Francois Allaire, goalie coach to J.S. Guigere and many other NHL goalies, is a big believer in making sure you're more concerned with blocking the puck rather than making the actual save. I think the theory is great especially in tipping situations, and for those of us that have to make the jump to a higher level.

Think of A.J. Pierzynski, catcher for the Minnesota Twins. One of his main duties is to make sure the ball stays around the home plate area. Most times the pitcher makes it easy and throws directly to the glove. Other times, the ball is thrown wildly into the dirt. A.J. is taught to get down and block a ball in the dirt rather than scoop it up like a first baseman. Why? The odds of him keeping the ball in front of him are a lot higher if he can get down, make a wall, and block the ball. He has bad odds if he gets only his glove down trying to judge the exact time the ball will hit the ground and the angle it will take on the bounce. And in Major League Baseball, he can't afford to make mistakes.

This same way of thinking can be applied to making a save in hockey. J.S. Guigere would rather make sure he's blocking an area (some part of the net in which he will make the save), rather than increase the odds he'll get scored on by just making the save. Here's two saves: a butterfly, and an old skate save. The butterfly involves getting your body positioned in an area you are certain the puck will enter at some point in time. The skate save invloves getting your leg and stick positioned in an area you are certain the puck will enter at one point in time. The difference between these two saves is in one word, some or one. During the skate save, the leg and stick must meet the puck at one exact time in order to make the save. The butterfly position covers multiple areas that can be held for a certain period of time.

If the puck incurs a change of direction by way of a player's stick, it changes the point in time when it will reach the goaltender. This does not affect the butterfly save since it can hold that area of coverage, but the process of making the skate save will be broken down. When the saving process is broken down, holes are created and mistakes can be made. In this situation, positioning is lost and reaction takes over. Reactionary, last-second saves usually aren't as successful as the level of play increases. For this reason, Goaltenders who have moved up a level and find the play faster and difficult to handle may want to think about the theory of blocking. It may be better to get into saving positions in the high probability areas rather than trying to keep up with the speed of play and risk opening unnecessary holes.

This theory on blocking is something that has given goalies more of an edge in higher levels. Goaltenders need all the help they can get in covering as much net as they can as the speed of play gets faster, equipment gets better, and players get stronger and more skilled.