Hey team! Maria here from Goalie Training Pro TV and GoalieTrainingPro.com. We’re back with your weekly live Q&A—and I’m thrilled to be here after a whirlwind couple of weeks.
Where I’ve Been: Eye Appointments & Hockey Science
If you’re a regular around here, you know I sometimes have to skip a week to take my mom to the eye doctor. That was the case last Thursday. But I didn’t get much downtime after that—I was on a plane early Friday to Quebec City for the first-ever Science of Hockey Symposium hosted by Université Laval.
Let me tell you: this was not your typical coaching or strength and conditioning conference. This one was 100% academic. Think pure research presentations, no fluff, and no “let me show you a drill” demos. It was super cool but also mentally draining—my brain hasn’t had that kind of workout since grad school!
Key Takeaways: Goalies Are Still a Bit of a Mystery in Research
One major takeaway? Most researchers (like a lot of coaches, honestly) still see goalies as kind of a pest. Not because of our personalities (we’re awesome, obviously) but because we’re essentially playing a different sport.
So in a lot of studies—especially around skating metrics—goalies are either excluded or not tested. But here’s the good news: there are some young researchers starting to dig into goalie-specific topics using 3D mapping and motion analysis. The tech is promising, but it’s still early days. They need to validate it first—like making sure when the system says a goalie has 35 degrees of hip internal rotation, that it’s actually 35 degrees.
Back in my grad school days, research topics were strictly around things like arthritis, heart disease, and general rehab. No one was studying hockey goalies. So it was super encouraging to see the interest growing in our unique world.
Strength on Ice Summit – Coming Up!
Also, shoutout to Megan who asked during the Q&A about the Strength on Ice Summit. Yes, I’ll be doing the live Q&A on June 19th at 7 PM ET. If you haven’t checked it out yet, go search “Strength on Ice Summit.” The speaker lineup is insane—Kevin Neeld, Cal Dietz, Brijesh Patel. I don’t even know how I ended up on that list, but I’m honored to be in the mix!
Goalie Knees & Playing into Your 70s
This week we got a great long-form question from a 70-year-old goalie who’s been playing beer league for 35 years. First off—massive respect! That’s amazing. Here’s the summary:
- No cartilage left in one knee, bone-on-bone osteoarthritis.
- Orthopedic doc recommended a knee replacement five years ago.
- Currently using an unloader brace, still playing competitively.
- Recently developed pain behind the left knee, especially walking downstairs.
- Wondering if it’s hamstring tendons or something else, and whether continuing to play is realistic.
First of all, thank you for the detailed info! That makes it so much easier to give meaningful advice.
Here’s the deal:
- If your brace is helping, that suggests unicompartmental arthritis, which means only one part of your knee joint is really affected.
- In some cases, this makes you a candidate for a high tibial osteotomy. It’s a surgery that shifts weight-bearing to the healthier part of your knee—less invasive than a full replacement, but still a major procedure.
- As for the new pain, I doubt it’s the hamstring tendons unless it’s happening in both knees. It could be something like the popliteus muscle or a loose osteophyte (a tiny bone spur fragment floating around), both of which can cause that “giving way” sensation.
- The fact that it’s improving is a good sign, and the leg training you’re doing could definitely be helping.
But bottom line: go see a physical therapist. They can do hands-on testing to figure out exactly what’s going on and how to fix it—before you lace up again and possibly make it worse.
I’ve Been a Goalie for 4 Years – How Do I Improve?
If you’re newer to goaltending and just playing for fun, here are three key things to focus on:
- Mobility – Not just stretching, but controlling and owning your range of motion.
- Skating – The better your skating, the better your goaltending. Period.
- Functional Strength – Skip the fancy speed drills for now. Build strength first, especially single-leg and core stability.
I’ll be home for a while now—no more travel until at least the fall. I’m staying in Canada this summer and not doing any U.S. camps, so you’ll be seeing me regularly on Thursdays for the Q&A. As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to help[at]goalietrainingpro.com
Thanks for showing up, asking great questions, and being part of the crew. I love you guys. See you next Thursday.