The goaltender or goalie is a playing position in indoor or box lacrosse. More heavily armoured than a field lacrosse goaltender, [1] since the invent of indoor lacrosse in 1931, [2] the box lacrosse goalie has evolved into a much different position than its field lacrosse cousin. [3]
In Box Lacrosse, a goaltender is typically more heavily armoured than a field lacrosse goaltender. Box lacrosse goaltenders are known for their massive upper body gear, large shin guards known as "irons", and ice hockey-style helmets. [1]
There are three types of lacrosse sticks in use right now by the modern box lacrosse goaltender. Traditional wooden sticks that are made from the bending of long strips of wood and pockets woven with leather and string. [4] This variation goes back to the roots of the game and is still popular with goaltenders at the amateur levels (senior, junior, and minor) but is cost-inhibitive with new sticks ranging in price from $250–400 CAD. [5] Another long-used goal stick type is the NCAA-head stick. [6] Much smaller and covers less space between the legs, the NCAA-head is much easier for ball control. [7] The newest make of goal stick is the "carbon triangle". [6] Similar materials to the NCAA-style stick, the carbon triangle is sized to mimic the coverage of a wooden stick but the lightness of the NCAA-style. This style is becoming very popular in the minor and junior levels, but is banned in the National Lacrosse League. NLL goaltenders generally use NCAA-head sticks. [8]
Although many goalies traditionally wear hockey gloves to protect their hands from high-velocity shots, [9] [10] many goalies have switched to a specialized gloves made specifically for box lacrosse. On the goalies free hand, there is potential for damage to the back of the hand, knuckles, and wrist from a hard shot. Lacrosse goalie gloves have an extra layer of padding on the outside of the glove to deflect damaging shots. This extra padding is on both gloves and serves to also protect the inner wrist of the stick-hand, which is often exposed in the crouch position when wearing hockey gloves as a lacrosse goalie. At the same time, lacrosse goalie gloves are required to give the goalie wrist mobility for when he must handle the ball. [11]
Box goalies wear two different types of helmets. One type is the standard field lacrosse helmet, the other is the ice hockey mask. Field masks [12] have strongly reinforced face masks, thick like the bars on a football helmet and also offer a wider range of vision than a hockey mask. Field helmets do little to protect the throat region. Hockey mask [13] padding can be formed to the users head for comfort. Are very easy to remove quickly and are molded especially for shock absorption. Also, despite cutting down the range of vision of the user, actively protects the throat area from straight on shots. In recent years, baseball catcher-style masks have been offered as a medium between the two helmet types. [14]
At the minor level, most goalies have to wear throat guards or "cow catchers" [15] that attach to the helmet to provide additional coverage for the throat and neck area. [16]
Lacrosse leg guards or "irons" [17] have taken a massive evolution since the early days of the sport. Early goaltenders wore cricket pads made from thin but rigid padding and a thick cloth material. [18] Eventually these evolved into a cross between cricket and baseball catcher's leg guard.[ citation needed ] Like cricket, the irons covered high above the knee, while having an exoskeleton of molded plastic caps and shin plates to deflect shots and leave less or no bruising like in baseball. In the 2000s and 2010s, the size rules for these pads were very much tested as a market emerged for new lacrosse goalie equipment. Irons grew in width until it was arguable that they were no longer designed to protect the shin, but largely to cover more net. Eventually there was a push back, the Canadian Lacrosse Association and its partners set limitations on shin guard wideness. [19]
Up until about 2005, the distribution and price of lacrosse style upper pads were extremely inhibitive. Until then, goaltenders generally engaged in "building up". Building up was a common practice, a goalie would buy a set of hockey uppers and add to them. Hockey uppers generally do not have enough padding to protect from downward shots or from up-bounces from bounce shots, so materials and other pieces of equipment were often added to protect from these, [20] including: Football lineman shoulder pads, hockey shoulder pads, kidney guards, baseball belly guards, sectioned PVC piping (also used in old lacrosse slash guards), and thick cuts of foam. These augmentations were added not only to increase the upper body size of the goalie, but to increase their safety, comfort, but had to still maintain mobility. [20]
Since about 2005, the Canadian Lacrosse Association has mandated one-piece unmodified chest protectors for all of its goalies. Because of the price, the team or the minor lacrosse organization often flips the bill for this costly piece of equipment. A legal upper should only stand out from the shoulders at any point by three inches and four inches on the arms. [21]
For pants, the box goalie generally wears hockey goalie pants or a specially modified version of hockey pants with airflow in mind. [9]
The box lacrosse goaltender is allowed to play in any area of the playing surface and is not confined to any zone. [22] Despite this, the box goaltender has a crease, around the entire net, all to himself. Defensive players can enter this area to pick up a loose ball but cannot enter it while in possession of the ball. Offensive players cannot enter the crease. At minor levels and some junior leagues this includes the crease's vertical plane, but at the Junior A, Major, and professional levels it is not uncommon for the player to be allowed to enter the vertical plane while shooting or retrieving a rebound as long as his feet or body do not touch the crease paint on the floor. Such a play is called a "crease dive". [23]
Occasionally, a box lacrosse goaltender will run up and join the play in the offensive zone on a slow whistle or delayed penalty, but the goaltender is usually pulled and substituted with a field player. Goaltenders in box lacrosse are known to sometimes score goals for their team, in power play or slow whistle situations. Also, due to the unique lack of offside rules in box lacrosse, it is not unheard of to see a goaltender lead his team in scoring on game sheets through multiple assists, usually through long passes to teammates that are attempting to breakaway on unsuspecting defenders. Box lacrosse goaltenders are also encouraged to be aggressive stick checkers around the ball and ferocious cross-checkers when needed (cross-checking is legal in box lacrosse). [24] If a goaltender leaves the crease with possession of the ball, opponents are allowed to cross-check the goaltender as long as there is no attempt to injure.
Box lacrosse goalies play in front of a four by four foot net at most levels, unlike a field goalie who plays in front of a six by six net. [3] At the National Lacrosse League, Major, and Junior A levels a net four feet tall and four foot nine inches wide is used. [25]
Goaltending in box lacrosse tends to be more like goaltending in ice hockey than field lacrosse. [26] The box goalie's stance is similar to an ice hockey goalie. The goalie crouched, but with his knees spread, not pinched like in ice hockey. Heels shoulder-width apart, toes generally pointed on an outward angle to allow for stepping into the shot. One hand sits on top of the thigh, holding the goal stick in a position to cover the five-hole (the area between the legs) and the other hand is resting or propped out in the vicinity between the waistline and the outside of the upper thigh. The elbow is propped out, ready to swing out towards a high shot. [27] [28]
The two main styles of box lacrosse goaltending are "playing the stick" and "take away". The playing the stick or positional style is all about staying on angle with the shooter's stick, challenging the shooter by stepping towards him to limit the amount of net he can see, and using your size to your advantage in blocking the shot. [29] [30] Take away or give-and-take is where the goalie stays on the inside of the post on the same side of the shot of the shooter, giving him the opposite side intentionally. This gives the shooter a bad angle shot that the goalie is trying to force him to take. When the player shoots, the goalie quickly steps across and covers the other side of the net and blocks the shot. [29] This style can be highly effective but can fall victim to fake shots. [29]
Top goaltenders from modern NLL.
Top OLA and NLL (1974-75) goaltenders before modern NLL was founded. These goaltenders listed have either won top honours in their top tier league or have led their team to the Mann Cup finals.
Top west coast goaltenders before the modern NLL was founded. These goaltenders listed have either won top honours in their top tier league or have led their team to the Mann Cup finals.
Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively modified by European colonists, reducing the violence, to create its current collegiate and professional form.
In many team sports that involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting opposing shots on goal. Such positions exist in bandy, rink bandy, camogie, association football, Gaelic football, international rules football, floorball, handball, hurling, field hockey, ice hockey, roller hockey, lacrosse, ringette, rinkball, water polo, and shinty, as well as in other sports.
Box lacrosse, also known as boxla, box, or indoor lacrosse, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in the 1930s in Canada, where it is more popular than field lacrosse. Lacrosse is Canada's official national summer sport. Box lacrosse is played between two teams of five players and one goalie each, and is traditionally played on an ice hockey rink once the ice has been removed or covered. The playing area is called a box, in contrast to the open playing field of field lacrosse. The object of the game is to use a lacrosse stick to catch, carry, and pass the ball in an effort to score by shooting a solid rubber lacrosse ball into the opponent's goal. The highest level of box lacrosse is the National Lacrosse League.
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near the area in front of the net called the goal crease. Goaltenders tend to stay at or beyond the top of the crease to cut down on the angle of shots. In the modern age of goaltending there are two common styles, butterfly and hybrid. Because of the power of shots, the goaltender wears special equipment to protect the body from direct impact.
A goaltender mask, commonly referred to as a goalie mask, is a mask worn by goaltenders in a variety of sports to protect the head and face from injury from the ball or puck, as they constantly face incoming shots on goal. Some sports requiring their use include ice hockey, lacrosse, inline hockey, field hockey, rink hockey, ringette, bandy, rinkball, broomball, and floorball. This article deals chiefly with the goal masks used in ice hockey.
There are two styles of gloves worn by ice hockey players. Skaters wear similar gloves on each hand, while goaltenders wear gloves of different types on each hand.
Clinton Stevenson "Praying Benny" Benedict was a Canadian professional lacrosse goalie, ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Maroons. He played on four Stanley Cup-winning squads. He was the first goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL) to wear a face mask. He led league goaltenders in shutouts seven times over his professional career. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In ice hockey, the goaltender wears specialized goaltending equipment to protect themselves from the impact of the puck, and to assist in making saves. Ringette and rinkball goaltenders use the same equipment with some exceptions. This article deals chiefly with the sport of ice hockey.
The five-hole is an ice hockey term for the space between a goaltender's legs. The name and its first recorded usage was in 1976 by Flyer Reggie Leach The phrases through the five-hole and gone five-hole are used when a player scores by shooting the puck into the goal between the goaltender's legs. The term is also used in basketball, association football, field hockey, and lacrosse. In baseball, the term is used to describe a wild pitch between the catcher's legs.
Douglas Robert Favell is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and former box lacrosse player. Favell played in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Rockies.
Ringette is a non-contact winter team sport played on an ice rink using ice hockey skates, straight sticks with drag-tips, and a blue, rubber, pneumatic ring designed for use on ice surfaces. While the sport was originally created exclusively for female competitors, it has expanded to now include participants of all gender identities. Although ringette looks ice hockey-like and is played on ice hockey rinks, the sport has its own lines and markings, and its offensive and defensive play bear a closer resemblance to lacrosse or basketball.
Ball hockey is a team sport and an off-ice variant of the sport of ice hockey. The sport is also a variant of one of several floor hockey game codes but more specifically a variant of street hockey. And in more resent news, a tournament circuit called the A.B.H.A. led by the Bellmawr, Monroe, and Maple Shade commissioners, left out over 400 hundred kids ages through 7-15. Ball hockey is patterned after and closely related to ice hockey, except the game is played on foot on a non-ice surface, player equipment is different, and an orange ball is used instead of a hockey puck. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team by shooting the ball into the opposing team's net.
In ice hockey, players use specialized equipment both to facilitate the play of the game and for protection as this is a sport where injuries are common, therefore, all players are encouraged to protect their bodies from bruises and severe fractures.
Lacrosse gloves are heavily padded, protective gloves worn by men's lacrosse players. The gloves are designed to protect players' hands, wrists, and forearms from checks, or legal defensive hitting common in the sport. Gloves consist of thick padding on the back of the hand and forearm covered in leather or canvas material, and a palm area made of synthetic and mesh material. A goaltender's gloves may have extra padding for the thumb to protect against injury from shots. While NCAA collegiate rules require that men's gloves have palms covered, other leagues, including post-collegiate club lacrosse, the National Lacrosse League, Major League Lacrosse, and international play, permit players to cut out the palm area for greater grip and control of the lacrosse stick.
The goalie blocker is a rectangular piece of equipment worn by goaltenders in the sports of ice hockey, roller hockey, rink hockey, broomball, and ringette. It is generally worn on the dominant hand. This article deals chiefly with blockers worn by goalies who play winter sports.
In field lacrosse, the goaltender is the most important and last line of defense between the opposing offense and the goal. The goaltender's primary roles are to defend the opposing team's shots on goal and to direct the defense.
Pads are a type of protective equipment used in a number of sports and serve to protect the legs from the impact of a hard ball, puck, or other object of play travelling at high speed which could otherwise cause injuries to the lower legs. These are used by batters in the sport of cricket, catchers in the sports of baseball and fastpitch softball, and by goaltenders in sports such as ice hockey, ringette, bandy, rinkball, field hockey, rink hockey and box lacrosse.
The sport of lacrosse has been played in the United States by Native Americans long before European exploration. The sport is most popular in the northeast and mid-Atlantic areas of the country. However, the game has recently developed into a popular team sport for both men and women in all regions of the United States.
Nick Rose is a Canadian professional box lacrosse goaltender for the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Originally drafted 28th overall by the Rock in the 2008 NLL Entry Draft, he spent time with the Boston Blazers and Calgary Roughnecks before returning to Toronto in 2012.
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