Ian Clark - Helping the Pro's Work on Every Part of Their Game

Less than a month after being the Blue Jackets' new goaltender coach, Ian Clark is trying to instill his philosophies into Columbus' younger netminders.

"Goaltenders play the most important role on the team and they have the biggest impact on team success," Clark said. "Their preparation has to be impeccable. My objective is to implant those seeds in the young guys."

While Clark is making his first appearance at development camp, Mathieu Corbeil, Allen York, and Martin Ouellette are all returning participants.

Clark said he spent Tuesday just watching the players and getting to know them while Wednesday he began to get more technical with the trio. (For the full news article Click Here)

In addition to a previous eight years with the Canucks organization, Clark was also a member of Team Canada's coaching staff at the World Junior Championships from 2003-06, winning silver medals in 2003 and 2004 and capturing gold in 2005 and 2006. He also served as the Florida Panthers goaltending consultant in 2001-02. Highlighting the list of goaltenders he has worked with includes Roberto Luongo, Cam Ward, Marc-Andre Fleury, Cory Schneider, Andrew Raycroft, Johan Hedberg and Mathieu Garon.

Clark, 45, is recognized as the leading educator of the goaltending position as his knowledge and innovative approach has attracted high-performance goaltenders at the NHL, minor pro, major junior and NCAA levels. He was the founder of GDI (the Goaltender Development Institute) and served as technical author of From the Crease – The Self Development Guide to Hockey Goaltending from 1998-2003 and The Goalie News from 2003-08.

Ian Clark - Helping the Pro's Work on Every Part of Their Game

Luongo, Rinne, Thomas nominated for Vezina

This years Vezina Trophy nominee's come to no surprise. The goaltenders placed in as the top-three finishers in goals-against average, top four in save percentage, and each had a dramatic influence on how well their team performed in this years Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, Rinne from the Nashville Predators, and Thomas of the Boston Bruins stand as the class of 2011 for the Vezina, the annual award that is given to the goaltender who is judged to be the best at his position as voted by the general managers of all NHL clubs.

In the mind of many, Tim Thomas is the likely favorite for the award. A humble and honest athlete you know what you will get when you have Thomas on your team. Ask any coach, the goaltender you want in net is one who can steal games, well this guy did just that. Breaking the old mark set by Dominik Hasek, Thomas set a new standard with a .938 save percentage. His reliable partner Tuukka Rask helped balance the workload in net as Thomas played 57 games in the regular season. The 217th overall pick in the 1994 NHL draft also had the best Goals Against Average with 2.00. Hmm... did I forget to mention that he had 9 shutouts.

Vancouver hero, Roberto Luongo, finished first in the league in the wins category with 38 in 60 games. Helping his team win the President's Trophy and setting a franchise record in both victories and points, he also helped achieve a personal best of posting a career low 2.11 GAA. Corey Schnedier helped provide strong stability helping Luongo balance the load of games during the season, and the pressure that he has faced in seasons past. All in all, Luo has continued to show his ability to perform at the NHL stage by moving his team and himself to new heights.

Lastly, the large 6'5" Finnish netminder Pekka Rinne is also up for the award. Playing with a team that was known for their struggling offense Rinne finished with a 33-22-9 record through the regular season that helped push the Nashville Predators into 5th place. By seasons end he placed 2nd within the league in Save Percentage with .930 and had a 2.12 GAA to be ranked 3rd. With Rinne passing alumni Mike Dunham for second place on the franchise's all-time wins list the preds feel the value within their young netminder heading into future.

There is the run down on the 3 goalies up for this years Vezina. Let us know your pick! The 2011 Awards take place in Las Vegas, tomorrow on June 22nd.

Luongo, Rinne, Thomas nominated for Vezina

Well Deserved Playoff Champion and MVP

VANCOUVER -- Tim Thomas is bringing the Stanley Cup back to his blue-collar hometown of Flint, Mich. And he'll have the Conn Smythe Trophy in tow, too.

The 37-year-old became the oldest player to be named playoff MVP after allowing just eight goals over his final eight games, seven of which came in the pressure-packed Stanley Cup final against the Vancouver Canucks.

Thomas capped that run with another masterful performance, making 37 saves Wednesday for his fourth shutout of the playoffs as the Bruins were crowned champions after winning Game 7 on the road 4-0 at Rogers Arena.

"Tim Thomas, in these playoffs, just totally dominated," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "He was on top of his game from start to finish, especially in this final round.

"I know everyone expected him to have an average game at some point. Never came. He was in the zone, he was focused, never let anything rattle him or even question his style of play. And what's happening to him right now is so deserving."

"Anybody that knows the story of Tim Thomas, he's taken a real bumpy road to get to the NHL," Julien said. "He's had so many obstacles in front of him that he's overcome, it makes him a battler, it makes him the perfect goaltender for our organization because that's what we are, we're a blue-collar team that goes out and works hard and earns every inch of the ice that you can get."

For more on this article Click Here.

Well Deserved Playoff Champion and MVP

Schneider a Piece to the Puzzle for Game 7

Cory Schneider may have not expected to hit the ice when heading into the Stanley Cup finals, but now after game six he has tallied up 65 minutes of play and has faced a fair amount of rubber within the time in goal, holding out 39 shots.

Being in net is known to be one of the toughest positions to play in hockey. A position where it has been evident in how success can fall on a goalies shoulders due to how they perform. Looking for success, goaltenders prepare meticulously day in and day, going through repetition in practice and analyzing video and critiquing tendencies of opponents.

Now, for a backup goaltender this is a whole different story. A goalie is now asked to play a supportive role to the starting goaltender. The bench becomes a separate home to the crease where the number two encourages teammates and discusses everything tactical for the team. Holding their job, several coaches resort to having their backup recording stats and the oppositions motives during games. Ice time in practices has to be fought for at times, and is pressured in to go beyond the sixty minutes of practice time for extra ice.

Looking to this years playoffs a rare occasion was presented to Cory Schneider. Heading into the post-season he was settled in knowing that he was looked upon to play a supporting role to starting goaltender Roberto Luongo. Displaying his ability to adapt when called upon through the Vancouver Canucks playoff run, Schneider has presented his incredible mental focus through being emotionally flexible.

Continually owning and developing his skills with great effort during practice and through off-ice training he has prepared himself for every opportunity to play, even if his chance of playing is minimal. As a backup through the playoffs there has never been an instance where he has stopped caring or working hard, knowing that in doing this he would only set himself up for failure.

Heading to Vancouver for game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, this will be the last deciding game and end to the 2011 cup run. With the series dead locked at 3-3 tie, the President Trophy recipients have received the right to hold the game back home. Holding in his pride, Schnedier has been a strong value to the final chapter as he went 16-4-2 when called upon during the season. Previously in his goaltending career with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL he was known as the teams starting goaltender and was represented as the teams backbone holding the team in numerous games throughout both the season and the playoffs. In 2007 he was named the league's Goaltender of the Year following his second season. Previously before his professional career, he backstopped Boston College to a record setting sixth Lamoriello Trophy in team history as East Champions.

Stepping into his first full season on an NHL roster, Schnedier has resisted the urge to stop caring and be disheartened. Known as a competitor he has always put in a full effort battling to challenge his teammates in practice, setting a standard for the character of he he wants to be known.

Young goaltenders moving forward through their hockey career can learn a lot through past experiences such as contributing to the team unit in a more supportive role. Too often, when a goaltender is placed as a backup through a playoff run they layer and allow frustration and disappointment to set in. Becoming so highly focused on the present will cause a goaltender to eventually give up. Contrary for both Vancouver Canucks goaltenders, both have overcome many challenges to get to where they have climbed to get to today.

Schneider will be noticed for his emotional control and ability to adapt throughout the season and playoffs...no matter how game 7 ends.



Previously training with GDI National Consulting Camps and being under mentorship from NHL Goaltending Consultant Ian Clark, Cory Schnedier displays an impeccable technical foundation. Quickly acquiring read and anticipatory skills over the course of his full NHL season he has started to settle into a promising career. Below is a past video of Schnedier being put through the paces in a repetitive post-save recovery drill.

Schneider a Piece to the Puzzle for Game 7

Timmy T Looks for Win Number 16

Adding to his 35 wins over the course of the regular season, Tim Thomas looks forward to Wednesday hoping to get to 16 wins in the playoffs and claim the Stanley Cup.

Looking at the numbers, Thomas has been absolutely outstanding this year with a Vezina candidate season, leading into a long playoff run that is heading into game 7. Fitting in his run, Tim Thomas ties Kirk McLean with 761 saves recorded within the playoffs.

Among past greats Ron Hextal and John Vanbiesbrouck, Thomas looks to top the history charts in game 7 with the most saves recorded. This past game Thomas shut the door on Vancouver and went 35 saves on 36 shots in the game.

Timmy T Looks for Win Number 16

Goaltending Creating a New Look

Controversy was at an all time high with every goaltending critic debating whether Roberto Luongo should start or not in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals.

Quieting the debate, a 31 save performance helped hold the Vancouver Canucks in the low scoring affair.

On the other hand, looking back, the goal differential between both team sits with the Vancouver allowing 14 and Boston cutting the total over half with a low of 6. Also, a total of 3 shutouts within the five games creates a very different look compared to last years Stanley Cup Finals.

Last years playoffs had Antti Niemi allowing one goal against with a 2-1 victory in game two to cap the lowest goals against among the games played in the best of seven final. More outstanding was the goals against ratio at the end of the series which was 22 for Chicago and 25 for Philadelphia.

Turning back to the present matchup of Luongo and Thomas in their battle to be the best, it is nearly impossible to guess how each game will turn out. The beauty of it is that both goaltenders have showed resilience to the critics and naysayers out there, and have ultimately shown both themselves and their team that they can perform under pressure.

As the 09/10 Stanley Cup Champions the Chicago Blackhawks captured the cup in six games, the Canucks have an almost similar approach as they too were up two games to none in the series, allowed the series to be tied at two a piece, and then took the lead. No matter what the result, lets hope on Monday night fans are glued to their seats due to both goaltenders proving their worth for the full 60 minutes!

Goaltending Creating a New Look

Columbus Blue Jackets Name Ian Clark Goaltending Coach

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets announced June 6 that Ian Clark has joined the organization as goaltending coach. Clark most recently served as the Vancouver Canucks goaltending coach and consultant from 2002-10.

"We are very pleased to welcome Ian to our coaching staff," said Blue Jackets Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Scott Howson. "He has a tremendous amount of experience working with NHL goaltenders and helping them improve their level of play. We look forward to him working with all of our goaltenders and strengthening that position throughout our organization."

"Having worked with Ian in the past, I believe his work ethic, knowledge of the goaltending position and the way he communicates with players will make him an excellent addition to our staff," said Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel. “He has worked with a number of very successful NHL goaltenders and will be a great resource for our players at this very important position."

In addition to his eight years with the Canucks organization, Clark was also a member of Team Canada's coaching staff at the World Junior Championships from 2003-06, winning silver medals in 2003 and 2004 and capturing gold in 2005 and 2006. He also served as the Florida Panthers goaltending consultant in 2001-02. The list of goaltenders he has worked with includes Roberto Luongo, Cam Ward, Marc-Andre Fleury, Cory Schneider, Andrew Raycroft, Johan Hedberg and Mathieu Garon.

Clark, 45, is recognized as a leading educator of the goaltending position as his knowledge and innovative approach has attracted high-performance goaltenders at the NHL, minor pro, major junior and NCAA levels. He was the founder of the Goaltender Development Institute and served as technical author of From the Crease – The Self Development Guide to Hockey Goaltending from 1998-2003 and The Goalie News from 2003-08.

For more on the article Click Here.

Columbus Blue Jackets Name Ian Clark Goaltending Coach

NHL Set to Return to Winnipeg

After an eventful few weeks of rumors going back an fourth, the wait has come to an end! The National Hockey League is now set to return to Winnipeg.

True North Sports & Entertainment has reached an agreement with Atlanta Spirit LCC with purpose of purchasing the Atlanta Thrashers Hockey Club.

Whats Next? The building blocks are being set in place and now the next brick to be put in place is to have a drive of 13,000 season tickets sold. This will help the purpose of the National Hockey League Board of Governors approval at a Board meeting to be held on June 21st. The approval of the transaction by the Board will consider the level of support generated in the Winnipeg community, directed by the amount of season tickets sold.

Be a piece in the puzzle and go to Drive to 13,000 now and look into purchasing season tickets! The sale of tickets goes forth on Saturday, June 4th at 12:00 pm.

NHL Set to Return to Winnipeg

Streeeetch!

Wondering what to work on over the course of the summer? An on-going goal throughout your career, along with being a simple process, should be to increase and maintain your flexibility and range of motion.

A goaltender that pays attention to their flexibility and is able to bend and distort their limbs in different directions will always have a distinct advantage over the goaltender that refuses to stretch.

Over this summer make the right choice and stretch... every day!

Take a look at a quick click of Antti Niemi as he is able to cut across the crease and shut down Vancouver on an in tight feed.

Streeeetch!

Sundays Coaches Corner: May 15

If you happened to be out and about Sunday night and missed Coaches Corner then you didn't see Don's rant on the importance of warming up your own teams goaltender.

Before puck drop for Game 1 of Vancouver vs San Jose, Luongo was hit in the head by teammate Raffie Torres. Whether or not, who knows if this may have had an affect on Luongo.

We have all seen it before where a goaltender is focused and relaxed and then takes a puck in the head and immediately their mood changes to a tight and tense state. For a goaltender that knows how to "Click the Switch" or "Change Channels" to a different frame of mind this then shouldn't be the case.

On the other hand, the whole concept of warming up your goaltender is to do just that - keep them warmed up. Every goaltender is different in their own. Some like to simulate game specifics in warm-up and put emphasize on every shot that they face in the net. Some prefer to allow the puck to just hit them. I would highly suggest that goaltenders treat their warm-up for what it is, a warm-up. For the one's that over energize their physical ability, and more importantly their mental thought process, they are usually draining their positive energy. This can easily be detrimental to a goaltender, and can cause a weak performance, even before the game begins.

Areas that goaltenders should be taking into importance when going through their 15 minutes on the ice in pre-game are:

• Position Specific Movements
• Understanding and developing a comfort for the ice surface and arena
• Movement coordination with ice landmarks
  
• Visually tracking the puck throughout the save process
• Developing a rhythm for responding to a players release
  
• Taking time to stretch and relax
• Monitoring and conserving their energy

The area of a goaltenders on-ice pre-game routine is rarely explored, by goaltenders and coaches. For coaches: Take some time during the season to understand your goaltenders and how they would like to go through warm-up, and take into consideration if there are any preferences that they have. For goaltenders: Again, treat your pre-game on ice for what it is - simply a warm-up. Don't overdue or over-think anything. Keeping a simple frame of mind heading into the game is at up-most importance. For players: Your goaltender simply wants to be relaxed in net, before and during the game. Help them do this, and keep pucks away from their head!

For more on the Coaches Corner episode from May 15 Click Here.

Sundays Coaches Corner: May 15

Stand On Guard for Thee

Answering the calls since being benched in Game 6 of the first round series against the Chicago Blackhawks, Canada's Roberto Luongo has moved one step closer to hockey's holy grail.

Looking forward to the Western conferences semi-final matchup of Vancouver vs. San Jose, goaltending is to be, as usual, a decision point for who will move on to the Championship Final.

During the season Luongo was 1-0-1 with a 0.96 GAA and .975 save percentage in two starts against San Jose in the regular season.

"I've waited my whole life to be in a situation like this and just going to take advantage of it and enjoy the moment," the 32-year-old said Saturday. "It's going to be exciting. Conference final for the first time for me against a team that has some skill up front, it's a fun time for me to be playing hockey.

"I've been waiting a long time to be in this position and I'm just going to go out there and have fun." - Roberto Luongo, Dhiren Mahiban of NHL.com.

To read more on Roberto Luongo's playoff run Click Here.

Stand On Guard for Thee

Pred's Rinne Has Some Fun in Elimination Games

VANCOUVER -- Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne has been around the organization long enough to know what is a signature moment in franchise history.

He knew going into Rogers Arena on Saturday that Game 5 against the Canucks was a big one because it was the first time in Predators' history that they were facing elimination in the second round. Following the 4-3 win, which was backed by his 31 saves and two goals apiece for Joel Ward and David Legwand, Rinne called it the biggest game in franchise history.

He also had several other things to say about the Predators staving off elimination and forcing Game 6 Monday in Nashville:

Q: What does this win say about your team's resiliency?

A: That's the way we are. We've done this during the regular season many times, but obviously this is the biggest game so far for us probably in the Preds' history. For the organization it's the biggest game ever, and we did a great job. We battled hard, came really strong in the third period, got two big goals from Joel Ward and at the end showed a lot of character, blocking shots, doing the little things, just playing for the team.

Q: How does it feel to know you're playing another game?

A: It's so much fun right now. These are the games you live for. You practice hard all year long and we still get to play -- it feels great. It's the best time of the year, for sure.

For the full interview by NHL.com Click Here.

Pred's Rinne Has Some Fun in Elimination Games

Stanley Cup Playoff Report: Unbeatable...Undeniable!

Game 2 of the Boston vs. Philidelpia series having the games announcers close to loosing their voice due to the array of breakaway stops and goal line pad saves. Playoff hockey is the time where goaltenders prove their wealth by making those "winning" stops, the ones that hold the momentum and life for their team.



Tuesday night features Dwayne Roloson looking to steal another game for the Lightning to take a 3 games to none series lead, along with Vezina nominees Luongo and Rinne dueling between the pipes to challenge each other for taking a lead in the series.

Quick Tip: Use each game! After being on the ice for a 1v1 session, review how your game compares to the goaltenders in the NHL. Critique a goaltenders game while watching. What do you love about their game. What would you fix? A high percentage of athletes are visual learners, along with being kinestheticly engaged, and are able to connect aspects that they have viewed and incorporate that into their learning.

Watch some of Pekka Rinne's amazing saves from this weekends past Predator's Game 2 overtime win over the Canucks.

Stanley Cup Playoff Report: Unbeatable...Undeniable!

Stanly Cup Playoff Report: Howard Enduring a Spring Blizzard

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Through the first two games of Detroit's Western Conference Semifinal Jimmy Howard has been enduring his own private blizzard.

In Game 1, Howard was the recipient of a Joe Pavelski snow shower, and when he retaliated with a poke at the Sharks center, both players were assessed roughing minors.

It was even snowier during the Red Wings' 2-1 loss to the Sharks at HP Pavilion on Sunday. Howard was snowed under four times, including a return engagement by Pavelski and a whiteout courtesy of Joe Thornton.

Captain Nicklas Lidstrom, in fact, said an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty was merited and probably would put an end to the barrage of snowflakes that keeps landing on Howard.

Lidstrom said as much to the officials.

"We mentioned it several times to them," he said after Sunday's loss. "I don't know why they keep allowing them to do it. We keep telling the refs. It's up to the refs. They could stop it right away by calling it and it's pretty obvious that they're trying to do it. It's really easy for the refs to do something about that."

For more on this article Click Here.

Stanly Cup Playoff Report: Howard Enduring a Spring Blizzard

NHL Playoff Report: Luongo and Rinne Return

VANCOUVER - After shaky starts to the Stanley Cup playoffs, goaltenders Roberto Luongo and Pekka Rinne seem to have returned to their stingy selves.

Luongo made 20 saves Thursday to backstop the Vancouver Canucks to a 1-0 win over the Nashville Predators in the opening game of their Western Conference semifinal. At the other end, a busier Rinne made several spectacular stops to give his team a chance to win as Nashville was outshot 26-11 in the first two periods.

"He was unbelievable," teammate Mike Fisher said of Rinne, who like Luongo is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, the award that goes to the league's top goalie. "On their goal, he almost made the save there too.

"That's what we're kind of accustomed to and hopefully we won't have to rely on him as much on Saturday."

That's when the best-of-seven series will continue before shifting to Nashville on Tuesday and Thursday. It could be a low-scoring match-up as the two clubs combined for only 14 goals in four regular-season games.

Both goalies entered this series after sub-par performances in opening-round wins.

For more on this article Click Here.

NHL Playoff Report: Luongo and Rinne Return

History Takes Every Last Second

When the game is on the line. When every last ounce of sweat is dropping from your forehead. Your socks, gloves, chest protector, and pads are soaked from the past 59 minutes and 53.5 seconds. To you, the crowd that packs the endless stands is mute. Your mind focuses on setting up for the final face-off and readying in your stance.

Your pursuit to glory comes down to the last 6.5 seconds.

2009 Stanley Cup Champion, Marc Andre Fleury spent his two Team Canada World Junior experiences teamed up with GDI Founder Ian Clark. Clark was Team Canada's Goaltending Consultant for four years garnering two gold medals and two silver medals during this stretch.

History Takes Every Last Second