Darryl Sutter and Vladislav Tretiak

[Boreal]

I was looking at Sutter’s time in Chicago and realized that he had Vladislav Tretiak as his goalie coach. Tretiak was pretty much the first goalie coach.

Darryl is too bright to not soak up a lot of what Tretiak would coach.

Mike Keenan said on The Hockey News Podcast that Tretiak would frequently come out on the ice with the goalies in all of his gear.

Do what I say and what I do?

Seems interesting. He obviously played a part in making Belfour and Hasek Hall of Famers.

I couldn’t find much on their relationship as it seems no one has asked Darryl.

It would be nice if someone who has the ability to ask Darryl a question would ask him about what he learned from Tretiak (or Bill Ranford in L.A.) that helps him utilize both goaltending coaches and goaltenders.

But I found this.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...325-story.html

Darryl Sutter decided Belfour would benefit from a short rest.

"I talked to him this morning and told him to get three good days of practice with (Vladislav) Tretiak," Sutter said, referring to Belfour's mentor and the team's goaltending consultant.

Belfour, as dedicated as they come, was on the ice Monday for 90 minutes with Tretiak. "I worked a lot on movement, up and down and coming across," Belfour said.

But Sutter said: "When Eddie is on top of his game there are no rebounds, loose pucks are his and he makes the right decision handling the puck."

The Sabres historically have been a tough team on Belfour. He is 0-6 lifetime against them with a 4.75 goals-against average. Hackett has had his problems, too, 0-3 with a 5.28 GA.

Back in town: Ex-Hawk Dominik Hasek returns to Chicago Tuesday as the hottest goalie in the NHL. He leads the league with a 1.92 goals-against average, five shutouts, save percentage (.930) and is 11-6-3 in starting the Sabres' last 20 games in a row.

Not bad for a player whose style was once described by Sutter as a guy who looked like he was going after a fish. His flopping style is quite unorthodox.

[Dion]

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[Dion]

Tretiak Transcended the Craft of Goaltending

After retiring in the mid 1980s, Tretiak finally appeared in the NHL in the 90s with the Chicago Blackhawks. While hockey fans did not get to see Tretiak play any hockey upon his arrival to the NHL, his impact was felt during the 1990-1991 season as the Blackhawks’ goaltending coach. While Belfour made it apparent that Tretiak was a boyhood idol for him and other Canadian kids growing up, the goalie mentioned how Tretiak had an impact on him during the ’90-’91 season despite not knowing the English language.

Part of Tretiak’s game was based largely on the goalie positioning himself in the most optimal spots in his crease. By cutting down angles, playing deeper in his crease, and being able to incorporate elements of the butterfly and stand-up style, Tretiak was able to put himself in a position where he could react to most of the shots or plays thrown his way. Despite having a slight language barrier, Tretiak was able to impart his knowledge on Belfour, who had an outstanding ’90-’91 season with the Blackhawks as he went 43-19-7 with a GAA below 2.50.

“We had an interpreter but through body language I knew what he wanted me to do,” Belfour said. “He’d put the pads on and go out on the ice with us. In fact, he had the pads on in practice one day and nobody could score on him. And Keenan wanted to start him. But he turned it down and said this is Eddie’s time. I’m still thankful for that, too.”

https://thehockeywriters.com/vladisl...ltending-guru/