8 Strange Stories That Prove Hockey Goalies Are A Truly Different Breed

It takes a special kind of person to play hockey for a living thanks to the brutal nature of the game, but if you’re a fan of the sport, you likely know goalies have a reputation for being especially…out there.

Hockey goaltenders actually have a lot in common with kickers and punters in football; they’re relatively isolated from the rest of their teammates in practices and games, aren’t involved in a good chunk of plays, and tend to shoulder a large chunk of the blame even in situations where it’s not entirely fair to pin a loss on them.

Oh, and their job involves willingly standing in the direct path of a hard rubber puck that can reach speeds of more than 100 MPH, which isn’t for the faint of heart despite all of the equipment at their disposal.

I’m sure a psychologist could try to explain why goalies in the NHL and beyond are known for being headcases, and while I can’t offer a concrete explanation, I can share plenty of anecdotes that perfectly highlight that reality.

The strange stories and habits that prove hockey goalies are cut from a different cloth

Glenn Hall’s pregame routine

Glenn Hall was a netminder for the Blackhawks who played in the NHL between 1952 and 1971 and helped revolutionize the position with the “butterfly” stance he adopted to prevent other teams from scoring down low.

Goalies have always dealt with plenty of pressure, and Hall had trouble dealing with the anxiety that routinely reared its ugly head on game day (the fact that he played without a mask for the bulk of his career probably didn’t help calm his nerves).

That led to Hall adopting a strange pregame ritual, as he rarely skated out onto the ice until he’d made himself vomit before hitting the rink. a habit he attempted to explain by saying “I got to feeling I wasn’t giving everything I had if I didn’t.”

When you consider he posted a 407-326-162 record during a Hall of Fame playing career where he won a couple of Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and a trio of Vezinas, it seemed to work out pretty well for him.

Roman Cechmanek literally gets his head in the game

It’s kind of hard to believe guys like Hall willingly played without a mask back in the day, as most goalies that now wear a bucket try to avoid getting hit in the head by a puck thanks to the ear-ringing they’ll find themselves dealing with in the immediate aftermath.

However, Roman Cechmanek was not like most guys.

Cechmanek played the bulk of his pro career in his native Czech Republic, but he had brief stints with the Kings and Flyers in the early 2000s. During his time in Philadelphia, he earned a reputation for purposefully using his head to save the puck in the same way a soccer player would use theirs to redirect the ball, a habit that led to those stops being dubbed “cranium caroms” by fans.

Marc-Andre Fleury’s relationship with the goal posts

It’s kind of hard to blame goalies for talking to themselves when you consider they usually spent around half of the game waiting around for something to do, but Marc-Andre Fleury takes things to the next level.

There’s no sweeter sound to a goaltender’s ears than hearing the puck ring off of the pipe when they fail to stop a shot, and the veteran makes sure to go out of his way to thank the goal posts whenever they give him an assist.

You wouldn’t know it by watching that video, but the man who grew up around an hour north of Montreal also verbally thanks the posts in English and French. Why? Well, as he once explained, “I never know if the steel is from Quebec or the States. I would rather stay polite and not take any chances.”

It’s worth noting he’s not alone, as the legendary Patrick Roy admitted he routinely talked to the post during games.

Gary Smith’s socks

Gary Smith earned the nickname “Suitcase” thanks to how frequently he was traded, and he was arguably best known for forcing the NHL to update its rulebook to prevent goalies from skating past center ice thanks to his repeated attempts to become the first netminder in the league to be credited with a goal.

Smith stood at 6’4″ during his time in the NHL, which gave him a natural advantage in goal. However, the man who grew up playing hockey with Wayne Gretzky went out of his way to ensure he occupied as much space as possible

According to The Great One, Smith wore skates that were too big for his feet but compensated by wearing 13 pairs of socks. That’s a pretty wild strategy on its own, but one that gets even crazier when you consider he also changed them in between periods.

Dustin Tokarski bounces back from a pregame carjacking in a big way

This one is a bit different than the rest of the bunch, but I still feel like it’s worth mentioning.

Dustin Tokarski spent the bulk of his career in the AHL, which included a stint with the Syracuse Crunch in 2012. He was heading to a game in October when he was carjacked at knifepoint, and while he managed to make it to the arena shortly before the puck dropped, his coaches understandably told him to take the night off.

However, he was forced to take the ice after the Crunch’s starting goaltender was ejected for his involvement in a line brawl, and Tokarski entered the game in the second period with his team down 5-0. He managed to overcome any lingering nerves while not only recording a shutout but helping his team cap off an unlikely comeback en route to a 6-5 win in overtime.

Pelle Lindbergh’s lucky shirt

Pelle Lindbergh’s career was cut short when he crashed his car in a drunk driving accident that claimed his life eight games into a sophomore campaign that came after a stellar rookie season.

Prior to that point, the Swede had partially credited his success to the lucky orange shirt he wore under his jersey during games and was so intent on preserving its magic that he refused to wash it.

If you’ve ever gotten a whiff of a goalie’s equipment, I don’t have to tell you how bad things must have smelled.

Arturs Irbe’s sewing habit

Every NHL team has a squad of equipment managers whose job is to cater to all of their players’ needs, but Arturs Irbe was more content with taking matters into his own hands.

Irbe came from fairly humble beginnings in his native Latvia, and he opted to keep the gear he was already using when he made the leap to the NHL after joining the Sharks in the 1990s. He was also pretty particular about repairs, as he kept a sewing kit on him that he’d pull out while traveling and even during games if his pads needed to be fixed.

Basically everything about Gilles Gratton

I’ve saved the best for last.

Gratton earned the nickname “Gratoony the Loony” during his time in the NHL for reasons that will soon become evident.

His mask featured a picture of a lion (although he claimed it was actually a tiger), and he really committed to the bit by routinely hissing and growling at other players during games.

The devoted astrologist once refused to play a game because the moon wasn’t in the right position in the sky, and if you think that’s weird, you’ll love to know he also believed in reincarnation and was convinced he was a member of Spanish royalty in a former life who’d been destined to get pelted with pucks because his past self threw rocks at peasants for fun.

Whatever you say, Gilles. Whatever you say.