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Think You’re the Best Goalie at Camp? Read This.
The Best Goalies Never Assume...
Dr. Jamie Phillips
March 19, 2025
There’s an old poker saying:
“If you don’t know who the weakest player at the table is, it’s probably you.”
Brutal, right? But there’s a version of this that applies to goaltending:
If you think you’re the best goalie in the room, you’re probably not.
Here’s why.
The Best Goalies Stay Hungry
When I was coming up, I never once thought I was the best. Not in youth hockey, not in juniors, not even when I made it to the pros. And that was a good thing—it kept me hungry.
The goalies who truly make it never assume they’ve arrived. They:
✔️ Recognize weaknesses in their game.
✔️ Seek out coaching and feedback.
✔️ Push their limits, even when they’re winning.
The moment you think you’ve “made it” is the moment you stop improving.
The Danger of Overconfidence
I’ve seen it over and over again—goalies who dominate at one level, assume they’ve figured it all out, and then get exposed at the next.
Meanwhile, the ones who know they have work to do? They keep climbing.
Overconfidence kills progress. The goalies who go the furthest are the ones who stay brutally honest with themselves.
How to Apply This to Your Game
If you want to keep improving, here’s what you need to do:
✔️ Be brutally honest with yourself. Watch your game film. Find what needs work.
✔️ Seek feedback from coaches and teammates. The best goalies actively look for ways to get better.
✔️ Never get comfortable. The moment you think you’ve “figured it out” is the moment you stop developing.
Because the best goalies? They don’t sit around thinking they’re the best. They show up every day trying to be.
-Dr. Jamie