While there's a strategy to blocking shots, there's not really thought behind it; for the Capitals, a lot of it is instinct.
LAUREL, MARYLAND -- I had no idea what in the hell I was thinking.
It was an early morning pickup game ahead of a long weekend shift and a day before our second-to-last game of the season. I was defending and saw a player right in the slot with a clear-cut rebound, and I instinctively dropped to my knees as my goalie tried to reset in time.
My shin guards drooped down, and my pants scrunched up. Worst possible gear malfunction, but that's what happens. The puck ricocheted off the exposed part of my thigh and deflected into the corner. Then, the pain hit, and after wincing for a moment, I bounced back up.
As I made my way back to the bench and rested up quickly -- after all, you gotta be ready for your next shift on a short bench -- I wondered: for hockey players, is shot blocking more of an instinct than a thought? Is it something that athletes just default to when a shot is coming? Why is there no fear in the moment despite that brutal sting afterward, followed by the cool battle scar that you can show off the next day?
The Washington Capitals helped me answer that question.
"In the moment, no [you're not thinking about the risks]," Matt Irwin said. "You're trying to block a shot."
There's an unwritten code in hockey, one that translates to the culture of the game. It takes guts to play the game, but also sacrifice.
Blocking shots is one of them. Sometimes, those shots can come at you at 100 miles per hour, especially Alex Ovechkin's one-timer from the office.
Beck Malenstyn experienced one of those tough moments, as his sliding block in a Nov. 1 game against the Vegas Golden Knights broke his hand.
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Still, each block carries importance and a lot of meaning, especially for the goaltenders.
“Those are the sacrifices that it takes to win a game like this," Darcy Kuemper explained.
As a goalie, Charlie Lindgren also explained what goes into the courage involved with blocking shots. While goaltenders are a different breed -- a common expression in hockey he full-heartedly agrees with -- it gets easier with time, and there's a strategy that comes with it as well.
One part of that strategy is harder than ever: you need to face that shot straight on. Blocking shots is somewhat like passing the event horizon and diving into a black hole: there's no going back on that decision.
"There can’t be any flinching involved. Just getting used to the harder shots; that’s probably the biggest adjustment," Lindgren explained. "It’s an everlasting progression. You just keep on developing, you get more and more used to the position and seeing shots and now you’re seeing some of the best shots in the world… you have to be on your game."
In the end, those sacrifices come from every player.
Yeah, I'm a gritty player of fourth-line caliber. But, as the captain, you got to lead by example. Blocking shots goes into that.
Because, at the end of the day, it's not just the netminders or defenseman that have to kneel down or slide across to stop a puck; even the stars, leaders or top-6 forwards have to stand tall and face it. As the motto goes in several rooms: "Whatever it takes."
"You'll see guys like Tom Wilson blocking shots... those guys are warriors," Dylan Strome said. "They know what it takes to win."