NHL goaltenders talk game-day chatter - BERITAJA

Logan Thompson stepped disconnected the crystal and headed up the passageway earlier turning left.

The Washington Capitals goaltender made a speedy correct into the visitors’ locker room astatine Scotiabank Arena successful Toronto earlier sitting down astatine his stall up of that night’s game.

When a mates of reporters pivoted successful his guidance — signaling devices, microphones and cameras successful manus — Thompson was happy to reply a mates of questions aft peeling disconnected a fewer pieces of equipment.

That’s acold from the norm.

While there’s nary charismatic NHL policy, the immense mostly of teams don’t make their netminders disposable to media successful the hours earlier games.

The puck-stoppers will usually trudge disconnected the ice, backs to immoderate property interlopers successful their sphere — a personnel of a club’s communications unit mightiness linger adjacent to guarantee the cone of soundlessness is maintained — earlier shuffling into different portion of the locker room distant from prying eyes.

“You don’t want immoderate negativity about you,” Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck explained. “You don’t request that creeping into your game. You don’t want to overthink things. You conscionable want to spell and play. I consciousness for illustration talking excessively overmuch builds random accent levels, random expectations for a crippled that conscionable aren’t necessary.

“Staying retired of that keeps maine free, keeps my mind relaxed.”

Elvis Merzlikins of the Columbus Blue Jackets said goalies are “living successful their ain world” earlier suiting up.

“You want to conscionable beryllium near alone,” said the netminder. “You don’t moreover pass truthful overmuch pinch teammates. We are conscionable focusing, reasoning what you request to do. Prepare your gear, hole each things for the game, and past aft the game, you could really talk.”

Teams successful Canadian markets and larger U.S. centres thin to support goalies disconnected limits.

The Edmonton Oilers are an outlier. Their netminders are sometimes disposable successful the morning, but not always. Stuart Skinner, who was traded earlier this season, came up done the statement and was comfortable successful those situations, including the pressure-packed Stanley Cup final.

Thompson, meanwhile, followed the crowd and didn’t talk earlier games erstwhile he first entered the league.

“I utilized to beryllium beautiful superstitious,” he said. “But now thing really matters until (puck drop). This isn’t going to get successful my head, whether I talk to the media aliases not.”

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, pinch only a fistful of reporters pursuing his squad connected a regular basis, besides has nary rumor chatting successful the morning.

“It’s usually for illustration 10 minutes,” he said. “Doesn’t really bug maine much.”

Oettinger, however, added that if he faced what bully friend and Maple Leafs counterpart Joseph Woll does successful Toronto, that tune mightiness change.

“I don’t blasted him for taking a break,” he said.

Goaltenders mostly not talking connected crippled days has been about for a while, but it wasn’t ever the case.

Martin Brodeur, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and the NHL’s all-time wins leader, utilized to famously clasp tribunal astatine his locker aft greeting skates.

But Patrick Roy, who had a akin resume, preferred to support quiet.

“I liked to beryllium focused connected my games,” he said. “I didn’t consciousness for illustration I needed to talk successful the morning. I’d alternatively talk aft games. It’s conscionable about the attraction and making judge you’re fresh for your game. That’s all.”

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros was unaware that not speaking aft a greeting skate was an action erstwhile he sewage to the league.

“I didn’t really cognize immoderate better,” he said. “I was conscionable good pinch it.”

Maple Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson doesn’t person an rumor pinch players and coaches having to reply questions successful the greeting while goalies enactment silent.

“Different position, they hole a small spot different,” he said. “It comes down to being the champion type of yourself.”

Thompson, meanwhile, was playfully asked astatine the extremity of his scrum successful Toronto past week if he would stock his views connected pre-game banter pinch different goaltenders.

“I’ll fto them know,” he said pinch a smile. “But everyone’s different, right? I consciousness for illustration I utilized to beryllium really uptight, and I consciousness for illustration I’m having much fun.

“You play amended erstwhile you’re much relaxed.”

EXTRA WORK

The Los Angeles Kings mislaid 4-3 successful overtime to the Vancouver Canucks connected Tuesday — an NHL-record 33rd clip the nine has played beyond 60 minutes this play — pinch 1 day near connected the schedule Thursday.

Playoff-bound L.A. has won conscionable 22 of 81 contests successful regulation, and has dropped 20 games that person gone to OT aliases a shootout.

Thompson’s Capitals, meanwhile, vanished pinch 37 regularisation victories and will miss the post-season.

BOWNESS ERUPTS

Blue Jackets interim caput coach Rick Bowness exploded pursuing Tuesday’s 2-1 nonaccomplishment to the Capitals, a disappointing consequence that came aft the squad had been eliminated from playoff contention and capped a 2-8-1 agelong to adjacent retired the schedule.

“All you gotta do is look astatine the stats … 3 hits, 23 giveaways,” said the affectional chair boss. “I don’t cognize if I’m backmost (next season), but if I’m back, I’m changing this culture. These guys, they don’t care.

“Losing is not important capable to them. It doesn’t fuss them.”

This study by BERITAJA was first published April 15, 2026.