It's More Than Just Physical -- the Importance of Having a Mental Routine

Although I was never a die-hard fan of a particular NHL team growing up, nor did I ever follow individual stats or players overly closely, I would always follow and cheer for goalies I liked. And I knew from a very young age that Patrick Roy was my favorite goalie. Why? His blocker.

As a young kid, I was always fascinated with pads, and Patrick wore Koho right from the time I started watching him – so I wore Koho. Although I liked the general look of his pads a lot, one thing always stood out for me, and it’s one of those things in life that I can’t seem to fathom why I was so drawn to it. It was a clip from a TV show (NHL Cool Shots, to date myself) where it showed Roy’s blocker inscribed with the words “Be A Warrior” – a message he wrote to himself, sharpie-d onto the fabric on the backside of the blocker in messy handwriting. Without hesitation, I wrote the same words, in the same spot, in my own messy handwriting, on my Koho blocker that I had gotten for Christmas.

Looking back now, the phrase was likely a mental cue that he may have repeated to keep himself in “ready”, or “compete” mode. The phrase and words are irrelevant to anyone but the beholder - they could be anything. But that phrase in particular was what he chose as a motivator for himself, and in turn, what I chose so that I could 'play like Patrick'. You see it all the time on Hockey Night in Canada, players will write little acronyms or names on their sticks to remind them who they play for, or why they play and compete the way they do. It might seem trivial to the onlooker, but I think it’s important for developing mental strength to understand what drives you.

Cues are an integral part of the ‘game within the game’ (especially for goalies). What I mean by that is simply that while the game is being played around you, there will always be challenges and obstacles that try and detract from your focus on the play. I say especially for goalies because they have the largest amount of down-time, where they spend time alone with their thoughts. It becomes easy to lose focus and think about the crowd, a bad call, or a goal that got by them. The inner game is the ability to remain focused on what’s important (the next shot), and leave behind things of unimportance or that which you have no control over.

Not all cues need to be written down. I’ve found it helpful to develop a few mental ones that I can repeat to myself at various times during games. There could be a part of your game that you need reminding about – my big one was always depth. As the puck carrier crossed the blue-line, I’d often find myself thinking “depth, patience, don’t sink” (I found out later that telling myself “don’t sink” actually makes me want to sink more… but that’s beside the point). Mental strength doesn’t have to mean being overly confident in your ability, but merely understanding weaknesses and actively trying to improve upon them.

As a younger goalie, I was very superstitious. Some might say that’s a good thing for a goalie… let me assure you that it’s not. There is a Grand Canyon-sized space in between the words superstition and routine. Routines are things that you are in control of that directly correlate to improved performance. They are things like the way you stretch, eat and physically prepare your body to play, or the mental cues you tell yourself pre-shot. Superstitions are things that have no bearing on how the game will play out, and often have the ability to be out of your control. “If I don’t get to the rink early enough, I won’t play well”.

I tweeted out a link (see below) yesterday for a video about Braden Holtby, widely held as one of the most mentally prepared goaltenders of today’s NHL. I keep purposely stumbling upon this clip, as it’s always been one of my favorites. Holtby’s goaltending coach at the time, Mitch Korn, had a quote in the video that reads:

“We break up playing goal into 3 primary components. The physical part of the game, the mental part of the game, and literally the emotional part of the game. Every one of them is more demanding than almost every profession on the planet.”

You don’t need to be a zen-master to be a great goaltender, but you do have to be aware that the mental and emotional components of the game need and deserve as much or more attention than anything in the physical department. Holtby’s routines have been carved meticulously throughout his playing career in order to optimize his performance – every night. It’s something he’s in control of that allows him to play at the level he needs to, effectively handle pressure, and gives him the power to access his full physical potential due to a razor-sharp focus and well-prepared body.

This seems like a daunting and demanding task at first, especially for young goalies who may not have any set routine in place. But let me assure you that it’s only through trial and error, failures and setbacks that you start to realize what works best for you. What works for one goalie certainly won’t work for all, and this process is a long-term commitment.

An easy way to begin the process is by doing what I did - copy one thing from someone else. As I've said before, using the pros as a learning tool is a great way to find things out about yourself. I might have began by using the phrase on my blocker, but it has since helped me realize that by using other personalized cues, I can actually put my mind more at ease when dealing with pressure. This allows you to effectively face the next sequence knowing that you're prepared for it.

So I’ll put these questions to you…

Are your routines helping you access your full playing potential?

How do you talk to yourself while in the crease?

Is your self-talk productive or harmful?

Do you find yourself slipping in & out of focus?

Does the magnitude of the game effect your level of preparation?

This is something that I really find fascinating about the position and frankly what makes it so unique. There isn't one correct way to prepare or think while playing, and because of that I've found that having an open dialogue about it can really help. It's a fluid concept, and your mental cues will almost certainly change over time, but the main thing is that you find out what works for YOU, in the MOMENT, in order to make the next SAVE.

I look forward to writing more about this, as the mental and emotional aspects of the game are what really excite me both as a player and a coach.

-- MJ