The paddle-down save is one of the most recent and popular additions to the goaltenders repertoire of saves. Goaltenders such as Ed Belfour and Brian Boucher regularly use the paddle-down save to shut down the games most prolific scorers. What does the paddle-down save look like? It is a move that is most often made to the glove side where the goalie lays the barrel of the goal stick flat on the ice to take away the bottom of the net. It is important to realize that the paddle-down save is not a foundational save that the goaltender will rely on over and over, such as the butterfly.

The paddle-down save is most often successful on wraparounds to the glove side, scrambles in front of the net, and on short rebounds. However, it should never be used on long shots where the shooter can lift the puck over you, such as on a shot from the point. The paddle-down save is a positional save rather than a reflex save. The goaltender has very limited reaction time when the puck carrier is in close proximity to the net. For this reason, the goalie should position himself so as to cover as much net as possible. Instead of relying on reflexes and trying to be quicker than the puck, concentrate on covering the lower half of the net first, and simply let the puck hit you.

The advantage of the paddle-down save is that it allows the goalie to cover both the bottom and top portions of the net when the puck is shot from close proximity to the net. By executing the paddle-down save as close to the puck as possible the goalie can smother the puck and prevent the shooter from lifting the puck over him. Before discussing the technical components of the paddle-down save it is important to remember that the move should be used sparingly and only to stop shots that originate from close to the net.

To execute the paddle-down save effectively, drop to your blocker side knee (the right knee for most goaltenders) and lay the paddle of your goal stick flat on the ice and out in front of you. If the stick is positioned properly the goalies blocker hand will be flush to the ice. The left leg should be positioned in a similar fashion to the butterfly although your left knee will be elevated slightly off the ice. The glove is held open and above the pad, and square to the puck. To protect the top half of the net adequately, your upper body must remain upright and tilted slightly forward. By positioning your chest up and over the puck you are able to take away the vertical angle, thus leaving the shooter with very few holes to shoot for.

Once again, it is vitally important that the paddle-down save is used occasionally, and only in the specific situations mentioned earlier. The one obvious disadvantage of using the paddle-down save is that the goaltender is susceptible to high shots, especially to the blocker side. Never use the paddle-down save on a shooter approaching the net on his off wing (i.e. left hand shot on the right wing). The shooter simply has too much net to shoot at above the blocker hand in this situation.

KEY POINTS - THE PADDLE-DOWN SAVE -

1) Do not overuse the paddle-down save. It is most successful against wraparounds to the glove side, scrambles in front of the net, and on short rebounds.

2) The closer you are to the puck the more successful the paddle-down save will be. Try to smother the puck by using the move only when the puck is in close proximity to the net.

3) To execute the paddle-down save, drop to your blocker side knee (the right knee for most goaltenders) and lay the paddle of your goal stick flat on the ice. Place your left leg in the butterfly position with the knee raised slightly off the ice, and make sure your glove is held above the pad, open, and square to the puck. The blocker should cover the five-hole.

4) The upper body must remain upright and tilted slightly forward to cover the top half of the net.

5) Never use the paddle-down save on a puck carrier approaching the net on his off wing (i.e. - left hand shot on the right wing)