Full Transcript for Building a Goalkeeper's Mindset: Insights from Brennan Poderzay

For sure. I think I kind of just alluded to it. think everything that Closer, everything that Justin did is something that I never did ⁓ as current or former goaltender. I think my biggest downfall would have been, you know, holding onto stuff, overanalyzing, not having a great kind of a park routine after giving up a goal, whether that's a good one or bad one or a different. And then I was a roller coaster. would have loved ⁓ be able to figure out what happy medium was. So I think all of those things. that's where I do. much as game has changed, I think that is one of the most unique and biggest benefits that unnoticed is that mental side of right now with not only goalies, but all the athletes. Dennis Kubat: I know mindset is hard to put a number on what percentage that is, but how much if had to give a rough estimate, what percentage of the game do you think for a goalie is ⁓ that part? Brennan Poderzay: Thank That's an unbelievable question. I honestly, I know that this is probably a little bit high, but I'd like to err on the side of high. I'm going to say probably anywhere from 70 to 75%. There's such creatures of they have such good structure from a young age where I think the biggest foundation fundamental thing is being able to have that mindset. And do, believe that that is probably the biggest of goaltending now and then. Dennis Kubat: I totally agree. always say exactly what you said, like mindset is that foundation. If you don't have you can have the skills, you can ⁓ to your skills coach, you can go to your nutrition, you can go to your workouts, but if you don't have that foundation It's so tough have that success. So I with that answer totally. So just back to you. The goalie, my pretty fascinating position. Right? Literally you're a black puck shot after shot. So what kind drew you to wanting to be a goalie and just continuing ⁓ coaching goalies? Brennan Poderzay: It's crazy. I'm from, similar to you, I'm from a town of 500 people, a town Tower, Minnesota. So we didn't even have no rink, no anything. I'm from a basketball family. Just by chance, I saw a flyer at our local grocery store to try hockey. So I brought it home and I wait. with my parents to try. And from the second I put the skates on, I just loved it. And it happened, think I was like 12 or 13 year old year. So it would have been peewees, my first year of peewees. So maybe 11. We were light on numbers. Go figure such a couple of small towns in Ely, Minnesota. And they said, you know, would you like to try the gear on? So I put it on and I was just, I fell in love with the gear immediately. Loved just the style of the gear, how you could kind of, think I really loved part of anything and everything depended on you. Like you were in a team, obviously, but it was ⁓ all So you were in control. And again, you never had to come off. There was never, you didn't have to change. I got to be on the IC the entire time. it was kind of no-brainer. And honestly, I think from the first time I put the gear on, I never took it off. Dennis Kubat: Can you just even get there, just give us a little bit of your brief or pl I guess your playing career. Could you just give us a little bit brief conversation on that? Brennan Poderzay: Yeah, yeah, I apologize. Yeah, it was it. It's kind of crazy. Like I said, being from a small town, never really. just I loved hockey, so I always wanted to kind of pursue it. Grew up and played high school hockey in Minnesota, which everybody dreams about. I was fortunate enough to go to the state tournament and play at the XL, which is now I believe called the Grand Casino Arena. And from there it was like I said, I. ⁓ I was probably a better football player than I was a hockey player. for whatever reason, just, I was so infatuated with the sport. I wanted to do everything and anything I could. And that was kind of my MO or my mental mindset. And the makeup was I might not be the most talented. I might not be the biggest. I might not be the fastest, but I will not get outworked. And somehow or another that. landed me a couple of opportunities in the North American Hockey League and then went to Ontario and finished with two years there. And then you, as you know, you go through the recruiting process of college and I had a couple of opportunities to be a recruited walk-on at a couple of Division I schools out East, but being from a blue collar family, mom and dad weren't forking out $50,000 to me to potentially go. maybe make a team or maybe not. And then from there I was, I found out real quick about professional hockey, how cutthroat and dog eat dog that was. Got an opportunity in the American Hockey League. Very briefly, the next full year of my pro career is the NHL lockout. So I started and went every level down of a training camp and then wound up ⁓ in Europe, which honestly the biggest blessing of my life. It was six. ⁓ seasons of meeting some of the best people I could have ever imagined and experiencing the world again coming from a small town you never would imagine driving through the Austrian Alps as a 23 24 year old kid so it was just so so unique and then honestly it was during my time in Europe having a lot of import coaches almost trying to have to sometimes communicate our imports that weren't from North America, whether it be Canada or the US. So now we're using the language barrier to try to talk to our teammates because a coach never to crawl up them too much because then they would, you know, they were worried about losing their job as well. ⁓ So just really I think I really enjoyed just kind that communication aspect. of being a teammate and here we are 12 years later Division 1, between the National Development Team. Just again, really, really fortunate to involved in the game and being able to coach goalies. Dennis Kubat: So you're taking your first job a goalie coach. What's your mindset going into that, like your first experience? Are you having any self doubt or negative

self talk? Or how are how are your feelings? Brennan Poderzay: I mean, that's again, great question. see why you're so good at this. It's for sure. I think, you know, self doubt ⁓ just the creeps you know, what if again, to my fault, that's of biggest probably flaws is not only a coach, but a human. You don't to. You don't want to disappoint or disapprove what that person that offered and gave you the opportunity or granted you the opportunity to go with. So yeah, you wonder. But for me, was always, I'm going to be genuine. I'm going to be myself. And all I want these guys to know that the goaltenders that I work with, whether that be at Minnesota or anywhere, that I'm in it with them. It's not about me. It's not about them. We're a team and I want them to be able to depend on me and not only on the ice, but off of the ice because the relationship component to me is everything. Dennis Kubat: Love that. let's just get into more of like the teaching mindset part. So if we have a young what do you think some of their biggest mistakes when it comes to the mental side of the game is? Or are? Brennan Poderzay: I mean, yeah, this is is interesting. I actually I think it just kind of had a conversation similar to this last night with my and actually her We're out at dinner. And I think one of the toughest challenges is parents nowadays. don't think it has really a lot to do with the goaltender or the athlete for that matter. When again, if you go home and you play You know, usually more often than not, mom and dad are saying, well, your team was really bad in front of you. of having young or daughter being able to accept, not criticism, but to be able to have a little bit of self identification and awareness of, you know what, I didn't play well. Mom and dad are probably trying to make me feel better. But I just think that being able to accept the fact that There's guys that are making eight to $10 million the National Hockey League stopping pucks. They also give up bad goals. So it's being able to realize that it happens at the top level. It's going to happen to me. And it's just something that I need to understand that is a part of the game. And how can I make it not a habit based thing where I'm giving up the same goal? Dennis Kubat: Okay. So if we look at your goalies that you are working with right now, do you get them to like take that ownership and kind of have that belief and let like that noise, outside noise of like dictate their confidence? Brennan Poderzay: I that question and I love that point because you're right and I think it does as cliche as it sounds it comes back to we talk about I was so fortunate through my two experiences at Minnesota State Mankato and now at Minnesota working for two ⁓ unbelievable icons Mike Hastings and Bob Motzko and Coach Hastings had one of the that has always stuck with me control the controllables and that's your attitude and your effort. are for me that's the only thing that we try to preach with these guys is you make sure that you are accountable with you're working extremely hard, you're trying to be attentive to detail and the rest is gonna fall where it falls but don't let your attitude or effort suffer because of it. Dennis Kubat: Love it. And how hard is that to get that point across? 'Cause like if I'm working with someone, it's so hard for them to like get that focus on, hey, I g gotta control this with all that outside o noise, all those controllables that they are focusing on. Brennan Poderzay: for sure. that's where we're at least that I can only speak from my One of the biggest things is that if, ⁓ to your point, somebody feels or I feel like there is a little bit of self-doubt or they're not playing up to their standard, a lot of the times we'll be able to watch positive clips, being able to go to a goalie skate or a game that they had and say, hey, look at Look at how good you look here. Look at your movement. Look at early your eyes are. Look at your save execution. So just again, reaffirming with that positive affirmation to hopefully knock that out of them. But otherwise then I'm gonna have to send them to you because that's as far as my mental side of the coaching goes. Dennis Kubat: Okay. Yes. I'll take ⁓ man. Brennan Poderzay: Yeah, I'm serious. Dennis Kubat: And then we think of like goals against, wins, losses, all like outcome based. And how do we you get your goalies to really focus on that process? Because at the end of the day they could have an amazing game and still lose, or maybe not play up to their standard and they still get the win. So how do you get your goalies to like evaluate their performance almost like objectively? Brennan Poderzay: Yeah, and that's where I do think that, you know, with with how far along and how many coaches there are in our game, that be skill coaches or just coaches that they've grown up with, they've got a lot of people that that they can lean on and depend on. So for me, it again, it's so I really don't have to deal with that a lot of times because these guys are division one. Dennis Kubat: Yeah. Brennan Poderzay: know, highly talented athletes. More so it's just trying to, again, reaffirm that your job as a goaltender is to give your team an opportunity to win. And then again, like we talked about, control the controllables. And that, whether a positive affirmation that they're saying, hey, I see it, I stop it. Whatever it takes for these guys to be able to just know that, you know, Friday or Saturday night. Dennis Kubat: Yeah. Brennan Poderzay: whether I'm playing my best or playing my worst, I'm gonna do everything in my power to give the team an opportunity to win this game or be in the game. Dennis Kubat: Working with all the the goalies you've worked with, is there cool strategies that some of those goalies do to maybe like some affirmations that they might say or maybe reset they do after giving up a goal? Like some strategies maybe if someone's watching you could give.

Brennan Poderzay: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I loved, again, this is old school, but I loved it. And I don't know if you remember this, but I did it in college, taking piece of tape and putting it underneath on blocker so only you can see it. And it was Waugh, and he put, a warrior. So for mine was, ⁓ I just put, it control the controllables, because again, it was at that point, I think I just put on their attitude and effort and. think my other one was compete. So just something to again, where you ⁓ your mind was wandering or felt as hey, I'm just sharp, I'd be able to look down and there were three things that really clicked as positive reaffirmation. I was like, okay, I'm in it, I'm ready to go now. Dennis Kubat: So Saturday night pack barn playing Boston College, maybe someone that's a high ranked opponent. I'm a big believer in pressure is a privilege. How do you get your goalies to of stay the same, like stay calm, stay present instead of their mind wandering like, no, this is a big opponent tonight, like all eyes are gonna be on me. I can't give up this goal I gotta make the write saves, how do you get ⁓ to just focus, hey, it's at the end of the day, it's just another game. I shouldn't have to change Brennan Poderzay: Correct, and I think to your point, that's an unbelievable statement, because it is. Pressure is a privilege. And there have been many times that there have been conversations with a goalie leading up to weekend where, you know, the same thing. There's like, I just, I don't feel great about this, or, you know, my reads don't feel great. And it's like, doesn't matter. Doesn't matter what you're talking about on Tuesday or Wednesday. Everything only to Friday. And Friday, you've worked the entire week to just go out and play free. That's your only responsibility. And you owe it to nobody but yourself because you've put in the work, you've put in the preparation. Now it's time to just go play free and be able to do what you do and what you love to do. Dennis Kubat: So how big of an importance would you put on like a goalies, routines and habits throughout that week order to have success? Are your elite, your best goalies, are those the ones that you've noticed have had the best routines, have had the best habits, and they see that pay off on Friday, Saturday? Brennan Poderzay: Yeah, that's this is where I'll be completely honest with you. I love the routines and I think it's absolutely imperative that you do have it just simply for that getting your mind into the zone and ⁓ starting kind of waking up the senses of, hey, it's go time. But there have been guys that it almost feels like, we gotta maybe pull back here. For me, it My first year at the University of Minnesota, Jack LaFontaine would be calling me at 6 a.m. He's like, hey, can we skate at 8.30? Yeah, no problem. But then 8.30, so we're skating for an hour. And I'm like, laughter, we practice in two hours. He's like, yeah, I know, but just gonna get to work in it. was like, there's a time to work and there's a time to be able to just, again, depend on what. you do and what makes you successful. So to answer your question, I think it's extremely imperative to have a routine. I just don't believe that that routine can overtake or be the end all be all of how you feel, if that makes sense. Dennis Kubat: Hundred percent. I see I your point exactly where some people are so routine focused if they don't do this this time it's already affecting their mindset and then they're out of control kind of, so to speak. Brennan Poderzay: Yep. I'm in trouble. Correct. Correct. Yep. No, you're bang on. That's the toughest part. Dennis Kubat: And at the end of the day, when it comes to mindset, one thing's gonna work for someone and maybe another person, maybe their routines aren't as dialed and it works for them. Brennan Poderzay: an unbelievable point because again it comes back to some people are wired differently. That's just, that's what makes this so great and that's what makes everybody's path so different. You know, that's one of the biggest things is you'll get all the time about like recruiting and stuff. Well, do I need to play in the SGA opposed to the MJ or the BCHL? There's so many people involved in our game. It has no bearing where you play. If you are present, and you are just worried about doing your job at where you're at, everything is gonna take care of themselves because like you said, there's different pathways. If somebody had the perfect path to get to Division I hockey, to get to the NHL, don't you think we'd all be doing it? Dennis Kubat: Yes. So maybe after the game's over, ⁓ do your goalies reflect a game? Do they do any specific strategies or routines or do you do anything with them? Brennan Poderzay: Yeah, more often than not, and this is where that relationship piece comes in so importantly, because you know a lot of the times in your weeks leading up to your first game, what kind of makes them tick? Are they guys that are vocal on game day? Are they guys that kind of like to just be by themselves? So usually after the game is more often than not, the first time I'll go in and just say, do you think, basically, to be completely honest. unbelievable about the self-assessments you know a lot of the times ⁓ probably maybe harder on themselves than I would be. So we just sit and talk about certain situations that they thought maybe were uncomfortable for them ⁓ things that they felt like they did very well and then it was you what okay more often than not they'll get their stretch in and usually say okay well Reconvene in the morning watch some clips if you want or right back after it. So it there again there to their credit athletes nowadays are very Usually pretty spot-on with their self assessments Dennis Kubat: Yeah. I love how you've talked about like relationships a lot. And I'm with you. Like I think that is the number one thing you want to have a successful goalie tandem coach goalie relationship

that way. What are some things you do to build those with your Brennan Poderzay: think of the biggest things is just being genuine. ⁓ know, them my family, asking them about their family. It's not just I want to know they have a fight with their girlfriend. ⁓ I want to know they've flunk a test. I want to know if they pass a test. I want to know how their lunch was. Was good? Was it bad? Like, what are you eating over in an athlete's village? ⁓ So I think all of is just the human element. of yes, hey, I am a goalie coach first and foremost. Yes, I know that we're going to get to work when we get on the ice, but away from that, just want to be on personal level and be able to understand you better. So at the of the day, we can both do what we want to do and that's succeed together. Dennis Kubat: And why do you think that's so hard for so many coaches to build that relationship piece? Especially like the younger ages. Like lots of my athletes that I work with ha don't have that relationship or they like struggle with what the coach is saying or they can't get the message they're saying and then it just kind of plays in their mind and gives them that self-doubt. Brennan Poderzay: Yep. Yeah. And that's, that's an unbelievable point. And I don't know if this, this is probably unfair to say, but I do think that a lot of, of the coaches ⁓ still in that old mindset where they're, you know, they're not overly concerned about building a relationship. They're, they're more developmental on wins and losses. So that makes it extremely difficult, especially for the young kids that, you know, want to have a kind of a strong relationship with their coach. But again, I think that to your point, I've fortunate that where the game is going, at least in our state of Minnesota, there are a lot of young and progressive coaches that realize the imperatives. Because again, your point, it's like being a teacher. It's like being an educator. You're not. The last thing you're trying to do is tell a kid how to do it, what to do, when to do it. have to let them learn as well. Dennis Kubat: Sure, and like we talked about even just learning from failure. Like you faced adversity. are you going to do next? I'm a big believer on fact if you can be unaffected ⁓ by failure, is one of the best competitive advantages when it comes to mindset. I look at like Steph Curry or the Kobe Bryans, obviously they're elite of the elite, but just being unaffected by failure. Brennan Poderzay: Yes. Dennis Kubat: It's just such a competitive advantage when it comes to the mental game. And it's so hard and it's tough to teach. Brennan Poderzay: I that is I I'll be coming to you opposed to sending goalies because you're you're so spot on. It is so difficult to leave it at the door. Because you you want and I'm just speaking for myself. You want so badly as a coach. To have these guys succeed not not for personal reasons or personal gains, but to be able to have them succeed and feel. Dennis Kubat:

He Brennan Poderzay: truly rewarded for the work just everything that they put into it. So when ⁓ doesn't happen ⁓ to your point he has a great night and you lose and they're in, know, just like, well, I should have maybe had that second one. It's ⁓ tough. So luckily I've got a long drive home to be able to try to park it. But a lot of times it doesn't until you get to see the little ones in the morning and they don't know what the heck just happened. Dennis Kubat: Yes. Puts it all in perspective. Brennan Poderzay: Crazy. Dennis Kubat: So if you're scouting a goalie, how much attention do you pay to things like that we talked about that they can control, like their body language, are their ⁓ allowing a goal, how they interact with their teammates or their composure and just like their overall demeanor compared to like the technical side of the game? Brennan Poderzay: if you just took basically every word that I look for. Cause it does, at that level, as you're aware of and the athletes that you work with, you're splitting hairs for actual technical tactical skill sets that are that different. So for me, to your point, ⁓ you're so on. It has everything to do with body language. How do they react after they give up a goal? How do they react after making a big save? What happens if a D-man blows a tire? you looking at him and kind of trying to cuss him out or are you picking him up and patting him on the rear end? That to me, the body language ⁓ and of the stuff that doesn't involve actually making saves are the things that mean the most to me when I'm recruiting a goalie. Dennis Kubat: And all things that you can control. Brennan Poderzay: Bingo. Dennis Kubat: So even when you're evaluating a goalie, are you like you've talked about parents, are you scouting like even like looking at the parents or getting information on them as well when you are making that final decision? Brennan Poderzay: For sure on the final decision because again that initial more often than not is when you kind of make the first interaction with the parents and you're aware this hockey is such a small, small world. It's two to three degrees of separation. So if your parents the people that you are recruiting have some crazy tendencies. Dennis Kubat: Yeah. Brennan Poderzay: More often than not, people or somebody that you know is going to out them. So does, that plays a huge role in it because again, more than not, you are a product of environment and what you grow up in. So if mom and dad are a little off the rocker, then more often than not, the kid doesn't fall far from it. Dennis Kubat: even with social media media world is crazy. Like it's so easy to compare and we talked about like different paths you can go on, but yeah, with social media it's so easy, like I said, to compare your from stats to just watching highlight real clips. So what advice would you have for just younger goalie just going through his own path? What advice would you give them? Brennan Poderzay: That unbelievable because you're right, there are a lot of with social media, but there's also a ton of cons because as you to, it is so easy to compare yourself to someone else that is ⁓ in your group ⁓ or ⁓ that grew up playing against and wondering why he went to this tryout or why he's on this team. me, the biggest advice that I can give is be present. Be present where your feet are at. And other part for us at Minnesota, at least, is a lot of kids at the young age want to, how quick can I get to the next level? It's a marathon. It's not a sprint. And I know if ⁓ anybody should worry about trying to move on to next level until you have absolutely dominated where you're at. So being present. and knowing that you can play and dominate in every single facet of the game. Power play, penalty kill, on five, anything, you you want to be the extra attacker, you want to be the first guy out on the PK. So those things are so important of making sure that you're present and you're dominating the level you're at. Dennis Kubat: I know you mentioned your one coach advice talking about the controllables attitude and effort. Is there any other things that stand out for you that information you got from maybe your when you were playing or when you're coaching that really stuck with you and you like develop as a coach almost? ⁓ Brennan Poderzay: Yeah. For sure, and I think both of us, you've played the game for a long time, you were really good at it. I with every person, at least or person, coach that I've played for, you get to take a lot of the things that you like and try to put your own spin on them and make them to yourself. And then the things that you don't like, you hopefully flush. And the last thing ever wanna do is catch yourself acting in that way. So just think that I've been so fortunate around the people that I've been able to work for and work with that the conversations ⁓ all the advice, it's endless. just being able to, I think, put whatever kind of spin you can on it personally to make it your own and make it feel genuine and not allow of bad stuff that you or what you thought was bad to creep into you. Dennis Kubat: So one of my favorite lines is gotta model the behavior you wanna see out of your athletes. So ⁓ you had to fill this, how you fill this out? ⁓ If want your players to be blank, I need be blank. What would be one word that you would use for that? Brennan Poderzay: I would say positive. Dennis Kubat: Love it. Brennan Poderzay: Positive would be the one for me because again, think positive or you know what, obviously working hard. Like I want somebody to make sure that if I expect them to work hard and have best attitude and effort, then I better exude that myself. But I think positive goes under that whole umbrella. Dennis Kubat: Yeah, let's we'll get our little light here. I've just got some random questions for you kinda. So your big your biggest highlight as a coach. Brennan Poderzay: I love it. Biggest highlight of a coach,

making it to the four, three years in a row, and unfortunately losing in the national championship and overtime. Dennis Kubat: What about there a difference between teaching goalies and boy or female and male goalies? Brennan Poderzay: technical or tactical. I think some of the way is now, being fortunate enough to have a daughter. I'm starting to understand the communication style is just a little bit different and it's not a bad thing. It's just, you have be, a little bit more cautious with wording. But the thing for me that is incredible about girls opposed to boys is they can take two sentences and it's immediate. Where guys will kind of look at you, maybe have, you know, they skated with somebody else so they're looking at you like you've got four eyes or that you don't know what you're doing. So I think there's that little bit of a difference. Dennis Kubat: So typical day for your division one athl or your division one goalie in Minnesota would be what? Brennan Poderzay: they get up and to school as you aware, being a student athlete is pretty important. So going to class and then most of the time for us we had a one o'clock practice. more often than not if it was a day that they lifted they'd probably be in at 11 o'clock, get their workout in, get at probably noon and then we'd have either a so whether that be a power play penalty kill meeting or just a pre-scout meeting, and then we would do some goalie clips on just a couple of days, not every day. Then we would get out, that's practice at one, we'd get out for a goalie skate at around 12.40, do our goalie skate, get done with practice at probably two, then they'd go back over to the Athletes Village and get another unbelievable meal. nothing close to Storm's Den. then that'd be it. Then hopefully hang with the guys and watch some hockey and that's it, do their homework. Dennis Kubat: Book or podcast you would recommend to anyone just trying to improve their mindset, no matter the athlete, no matter the sport. Brennan Poderzay: actually, I'm for your audience. ⁓ I'm need a new book or a podcast to help with the mental performance. the one thing that I did, it's funny, I actually got it right here. One thing I did get recommended from Derek LaLonde, who was the assistant coach at the Toronto Maple last It's called 10 to 25, and it's the science of motivating young people. So that's one that I'm trying to get into right now. Dennis Kubat: Do you think there's a lot of like science motivation? Have you looked into that? Brennan Poderzay: like I said, I'm still very, very early into the infancy of the book. But it is, ⁓ truly crazy because a lot of what they talk about is, to your point, it's the social media and it's ⁓ dopamine. So I would imagine that the brain, there has to be some sort of scientific nature behind it. Dennis Kubat: Yes. I'll give you two recommendations. The compound effect just talks about stacking days, stacking days. I'm reading right now, it's called the Inner Game of Tennis. Just like quieting your mind, getting back to that neutral state, that neutral thinking. Two great book recommendations for ya. Brennan Poderzay: I love it. Okay. Ooh. I it. I love it. I love it. I appreciate that. Very good. Dennis Kubat: But coach, man, it's it's always a I haven't seen you for a long time. It's a pleasure just catching up with you and being able to talk with you. You're doing some incredible things. And I love your just talk on like the relationship piece and just being a genuine person goes such a long way. And I knew you back in college, how hard of a worker you were going to the gym all the time, and I think that is just paid off and it's just showing how much success you've already had. So I appreciate your time coming on and just chatting a little bit mindset ⁓ with me today. ⁓ Brennan Poderzay: My pleasure, like I said, man, when we reconnected and I got to see what you're doing, I truly, I mean this, it's truly remarkable and incredible because like I said, for a couple of punk rear end kids at 21, 22 years old to meet each other and now 17 years, be able to reconnect, it's pretty special. Because like I said, some of the guys, and I will say this, anybody who's working with you is fortunate. because people that I have in my life that you can talk to ⁓ and feels like you never left them are the guys from Saskatchewan. That's all of them. it is truly, there's something in the water there with you guys. So like I said, appreciate you having me on and I can't tell you enough how happy and proud of you I am because this is one of truly the... the biggest things that is still missing in our game. Dennis Kubat: Appreciate that. Thank you. Brennan Poderzay: You got her, buddy.