I don't know what level of hockey your playing, but it doesn't really matter. Your not getting paid to play.

Your over thinking it, just relax, have fun.

I don't know what level of hockey your playing, but it doesn't really matter. Your not getting paid to play.

Your over thinking it, just relax, have fun.

Well. I play over 40 men’s league. On nights that I take 5 mins and do some positive visualization I play better. Other than that and great hydration I don’t like to hit the ice cold. So I spend 25 mins at home before the game doing some stretching, breathing and mobility work.

Again my level of play is nothing big. But I’m playing above my level to some degree. Most guys eat dinner and drink beer and have been playing since the age of 4. I just started 5 years ago and need every edge possible to compete vs B/C+ players.

That said. Still smile, chirp and have fun.

I don't know what level your play, but it does t really matter, your not getting paid to play.

Just relax, stop over thinking it, have fun.

First, mentality is different for everyone. An idea that works for me may not work for you. But I'll try anyway.

First off, relax and have fun. It's your first game, you are going to give up goals. You are going to make stupid mistakes or get screwed by an unlucky bounce. There is no avoiding that, so it's not worth stressing over each one. My main advice is focus on what you can control. Focus on making as many saves as you can and be proud of those saves. Treat every play as it's own isolated situation, and work hard to ensure that you have the best possible odds to stop that next shot. Sometimes your best odds will be 30% on an impossibly difficult shot, but 30% is still better than 0%. If you are working your ass off to track every puck and get in position for every shot then your team should appreciate the effort, regardless of the scoreboard.

Do you have a standard warm up that you do for each practice? On ice or off? If not it's a touch late to start going that, but it's a good way to get your body feeling ready and your brain feeling settled. Just treat the game as routine as possible and it will keep your nerves at bay.

It’s a team play so don’t be too upset about letting in some goals. Be in position and try to make as much saves as possible . But being scored on is a nature of the game. There’s nothing you can do sometimes. What helps me a lot is when I get scored on, I tell myself that i should forget about it and focus on the next shot. Good luck with your first game ! The more you play - more confident you’ll become . Part of your confidence comes from your overall preparedness.

Forget about the goals that go in... try and stay calm... have fun!!

Visualize making all sorts of different saves while you are waiting for the zamboni/stretching. This builds subconscious confidence which in turn settles the nerves. When you get scored on..."what will I do next time that situation comes along? Which player was it? What was his move/preferance?" Answering these pro-active questions pushes out any negative thoughts of shame, guilt, or stress. This is a pretty deep dive into your question but these things work for me. Above all else make sure it's fun, and that the beer is cold! Good luck at your game! Let me know how it goes.

I get to the rink early and get geared up and head out to watch the ongoing game. I watch the puck to get my puck tracking kicked off because I find once I’m in the zone for that, reflexes just follow through.

I do stretch and such as well. I do a light warmup before getting my gear on. Running in place, jumping jacks etc. I do that so when I stretch I don’t pull something while stretching. Gonna add in a lacrosse ball to roll out my arches on my feet soon too. Sick of the foot pain at the start of the game.

My routine starts at home with the pre-game meal. I like to eat 2-3 hours before game time, usually chicken or salmon with some vegetables and quinoa. Then some self myofascial release with a lacrosse ball/foam roller while watching TV (usually goalie highlight videos). I make the 25 minute drive to the facility, listening to really chill music on the way. I'm always there first and I like to do more stretching, visualization, and dynamic warm-up before the other guys arrive. Once people start pouring into the dressing room I'll visit for a bit then find a space to do some hand-eye work before the team warm-up. Works for me.

I have my Mommy dress me up at home, so that all I have to do when I get to the rink is take off my skate-guards and I'm on the ice playing pucky puck with my friends!!!

/s

Just figure out how many cals you're burning on a given night, carb load appropriately, protein afterwards. My pregame meals are similar to a chipotle burrito bowl.. Chicken, beans, rice, salsa/hot sauce. If you want, caffeinate before games, your head will be on a swivel.

I turn up about 15 minutes before puck drop, slap all my gear on in around 10 minutes, do some quick stretches, then shotgun a beer, put on my helmet, and head onto the ice with about 2 minutes left in the warmup timer.

Beer league goalie here. I try to eat something around 2 hours before puck drop. Get to the rink a little over an hour early and try to claim a locker room. Lately, I've been throwing a racquetball against the wall for 10 minutes or so as a warm up and to get my eyes tracking. This seems to have really helped me out. I'll roll a lacrosse ball under my foot for a bit, then get my gear put on. I like to get my stuff put on early so I can get some early stretching in as we go over lines and get in a game mindset.

I’m going into midget first year and I used to go all hardcore and not talk to anyone, listen to music. Now I just hangout in the room and try not to think about the game at all. I don’t wanna think about it until I’m walking out with the fellas.

i dont anymore... i go out, play to have fun. i have found that if i am playing for fun, and only trying to be better than last games me, i am the best me i can be.

Nowadays I smoke a doobie and drink a beer. Healthy? No. Effective (for me)? Yes

For me is was just not giving a shit. But still trying my best and having fun.

A No. 3 from Jersey Mike's 90 minutes before the game, a poo an hour before the game, and two tall boys while suiting up. These three things were what got me mentally prepared for some hockey.

My guess is that he was overwhelmed and exhausted from such a big change to the game. The size of the ice, the pace, as well as the rules change going to full ice are way different from half ice. The first couple of games will be an adjustment for him, so give him some time.

Definitely let him know that he played well, point out the good things you noticed that he did. Give him some sort of reward, especially if he’s going to be playing on full ice more often.

I found that some of the best games my kids have had were the ones where they were the most upset, while the worst ones looked like they didn't have a care in the world.

If they feel down, ice cream. Tell them good job and that you love to watch them play.

You can teach a kid to play, but you can't force them to feel a certain way. That's a lesson a lot of parents have trouble learning.

First ice on a full rink? So he’s never done a full ice game before?

My kid went through that transition recently. He couldn’t do anything right because the game is very different with all that open space - didn’t know where to pass, tried to maintain possession even with everyone going offside, and relying on going up the boards even when there’s a ton of open ice. It was like he was learning hockey all over again. 

Of course after a few times he started to pick it up. 

But maybe it is the transition that’s leaving him out of sorts? If he was a superstar on modified ice, then struggled on big ice, I’m sure it’s a weird feeling for him. 

You can always point out the positives, but different people take away different things from a situation. Some people thrive under pressure, some don’t. Some enjoy hard work, some don’t. There isn’t a right or wrong. If he doesn’t love the situation, you can’t force it. Just because someone is talented doesn’t mean they have to play at the highest level if they don’t want to be in that environment.

He is also 10.

Some people are wired like this from sport. It brings out a variety of emotions and gets processed differently by everyone over time. Maybe try giving him space after a game and then inviting him to talk about things at his own pace. You can learn a lot by asking a bunch of broad questions. You can teach a lot that way, too. Ask him how he feels after games and if it takes a while to get back into a normal mode. Ask him what things he thinks are fun and what things he doesn't like. There are a lot of ways to find out how he's dealing with this without just straight up saying "there's a lot of pressure, how do you feel about this?"

He might be having fun in games but express it strange in the moment. He may be focusing on big picture stuff and thinking about longer term progressions he may feel like he's plateauing in. You can ask about these, too by asking about what things he feels like he's better at than he used to be, or what drills he likes and doesn't like.

Once you get a feel for how he's actually feeling about everything, you can offer to mix in other things if he needs to have more fun. A rec league or a different sport can help bring that, or it can tell you he's just a hockey nut who is all in!

Watch lots of hockey.

• Watch your favourite NHL team’s games.

• Focus in on a specific player and see how/what they do during the game.

• Watch lower level hockey games and pretend to be the coach and nitpick in your head things that could be improved.

All of the responses here are good.

I would add that the key to developing hockey sense is conception to application. So watching NHL games is great, but would recommend each game you pick one concept (or play) to pay attention to. Take the breakout, for example. Pick up a coach’s book with the fundamental plays in it so you understand how those plays are taught. Watch how they’re executed in an NHL game. Then take a scratchpad and mark the different ways in which you saw the play executed. Be mindful of what happens before the play and sketch out different results of the breakouts (and what they lead to). And then watch for this in games when you’re playing. Players with experience will have been taught all of the core plays, so they’ll be executing them during the game. You’ll soon see where good players are expecting their teammates to be.

You do this for a while, you’ll see how plays come together and how they’re situational.

It’s a bit of of work, but if you break the game down, evaluate simple plays—in concept, at the NHL level and in your own league when you’re playing, your hockey sense will skyrocket.

Good luck!

This sounds crazy, but video games are now pretty accurate, I used to manipulate game setting and use the same offensive and defensive strategies my team uses. Only works if your team runs the systems that are options, but they seem to cover most systems NHL teams use, which normally translates to systems all teams use, its not the same as watching video, or studying a book and learning the system thaf way, but I found it was still beneficial in validiating I knew the system on the fly, where my position player should be and where passing options were supposed to be as well. This works best if you use one player (position) the whole game, as you are then playing that position as you would on the ice. Just another way to work on this outside of the rink and traditional studying techniques.

https://howtohockey.com/the-role-of-a-winger-in-hockey/

https://howtohockey.com/the-role-of-a-centerman-in-hockey/

https://howtohockey.com/how-to-play-defense-roles-responsibilities/

These are the lessons that our team shares for what each position should be focusing on at a high level. My first game was in 2021 and i keep returning to these lessons to refine positioning. hopefully you'll have the mental space to work on skating and not panicking with the puck. re-visit these lessons to refine your positioning so you can work smarter, not harder.

our team is a learn to play kind of team (winning isnt as important as learning the skills). we keep the best/most experience skaters on defense to help the goalie avoid blowouts against our more experienced opponents. if youre still getting the hang of things, my advice is to play at a wing. we try to teach the wings to stay above the hash marks and prepare to be an option to exit the zone once our defense gains control.

i think thats helpful for understanding how you fit into the machine, because crowding the puck aimlessly creates openings for your opponent.

when you can automate a set of rules for what each position should do in your head, you can free up more focus for how you can exploit a situation.

if you have the time, watch a shit ton of NHL, sure. I dont have that time. so instead, these articles/videos have helped me at the more beginner level.

Play a lot of hockey. That’s it

For me, there’s only two things that exist on the ice, the puck and myself. It’s sort of like meditation. It’s one pointedness if my thoughts are with just the puck and being in the best position for the puck coming in then I know I’m going to stop it.

The mantra I repeat is that I’m only as good as my last save.

I’m also a person that subscribed to the notion that everything that is going to happen has already been planned out. All I am doing is acting out what is already going to happen. The world is just a stage and we are all just actors playing our part.

I hope some of this makes sense and I hope some of it helps.

Do you feel like you good anxious like that outside of hockey? Anxiety can build up in many parts of your life and then boil over in stressful situations. So if you do feel anxious when you're not on the ice, it might help your game to see a therapist about the other things in your life. Mental health is important for everyone, but especially for a goalie.

For my 8 yo goalie daughter, I have tried to get her focused on "Stop the next shot" as a mindset. My hope with that is that it helps anchor her in the moment and allow her to have fun and play relaxed and understand that whether the last one went in or not, the goal is always "Stop the next shot".

I used to compete in Judo at a pretty high level, id have so much adrenaline before matches, I was shaking. I think it was probably anxiety.

For goaltending, the best thing you can do is focus on fundamentals and try to do everything you can do, if the player beats you, they beat you. I've hit shots as a player no goalie has a chance at (screened, top corner etc). You're going to give those up. Also 2 on 1's/none, those are rough, I just do my best and make them beat me.

I think that'd be my tldr: play fundamentally sound and make the players beat you.

One coach taught me that I could only be critical if I was facing my net. After a goal, drink some water and go through any “I should have…” or “Stop doing…” thoughts. When you turn around, turn it into action or something positive like “keep the hands out,” “stay patient,” “eyes on the puck all the way in,” etc.

If I find my mind wandering or being negative when I’m facing play, I have a mantra I repeat to clear my head. Recently it’s been “angle, depth, speed.” Sometimes it’s also “where would you rather be?” Playing hockey is one of the few times I answer “right here” every time.

Sounds cheesy but it’s worked for me. I force myself into a positive mood until I feel good vibes shooting out my ass. Lots of positive chatter in my head, reminding myself that it’s just a game, and I’m there for fun, nothing else.

Pregame visualization. About an hour before the game I run through situations in my head and work on what I should be doing. Ie 2 on ones behind the net passes out front etc.

And not that everyone has access to do this... I used to play my pinball machine to start getting my hand eye and reaction times focused.

That sounds more like a focus issue than anything to me. Something I do is constantly track the puck and move around my crease with it, even while my team has it on the other end of the ice. It helps keep me dialed in because it is really easy for your mind to drift off when you don't see any action for a bit.

I also work through a little ritual whenever play stops to reset myself. I'll drop to butterfly and push either direction twice (left-->right-->left-->right) real quick, then pop back up and find both posts with my stick to set myself.

The latest ingoal podcast has a great interview with Sean Burke. He talks about how he had lost track of the game for a bit later in his career. He describes it as "chasing the game" and "overworking/reacting". His coach in Arizona helped him get it back, and one of the lessons or takeaways was that the puck had to go through him to get to the net. Slow down, let the play come to you, and trust yourself.

I don't understand your issue. Do you want to proactively play the shot before it happens?

Your position should be dictated by the play but you shouldn't make the save until the player makes their move. You have to be patient

Part of it is practicing how you play. Is it in the same rink? Same time of day? Same people? Are you wearing the same kit (including jersey)? Figuring out what the mental difference between scrimmages and games will help you account for it. One of the reasons athletes can get so precise about pre game routines is that it primes the brain for game time, so it might be worthwhile to make your pre-scrimmage routines similar to your pre-game routines.

Another piece might be more about who you're playing against. Maybe you're hesitating diving for the puck because your opponents are going harder in a game than in a scrimmage. This is harder to train for as a recreational player, I usually work people up from doing a skill on their own, then alongside someone, then against someone, but making that jump from casual drill to serious attempts on both players' parts is tough to make for a lot of casual players.

Gotta work on slowing decisions down and accepting risk, you’ll lose the puck sometimes but it takes effort to look and seize the opportunity in pressure!

i found my biggest struggle going from youth competitive contact hockey to pickup, was turning that red light in my head off that if i dont do something fast- someones going to come and run me over.

ive been making affirmations in my head that i have time, nobodys gonna come and throw me on the ground, i can take my time. its helped with making good skilled plays i think

Try not to worry about doing the "bad thing" and concentrate on doing the "good thing".

Many players will often just dump the puck or make the "safe" play because they are worried about being the goat but lets be honest, these plays almost never accomplish much and generally just kill time.

Take chances. Break out just before your D gains control so you have a chance at a breakaway, try that saucer pass through the crowd to the open guy, make a move on the D man.

These options come up many times during a game and even if they fail 9 times out of 10, you will still have created a couple of good scoring chances.

If they fail, well thats what D-men and goalies are for.

Obviously if you are up by one goal late you take no chances but many games are won by one great play.

For me it doesn't matter if it's pond hockey, backyard, pickup, or finals, mentally preparing myself before every ice time does wonders to my game. If I am late to the arena and have to rush on the ice or have to enter once the game has started, I play horribly. If I can get even 5 minutes of mental prep before ice time, my game is 100% better.

I spend 5 to 15 minutes before ice time (with noise cancelling headphones or in my car before going into the arena), visualizing various scenarios with eyes closed. Going into the corner. How my stick looks before taking a shot. My shoulder movements for faceoffs. Trying to imagine that thigh feeling when rushing a puck. Seeing myself scanning the ice for teammates. All kinds of scenarios I can think of that might show up in game. This readied my mind and my body for the ice.

Now... Life has a manner of being an absolute block for these kinds of preparations. Having kids doesn't help my game at all. So, I have learned to take time at some point before ice time (8h, 12h, 24h before) doing the same exercise if I think I'm not going to get time right before a game. It helps, but not as effective as right before.

Next time you have a game, spend some time before hand to just ready yourself. Also, lighten up on yourself. If you're not getting paid for the work, just enjoy the time you're on the ice. The ice is a time where you aren't being pressed to do things the way someone else wants them. If you're anything like me, those times are precious; enjoy them.