If I had a dollar for every time I heard that I could probably buy a new blocker for the kid. Being a goalie is the most unique and usually toughest position on the team. Being a goalie mom comes in at a close second. When the kids are young, usually the biggest and/or slowest kid gets shoved into the net. As they age you see goalies of all different sizes standing between the pipes. Being a goalie is not for everyone. Trying to stop a 3" piece of rubber hurdling at 80 mph from getting into a space that is 72"x48"x22" while wearing the most amount of equipment on the team is not an easy feat. Just try it.
The Lonely End Of The Rink by the Tragically Hip pays tribute to net minders everywhere. It is a solitary job. When the team wins, it's a skater who found the back of the opposition's net and brought victory to the entire team, everyone bumps helmets or smacks their stick on the goalie's pads and it's a celebration. When the team loses, it's another story. The goalie knows all eyes are on him, how they handle it is what counts. Smashing your stick off the posts is not the way. A good goalie needs to stay calm, not let it rattle him, stay focused. Which would be easy if you weren't 12 right? Wrong. It doesn't matter how old you are, it still gets to you. Sitting in the stands watching a soft goal go in and hearing the groans and what the other parents say is hard to take for any mom. Thank god the goalie can't hear it too. The goalie already knows by seeing the kids slump their shoulders and smash their sticks on the ice as they skate to the bench. The kids that skate right over to the goalie to give him some encouragement are my favorite kids, a little tap on the pads or some kind words can help a goalie get his head back into the game.
Many people say goalies are weird. I guess there is some merit behind that. Goalies just do goalie things. And standing in front of said fast moving piece of hard rubber must involve some level of weirdness. Throw in juggling, being oddly flexible, solving a Rubik's cube in under 30 seconds (without peeling the stickers off it) and some outlandish wardrobe choices and you have found yourself a goalie. Embrace the weirdness, they are few and far between.
What goalies do not get, like the other members of the team, is the opportunity to play every game. Depending on how the team is set up, usually 50/50 in the younger brackets, the ice time can vary at different levels. Some coaches tell the kids the day before who is in, some tell them the day of. I am sure they all have their reasoning's behind it. Driving 1.5 hours to watch your kid work the defensive door is frustrating as a parent but we all know that going into it. Sometimes a goalie is in a slump or on a hot streak. Sometimes they get pulled in the middle of the 1st period when they are having a bad game. Sometimes it's politics, something we all know as well. It is the nature of the beast.
One thing to keep in mind if your child wants to go stand between the pipes, is the cost. A goalie helmet, a glove and a blocker to cover his hands (and no of course they do not come in a pair like player gloves), then there are goalie skates, goalie pants and the most important part, the pads (sell a kidney). Suiting up a kid can be more than the starting line-up combined. Then transporting the stuff too and from the rink? You will need a bigger vehicle, more cost. Then if they want to ref or skate at the ODR, cha-ching, you need to purchase double what a player does. Finding some good quality used gear will help, especially as your child grows. My son when you 3 sets of pads in less than 2 years, they grow quick. You may also be spending more on alcohol to calm your nerves, good goalie moms keep a little something in the rink bag to add to the coffee when games go into shoot outs.
At the end of the day, the puck went through 5 other players to make it's way to our end and in to the net. You can't be hard on the kid, there are some pretty shiny players out there with some pretty silky mitts. Being a goalie involves so many attributes, athleticism, flexibility, the ability to remain calm under pressure, stoicism, strength, good sportsmanship and the ability to do all of that and work the door. Goalies are most often the most loved and respected on their teams, if you have a goalie, you know why. Goalies will always have a special place in my heart, Carey Price, Marc Andre Fleury, Tuukka Rask and of course, David Aryes. Ayres reminds us all, you are never too old to live out your dream.