An Open Letter To Jonas Gustavsson

Dear Mr. Gustavsson,

Stop. Please stop. Don't play the puck anymore.

I understand that teams in the National Hockey League have put an increased pressure on their goaltenders to help the defense out by playing the puck, but you should not be handling the puck outside your crease. For the sake of your team, yourself and my sanity, just stop.

As a goalie myself (who by the way made it all the way up to high school back up!), I know the intricacies of playing the puck as a goaltender. There is a lot to think about as the puck is coming towards you. Do you play it around the boards? Leave it for your defenseman? Do you have time to fire it hard, or do you have to just quickly shovel it? Is the puck going to go smoothly around the boards, or will it bounce out in front of the net? It's a lot, and you've only got a few seconds to make all these decisions. It's clear to me that all these decisions are too much for you. Leave the puck playing to your defensemen and just stop the puck.

Or, maybe you just don't have the puck-playing skill. You've been in the NHL for three years now and you're puck handling ability has not really improved. You should spend more time in practice if you insist upon continuing to play the puck. Get your players to treat it like a game and apply pressure when you play it. It's easy in practice to play the puck when you get all the time you want. If you get your teammates to put the pressure on, it will give you a more game-type atmosphere and will improve your skills.

I myself had to learn how to play the puck. When I started, I couldn't get the puck to the blueline and I was unable to get out to stop the puck behind the net. So what did I do? I practiced. Whenever you have the chance (and you have a lot more practice time than I do) play around with the puck. Get a feel for it on your stick. Try holding your stick a different way. All this extra handling will help you. You can look more like Marty Turco when you venture from the blue ice.

Take a look at your opposing goaltender from the game tonight, Carey Price. He sure knows what he's doing when it comes to playing the puck. Have a look at his tape. See what decisions he makes in the situations presented. How calm he is when he plays it. Learn from this and improve your own game.

If you can't do this, and continue to fall down when you leave the net, it would be in your best interest to stay in the crease.

Sincerely,

A concerned fellow goaltender