There's one thing in goaltending that I believe should be universal; keeping things simple. No matter what "style" a goalie plays, things should always be kept simple. Saves should not be made complicated. It only increases the probability of making mistakes.

Take a look at Jean-Sebastian Guigere of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks next time he's on television. When he moves side to side, his hands stay in the same position. When he makes a butterfly save, his hands stay in the same position. In all of his movements, his hands stay in the same basic position relative to his body. The reason for all of this is to keep things simple. By keeping things simple, he is able use less motion, and in turn eliminates the number of opportunities to make mistakes.

It seems rather elementary, but this concept of keeping things easy is abandoned by quite a few goalies. I see it often in goalies that come to our camps. The easiest example is in their ready stance. I will be the first to confess to this problem. I learned this year as I moved along in levels that I had 3 different ready positions.

The first one is when the puck is in the opposite end or neutral zone. It's not a good ready position but it's there regardless. The second position is the most common. The knees have more bend, the arms are where they should be, and the rest of the body is in adequate form for moving around the crease. Hence, this stance is the one used most for when the puck is moving around inside the zone. The third position is the most effective, but not the one used most often. It involves every muscle possible in making the quick save.

What I learned in moving from the ECHL up to the AHL is that the third position should be used always. There shouldn't be any change in your stance. The common way of playing is to move around the crease in position 2. Then, move into position 3 when the shot comes in order to make the save. This is too complicated. You are using two stances to make one save. When I was in the AHL, I had to change my two stances and combine them into one because I was getting beat unnecessarily.

I don't see this problem so much in goalies at camp, but more when I watch them play in scrimmage situations. They're using too many extra movements in making saves. I tell a lot of kids that I get tired just watching them. When I get them to understand that they don't have to move as much, they look much more confident and patient in the net. That's what we're shooting for; goalies who are in control and not losing themselves and their positioning just to make a save.