Comments for Not Unlike the Waves at http://hockey.dobbersports.com , comment 1 to 10 out of 10 comments http://hockey.dobbersports.com Wed, 22 May 2013 22:04:28 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/2185-not-unlike-the-waves#comment-1000 Great analysis, but I am missing the bottom line - do you think Varlamov will learn and develop the technical skills he now lacks so as to augment his mental toughness and athleticism over the next few years, or will he just survive on mental toughness, desperation saves and athleticism and eventually develop, through experience, the situational awareness to compensate for deficient technique and eventually the drop in athleticism that inevitably will come in his mid 30s? And how will using him as a back up or in rotation in the NHL, as opposed to giving him another season of AHL starter seasoning, affect his developmental curve? - fzusher Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:11:51 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/2185-not-unlike-the-waves#comment-997 Agree, I just hope the caps don't ruin his potential by trying to rush the curve... - Ron' Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:00:17 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/2185-not-unlike-the-waves#comment-996 Justin, great article man. This was a HUGE help. You are truly a master at breaking down goalies. - refarls9 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:24:11 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/2185-not-unlike-the-waves#comment-995 Kickerz, I think I get your comments now =). All I can say is that the root of the second half of the article is to show that A YOUNG, INEXPERIENCED goalie's inability to read plays would definitely be handled more effectively by an experienced veteran. There's no need for me to justify anything more than that. Everyone knows that the ability to read plays at the NHL level is one of the main things separating an inexperienced goalie from an experienced goalie. Notice I didn't say "young" or "older" goalie because there's plenty of 21-year-olds that can read plays better than a 33-year-old. But right now, Varlamov is not one of them. So I'll graciously disagree when you say that "...any goalie can get excited and become over-aggressive..." because again, it's missing the point. I don't agree that Nabokov would have reacted the same way as Varlamov on the play just because teams were trading chances. My point with using that play was to show that inexperienced European goalies will lack situational awareness moreso than an experienced goalie. And even saying that, it's not ALWAYS the case. But in the case of THAT play with Crosby and THESE two goalies, it's absolutely the case. I appreciate your time to post these comments, but I'm not sure how else I can "justify" my analysis without writing a whole book on the topic. My articles are long enough as they are LOLOL. There are many ways to justify my opinion that varlamov is inexperienced, showing a play where he over-commits and lacks situational awareness is just one of many. - Justin Goldman Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:41:42 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/2185-not-unlike-the-waves#comment-982 Hey GoalieGuild, I know you are simply pointing out the result of that particular play, but you than go on to compare what he did, to what Nabokov would have done. You are inferring that an experienced keeper like Nabokov would have played that particular situation better. What are you saying than, is that Nabokov has a trend to play that play in a more appropriate fashion. What I am trying to say, is that I am not sure if I agree with that comparison, or assumption. In a similar game, when the crowd gets excited, and the teams start exchanging chances, any goalie can get excited and become over aggressive. I understand what you are saying, but I am not sure if you have justified your thoughts. I appreciate most of your articles, but this one was not one of my favorites. I am also not a Varlamov fan. I like to see young guys come in and play well, but his future is still up in the air. He has talent behind him, he has injury issues, and who knows how Theodore reacts to his grief. Will he throw himself into his work? Will he be distracted, and a little off like Giguere was? Anyways, I digress. Keep the articles coming. - Kickerz Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:52:48 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/2185-not-unlike-the-waves#comment-979 O thats right...Pens won the cup...and u could see when Letang scored in OT to beat the Caps that he hung his head and at that point I knew the series was the Pens for the taking. Varlamov may bounce back or he may have been rushed to the NHL too soon and this may hurt him. - buck0198 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:37:13 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/2185-not-unlike-the-waves#comment-977 youtube link fixed, sorry - wasn't working for a couple hours and I didn't catch it - Dobber Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:59:01 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/2185-not-unlike-the-waves#comment-976 Kickerz, you couldn't tell from reading it (or any of my articles) that I just provide EXAMPLES of things I see in different goalies? I wasn't trying to prove any kind of point other than he was a step behind on that PARTICULAR play. There's no need to clarify that it's one of a million plays in his career...it's a known thing =). If it doesn't sit well with you, it's because you're a Varlamov fan and that's totally cool. I'll say it again, the save was EH-MEH-ZING!!!! Insanely amazing. But the save wasn't the point. The point of breaking down that one play was to demonstrate his lack of awareness...on a 2-on-2 play with two very skilled players. It's just an example, nothing more, nothing less. Take it for what it's worth. I know what the goalie's main responsibility is, I know that all that matters is winning. The topic at hand was situational awareness on a 2-on-2 that a veteran like Nabokov would have easily read. It's a specific but legitimate topic to discuss when comparing the two goalies. Making the save on Kunitz is extremely routine, unless Kunitz makes an incredible backhand shot off the post or is able to quickly go forehand and put it stick side high. So again I'm right there with you - Varlamov's first responsibility is Kunitz. But that's the easiest task of all. Just square up and tighten up. Instead Varlamov opens himself up by butterflying and sliding to his left...the wrong way. By the time Kunitz actually releases the puck, Varlamov is halfway outside his net. Basically the play I broke down has little weight on what his true abilities are other than it being exactly what it is - a single moment in his game. - GoalieGuild Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:01:42 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/2185-not-unlike-the-waves#comment-975 I agree with some of your points regarding Varlamov in this article. However, taking a particular game, and a particular play to demonstrate your point does not sit well with me. Goalies get excited. Young goalies, and experienced goalies a like. At times, goalies get into they rhythm of the game. If you could demonstrate Varlamov's trend to over commit to the primary threat and not pick up on the play I would accept it. From a goalies perspective though, your primary job is to stop the puck. Often times, you have to play percentages. If you overplay the pass, you are much less likely to stop the primary shot. If you focus entirely on stopping the shot, the player still has a chance to shoot it into you, to create an error on his pass, or for his pass to be intercepted. Or he could make the pass and you could make the stop anyway. I cannot criticize that play too harshly. From a spectator's viewpoint, it looks much worse for a goalie to let in a straight shot from Kunitz there, than it would for Crosby to score on an empty net. When a team needs confidence in their keeper (especially after having one bomb out in the playoffs already), the goalie needs to ensure he maintains that. - Kickerz Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:09:19 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/2185-not-unlike-the-waves#comment-974 Great article J. Extremely in-depth look at things that most of us might overlook. - NYR9394 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:29:53 +0100