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86-617: The Marquette Iron Rangers made ice hockey history when they signed the female goalie phenomenon Karen Koch to a professional contract in 1969. By doing so, Koch became the first woman to play professional hockey in North America , if not the world. The 1973–1974 team featured the Carlson Brothers. Jack Carlson went on to play in the NHL and WHA, while his brothers Steve Carlson and Jeff Carlson became famous for starring as

172-472: A best-of-seven format. The alignment changed back to four divisions for the 2016–17 season , but the playoffs kept the divisional format. The top four teams in each division qualify for the playoffs and play in the division for the first two rounds. After the division finals, the winners then play the conference finals and followed by the Kelly Cup finals. In celebration of the league's 20th year of play,

258-419: A goal. However, shooters that attempt to score on an empty net from the opposite side of the red line face getting called for icing the puck if they miss the net. There are two common situations where a goaltender is generally pulled, as well as two less common situations: A goal scored in an empty net situation is not recorded as a shot faced or goal against on the personal stats of the goaltender who has left

344-492: A goaltender who fulfills that role is known as an emergency back-up goaltender (EBUG). Similar rules are in place for the NHL's minor leagues , where emergency goaltenders are used much more frequently. Those on a team's emergency list are given free attendance to home games they are assigned and may also help out as a practice goalie. Emergency goalies are often called from nearby college teams , adult semi-pro/amateur leagues, or

430-431: A more notable style of goaltending and is still evolving. This style of goaltending is a combination of both stand-up and butterfly style, where the goaltender primarily relies on reaction, save selection, and positioning to make saves. Hybrid goaltenders will usually control rebounds well, deflect low shots with their sticks, will utilize the butterfly, and are generally not as predictable as goaltenders who rely heavily on

516-452: A normal player to be given a penalty, such as slashing or tripping another player, the goaltender cannot be sent to the penalty box. Instead, one of the goaltender's teammates who was on the ice at the time of the infraction is sent to the penalty box in their place; the goaltender will still be credited with the penalty minutes on the scoresheet. However, if the goaltender receives a game misconduct or match penalty , they must immediately leave

602-820: A professional goaltender scoring a goal occurred on February 21, 1971, in the CHL. In a game between the Oklahoma City Blazers and the Kansas City Blues , the Oklahoma City Blazers were trailing 2-1 and decided to pull their goaltender. Michel Plasse , the goaltender for the Kansas City Blues then scored on an open net. Subsequently, four goaltenders have scored empty-net goals in the CHL: Phil Groeneveld of

688-417: A save, the goaltender attempts to control the rebound to avoid a goal scored by an opposing player when the goaltender is out of position ('scoring on a rebound'), or to allow the goaltender's own team to get control of the puck. Goaltenders may catch or hold a puck shot at the net to better control how it re-enters play. If there is immediate pressure from the opposing team, a goaltender may choose to hold on to

774-410: A shootout as opposed to winning with an empty net in overtime. Even with the introduction of the shootout to resolve games tied after overtime, it is still theoretically possible for a situation to arise where it may be advisable for an NHL team to pull a goaltender late in the regular season when tied late in regulation, since the statistics "regulation wins" followed by "regulation and overtime wins" are

860-475: A short time (typically less than four minutes) left in the game and have possession of the puck in their opponent's defensive zone. Prior to the introduction of the shootout, NHL teams occasionally pulled goalies in overtime during rare late season situations where the team pulling its goaltender needed two points to remain in playoff contention or home-ice advantage. The shootout has essentially ended this practice, since teams are statistically much more likely to win

946-423: A shot from going into their goal net, that action is called a save. Goaltenders often use a particular style, but in general they make saves any way they can: catching the puck with their glove hand, deflecting the shot with their stick, blocking it with their leg pads or blocker or another part of their body, or collapsing to butterfly position to block any low shot coming, especially in close proximity. After making

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1032-411: A starting goaltender who plays the majority of the regular season games and all of the playoffs, with the backup goaltender only stepping in if the starter is pulled or injured, or in cases where the schedule is too heavy for one goaltender to play every game. Professional hockey leagues at all levels require each team have a list of "emergency" goaltenders. The list provides goaltender options for both

1118-597: A substituted goaltender does not return for the rest of the game. During a game in 1995, future Hall-of-Famer Patrick Roy , playing for the Montreal Canadiens at the time, was infamously kept in net by then-head coach Mario Tremblay . Roy perceived this as a means of "humiliation," as he had allowed nine goals on 26 shots to that point, and the crowd in Montreal sarcastically applauded him after making an easy save. Tremblay would finally pull Roy midway through

1204-439: A team opts for the extra attacker in overtime and an empty-net goal is scored, the game is credited as a regulation loss instead of an overtime loss (as an overtime loss earns one standings point, as opposed to two for a win of any sort), and the team pulling the goalie forfeit the point earned for going to overtime. Teams thus typically forgo using a goaltender only in situations where they are trailing by one or two goals with only

1290-657: A win in either regulation or overtime to clinch the final South Division playoff berth, while the Stingrays led the Florida Everblades , 3-2, late in the third period. Orlando pulled their goaltender with a minute remaining in order to attempt gaining the two points necessary to clinch the final berth, and scored to take the position by one point. The rules of the IIHF, NHL and Hockey Canada do not permit goaltenders to be designated as on-ice captains , because of

1376-491: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a sports team in Michigan is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Goaltender In ice hockey , the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie ) 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

1462-724: Is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey , with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The league serves as a farm system to the AHL and the National Hockey League (NHL). The ECHL and the AHL are the only minor leagues recognized by the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and

1548-448: Is a susceptibility to shots travelling along the bottom half of the net. A larger percentage of shots occur in the bottom portion of the net, and a goaltender utilizing the butterfly will cover a larger portion of that area. If there is a screen, however, a stand-up goaltender is generally in a better position to see the slapshot . Another style is the "Butterfly", where goaltenders go down on both pads with their toes pointing outwards and

1634-413: Is also known as the goalie, goaler, goalkeeper, net minder , tendy, and tender by those involved in the hockey community. In the early days of the sport, the term was spelled with a hyphen as goal-tender. The art of playing the position is called goaltending and there are coaches, usually called the goalie coach who specialize exclusively in working with goaltenders. The variation goalie

1720-402: Is typically intended to overwhelm the opposing team's defense, and unlike during a power play , the defense cannot legally ice the puck if they are not already shorthanded due to a penalty (if the team on defense is serving a penalty, then the usual icing rules prevail, although in this case the team pulling the goaltender will have the additional advantage of having at least two more skaters on

1806-596: Is typically used for items associated with the position, such as goalie stick and goalie pads . Goaltenders are a specialized position in ice hockey; at higher levels in the game, no goaltenders play other positions and no other players play goaltender. At minor levels and recreational games, goaltenders do occasionally switch with others players who have been taught goaltending; however, most recreational hockey rules are now forbidding position swapping due to an increase in injuries. A typical ice hockey team has two or three goaltenders on its roster. Most teams typically have

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1892-425: The 2015–16 season , the playoffs changed once again to a six-division format. At the end of the regular season, the top team in each division qualified for the playoffs and be seeded either 1, 2, or 3 based on the highest point total earned in the season. Then the five non-division winning teams with the highest point totals in each conference qualified for the playoffs and be seeded 4 through 8. All four rounds will be

1978-463: The 2025–26 ECHL season . Alignment, affiliations, and locations for the 2024–25 season . Representatives from all potential expansion franchises, markets that have been granted expansion franchises and franchises that have suspended operations must attend the league's annual Board of Governors Meeting between seasons and provide progress reports on their situations in order to keep their ECHL franchise rights. For dormant and existing franchises,

2064-619: The Albany River Rats history following the club's move to Charlotte following the 2009–10 season and assumed the Checkers identity . In each of these cases, the ECHL franchise was relinquished to the league by its respective ownership group. In 2015, the three California franchises ( Bakersfield Condors , Ontario Reign , and Stockton Thunder ) were displaced by the formation of an AHL Pacific Division. Each ECHL franchise involved in

2150-940: The Anchorage/Alaska Aces , the Bakersfield Condors , the Fresno Falcons , the Idaho Steelheads , the Las Vegas Wranglers , the Long Beach Ice Dogs and the San Diego Gulls as well as from potential teams in Ontario, California , and Reno, Nevada . Alaska, Bakersfield, Fresno, Idaho, Las Vegas, Long Beach and San Diego began play in the 2003–04 season as expansion teams. In a change reflective of

2236-769: The Bloomington Bison in Bloomington, IL. The Knight Monsters are planned to play in the Mountain division, with the Bison planned to compete in the Central division. These additions were intended to bring the ECHL to 30 teams before the Newfoundland Growlers folded late in the 2023–24 ECHL season , but plans are still there to expand the league to 32 in the future to match the number of teams in

2322-660: The Carolina Monarchs in 1995 . The Hampton Roads Admirals were the second, giving way to the Norfolk Admirals in 2000 . The Peoria Rivermen were the third. In their case, the replacement franchise retained the Worcester IceCats history but assumed the Rivermen identity for their first AHL season of 2005–06 . The Charlotte Checkers were the fourth, yielding to a franchise that retained

2408-840: The Central Hockey League ) the league played the 2012–13 season with 23 teams. That number dropped to 22 for the 2013–14 season with the folding of the Trenton Titans and subsequently fell to 21 with the mid-season folding of the San Francisco Bulls on January 27, 2014. On October 7, 2014, the ECHL announced that the seven remaining active members of the Central Hockey League (the Allen Americans , Brampton Beast , Quad City Mallards , Missouri Mavericks , Rapid City Rush , Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder ) would be admitted as new members for

2494-755: The Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP and both players shared the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed. Another instance is the Edmonton Oilers ' Andy Moog and Grant Fuhr ; both of them earned All-Star Game appearances for the regular season play, with Moog being the starter in the 1983 playoffs and Fuhr for the 1984 playoffs (although Moog started Game 4 and 5 of the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals due to Fuhr's injury) and subsequent postseasons. The Toronto Maple Leafs had Terry Sawchuk and Johnny Bower share goaltending duties in

2580-777: The Hanson Brothers in the movie Slap Shot . Steve also played in the NHL and WHA, while Jeff played in the WHA. In their second incarnation, the Iron Rangers were an amateur senior ice hockey team from Marquette that played in the Great Lakes Hockey League at Lakeview Arena . After one season, the team changed names to the Marquette Mutineers after running into ownership-related problems. This American ice hockey team-related article

2666-895: The Iowa Heartlanders and the Trois-Rivières Lions , with Iowa going into the Central Division and Trois-Rivières going into the North. This brought the league up to 27 teams. The league added the Savannah Ghost Pirates , bringing the league to 28 teams, and balancing the divisions for the 2022–23 season . There are two expansion teams to be added for the 2024–25 season ; the Tahoe Knight Monsters in Stateline, NV, and

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2752-683: The Kelly Cup playoffs. The most recent playoff champions are the Florida Everblades in 2024 . The league, which combined teams from the defunct Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) and All-American Hockey League (AAHL), began to play as the East Coast Hockey League in 1988 with five teams – the (Winston-Salem, North) Carolina Thunderbirds (now the Wheeling Nailers ); the Erie Panthers (folded in 2011 as

2838-517: The NHL and the AHL per ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. On April 2, 2024, the league announced that the Newfoundland Growlers ' membership had been terminated due to failure to fulfill its obligations under league bylaws, bringing the league down to 29 teams and forcing the Wheeling Nailers to move to the North Division. On October 18, 2024, the league announced a new expansion team for Greensboro, North Carolina set to begin play for

2924-563: The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), meaning any player signed to an entry-level NHL contract and designated for assignment must report to a club in either the ECHL or the AHL. Additionally, the league's players are represented by the Professional Hockey Players' Association (PHPA) in negotiations with the ECHL itself. At least 739 players have played at least one game in

3010-651: The Norfolk Admirals , Manchester Monarchs , and Adirondack Thunder , respectively. By the 2018–19 season , the ECHL lost both the Quad City Mallards and Manchester Monarchs by folding, and the ECHL kept the Quad City Mallards name as a trademark. But the East Coast Hockey League expanded into other markets recently vacated by the AHL in the Maine Mariners , Newfoundland Growlers , and Worcester Railers . There were two expansion teams added in 2021–22 ,

3096-459: The Stanley Cup playoffs , roster limits are relaxed and teams routinely recall minor league players (known as "black aces") to act as depth, resulting in playoff EBUGs being minor league professionals rather than local amateurs. A goaltender scoring a goal in an NHL game is a very rare feat, having occurred only fifteen times in the history of the NHL, the first time occurring in 1979 after

3182-957: The Victoria Salmon Kings ); the Johnstown Chiefs (now the Greenville Swamp Rabbits ); the Knoxville Cherokees (ceased operations as the Pee Dee Pride in 2005; folded in 2009 following failed relocation efforts); and the Virginia Lancers (now the Utah Grizzlies ). In 2003, the West Coast Hockey League ceased operations, and the ECHL board of governors approved membership applications from

3268-471: The 2014–15 season. The addition of the former CHL teams plus the expansion Indy Fuel raised the number of teams to 28 and placed a team in Canada for the first time since 2011. Before the 2015–16 season , the AHL's creation of a Pacific Division led the three California ECHL teams to relocate to former AHL cities with the Bakersfield Condors , Ontario Reign , and Stockton Thunder relocating to become

3354-594: The Board of Governors changed the Western Conference seeding such that eight teams qualify: two division winners and the next six teams in the conference. This eliminated the Western Conference first-round bye. Similar to the National Hockey League (NHL) at the time, the division winners were seeded as the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference and the top two seeds in the Western Conference;

3440-414: The Board of Governors votes whether or not to extend a franchise's league license until the next Board of Governors Meeting. At the 2012 Board of Governors meeting, the Board elected to limit the league to 26 teams, with an emphasis on adding teams to the Western Conference. However, it was decided at the 2015 Board of Governors meeting that the cap should be expanded to 30 teams, hoping to eventually match

3526-869: The Fort Worth Fire scored against the Thunder in Wichita, Kansas, on November 20, 1995; Bryan McMullen scored for the Austin Ice Bats on February 17, 2002; and Mike Wall of the Arizona Sundogs scored a goal against Corpus Christi on March 16, 2007. Danny Battochio is the most recent vs the Tulsa Oilers on December 31, 2011. Bibliography Notes ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League )

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3612-664: The NHL after appearing in the ECHL. As of the 2024–25 season , 29 of the 32 NHL teams held affiliations with an ECHL team with only the Carolina Hurricanes , Columbus Blue Jackets , and Ottawa Senators having no such franchise affiliations. NHL teams sometimes lend contracted players to ECHL teams with whom they have no affiliation agreements for development and increased playing time. The league's regular season typically begins in October and ends in April, followed by

3698-409: The NHL and AHL's (then) 30-team totals. In 2023, ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin commented that the eventual goal was to match the AHL and NHL expansion to 32 teams. Since starting with five franchises in its inaugural season, the ECHL has had dozens of franchises join and leave the league. Typically, these teams fold or relocate due to operation issues or financial losses. The Johnstown Chiefs became

3784-481: The Stanley Cup Finals. The goaltender has special privileges and training that other players do not. They wear special goaltending equipment that is different from that worn by other players and is subject to specific regulations. Goaltenders may use any part of their bodies to block shots. The goaltender may legally hold (or freeze) the puck with their hands to cause a stoppage of play. If a player from

3870-542: The Storm in order to demolish their present arena and construct a new one in downtown Toledo. The Mississippi Sea Wolves resumed play for the 2007–08 season, while the Toledo Walleye resumed play in their new arena for the 2009–10 season. Seven former ECHL franchises have been directly replaced in their respective markets by American Hockey League franchises. The Greensboro Monarchs were the first, being replaced by

3956-436: The area in front of the net called the goal crease (often referred to simply as the 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 (hybrid is a mix of the traditional stand-up style and butterfly technique). Because of the power of shots, the goaltender wears special equipment to protect

4042-408: The body from direct impact. Goaltenders are one of the most important players on the ice, as their performance may greatly impact the outcome or score of the game. One-on-one situations, such as breakaways and shootouts, have the tendency to showcase a goaltender's pure skill, or lack thereof. No more than one goaltender per team is permitted to be on the ice at any given time. The rules do not oblige

4128-536: The butterfly as a save selection. Most players are not pure stand-up or butterfly, but simply tend to prefer stand-up or butterfly over the other. If a player does not have any preferences, he is considered a hybrid goaltender. All modern NHL goaltenders generally use some form of this style. Some goaltenders who do this effectively are Ryan Miller , Jaroslav Halák , Jimmy Howard , Tuukka Rask , Carey Price and formerly Evgeni Nabokov and Martin Brodeur . Normally,

4214-402: The conference winner faced the eighth seed, second faces seventh, third faces sixth and fourth faces fifth in the conference quarterfinal round. The winner of the 1st/8th series played the winner of the 4th/5th series while the 2nd/7th winner played against the 3rd/6th winner in the conference semifinal series. The Board of Governors also elected to change the playoff format such that all rounds of

4300-415: The first to use this style, and both he and Esposito had tremendous success with it. The most successful goaltender to adopt this style was Patrick Roy, who has 550 career wins in the NHL. This is the most widely used style in the NHL today. "Butterfly" goaltenders have developed methods of sliding in the "Butterfly" position in order to move around fast in one-timer situations. As pad size increased, it became

4386-642: The five positions on the rink , goaltenders are frequently candidates for the Conn Smythe Trophy , awarded to the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs; goaltenders have won this honor in four of the last ten playoffs. Patrick Roy has won a record three times, and four goaltenders have won the Conn Smythe Trophy as part of the losing team in the Finals. When a goaltender either blocks or stops

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4472-497: The folding of the Victoria Salmon Kings subsequent to the 2010–11 season , but increased to 20 teams for the 2011–12 season with the addition of the expansion franchise Chicago Express and the Colorado Eagles who previously played in the Central Hockey League . With the folding of the Chicago Express at the conclusion of the 2011–12 season and the announcement of expansion franchises in Orlando , San Francisco , Evansville , and Fort Wayne (both in Indiana and both from

4558-422: The goaltender having been the last player to touch the puck renders own goals a very rare occurrence. Of the eighteen goals, eleven were scored by shooting the puck and seven were the result of own goals. As of 2023, Ron Hextall and Martin Brodeur are the only goaltenders in NHL history to be credited with multiple goals; Hextall remains the only NHL goaltender to have scored multiple goals via directly shooting

4644-405: The goaltender plays in or near the goal crease the entire game. However, teams may legally pull the goalie by substituting in a normal skater and taking the goaltender off the ice. A team temporarily playing with no goaltender is said to be playing with an empty net . This gives the team an extra attacker, but at significant risk—if the opposing team gains control of the puck, they may easily score

4730-421: The home and visiting teams. These goaltenders are to be called to a game if a team does not have two goaltenders to start the game, most often in the ECHL where a goaltender can be called up to the AHL that afternoon and the team is unable to sign a backup or the scheduled backup is unable to make the game on time after a callup. An "emergency" goaltender may also be called if both roster goaltenders are injured in

4816-454: The home team's own coaching/facilities staff. If activated for a game, most emergency goaltenders only dress to sit on the bench, as a team's normal back-up takes over; only six emergency goalies ( David Ayres , Scott Foster , Jorge Alves , Thomas Hodges , Matt Berlin , Jett Alexander ) have ever seen recorded playing time in an NHL game. Emergency goalies who are activated sign either an amateur or professional tryout contract . During

4902-419: The ice and be replaced by another goaltender. In such cases, an unpenalized player is required to serve any minutes assessed to the ejected player in the penalty box; this holds true for all hockey positions in the event a player is ejected from the game. Goaltenders are often pulled if they have allowed several goals in a short period of time, whether they were at fault for the surrendered goals or not. Usually,

4988-413: The ice). This puts the team without a goaltender at a significant advantage on offense. However, leaving the net untended creates the opportunity for an opposing team to score an empty net goal from virtually anywhere on the ice (even in the case of attempts that may cause the opponent to be called for icing if they miss the net, any goals still count). Obviously, if the opposing team does manage to advance

5074-403: The ice. In professional ice hockey, the back-up goaltender fills an important team role. Although the back-up will spend most games sitting on the bench, the back-up must be prepared to play every game. A back-up may be forced into duty at any time to relieve the starting goaltender in the event of an injury or poor game performance. The back-up will also be called upon to start some games to give

5160-502: The last remaining founding franchise of the East Coast Hockey League to remain in its original city until it relocated to Greenville, South Carolina, following the completion of the 2009–10 season . While the ECHL has stated in recent years they would not grant voluntary suspensions of franchises for more than one year, both the Toledo Storm (now the Toledo Walleye ) and Mississippi Sea Wolves (now defunct) were granted two-year suspensions—the Sea Wolves because of Hurricane Katrina and

5246-465: The league had been in existence for six decades. NHL rules forbid goaltenders from participating in play past the center line, so a goal by a goaltender is possible only under unusual circumstances. (If a goaltender does shoot the puck into the net from any location that is past the center line, the goal does not count.) Eight of those fifteen goals resulted from the goaltender shooting into an empty net. The remaining seven goals were not actually shot into

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5332-409: The league introduced the ECHL toolbar for internet browsers which gave users short cut access to statistics, scores, transactions, and news updates. At the annual ECHL Board of Governors meeting on June 15, 2010, in Henderson, Nevada, the Board of Governors approved changes to the names of the conferences and divisions. The former American Conference (comprising eleven East Coast and Midwest teams)

5418-632: The league's now-nationwide presence, the East Coast Hockey League shortened its name to the orphan initialism ECHL on May 19, 2003. The ECHL reached its largest size to date (31 teams) that season before being reduced to 28 teams for the 2004–05 season . The ECHL has attempted to be more tech-friendly to its fans. Some improvements on the league's website have included a new schedule and statistics engine powered by League Stat, Inc. (introduced in 2006 ), internet radio coverage for most teams, and pay-per view broadcasting of ECHL games through B2 Networks (a subsidiary of America One Broadcasting ). In 2008,

5504-417: The logistical challenge of having the goaltender relay rules discussions between referees and coaches and then return to the crease . The Vancouver Canucks did name goaltender Roberto Luongo as their team captain during the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons, but due to NHL rules, he did not serve as the official on-ice captain. In the NCAA , there is no position-based restriction on the team captain. Out of

5590-482: The name suggests, the stand-up style refers to a style of goaltending in which the goaltender makes the majority of the saves standing up. This style is not as popular in the modern era, with the majority of contemporary goaltenders switching to the butterfly style and the hybrid style. The stand-up style is in contrast to the butterfly style, where goaltenders protect the net against incoming shots by dropping to their knees and shifting their legs out. The advantage of

5676-420: The net by the goaltender; rather the goaltender was awarded the goal because he was the last player on his team to touch the puck before the opposition scored on themselves. Martin Brodeur is the only NHL goaltender to be credited with three career goals (two in the regular season and one in the playoffs), Ron Hextall is the only goaltender who has scored two goals by shooting the puck into an empty net (once in

5762-411: The net, unlike the other positions where players are on ice for shifts and make frequent line changes. Attackers cannot make contact with the goaltender within the crease, as this interferes with the goaltender's ability to make saves. However, attackers may still enter the crease if they have the opportunity to make a play on a loose puck. Additionally, if a goaltender acts in such a way that would cause

5848-437: The other team hits the goaltender without making an attempt to get out of their way, the offending player may be penalized. In some leagues (including the NHL), if a goaltender's stick breaks, they can continue playing with a broken stick until the play is stopped, unlike other players who must drop any broken sticks immediately. The goaltender normally plays in or near the goal crease the entire game, an area marked in front of

5934-407: The playoffs are now best of seven series. For 2012–13, the Conference Finals and Kelly Cup Finals will use a two-referee system. Because of the late addition of the CHL teams for the 2014–15 season and its subsequent conference alignment, the top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs and the first two playoff rounds were played within the divisions. For the realignment prior to

6020-400: The puck (for a second or more, with judgment from the referee) to stop play for a face-off. If a goaltender holds on to the puck for too long without any pressure they may be subject to a 2-minute delay of game penalty. Recently, in the NHL and AHL, goaltenders have been restricted as to where they can play the puck behind the net. Goaltender equipment, techniques and skills have evolved over

6106-438: The puck into the net directly, or being awarded the goal as the last player on their team to touch the puck if an opponent scores an own goal . A goal scored by shooting the puck is particularly challenging, as the goaltender has to aim for a six-foot-wide net that is close to 180 feet away while avoiding hitting opposing players or turning the puck over; in cases of own goals, combining the circumstance of an own goal itself with

6192-416: The puck out of their own defensive zone, it becomes much easier to score an empty net goal. Thus, pulling the goalie is often used as an end-of-game desperation measure by losing teams, done in an attempt to quickly score a tying goal with the aid of a sixth attacker. A team may also pull their goalie in the event of a delayed penalty . NHL rules strongly encourage that teams use goaltenders in overtime ; if

6278-494: The puck with their upper body or may kick the puck. Such saves made by kicking are known as kick saves or skate saves. They may also simply use their stick to stop it, known as a stick save. This was the style seen in the early NHL and was most commonly used up until the early 60s. One of the more notable goaltenders who was last seen using stand up was Bill Ranford , but most of the goaltenders from earlier decades such as Jacques Plante were considered pure stand up goaltenders. As

6364-400: The puck. Brodeur is the only goaltender to be credited with three goals, and is the only NHL goaltender to have been credited with a game-winning goal. A hockey team is not technically required to use a goaltender. At any time in any game, a team may remove its goaltender from the ice in favor of an extra attacker (a process colloquially known as "pulling the goalie"). Using an extra attacker

6450-435: The regular season and games, playoffs, winning the 1964–65 Vezina Trophy (shared) and the 1967 Stanley Cup . The 1996–97 Philadelphia Flyers ' Ron Hextall and Garth Snow alternated in the playoffs; Snow started nine of the ten games during the first two rounds, but Hextall took over in game two of Conference Finals and remained the starting goaltender for the remainder of the playoffs, though Snow started for game two of

6536-504: The regular season and once in the playoffs). Damian Rhodes and José Théodore are the only goaltenders in NHL history to score a goal in which they also had a shutout game. Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks was the first goaltender to score a power play goal. A chronological list of goals scored in the AHL by goaltenders: A chronological list of goals scored in the ECHL by goaltenders: The first recorded instance of

6622-406: The same game. Some teams have used a goaltender tandem where two goaltenders split the regular season playing duties, though often one of them is considered the number one goaltender who gets the start in the playoffs. An example is the 1982–83 New York Islanders with Billy Smith and Roland Melanson ; Melanson was named to the NHL second All-Star team for his regular season play while Smith won

6708-542: The second period; as he was walking to the locker room, Roy famously leaned toward Canadiens then-president Ronald Corey and told him that it would be Roy's "last game in Montreal." The Canadiens would ultimately lose the game 11-1; Roy was traded to the Colorado Avalanche four days later. Fifteen goaltenders have scored a goal in National Hockey League (NHL) games; combined, NHL goaltenders have scored 18 total goals. A goaltender can score by either shooting

6794-410: The stand-up style is in the continued mobility of the goaltender mid save. While standing, a stand-up goaltender can remain square to the puck and adjust his positioning to ensure that he is covering as much of the net as possible at all times. The goaltender is also in a better position to stop pucks that are headed towards the upper part of the net. The main disadvantage of the stand-up style, however,

6880-421: The starter the opportunity to rest from game-play during the season . Most professional leagues require each home team to maintain a list of local non-professional goaltenders, available to either team, who can be used in the exceptional case that one or both of a team's normal goaltenders are injured or unavailable (such as a player acquired in a trade or minor league call-up arriving late on short notice); such

6966-559: The territorial shift was either owned or purchased by their NHL affiliate prior to being relocated. Current member Former member Future member Opted out of season due to COVID-19 pandemic For the 2012–13 season , eight teams still qualify in the Eastern Conference: the three division winners plus the next five teams in the conference. With the addition of the expansion franchise in San Francisco ,

7052-608: The top two criteria to break ties in the standings; as of 2024, no such situation has occurred since the adoption of the shootout. However, as seen in the 2023-24 ECHL season , the Orlando Solar Bears were tied against the Reading Royals, 0-0, with less than two minutes in the final game of the regular season. The Solar Bears and South Carolina Stingrays were tied in points with the Solar Bears needing

7138-406: The tops of their pads meeting in the middle, thus closing up the five hole . This results in a "wall" of padding without any holes, lowering the chances of low angle shots getting in. These goaltenders rely on timing and position. Early innovators of this style were goaltending greats Glenn Hall and Tony Esposito who played during the 50s-60s and 70s-80s, respectively. Hall is credited to be among

7224-411: The use of a goaltender and so teams may instead opt to play with an extra skater. However the defensive disadvantage that follows means that this strategy is normally used purely as a desperation maneuver when needing to score late in a game. It may also be used when there is a delayed penalty (should the team to be short-handed touch the puck the play will stop as the penalty is called). The goaltender

7310-410: The years, dramatically improving their effectiveness altering the dynamics of the game. Goaltenders have added masks, longer pads and are physically bigger. Ken Dryden has called for bigger nets to counter their effectiveness. The oldest playing style is the stand-up style . In this style, goaltenders are to stop the puck from a standing position, not going down. The goaltenders may bend over to stop

7396-682: Was renamed the Eastern Conference, while the National Conference (consisting of 8 West Coast teams, including the league's only Canadian team at the time) was re-designated the Western Conference. Within the Eastern Conference, the East Division was renamed the Atlantic Division, and the Western Conference's former West Division was dubbed the Mountain Division. The league lost its only Canadian team with

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