All About Goaltenders Then And Now

Goalies are so unlike other hockey players it's obvious both to the naked eye and to shrinks. It's often been said that you have to be crazy to be a goalie.

Or a philosopher like former goalie-turned-agent Mike Liut.

"Goaltending," said Liut, "is the quintessential bad-luck position. Pucks can go off bodies skates, bounce into the net."

Johnny Bower, who had a solid 2.60 average with the 1953-54 Ranger, recalled what he once said, when he decided to make a career between the pipes. "I just made up my mind I was going to lose teeth and have my. face cut to pieces. It was easy."

Bower's successor in 1954-55 – when I worked for the Rangers in publicity – was Lorne (Gump) Worsley. Gump played well that year but his team didn't.

"The only job worse than being a goaltender," snapped Worsley, "is a javelin catcher at a track and field meet. Being a goalie is not a job that would interest any normal, straight-thinking human."

By the way, both Bower and Worsley are Hall of Famers. Bower wound up winning four Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs and Worsley got a couple of sips of Champagne with the Canadiens.

Glenn (Chico) Resch who got himself a Cup ring with the 1980 Islanders, is now the radio analyst for Devils telecasts. According to Chico, recent rules have made netminding more difficult, masks or no masks.

"Two things have made it tougher on goalies,"  says Resch. "Clearing the crease is harder because the rules now make it harder for defensemen to move away opponents so that the goalies can get a clear view of the shots.

"Watch and you'll see how the goalies have to look around bodies to find the puck. Many times it's just a guessing game where the shooter might shoot."

According to Resch, the "perfection of the saucer pass" by almost all forwards has made it a nightmare for goalies.

Resch: "A two-on-one break is now almost impossible to defend and shut down. Players can rip off the pass and it becomes another challenge for goalies."

Yeah, but with all the extra protection goalies now have, plus the bucks they make, netminding is a lucrative profession – just like playing defense or going for goals.

"Playing hockey," Resch concluded, "is the only job I know of where you get paid to take a nap the day of the game!"