HockeyGoaltending in the playoffs is a matter of the mind

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Playing goal is one of, if not, the hardest position in all of pro sports. The regular season presents all sorts of challenges but it's nothing like the NHL playoffs. 

The first game of the opening series is an eye opener.  Players go into that game thinking they have played some great hockey the last few months. The reality is that nothing can really prepare them for the first five minutes of that opening period.

The pace of that first game is around 10 per cent faster, everything happens so quickly it is difficult to adjust.  That's why mental toughness is a key component for any goalie.

Let's look at the last three Stanley Cup winning goalies and what has separated them from others who have had better regular seasons but haven't captured a Stanley Cup.

Let's put their teammates aside; we'll just focus on the goalies themselves.

Detroit's Chris Osgood is the master of the mind. Chris had the very difficult task of making around four of five spectacular saves each night while typically facing fewer than 25 shots over the course of a game.

To stay so focused and in the moment when not all that busy is what has made Osgood such an impressive goalie.

Next up is Marc-Andre Fleury of Pittsburgh from 2009. Overshadowed by the many great skaters on the Penguins, Fleury needed to be both steady and wonderful in virtually every series because his team could either dominate or get badly outplayed in stretches. In other words, he had to prepare for each and every situation. That's why it is so important that Marc-Andre is such a laid-back and calm person. 

He doesn't expend too much energy thinking, he prepares during the day and just shows up and plays.  He also wasn't intimidated by looking down to the other end of the ice and watching the ever stoic Osgood.  He believed in himself and made one of the most clutch saves in NHL playoff history when he turned aside Nick Lidstrom with only seconds left to preserve the victory.

Finally, the Blackhawks, who went into the playoffs last year with many unanswered questions in the net.  Statistically speaking, Antti Niemi had a strong regular season but how would he hold up under the scrutiny of the media and fans when the game was on the line?

We know now he passed every test along the way. Why? Once again it comes down to how he handles every situation by always rebounding when he played poorly. He almost willed himself to success. He's not the most talented or gifted goalie I have laid eyes on, but he surely completes at a world-class level. 

The first game against Nashville was a disaster, yet he showed no signs of crumbling as the series progressed.  Likewise in the 2010 Cup final, the first two games will not go down in history as a goaltender clinic. In fact, most people were commenting that it might have been the poorest display of netminding in the Stanley Cup finals. 

Yet once again, Niemi got better and better as the importance of the games increased and eventually led his team to victory. 

These three goalies separated themselves by managing the different scenarios they faced. 

Let's see who masters the battle of the mind this year. 

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