Throughout class last Tuesday, we discussed what we considered to be the "ideal" body of an athlete. There was plenty of discussion as to whether there should be a body steal more ideal for an individual sport, or even more specifically for a certain position. This discussion led to me looking at the sport I am most familiar with, hockey, and thinking about the "ideal" body style of those at the most elite level of the game, the NHL.
It is fairly easy to say that there is an ideal size for certain positions among those in the league, with defenseman easily towering over the other players on the team, and forwards being of shorter stature, providing them with the ability to be more quick and agile. The position that has seen the most change over the years, however, has been that of the goaltender.
In the early decades of the National Hockey League, goaltenders were known for their standup style, with their smaller stature and less pronounced padding not taking up much of the net. In today's game, simply standing in the net and relying on a kick save or a pad stack is not going to cut it. Today's goaltenders are much more quick and agile, with the game evolving into something that would not even be recognized by earlier competitors. Not only are these goaltenders much faster, but they have become much larger. A lot of debate has circulated around the league regarding the size of the goaltender's equipment, but regardless of the argument, it is easy to see that it is not just the size of the equipment getting larger, but more importantly it is the actual height of the goaltenders.
According to The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper that often has extensive NHL coverage consuming their sports section, the goal frames are being taken up by larger goalies each year. According to a 2011 article titled, "NHL Goalies are Getting Bigger and Bigger," goaltenders averaged just under 6 foot 2 inches in the 2010-2011 season, an increase of 5 inches over the past 20 years (Mirtle, 2011). A prime example of this constant goaltender growth can be seen when looking at the Nashville predators, who roster Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback at 6'5" and 6'6" respectfully, the tallest tandem in the league.
There are many reasons why taller goaltenders are being preferred by NHL scouts in today's game. Much of that has to do with the butterfly style being more prominent, with taller goalies having an advantage because they are still able to take up plenty of net while still covering the base of the net along the ice. Taller goaltenders also have an advantage when it comes to fighting off screens as they are able to see through more traffic in front of them. When it comes to goaltenders being scouted, if a taller goalie has the same skill set as one of shorter nature, the taller one is generally going to be chosen simply because of the natural advantages they will have for the position. Nashville goaltender coach Mitch Korn is an advocate for the taller goaltender evolution, making the prediction that "within the next five years, we won't seen any goalies under six feet, and we might not see very many under six one or two" (Mirtle).
Chris Osgood, known as being one of the smallest goaltenders to play in today's game at 5'10" and see success, says in an interview that he isn't surprised with the new phenomena of the taller goaltenders getting all the attention. He states, "I talk to my friends I used to play against that are scouts now in the league and they say that they can't look at somebody that is under 6'1" now. These guys are all big huge guys, but they are athletes and train to be a goalie since they are 8 and 10 years old, where we were always just told to stop the puck" (Hutchison, 2010). Osgood also mentions that the athleticism in part with the taller stature is what is helping the taller goaltenders become the norm in the NHL, mentioning that "it's not the equipment. It's the guys, they're bigger and they are good athletes, whereas you used to have a big goalie but he couldn't move. Now you have the 6'5" guy that can move and play goal and that's the biggest difference" (Hutchison).
With the average height seeming to be increasingly on the rise for the average NHL goaltender, who knows what we may see in the future. It will be interesting to see to what level the league restricts equipment size with the goal frame being taken up more and more due to natural height.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/nhl-goalies-are-getting-bigger-and-bigger/article587724/
http://ingoalmag.com/general/nhl-goalies-have-grown-a-lot-over-the-last-decade/
Marc,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post and found it extremely interesting. It made me want to look into my own sport, baseball. Baseball was brought up in class on this day as well and I weighed in on the discussion. For baseball there is no ideal body for really any position. Now with that being said corner infielders and outfielder tend to be the bigger guys that hit for power like Prince Fielder and Josh Hamilton. But the are exceptions to that, one being Nick Swisher of the New York Yankees. The guys up the middle such as the middle infielders and the center fielder tend to be smaller in stature. However there are exceptions to this as well with one being Derek Jeter who stands 6'3". Pitchers are usually taller in size but they do not have to be. Craig Kimbrel of the Atlanta Braves stands around 5'10".
Mike Frank
Marc,
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome post and definitely something worth looking into. It is definitely undeniable that goaltenders have increased in size over the years. You mentioned Chris Osgood, and I think it should be noted that in 96-97 he and Mike Vernon were most likely the smallest goaltender tandem much like Rinne and Lindback are now. Vernon stood at a mere 5'9". They were able to get the job done quite well. Obviously, the game was still a little different back then. I think there was less finesse, although it was definitely heading in the direction of today's style of game. With more people sniping the corners, it is definitely desirable to have a taller goaltender who can be in the butterfly and be able to still cover up top. Undoubtedly, there are still short goalies out there. At 5'7", Shawn Hunwick comes to mind. He played in the CCHA with Michigan (Hobey Baker finalist last year) and then went to the Columbus Blue Jackets last year after the college season came to an end. He wasn't too successful though as he was released at the end of his 1-year contract. He signed to play in an Austrian league and was released after 3 games.
This could be due to his height. It's hard to know the real reason without having seen it all. I definitely think height had something to do with it. When you're that size, you're already at a disadvantage when trying to make it in pro sports because everyone assumes you won't be fit for competition with people who tower over you. That's probably right on, honestly. I don't think we need to even examine the basketball height differences but hockey and baseball were two good sports to look into.
-Geoff Roberts
Correction: similar to how Rinne and Lindback are the tallest now.
Delete-Geoff Roberts
I enjoyed reading this post, I found it interesting because I'm not as into hockey, so I never realized this. As you pointed out, I believe height is becoming the leading factor in the "ideal body size" in any sport that you look into. As you mentioned with hockey, taller players are always going to be idea for basketball, and baseball players are even taller and bigger in some positions that are set for that. Now that you pointed it out, it's clear to see how height is important for any sport. But, I found your post very interesting to read and learn about.
ReplyDelete-Paxin Stern
Some interesting stats from the same Hutchinson article include "In 1999-2000 the average NHL goaltender was 6 feet tall and weighed 192 pounds. The 62 goalies who had appeared in the league through early November 2010, the average was 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds."
ReplyDeleteIn 2011, notable NHL goaltender dimensions included:
Average height: 6-foot-2
Tallest: 6-foot-6 (Anders Lindback and Devan Dubnyk)
Shortest: 5-foot-10 (Chris Osgood)
Average weight: 198 pounds
Heaviest: 230 pounds (Jason Labarbera)
Lightest: 169 pounds (Tuukka Rask)
Average age: 29
Oldest: 41 (Dwayne Roloson)
Youngest: 19 (Robin Lehner)
55 are traditional goalies, stick in the right hand
6 are “full right” holding the stick in the left hand.
If you take a look at last year's Vezina Trophy Finalists (Henrik Lundqvist, Pekka Rinne, and Jonathan Quick) we see a combination of the "average size" goaltender, a taller lanky netminder, and a smaller guy with exceptional lateral movement. While there are certain advantages to being a Pekka Rinne or Ben Bishop (tallest current NHL goalie at 6'9'') including taking up more net and being able to justify wearing larger equipment (and receiving exceptions to the 38 inch pad rule in some cases) there are also drawbacks including decreased lateral movement (Ilya Bryzgalov) and trouble closing up holes when moving that goaltenders such as a Quick or Jimmy Howard. Size has its advantages and disadvantages in the net. While it can help in many situations, in the end it still comes down to basic fundamental movements, being able to read plays, and skating in my opinion.
- Aaron Crouse
Great post and a lot of great comments thereafter. While I do see trends indicating that a taller goalie is much more likely to have success, I also agree it is not the sole reason. In terms of "ideal body type" for a goalie prospect I would think it is between 6'2"-6'5" and lean. Most high level goaltenders are surprisingly skinny when you remove of their equipment and this is to stay nimble and mobile in the net. I do believe that you can be too short to be an elite NHL goaltender and perhaps even too tall as well. However, there will always be exceptions and those who get the job done despite not having a so-called ideal body. Our goaltender, Andrew Hammond, has a nontraditional goalie body as he weighs around 230lbs and is by far the thickest goalie I have ever seen. He uses his large legs, however, to explode laterally rather than being hindered by all the weight he carries. Because of this, he is an outstanding goalie and one who may end up in the NHL himself one day.
ReplyDelete- Marc Rodriguez
I have always thought about these ideal bodies when looking at sports. I have found from previous experience that the taller, bigger individual always seems to win. Take Hockey for instance, the bigger you are the better you are able to cover the goal, unless you are very quick like many of you have stated. In Baseball, the taller pitchers usually have a little more gas on them because of the ability to explode off their back leg on the mound. Football, is different where each position has its typical body types, you wouldn't want a 5-10 linemen in the NFL, or a 7'0 quarterback. However, I do agree that as time goes on, you will see athletes getting larger and larger. I mean look back at some of the players in football from the 60's and 70's. The linemen were no where near as large as they are today in Jake Long from the Dolphins and Joe Thomas from the Browns. I remember talking to my grandpa about his friend who played for the University of Notre Dame and was a Tight End who only stood about 6'1. Tight Ends these days have to average 6'4. But, back then 6'1 was huge, and if you had any talent at all you were going to be recruited from all over. As time changes, so do body types, and you will just see bigger and better players every year.
ReplyDeletePatrick McFall
I agree with Marc’s comment that goalies should be around 6’2-6’5 becasue the bigger the goalie the more net they take up, which is harder to score for players. Our goalie like marc said doesn’t have the ideal body type, which is tall and skinny. He is a thicker goalie, but has one of the strongest lower bodies I’ve ever seen in a goaltender and he uses this strength to his advantage when pushing off across the crease for power. He is rarely out of position because his power gets him across quick, which allows for him to cut down the angles. In the NHL Jonathan Quick is a smaller goaltender that has quickly become one of the NHL’s brightest stars. He is very good and uses his quickness to take away the net. These goalies are definitely the exception, but most goalies especially now that I see and play against are tall and athletic, which is making the game harder for shooters to score.
ReplyDeleteRyan Viselli