Goaltender

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: the hardest part of goaltending isn't technical — it's mental. Any goalie with enough time and coaching can develop solid mechanics. Not every goalie can develop the mental toughness to flush a bad goal in ten seconds and be fully locked in for the next shot. That separation — the mental gap — is where careers are made or lost.

I watched Bill Ranford play an entire Stanley Cup playoff run in 1990. I was his backup. I had a front-row seat to what it looks like when a goalie is mentally dialed in from the first puck drop to the last. What I saw wasn't superhuman focus. It was discipline. It was a routine. It was a guy who had built specific habits around how he thought during the game, how he reset after bad plays, and how he stayed present through adversity. Those habits were trained, not gifted.

Mental performance in goaltending breaks down into a few core skills: focus — staying present on each individual shot rather than drifting to outcomes; reset — the ability to clear the last play and be fully ready for the next one; composure under pressure — performing your fundamentals when the game is tight; and confidence — believing in your preparation even when your results are temporarily poor. All of these are trainable. None of them develop by accident.

Build a Between-Shot Routine

One of the most practical mental tools any goalie can use is a between-shot routine — a brief, consistent set of actions or mental cues you use to reset between play stoppages and between shots. It keeps your mind from wandering, gives you a reliable way to refocus, and creates a sense of control in a chaotic environment. It doesn't have to be complicated. It just has to be yours, and it has to be practiced until it's automatic.

At Hockey Horizons, we understand that goaltending is its own world — technically, mentally, and strategically. Pokey Reddick works directly with goaltenders and their families to navigate development, team selection, and the junior and college recruiting process. If you're serious about your goalie's future, reach out to us at hockeyhorizons.com.

For guidance on the complete development picture, visit us at hockeyhorizons.com.