Who is your competition?

I hope your tryouts have gone well and that the last 2 postings were beneficial to you as you competed for a spot on the team.

Sometimes, though, when I talk to goaltenders, I wonder if they really understand who exactly the competition is. In a tryout scenario, obviously it is the other goaltenders vying for the open spots. Then as league play begins, the opposition becomes the competition.

But not to forget, if neither you nor your partner are the defined "starter", then, potentially your competition is your playing partner. And even if one of you gets the starter job more regularly, there is still an element of competitiveness. Hopefully it is healthy competition, but nonetheless, it is competition.

As you move up in development levels the competition arena becomes broader and now you compete with other goaltenders in your league for all-star, best save percentage etc. honors.

Graduation from Minor Hockey to the Junior or Prep School levels now means your competition could come from just about anywhere; the next town, the next province or state or for that matter another country. With hockey now a global sport and the willingness of participants to move away from their home towns in the hope of improving their hockey future, we need step back and consider a macro view of our competition.

At the end of the day, it is almost impossible to identify your true competition so you better be practicing & refining your skill set with hard work, motivation & enthusiasm because, when you both step on the ice together, will you be ready?