The Goalie Shortage of the NVSHL

With the recent launch of the Northern Virginia Street Hockey League, players are excited to kick off a great season of intense street hockey. There are somewhere around 12 players currently signed to a team, and 6 to 8 more looking to join the new expansion team that was announced this week. Despite this large amount of players, the NVSHL seems to be missing one key component of the game, the goaltender. It looks like nobody is interested in taking the large responsibility that comes playing that position, which is understandable. During last week's series, Jeremy Lunn suited up in goal for two games and played reasonably well. If he decides to stay there, he will become only the second full time goalie in the NVSHL, behind rising Quakers star Chris Vinh. Even so, there will still be a vacant spot for goaltender on the new proposed expansion franchise that will more than likely be filled at force, not by choice.

Hearing this information about the scarcity of goalies in the league might make you ask, "why does nobody want to play in goal?" The answer is simple: it's just not as fun. It is a fact that playing goaltender is definitely not as exciting as being out on the front lines of the offense attacking the other team, but it is a job that is absolutely necessary for the success of a hockey team. In addition to not seeing as much action, playing goal is also a very large responsibility for players to take on. You are held accountable for every goal that is scored on you, even if it wasn't your fault. Some people just can't take that amount of pressure. The combination of less excitement and more responsibility makes the position of goaltender very difficult to fill for teams in the NVSHL.

In a league where everybody wants to be the hero, it is difficult for people to will themselves to accept a role defending the ball instead of shooting it. This brings up another issue in the league, playing selfish. Too many players want to be on offense scoring the ball and carrying the team on their shoulders, but the game just doesn't work like that. With any sport, there are multiple aspects of the game that have to come together in order for a team to become successful. Unfortunately, there is not just a shortage of goalies, but a shortage of defensive players in general. Odds are that nobody in the league as of now describes themselves as a defender only. Sure there are players that step back every now and then, but for most of the game the majority of the players spend their time on the opposing side of the floor. This is problematic because is leaves holes in the defense which create opportunities to score for the opposition, making sure putaway games look like nail-biters. When players leave their spots on the defending side and goals are scored as a result, who gets the blame for it? The goalies. So not only are they giving the other team unnecessary opportunities, they are making their own teammates look bad. If these coaches and general managers do not decide to designate players to the defense, this league may see some issues in the near future.