Quote:
Originally Posted by sa226
People keep pointing to his age as a reason that he isn't going to get much better than he is, but I still think that he has the talent, work ethic and demeanor to be a really good starting goalie.
Goalies develop rather oddly and Ramo hasn't played a ton of NHL hockey for a guy his age. A healthy Ramo could be a boon for the team this year.
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I very often wonder at the anomaly of goalie development. It seems to basically be random.
What I've concluded, based solely on just watching different levels of hockey over the years is that the position is tied more to mental confidence than any other position. Goalies need to develop their minds more than other players, and need to train themselves to have short memories; I would say this takes years to perfect and different guys 'hit their stride' at different ages.
Naturally, a good goalie firstly needs to have a good toolbox of reflexes, athleticism and positioning. But so much more is dependent on how he thinks the game, and how he reacts to his highs and lows.