nivek_wahs
11-08-2006, 06:19 AM
Former WHL star Corey Hirsch.
Schooling for goalies (http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=1605537a-5c02-4b8c-b9e4-4c7398f0190e) I don't know how long the link will stay valid so I posted the article...
Schooling for goalies
Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Corey Hirsch is taking the Regina Pats to school.
The veteran puckstopper has been added to Regina's coaching staff as a part-time tutor for second-year goalies Linden Rowat and Tommy Tartaglione. Hirsch will spend this week practising with the team and is slated to return periodically during the season as needed -- and when his schedule permits.
"Basically I'm a consultant," he said following Tuesday's practice at the Brandt Centre. "I'm just here to help out and give the coaching staff some drills and maybe a little insight into goaltending."
Hirsch brings instant credibility to his role as a goalie coach. The former Kamloops Blazers star recently completed a 14-year pro career which included three seasons with the NHL's Vancouver Canucks. The Medicine Hat native is best known for backstopping Canada to a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics.
The 34-year-old is now employed by Hockey Canada and will be doing some work next month with the national junior team. It was during Canada's summer development camp that he met Pats head coach Curtis Hunt, who suggested an expanded collaboration.
"Seeing how he worked and his analogies, I felt very comfortable with him," said Hunt, an assistant coach with the Canadian squad. "It's just nice to have a third set of eyes focused on (the goaltenders) solely. They're such a huge part of your team's success. Just having him with us for practice allows him to stay on the goaltenders and stress the good habits."
Hirsch's instruction is also benefiting Hunt and assistant Terry Perkins.
"He does as much teaching to Terry and I as he does for our goaltenders," added the head coach. "We can recognize the big flaws or errors in our goaltenders. Where Corey comes in is the little intricacies about preparation, understanding the feeling of being in front of a big crowd or a noisy crowd, and eliminating little holes in their game that an untrained eye (doesn't see). He has only been here two days but already he can see some little things that we wouldn't notice on a daily basis."
Hirsch is conducting goalie-specific workouts every morning this week as well as joining the team for its daily afternoon practices. When he's unable to be here in person, Hirsch plans to keep tabs on the goalies by reviewing their games and also by making himself available via telephone.
"It's great to have another goalie to talk to, who really knows what he's doing," offered Rowat, adding that he "already sees improvement" after just two sessions with Hirsch.
"Non-goalie coaches like Curtis and Terry, they give you tips on shooters and little hints, but a guy like Corey, he fine-tunes your game. When you're in those parts of the season where you're kind of on a down side, he's going to be there to help you with mental preparation -- staying focused and positive to get you through those tough times."
Regina didn't employ a specialized goalie coach for several years due to the presence of assistant Chad Mercier, an ex-WHL netminder. When Mercier departed two seasons ago, the Pats hired local product Craig Lumbard, but he was unable to rejoin the team this season due to personal commitments.
Losing such a vital resource was potentially damaging for Rowat and Tartaglione, both of whom are relatively inexperienced at the WHL level. Rowat is in his first season as a starter.
"They're a lot different (in their styles)," Hirsch said of the Pats' goalies. "I've watched pretty much all their games on Web cam so I kind of knew what to expect, which is fantastic because you're not coming in blind. That way, when you get in here, you really start to see some tendencies. I think they're both good goalies; they just need some fine-tuning to get them going in the right direction.
"I'm not here to make big changes, just little ones."
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2006
Schooling for goalies (http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=1605537a-5c02-4b8c-b9e4-4c7398f0190e) I don't know how long the link will stay valid so I posted the article...
Schooling for goalies
Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Corey Hirsch is taking the Regina Pats to school.
The veteran puckstopper has been added to Regina's coaching staff as a part-time tutor for second-year goalies Linden Rowat and Tommy Tartaglione. Hirsch will spend this week practising with the team and is slated to return periodically during the season as needed -- and when his schedule permits.
"Basically I'm a consultant," he said following Tuesday's practice at the Brandt Centre. "I'm just here to help out and give the coaching staff some drills and maybe a little insight into goaltending."
Hirsch brings instant credibility to his role as a goalie coach. The former Kamloops Blazers star recently completed a 14-year pro career which included three seasons with the NHL's Vancouver Canucks. The Medicine Hat native is best known for backstopping Canada to a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics.
The 34-year-old is now employed by Hockey Canada and will be doing some work next month with the national junior team. It was during Canada's summer development camp that he met Pats head coach Curtis Hunt, who suggested an expanded collaboration.
"Seeing how he worked and his analogies, I felt very comfortable with him," said Hunt, an assistant coach with the Canadian squad. "It's just nice to have a third set of eyes focused on (the goaltenders) solely. They're such a huge part of your team's success. Just having him with us for practice allows him to stay on the goaltenders and stress the good habits."
Hirsch's instruction is also benefiting Hunt and assistant Terry Perkins.
"He does as much teaching to Terry and I as he does for our goaltenders," added the head coach. "We can recognize the big flaws or errors in our goaltenders. Where Corey comes in is the little intricacies about preparation, understanding the feeling of being in front of a big crowd or a noisy crowd, and eliminating little holes in their game that an untrained eye (doesn't see). He has only been here two days but already he can see some little things that we wouldn't notice on a daily basis."
Hirsch is conducting goalie-specific workouts every morning this week as well as joining the team for its daily afternoon practices. When he's unable to be here in person, Hirsch plans to keep tabs on the goalies by reviewing their games and also by making himself available via telephone.
"It's great to have another goalie to talk to, who really knows what he's doing," offered Rowat, adding that he "already sees improvement" after just two sessions with Hirsch.
"Non-goalie coaches like Curtis and Terry, they give you tips on shooters and little hints, but a guy like Corey, he fine-tunes your game. When you're in those parts of the season where you're kind of on a down side, he's going to be there to help you with mental preparation -- staying focused and positive to get you through those tough times."
Regina didn't employ a specialized goalie coach for several years due to the presence of assistant Chad Mercier, an ex-WHL netminder. When Mercier departed two seasons ago, the Pats hired local product Craig Lumbard, but he was unable to rejoin the team this season due to personal commitments.
Losing such a vital resource was potentially damaging for Rowat and Tartaglione, both of whom are relatively inexperienced at the WHL level. Rowat is in his first season as a starter.
"They're a lot different (in their styles)," Hirsch said of the Pats' goalies. "I've watched pretty much all their games on Web cam so I kind of knew what to expect, which is fantastic because you're not coming in blind. That way, when you get in here, you really start to see some tendencies. I think they're both good goalies; they just need some fine-tuning to get them going in the right direction.
"I'm not here to make big changes, just little ones."
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2006