Goalies can be a odd bunch. And in this exclusive THN Archive story, longtime netminder Jamie McLennan wrote for The Hockey News about what it's like to be a backup goalie.

Goaltenders can be rather odd, at least compared to their colleagues and teammates. And in one of THN's goalie issues -- cover date, Jan. 30, 2012 -- McLennan wrote a story for THN that covers may aspects of the pro goaltender's life - including riding the pine as a backup netminder:

A COMMON CREED FOR GOALIE BREED

By  Jamie McLennan

Everyone wants to know what goes on in a goalie’s head.

The difference between a starter and a backup isn’t a matter of talent alone, but what their mental capacity is as well. With the two different roles come two different responsibilities. A lot of goalies have the talent to play in the NHL, but what separates the ones who have long careers and those who play one or two years is how they can handle the day-to-day rigors, both physically and mentally.

For a starter, playing 60-plus games at a high level takes incredible toughness. Many guys go on five-game stretches and get hot, but are unable to play at that level for long periods of time. The real task is to bring that high level every night. In any given game you can be lit up because every team has proven scorers who will shred you if you let down.

I’ve had the opportunity to play with many great goalies – Ron Hextall, Grant Fuhr, Roberto Luongo, Miikka Kiprusoff – and the common denominator was obvious: they were mentally tough. They had the ability to play at a high level through the most difficult circumstances, through injury, long stretches when the team wasn’t scoring and through scrutiny, when the fans weren’t happy or when the media were on them because they were struggling.

One thing that always helped was their confidence in “their game.” They knew what it took to be ready for the game, night in and night out – whether that was extra time stretching to take care of the body, extra time on the ice to work on certain plays that may come up, or going over video, both of opposing players’ tendencies and their own habits in net. They were ready for anything thrown at them. This is all part of the mental aspect of being a good starter. And believe me, it’s a very hard job.

Being a backup requires a different mentality (one I’m a lot more familiar with). Backups have to accept they aren’t going to play every night or even for extremely long stretches. The role is more about your work on a day-to-day basis in practice. There are no days off. Every day the team skates, whether it’s optional or not, the backup must be out early and stay out late for anything the guys want.

The mental struggle comes in various forms, not only on long days of being on the ice, but facing the “ladies tee” where guys work on high shots or close-in slap shots they would not try on the No. 1 for fear of hurting him. Getting hit in the head with these shots is a daily occurrence.

When you do get to play, it often isn’t the sexiest of starts, like the second game of a back-to-back, after the team has arrived at 3 or 4 a.m.

And the circumstances don’t matter; no one will give you a pass for the fact that you haven’t played in three weeks. Your job as the backup is to: A) try and get points for the team; B) never get pulled. When you’re giving the starter a night off, the last thing the coach wants to do is throw him in cold and subject him to injury or getting drubbed. (The object of giving the starter a night off is so he can turn his mind off for a night and rest both mentally and physically.); C) Be a good teammate and bring something to the table for the team to draw from. 

When you are not in net you should be supportive of teammates, vocal in the room and on the bench, loosen up the troops when it’s tense and help with scouting shooters or opposing goalies. That sometimes means putting on a brave face when you aren’t playing a lot. And you can never, ever complain.

Then again, why would you? After all, you’re in the NHL.