Inside the NHL Goalie's Mind: How Stick Tape and Handedness Give Them a Split-Second Edge

The Goalie's Secret Weapon

NHL goalies are revealing how they gain a crucial advantage by memorizing shooters' stick tape colors and whether opponents are left- or right-handed. This ability helps them react faster and make game-changing saves.

Visual Memory in Action

Montreal Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault recently surprised many by stating he knows the tape color and handedness of nearly every NHL player. "I just have a very good visual memory," Montembeault explained. "We're so focused on the puck and on that player’s blade with their tape there, so it’s easy for me to remember and identify somebody with the stick and tape."

This skill isn't unique to Montembeault. Seattle Kraken goalie Joey Daccord noted, "Except for maybe some new guys and rookies, I could go around most of the League and pretty much do most of the guys. Tape color and if they don't tape the toe or do tape the toe, I would say most goalies will tell you they know who everyone is."

What Really Matters to Goalies

While some goalies like Montembeault have exceptional recall, others focus on different cues. Veteran Jonathan Quick, after 19 NHL seasons, admitted he'd struggle to identify some teammates by their sticks. "I feel like I'm in the minority, where I don't," Quick said. "I have a lot of things that help me narrow down where they're putting it, but where the puck is in the relationship to the feet is one of the bigger things that I focus on."

Handedness proves to be universally important. It affects whether a player can one-time a pass, how far the pass travels, and where the goalie needs to position themselves. Montreal's Jakub Dobes emphasized, "It’s important because you’ve got to know if you have to push further or push less further."

Beyond the Basics

Goalies also study shooting tendencies and body language. Seattle's Philipp Grubauer shared, "We get the most information out of the blade of a guy and the body language they shoot the puck with. For the modern goalie, it's not looking down at the puck, it's seeing the bigger picture, what the release is."

Adapting to Changes

Shooters sometimes switch their tape, which can temporarily confuse goalies. Matt Murray noted, "You can tell when a guy's fighting it, maybe hasn't scored in a while, sometimes they'll switch tape and I'll notice it right away. I'll be like, 'That looks different, who's that?' And you take a look up, and you're like, ‘Oh, he switched his tape.’"

This constant mental database update is part of what makes elite goaltending so demanding.