Sean Burke’s exclusive mantra of protecting net benefits generations of NHL netminders-NHL News
The .948 goal save percentage of Phoenix Coyotes’ goaltender, Mike Smith, in the Stanley Cup playoffs has baffled the National Hockey League (NHL) attacking players, thanks to his netminder coach, Sean Burke, who has passed on his goal-save mantra to Smith.
Burke himself happens to be the only remnant and saviour of the exclusive knowledge and technique of his generation of ice hockey players.
It sounds a bit funny but apparently the game historians have dated back the learning of the exclusive knowledge regarding effective net protection by Burke when he was transferred to Phoenix in 2000.
It was his fifth trade in span of three years, and still he was unable to find an answer to his woes in front of the net.
Then somehow he learnt the philosophy that playing deeper in the net, instead of becoming aggressive and retreating, attacking plays from the goal line could help.
It proved to be the turning point of his career and from there on he started impressing onlookers by keeping away shooters at a remarkable success rate.
All of sudden, he became the all-star and most wanted player in the league.
All the success was down to his performance only, which obviously had come as a result of his learning of the exclusive knowledge.
His form helped him to be declared finalist for the Vezina and Hart Trophies. He was also selected for the Lester B. Pearson Award.
Not only that, he was attracted to the New York Rangers, where he wrote stories of his success in front of the team’s net, repeatedly.
During his Rangers’ stint, he imparted the puck-stopping knowledge to his goaltending colleague, Henrik Lundqvist.
Lundqvist benefited from his knowledge so much that he was elected as finalist for Vezina Trophy award four times.
Burke did not stop there. Instead, he came back to Coyotes, not as a player but as goaltending coach.
It was then that Coyotes’ current netminder, Mike Smith, became a permanent student and beneficiary of Burke’s knowledge.
Smith too has been able to transform himself since imparting of the experience and training by Burke, and as mentioned earlier, his .948 goal save percentage has left many shooters in a state of disbelief and disarray.
Tags: