Goalie masks aren't designed to absorb impact from the back of the mask. I'm not a goalie, but I imagine getting a puck to those angles feels much worse and is more dangerous than a direct shot.

Concussion Wrister

In Australia we lost a cricketer who was hit by the ball to the back of the head. The hit dropped him and he passed away. Batting helmets have since been modified. The head needs to be protected. If it becomes a target then the rules need to change before you lose a goalie

I’m an old goalie, so admittedly biased, but if it’s done like this on purpose then I suggest banking my goal stick off the next available opponent’s balls. Is that wrong.

As a goalie.. it's definitely annoying. I actually think it's worse off my back shoulder, which has little to no protection. That actually hurts.

"The Facial" 💀

Skully.

It's a thing for now. Goalies adjust just as players do. You'll see a lot of goalies start to put their head against the post or just better positioning/posture so they aren't caught leaning with their head out. I had 2 goals off my mask in a tournament last summer. One that was very much like the marchenko goal and I asked my team how the heck did he bank it like that because there must have been like 2 inches between the post and my mask and they said "it just found a way in there after it hit, but there really wasn't a lot of room." I've been a lot more "aware" in situations like that where I'm just peeking around the post. I caught one guy looking at my head when he was looking at a centering pass from the corner and I turtled my head in my shell. He would have missed anyway since he hit the side of the net lol!

As a goalie, the only problem I have with that is if they accidently hit you behind the mask where you have a lot less protection. Otherwise it's still a sick move to see guys try

We all know the “face off”, now get ready for the “off face”

Bro you got it at the end of the video… “The Cheeky”

As a goalie myself(I’m kinda ass) It’s scary when someone winds up for a slap shot and I play like u15. Can’t imagine getting an nhl shot on me. But the mask ones hurt a lot sometimes. You hear a ding sound for like 10 min after using the bucket. Also your neck is very exposed and if the shooter shoots a little low………. Goalie could be dead 💀:/

i think until the defending teams start fighting over it then it will keep happening

Glad someone made a video about it, because I'm sure if players start trying it often enough, it will become a topic of discussion. It would seem strange to prevent certain shot opportunities but the NHL is not above defining no-go zones, see the trapezoid. In fact, the trapezoid could be used here for a rule, no shots from behind the goal line outside the trapezoid. Bank shots could still occur within the trapezoid, but you can assume that when so close, the shot doesn't have to be as hard. From the corner, you gotta give it a little mustard to make it work. The only reason this is particularly dangerous is because not only is it aiming for the mask, it's sometimes the back, which offers very little protection on an even more vulnerable part of the skull. I don't think the NHL will give this a thought until a goalie gets injured off one of these and the players union starts making noise.

The Cheevers - Gerry Cheevers of Boston Bruins Fame used to put stitches on his mask where he was hit with the puck. If you Google his mask you'll get see the art work. It was his way of saying without the mask it would have been stitches. Banking it in from in close isn't a big deal, but ripping it from the corner is definitely disrespectful!

As a fellow goalie, if someone purposely hits me in the dome, they get the Billy Smith experience

The side of the mask is flat so all the force goes into your head. Shots of the side hurt way worse than any head on. Also it’s a technique thing. If you notice in all examples the goalies are in the RVH and they’re hanging their head outside the net to watch the puck. Anytime the plays behind the net a bank shot is an option not just off the mask. The skates, gloves, pads, etc all can put the puck in. I think the next push in goaltending is to suck the head inside the post. That’s what I aim to do in my RVH. Looking under the armpit to track. Yes I know I’m not in the show, but it’s something I see that can work. It’s stuff I try to teach as a coach.

Goalie, here. Ironically, the only shots I felt way more discomfort to cupshots rather than headshots.

I was at the Ottawa-Florida game last night with my friends, and we didn’t even realize at first that the puck went in. We were saying to each other “how the hell was that a goal” until we saw the replay.

It's ridiculous, but I was imagining little nets mounted to the sides of the mask. About twice the width of a puck. Use a springy/flexible little frame so they will collapse if the goalie presses/swipes the side of the mask against the pipes. Play is dead the instant the puck gets caught in either "King Charles's ears" net.

Is this the end of RVH (Reverse Vertical Horizontal) style for goalies?

Remember Wendel Clarks slap shot that took CUGO'S Curtis Joseph's mask clean off????

If its causing concussions then they shouldn't be allowed to do it

This is the 2nd straight game that Sorokin has been hit in the mask from the goal line. I don’t if it’s a coincidence or on the scouting report after last year’s playoffs, but the blue jackets and hawks have both hit him there.

They should just make it a rule similar to kicking in pucks. If a puck accidentally hits the mask or bounces and hits the mask and goes in, fine. But if there’s deliberate effort (akin to a kicking motion when talking about kicked in goals) then it should simply be no good.

bro are you from hespeler?? - saw that picture grew up there

Ugggggghhhh my memory is horrible. So here's what I wrote. "After the Clint Malarchuk skate-to-jugular injury, his first game back was against Ottawa, and it was not all that long after the injury. That whole night, Ottawa was shooting head high at Malarchuk. Very cheap." Then sylvainguenette correctly nailed me for my poor memory. Malarchuk's return was a five minute stint against Quebec, last game of that season, and he only faced 1 shot. So, I can't tell you what I'm remembering, maybe a preseason game the following year, maybe an early regular season game the following year....I just remember watching him against a team - a Canadian team, I am certain of that much - firing away at him head high all night, and it was super-irritating.

The FaceOff. This video reminded me of an old 60's/70's Mad Magazine article, "The Lighter Side of Hockey". In a section about the positions, it describes the goalie as being heavily padded from head to toe, except for a 1.5 inch gap over the neck (this was before neck guards). Later it describes the object of the game "is to hit the goalie in the 1.5 inch gap over his neck".

Due to this development in strategy, will we see goalies go back to staying on their feet and hugging the post in those situations? It'd open up more chances for passes in front, but you've got to trust your teammates to cover those plays at some point, right?

Idk if you watched it back but the lundell goal went of his upper back/shoulder area. It didn’t go off the mask actually.

I'm a goalie, played for 30 years. I don't find it disrespectful at all. Hasek used his helmet all the time. It's a part if your body, use it to stop shots!

Let's just hope they don't treat it like the NFL would: make it illegal without any defined parameters, resulting in confusion, frustration, and inconsistent penalty calls and fines which fuel suspicion of rigging games to appease the gambling gods.

If this was the NFL, shooting at the goalie mask from behind the goal line would be banned this offseason 😂

Im not a goalie but could a change in goaltending tactics eliminate this problem? If they were standing in these situations for instance

I don't know what I'd go against those kind of shot with a puck, but at Dek Hockey, when I see a ball shot that's aiming at my helmet, I face it to push it foward so it has less chance to redirect. I've never been dizzied from such a shot yet, but I doubt I could say the same if that'd be a high velocity puck instead...

In the clips how many times is the goalies head below the crossbar? Oh yeah all of them. Fair game as far as I’m concerned

When the goalie drops to his knees it opens the top part of the net. The players are looking for an opening to put the puck. The play would not work if the goalie was on his feet.

"Bank shot" can apply to a puck banked off of any part of any player. I remember a few years ago, there were several goals in just a few games where Red Wing Justin Abdelkader established position in front of the net, and his teammate Pavel Datsuyk shot a puck that bounced off of him and into the net. Abdelkader said that he didn't mínd, especially as he got credit for the resulting "Bank shot" goals. I agree that we need a new name specifically for bank shots which bank in off of the goalie's helmet, as opposed to bank shots which bank off of a different part of the goalie or a different player.

This is due to the fact goalies now are taught to do low post seals instead of standing on the post like the old days. This is the pressure on the players to increase scoring so they are taking advantage of that open space that’s available with the goalie down. Blame Bettman not the players!!!

The jaw breaker. With TV replays they could make these shots not count from behind the ext. goal line towards the head. Players can make Michigan's right to the head as well and then it's not only a puck but a high stick as well to the head.

Shout out to Kirill for his 21st goal of the season; back to back 20 goal campaigns and it's only his second year in the show!

My coach growing up told us that the first 10 shots of the game needs to be at the goalie's head to rattle him... so yeah, sometimes it's very much on purpose.

When I played we called any shot that hit the goal mask a “Kiss - The Snipers or Shooters Kiss (coaches name for it)”. I’d suggest redesign the side of the goal mask. Add more impact foam and wing extensions, like different depth double or triple winglets. This way the side of the mask is no longer flat.

I like it, so creative. Lots of different names maybe Grill Goal could work.

Yeah, here’s a name for it: 99% accuracy, 1% skill, 100% desperation, 0 confidence in your team strategy.

All FPS Snipers relish the 'Headshot' which is the literal definition of what this goal scoring technique is.

It should be called "Giving the goalie a Headie" ..

Eetus goal was off the back of korpisalo

I mean, I was a goalie when i was younger, I'd take sticks, boddies, pucks, a ref not paying attention, and a lawn chair one time playing street hockey, all off the noodle and I can say ot sucked, now I'm 90% sure the design and safety things that go into a goalie mask has changed over the past 15 or so years, but it may look like more work may come for the mask to further reduce possible injury if these shots persist. Anyway keep your stick on the ice and lawn chairs on the lawn!

Dylan Larkin Special is what I was calling it since I mostly see him do it.

been calling it the "Buff Bank" ever since Byfuglien did it

First player I remember doing this was Sid

Really a tough call on what to do about it. In the end I think there’s only one real answer. You have to allow it and the equipment has to get better, goalies have to adjust, and teammates need to show it isn’t tolerated to target a goalie’s head. But it can’t be banned. Shooting for the corners or over the shoulder are legitimate shots. If you ban targeting the goaltender’s head, it introduces a “did he mean to do it” argument into the goal. Maybe he missed his target and it hit the head. Maybe he was aiming for the head. How can you enforce that? In the end, the shot has to be allowed. Wrist shot/snap shot only. Banning it eliminates an entire area of the net that shooters should be allowed to aim for. And it eliminates the penalty for a goalie with bad form who allows too much of a gap near the head. Improve equipment. Improve goaltender technique. Drop the gloves if the opponent is targeting your goalie’s head. It takes a great amount of skill to nail that shot anyway. Let em play.

It seems to me that people are not discussing the actual change in goaltending which has enabled the head deflection tactic to work in the first place. The fact is that Goalies are now playing the game mostly on their knees! When goalies were standing up, which is how it was for most of the history of the game, you could not use this tactic since the Goalie's head would be way over the height of the crossbar. Now their head is under the crossbar so the players can shoot for that target. In addition, every player knows that to score you need to shoot high, so players are aiming high on every shot. If a Goalie is on his knees, he will find it difficult to reach the higher shots. This is also why goalies are struck more often in the head even when players are not aiming for that particular area. If you want to cut down on Goalie frontal head shots and head deflection shots, then have the goalies play stand up hockey. If that technique was good enough for Sawchuk and Brodeur to acquire over 100 shutouts, then it is good enough for any Goalie.

If it had started in Quebec, we could have called it the French kiss.

If this kind of thing blows up, I worry that it could become a coaches challenge situation where if it’s deemed intentional it could be waived off. Idk. Hopefully not.

“Jaw-down”. Jack Hughes went jaw down from behind the net

In box Lacrosse anyways it’s an immediate whistle… but I dont believe the goal would be disallowed

It used to be called a beating on your next shift.

noggin bonk-in

I think the goalies will need to adjust the design of their helmets to deflect pucks forward or out when hit from side or back. This would likely also create more protection on the sides… weight and comfort would likely be biggest obstacle

That is direct result of overusing RVH from goalies, will be interesting to see their counter to this headshot 😅

The Mickey Rourke (Rourken/rourked) The Meat Loaf (Loafin/ loafed)

Bank deposit. Put that one in your confidence bank - it’s gonna last FOREVAH.

stand uo like the old days!

Time to redesign the goalie mask. I bet I could do it myself . . . but no one ever calls me.

International hockey the play is called dead if the puck hits the goalies mask. That would be how to end this but not sure we want to adopt that rule.

Look up Bobby Schmautz, he used to shoot his first shot of every game right at the mask to rattle the goalie

This looks dangerous to the point where if it's on the rise, I can see the NHL instituting a new rule over it.

I am a goalie and I believe that these types of plays in the NHL are great. I work on it as a 16 yr old to keep my head up and connected to the post and NHL goalies have been slacking on the sort, these shots are 100% savable but goalies just got to be more aware of it now. and no these shots won't hurt, side has less protection but still is. However if they start shooting at the back plate thats a different story, no padding and very susceptible to injury

Not sure about any restrictions on the design/dimensions of a goalie mask but perhaps the rules could change a bit. As for the name of the shot, what the heck, how about. . . . FaceTime, or is that one already taken? 😁

I love cheeky stuff like this, this is how sports evolve, someone finds an exploit, and soon there are counters, its like evolution in nature - beautiful!

NHL can change this buy approving a rule that disallows a goal if it is a deflection off the goalies mask due to player safety

Holy crap! Watching this video and Dallas just did this to VGK! 2:08 left in the first, game 4.

Jack Hughes Special? Conner has been doing it for years

It hit Korpi's name plate, not his mask

The goalies are trained nowadays to put themselves in that position; I cringe whenever I see any goal scored below the face-off dot, because all a goalie has to do is just narrow their stance and stand next to your post to cover the entire net from that angle. Goalie coaches need to re-think this strategy; I 've seen so many bad, 100% preventable goals scored like this; Even a 5'6" goalie can stop any shots below the face-off dots by just standing there.

Goalie clinic always pointed out in my rvh to keek your chest up and take as much net (like connor hellebuyck in last clip) if they commit to the shot gotta tuck your head in so they cant bank it off you. These are professional goalies compared to my minor hockey days, im not trying to be ill tongued, I think the goalies may be getting a little lazy and to concerd abt the pass. These goalies are 6'2"+ and half the net is exposed on those angles

Helmet companies should start designing anti bank shot helmets. I'm pretty sure the league doesn't have a rule in place that regulates the helmets shape/dimensions... yet

We can call a clapper off the chin "sweet chin music"

Funnily enough I tried banking a puck off the opposing goalies mask in my last beer league game. Puck flew past the mask and decked the defenseman behind the Goalie right in the face. 😅

Earplug

The goalie helmet needs reinforcement ✔️

Has one already - #RVHFail.... No post seal. As a professional coach, this is simply poor execution of the RVH. It's not disrespectful, it's giving the best players in the world an inch, and they will take it everyday.

I mean I got an idea goalies need to stop leaning their heads 1 foot out of the net and leaving a space open there. Put your head back against the post and you’re good

Back in my day, they called that the "nackle-thrasher"

This is simply an adaptation/evolution of techniques through cycles of players/coaching. Go back 20-30 years and goalies used to stand on the post to block the net off. This made the backdoor play more and more viable. Players adapted to not being able to bank in shots by utilizing the backdoor play. This in turn, lead goalies and their coaches to start planning for it by spending more effort on cutting off the through-the-crease pass. The backdoor play has become so common, that now goalies have gone so far over the edge to try and stop it that they are no longer hugging the posts properly to try and cutoff the backdoor. If this becomes a trend, the better goalies and coaches will adapt and start cutting it off. To me, it seems like backdoor goals are much more common so I don't see this play going away any time soon. In terms of injury to the goalies, only a shot directly to the back plate with some force would cause real issue. In the case of the goal on Korpisalo, it was actually banked in off of his back, not his helmet. And in terms of rules, you absolutely cannot make a play to intentionally cause harm to a player, even if trying to score (this is a large reason why high-stick goals are disallowed). If a player took a slapshot from behind the goal line to the helmet of a goalie, first of all, he would probably be pounded into unconsciousness by the other team but he would likely also be suspended for intentionally trying to hurt them.

"Rubber Kiss" or "Pucker Punch" 😂 Or like a sniper "Deadshot"

Back in my day we called those a "nackle-thrasher"

someone already said it but i think you named it yourself at the end. "The Cheeky". but imagine trying this on a goalie like Hextall, he'd be on you in seconds.

never understood why the play isn't whistled dead when the goalie is hit in the helmet

Great Analysis, I like, 'THE FACIAL', for it, lol

I’d say there should be a rule against intensional bank shots off of the goalie’s face mask. Any other bank should be fair game.

i mean that’s how the canes won the first round overtime goal off the back of sorokin

Call it the "Ulf Samuelsson" just for it's disrespect, because hell even Gordy Howe only had 2 Gordy Howe hat tricks in his whole career.

Let me just be clear; us goalies can just lean on the post with our heads!

Goalies used to stand and hug the posts, no one says they have to play low, they are playing percentages, as more players use the bank shots maybe they will stand up again.

Honestly I wanna see goalie masks evolve to a point where the goalies just embrace header saves now Until then, let's call it the Doorbell

The Byfuglien one is from several years ago. Thus trying to say this is a recent thing is wrong.

You can add a rule if you want to get rid of it.