The Goalie Guild’s seventh podcast is now available for download! Justin and Todd quickly previewed the Stanley Cup Finals between Boston and Chicago, and then dove right into the great CHL Euro goalie ban debate. Missed an episode? Click here!

Hosted by Todd Lewis from Hockey Unfiltered on NHL Network Radio, episode #007 focuses on the decision by the Canadian Hockey League to ban European goalies from being important starting next season. CHL teams will be able to draft European goalies in the first round this summer, but starting in 2014, no Euro goalies will be eligible in the draft. Click the podcast icon below to download the MP3, or click above for the direct stream.

We kicked off the podcast by first discussing the goaltending matchup between Corey Crawford and Tuukka Rask heading into Game 1 the Stanley Cup Finals. There’s not only a great contrasting in styles, but it fuels the fire of the CHL Euro Goalie ban since we’ll be seeing a QMJHL product and Canadian-born goalie (Crawford) battle a true, raw-skilled Finnish goalie (Rask). Which style do you think is more effective? Which goalie has an edge? Their numbers to this point are neck-and-neck, so it could go either way in what will be a classic “Original Six” matchup.

From there, we jump right into the CHL Euro goalie ban debate. Like you would expect, this decision did not sit well with Todd or Justin. What could be considered a “knee-jerk” reaction, this decision has a number of potential negatives that could open up a Pandora’s Box for Canadian goalies. As Goldman also points out, if Euro goalies are banned, how many of the opened spots for next season will end up being filled by American goalies?

There’s also the aspect of development beyond the goaltenders. What does this decision mean for the forwards and defensemen in the league? What will it mean for their long-term development if they are no longer facing the best of the best in goal? And what about the positive impact European goalies could have on Canadian goalies? Is there something to be learned by having a counterpart or teammate that’s European?

Ultimately, Goldman and Lewis come to the conclusion that the issue is not necessarily with the amount of spots taken by European goalies or the number of games they are playing, but how goalies in Canada are being developed at a younger age. Maybe, just maybe, we should be asking the question of why European goalies are having so much success when they head overseas.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@ToddLewisSports and @TheGoalieGuild) and feel free to send us any of your goalie questions for future podcasts. Thanks to everyone who is downloading the show, and feel free to leave feedback or comments below. Enjoy this episode and have a good rest of the week!

The Goalie Guild proudly sponsors The Pipeline Show on a monthly basis through the School of Block, which airs every other Saturday at 1:20pm EST. During this segment, Goldman focuses on some of the top goalie prospects in the world. Be sure to check out Guy Flaming and Dean Millard twice a week on TEAM 1260 in Edmonton for the best prospects radio show in North America!

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The Goalie Guild’s sixth podcast is now available for download! Justin and Todd caught up on some of the top goalie story lines in Round 2, which continues tonight with Game 4 between the Sens and the Pens!

Hosted by Todd Lewis from Hockey Unfiltered on NHL Network Radio, episode #6 focuses on Jonathan Quick and his emotional outburst at the end of Game 3, the stellar play of Tuukka Rask in the series against New York, plus the play of Tomas Vokoun. Click the podcast icon below to download the MP3, or click above for the direct stream.
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The Goalie Guild proudly sponsors The Pipeline Show on a monthly basis through the School of Block, which airs every other Saturday at 1:20pm EST. During this segment, Goldman focuses on some of the top goalie prospects in the world. Be sure to check out Guy Flaming and Dean Millard twice a week on TEAM 1260 in Edmonton for the best prospects radio show in North America!

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The Goalie Guild’s fifth podcast is now available for download! Justin and Todd found time to chat about goalies in the small window of time between the end of Round 1 and the start of Round 2, which kicks off tonight with the Sens and the Pens!

Hosted by Todd Lewis from Hockey Unfiltered on NHL Network Radio, episode #5 focuses on James Reimer’s performance in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, plus a look at the goalie matchups in Round 2. Click the podcast icon below to download the MP3, or click above for the direct stream. You can also listen to Justin and Todd on the latest episode of Hockey Unfiltered, as Justin was a guest over the weekend.

We kicked off the podcast by discussing the amazing finish to Game 7 of the Leafs-Bruins series. It’s the heartbreaker of all hearbreakers for Leafs fans, but once you look past the devastating loss, you have to admire the improvement James Reimer made over the course of the season. As Goldman points out, tough losses develop tough skin, and while the sting from the loss is still lingering, he’s a better goalie because of it.

Next we discussed Braden Holtby’s solid play in the series loss to New York. Even though Game 7 was a big letdown, overall, he was solid and pushed the Rangers to the brink. Like Reimer, Holtby has also improved in many areas of his game, something that bodes well for the Caps moving forward.

From there we jumped around to the Eastern Conference Semifinals series. We started with Pittsburgh and Ottawa, where the discussion focused on Tomas Vokoun and Marc-Andre Fleury. Justin likes the decision to go with Vokoun in Game 1, but Todd seems to be unsure of how long Vokoun can go before he loses a game and Fleury gets back in the net.

Then we looked at what the Bruins would need to accomplish in order to have success against the Rangers. Justin points to Boston’s banged-up blueline for offensive support, but will that be enough for them to dethrone Henrik Lundqvist? Probably not.

Finally, we jump over to the Western Conference and discuss just how good Jimmy Howard will have to be in order to give the Red Wings a chance to beat Chicago. Then we close by discussing the differences between Antti Niemi and Jonathan Quick, but how both goalies are at the top of their game at the right time.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@ToddLewisSports and @TheGoalieGuild) and feel free to send us any of your goalie questions for future podcasts. Thanks to everyone who is downloading the show, and feel free to leave feedback or comments below. Enjoy this episode and have a good weekend!

The Goalie Guild’s fourth podcast is now available for download! Justin’s voice is finally back to normal after he lost it during the Quest for the Crown charity adult hockey tournament, so this is the first podcast since the end of the regular season.

Hosted by Todd Lewis from Hockey Unfiltered on NHL Network Radio, episode #4 focuses on a handful of goalies in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Click the podcast icon below to download the MP3, or click above for the direct stream!

We kicked off the podcast by discussing the tremendous play of Antti Niemi, who is likely one of the three Vezina Trophy finalists. He has picked up right where he left off in the regular season, and that has helped to put the Canucks in a 3-0 hole. We also briefly touched on the Canucks goalie conundrum, as we both agree the Roberto Luongo deserves to be the starter in Game 4.

Next we discussed the Minnesota-Chicago series, and the tremendous play of Josh Harding, who was tossed into the fire in Game 1 when Niklas Backstrom was injured in warmups. It’s a great story of being mentally prepared for the unknown, and his play is inspiring a legion of young and old goalies across the globe.

We also give our fair share of love to Corey Crawford, who faced a ton of pressure heading into the series due to the fact Chicago was such an offensively dominant team. Their only question mark was focused on goal, but so far, he has answered the critics with a 1.81 GAA and .935 SV% in three games.

Then we discussed the dramatic Montreal-Ottawa series, which has everyone talking. Craig Anderson hasn’t missed a beat since returning from his ankle injury, which has put all of the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Carey Price. How Montreal’s goaltender responds after getting beat down by the Senators in Game 3 will be the main storyline heading into Tuesday’s playoff action.

Last but certainly not least, we look back at some of the best goalie fights in NHL history and choose our ideal tandem (past or current) if we could see one more goalie fight. Who would you choose?

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@ToddLewisSports and @TheGoalieGuild) and feel free to send us any of your goalie questions for future podcasts. Thanks to everyone who is downloading the show, and feel free to leave feedback or comments below. Enjoy this episode and have a good weekend!

The Goalie Guild proudly sponsors The Pipeline Show on a monthly basis through the School of Block, which airs every other Saturday at 1:20pm EST. During this segment, Goldman focuses on some of the top goalie prospects in the world. Be sure to check out Guy Flaming and Dean Millard twice a week on TEAM 1260 in Edmonton for the best prospects radio show in North America!

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The Goalie Guild’s third podcast is now available for download! We’ve solved the final audio issue — both Justin and Todd can be heard through the same two channels. Next up — getting it added to iTunes. We’re glad you enjoy the content and the dialogue, so we’ll start that submission process shortly.

Hosted by Todd Lewis from Hockey Unfiltered on NHL Network Radio, episode #3 focused on the race for the Vezina Trophy. Click the podcast icon below to download the MP3, or click above for the direct stream!

We spent this week’s entire podcast discussing the three projected Vezina Trophy finalists, as adjudged by Goldman in his weekly article for NHL Fantasy: Sergei Bobrovsky, Antti Niemi, and Craig Anderson. Who do you feel is the most deserving of the Trophy?

Remember, the Vezina Trophy is voted on to determine the NHL goaltender “adjudged to be the best at this position,” which means it may not be about who puts his team into the playoffs, but who is the most talented. In that regard, how much does experience play in determining the goalie that is the best at his position? Does Niemi gain an edge due to his consistency and experience, or does that belong to the King, Henrik Lundqvist?

We also close up shop discussing the terrific tandem in Chicago, and how Corey Crawford is well-rested heading into the playoffs, while Ray Emery is now dealing with a potential lower-body injury. You could also make an argument for both of those guys as potential Vezina Trophy finalists, making the race even more exciting heading down the final stretch of the regular season.

Since Justin will be in Colorado next week running Quest for the Crown VI charity hockey tournament, our next podcast will be posted on the following Tuesday, as we preview the goalie matchups in the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs!

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@ToddLewisSports and @TheGoalieGuild) and feel free to send us any of your goalie questions for future podcasts. Thanks to everyone who is tuning in to our podcasts, and feel free to leave feedback or comments below. Enjoy this episode and have a good weekend!

The Goalie Guild’s second podcast is now available! We’ve definitely improved some of the minor glitches and audio levels from the first recording, so we’re excited to keep moving forward with our newest project!

Hosted by Todd Lewis from Hockey Unfiltered on NHL Network Radio, episode #002 focused on Jimmy Howard, J-S Giguere and the importance of quality backups, and the curse of Ilya Bryzgalov. Click the podcast icon below to download the MP3, or click above for the direct stream!

We kicked off this podcast by discussing Howard’s new six-year contract, which is ironic considering one of last week’s topic was the danger of long-term deals for goalies. But even without the same strong blueline in front of him, Howard has proven he can still win some big games for the Red Wings.

Then we shifted gears and discussed the presence and leadership traits of J-S Giguere, who recently made headlines after some candid remarks to a few members of the press following a weak loss. Giguere has seen it all in his career, so we both had some respect for Giguere’s ability to vocalize some things and get his team working harder.

That led us to discuss the importance of backup goaltenders, and how crucial their performances would be down the stretch in this condensed season. Michal Neuvirth, Richard Bachman, and Brian Elliott are just a few of the goalies being asked to win big games for playoff-bubble teams.

Finally, we couldn’t avoid the silly drama surrounding Ilya Bryzgalov and the Flyers. From possibly falling asleep during a team meeting to telling reporters he doesn’t care if he’s bought out, there’s never a dull moment when Bryzgalov is the topic. We also discussed some of Philly’s recent issues when it comes to goalie development.

As we continue to tweak things and make the listening experience better, be sure to follow us on Twitter (@ToddLewisSports and @TheGoalieGuild) and feel free to send us any of your goalie questions for future podcasts! Our plan is to do this at least once a week throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the summer, so we hope you’ll tune in and give us some feedback. Thanks for listening, and enjoy!

The Goalie Guild’s inaugural podcast is now available! We’ll be working on tweaking the audio levels in order to make sure things sound as clear as possible, but for this first dry run, we’re pretty excited with the results!

Hosted by Todd Lewis from Hockey Unfiltered on NHL Network Radio, our first episode focused on the goalie movement during the NHL Trade Deadline. Click the podcast icon below to download the MP3, or click above for the direct stream!

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