Butterfly style
Encyclopedia
In ice hockey
, "butterfly style" is a technique of goaltending distinguished by the goaltender
guarding the lower part of the net by dropping to the knees to block attempts to score. The butterfly style derives its name from the resemblance of the spread goal pads and hands to a butterfly
's wings. The Butterfly style is contrasted with stand-up style, where most shots on a goal are stopped with the goaltender on his or her feet. Many factors helped make it a defacto standard style of play today, including the invention of the goalie mask
by Jacques Plante
, Vladislav Tretiak
's outstanding use of the style at the 1972 Canada–USSR Summit Series
, the NHL emergence of Tony Esposito
in the 1970s and Patrick Roy
in the 1980s, the development of lightweight materials for pads and the influence of professional goaltending coaches such as Warren Strelow
, Benoit and Francois Allaire. There are few who exclusively employ a stand-up style in the NHL.
Although it is effective and popular among goaltenders, the butterfly style can leave the upper portion of the net more vulnerable to scoring attempts. The modern "profly" derivative was made most popular by Patrick Roy
, and is the style most commonly used and taught.
is generally thought to be the first goaltender to react to shots by dropping to his knees. This was remarkable because he did it without a mask. Other contemporaries, such as Terry Sawchuk
and Jacques Plante
relied mostly on the stand-up style. Plante actually tried the butterfly style when sharing goaltending duties with Glenn Hall in St. Louis, but cautioned others against its use except under certain types of screened shots. Hall's innovation was improved upon later in the 1960s and 70s by Roger Crozier and Tony Esposito. In spite of their success, the butterfly fell out of favour until the emergence of Patrick Roy in the mid-1980s. This new, modern, butterfly style has been referred to as the "Profly" style.
Prominent advocates of the "profly" progression of the butterfly include Canadian coaches François Allaire
and Benoit Allaire. Many believe that the advent of the Profly style was made possible by improved, heavily armored chest/arm pads and more protective face masks. Prior to these advancements, goaltenders wore chest/arm pads made of felt. To avoid injury, goalies had to trap all pucks with their gloves. Modern, lightweight plastics and energy absorbent foams allowed goaltenders to block and trap shots with their bodies. Equipment designers such as Michel Lefebvre (of Koho
and Reebok
fame), Michael Vaughn of Vaughn Custom Sports and the late Brian Heaton (of Brian's and Heaton fame) were at the forefront of the equipment advancements. Patrick Roy
worked with the Allaire brothers and utilized Lefebvre-designed pads and Heaton-designed gloves in the late 1980s to modernize the style.
As in many arts, there is no universal agreement on style classifications with modern goaltending techniques. Modern hybrid coaches such as the late Warren Strelow
worked with goaltenders associated with the profly style such as Miikka Kiprusoff
. The butterfly is not a style but a save selection used by most goaltenders..
, making it popular in the early 2000s by goaltenders such as Rick DiPietro
, Martin Biron
, Roberto Luongo
, Marc-Andre Fleury
, Marc Denis
, Henrik Lundqvist
and Jean-Sébastien Giguère
, the latter being very profly-oriented. Examples of goaltenders that use more of a hybrid style (in order from hybrid-to-profly) are Martin Brodeur
, Tim Thomas
, Evgeni Nabokov
, Vesa Toskala
and Ryan Miller.
Hybrid goaltenders tend to rely more on quickness, agility and reaction time. "Profly" goaltenders tend to rely on technical blocking and positioning as tactical responses to scoring threats. This is best exemplified by comparing butterfliers Roberto Luongo
of the Canucks
and Henrik Lundqvist
of the Rangers
, with hybriders Martin Brodeur
of the Devils
and Tim Thomas
of the Bruins
.
A hallmark of profly is the puck-side leg staying down when recovering to the skates fully upright, to reposition for a rebound or second shot. Rather than picking up the leg closest to the puck, the leg furthest away from the puck is raised, then pushing the puck-side leg toward the puck. At this point, the goaltender may roll back onto the puck-side skate blade, facing the shooter in the familiar ready stance.
Profly goaltenders tend to have an easier time "skating" on their knees, also known as the "backside push", or the "butterfly slide". This term describes where one leg is down, and one is up. The goaltender pushes with his/her leg up laterally from the heel, laterally toward the down leg. This allows for a slide from the up leg to the down leg without getting off the ice completely. If a goaltender is on the inside corners or if the pad faces as in non-progressed "butterfly" styles, the push results in a tendency to roll over onto one's chest and belly.
The V-H move (also called the Split Butterfly) is a move with which profly style goaltenders identify. This is a relatively recent tactical response to a shooter that is advancing from behind the net towards the front of the net, and has the option to pass. The goaltender places the knee farthest from the shooter down horizontally along the goal line. The knee closest to the puck remains vertical next to the goal post. The advantage is on coverage against quick shots to the near side of the net, while still covering the option to track passes to the front of the goal mouth.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, "butterfly style" is a technique of goaltending distinguished by the goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
guarding the lower part of the net by dropping to the knees to block attempts to score. The butterfly style derives its name from the resemblance of the spread goal pads and hands to a butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
's wings. The Butterfly style is contrasted with stand-up style, where most shots on a goal are stopped with the goaltender on his or her feet. Many factors helped make it a defacto standard style of play today, including the invention of the goalie mask
Goalie mask
A goaltender mask, commonly referred to as a goalie mask or a hockey mask, is a mask worn by ice hockey, inline hockey, and field hockey goaltenders to protect the head from injury. Jacques Plante was the first goaltender to create and use a practical mask in 1959. Plante's mask was a piece of...
by Jacques Plante
Jacques Plante
Joseph Jacques Omer Plante was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career lasting from 1947–1975, he was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey...
, Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...
's outstanding use of the style at the 1972 Canada–USSR Summit Series
Summit Series
The Summit Series was the first competition between the Soviet and an NHL-inclusive Canadian national ice hockey teams, an eight-game series held in September 1972...
, the NHL emergence of Tony Esposito
Tony Esposito
For the Italian musician, please see Tony Esposito .Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito is a retired Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style....
in the 1970s and Patrick Roy
Patrick Roy
Patrick Edward Armand Roy is a former Canadian ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Saint Patrick," Roy split his professional career between the Montreal Canadiens, whom he played with for 10 years, and the Colorado Avalanche, whom he played with for 8 years, both of the National Hockey League...
in the 1980s, the development of lightweight materials for pads and the influence of professional goaltending coaches such as Warren Strelow
Warren Strelow
Warren A. Strelow was a hockey goaltending coach. He coached goaltending for the United States Olympic Ice Hockey Team during the 1980 Miracle on Ice, and also coached for the New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, and San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League.Current NHL goaltenders that...
, Benoit and Francois Allaire. There are few who exclusively employ a stand-up style in the NHL.
Although it is effective and popular among goaltenders, the butterfly style can leave the upper portion of the net more vulnerable to scoring attempts. The modern "profly" derivative was made most popular by Patrick Roy
Patrick Roy
Patrick Edward Armand Roy is a former Canadian ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Saint Patrick," Roy split his professional career between the Montreal Canadiens, whom he played with for 10 years, and the Colorado Avalanche, whom he played with for 8 years, both of the National Hockey League...
, and is the style most commonly used and taught.
History
Glenn HallGlenn Hall
Glenn Henry "Mr. Goalie" Hall is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. During his National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, and St. Louis Blues, Hall seldom missed a game and was a consistent performer, winning the Vezina Trophy three times, and the...
is generally thought to be the first goaltender to react to shots by dropping to his knees. This was remarkable because he did it without a mask. Other contemporaries, such as Terry Sawchuk
Terry Sawchuk
Terrance Gordon Sawchuk was a Ukrainian-Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers.-Early life and playing career:Sawchuk was born and raised...
and Jacques Plante
Jacques Plante
Joseph Jacques Omer Plante was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career lasting from 1947–1975, he was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey...
relied mostly on the stand-up style. Plante actually tried the butterfly style when sharing goaltending duties with Glenn Hall in St. Louis, but cautioned others against its use except under certain types of screened shots. Hall's innovation was improved upon later in the 1960s and 70s by Roger Crozier and Tony Esposito. In spite of their success, the butterfly fell out of favour until the emergence of Patrick Roy in the mid-1980s. This new, modern, butterfly style has been referred to as the "Profly" style.
Prominent advocates of the "profly" progression of the butterfly include Canadian coaches François Allaire
François Allaire
François Allaire is an ice hockey goaltending coach currently working for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the North American National Hockey League . He developed considerable expertise during the 1980s as the Montreal Canadiens' first-ever goaltending coach. In the 1990s, he promoted his methods to the...
and Benoit Allaire. Many believe that the advent of the Profly style was made possible by improved, heavily armored chest/arm pads and more protective face masks. Prior to these advancements, goaltenders wore chest/arm pads made of felt. To avoid injury, goalies had to trap all pucks with their gloves. Modern, lightweight plastics and energy absorbent foams allowed goaltenders to block and trap shots with their bodies. Equipment designers such as Michel Lefebvre (of Koho
Koho
Koho may mean:*Koho language, a member of the Bahnaric family*Kōhō, a Japanese era*Koho , a ice hockey equipment company*KOHO-FM, a radio station*KOHO-AM, a Japanese language radio station in Honolulu, Hawaii active from 1959-2000...
and Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
fame), Michael Vaughn of Vaughn Custom Sports and the late Brian Heaton (of Brian's and Heaton fame) were at the forefront of the equipment advancements. Patrick Roy
Patrick Roy
Patrick Edward Armand Roy is a former Canadian ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Saint Patrick," Roy split his professional career between the Montreal Canadiens, whom he played with for 10 years, and the Colorado Avalanche, whom he played with for 8 years, both of the National Hockey League...
worked with the Allaire brothers and utilized Lefebvre-designed pads and Heaton-designed gloves in the late 1980s to modernize the style.
As in many arts, there is no universal agreement on style classifications with modern goaltending techniques. Modern hybrid coaches such as the late Warren Strelow
Warren Strelow
Warren A. Strelow was a hockey goaltending coach. He coached goaltending for the United States Olympic Ice Hockey Team during the 1980 Miracle on Ice, and also coached for the New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, and San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League.Current NHL goaltenders that...
worked with goaltenders associated with the profly style such as Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Sakari Kiprusoff is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League . He was selected in the fifth round, 116th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He has also played for TPS of the Finnish SM-liiga...
. The butterfly is not a style but a save selection used by most goaltenders..
Contrasted with stand-up
The butterfly style is contrasted with "stand-up" style goaltenders. The profly and the hybrid are more specialized progressions of collections of technical moves enveloped within the modern butterfly style. The butterfly term is often used to describe the newer profly style of goaltending refined by luminaries such as Ed BelfourEd Belfour
Edward John Belfour is a former Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender.Belfour was born in Carman, Manitoba and grew up playing hockey. He played junior hockey for the Winkler Flyers before going to the University of North Dakota where he helped the school win the NCAA championship in the...
, making it popular in the early 2000s by goaltenders such as Rick DiPietro
Rick DiPietro
Rick DiPietro, Jr. is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League . He was the first overall selection by the Islanders in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft....
, Martin Biron
Martin Biron
Martin Gaston Biron is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He has also played professionally for the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Islanders...
, Roberto Luongo
Roberto Luongo
Roberto Luongo is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . Born in Montreal, Quebec, he is of Italian and Irish ancestry. He employs the butterfly style of goaltending...
, Marc-Andre Fleury
Marc-Andre Fleury
Marc-André Fleury is a French Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League...
, Marc Denis
Marc Denis
Marc Denis is a former Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, who last played with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . For the 2009–10 season, he has been hired as the goaltenders' coach of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team...
, Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He was nominated for the Vezina Trophy in his first three seasons in the NHL, finishing third all three times, and is the only goaltender in NHL history to record 30 wins in...
and Jean-Sébastien Giguère
Jean-Sébastien Giguère
Jean-Sébastien Giguère is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League . He played major junior with the Verdun Collège Français and Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League , where he was drafted 13th...
, the latter being very profly-oriented. Examples of goaltenders that use more of a hybrid style (in order from hybrid-to-profly) are Martin Brodeur
Martin Brodeur
Martin Pierre Brodeur is a French-Canadian ice hockey goaltender who has played his entire National Hockey League career with the New Jersey Devils. In his 19-year tenure with the Devils, he has won three Stanley Cup championships and has been in the playoffs every year but two...
, Tim Thomas
Tim Thomas (ice hockey)
Timothy James Thomas, Jr. is an American professional ice hockey goaltender with the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League . Raised in Davison, MI, Thomas played college hockey for the University of Vermont for four years, from 1993–1997, during which he was drafted 217th overall by the...
, Evgeni Nabokov
Evgeni Nabokov
Evgeni Viktorovich Nabokov is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender who is playing for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League .Nabokov was selected by San Jose in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft...
, Vesa Toskala
Vesa Toskala
Vesa Tapani Toskala is a professional ice hockey goaltender, currently playing for Ilves.-Early career:Toskala was selected by San Jose in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft . The Sharks also took fellow Finn Miikka Kiprusoff in the fifth round...
and Ryan Miller.
Profly and hybrid
The profly style is a specialized progression of the butterfly style. It usually has the goaltender's leg pads rotating a full 90 degrees as the goaltender drops to the ice on the medial side of the ankles and knees. In this position, the goaltender's pads provide a full 12" (now 11" for NHL-legal specifications) of blocking surface above the ice which presents a wall to the shooter. The legs flare out in a V shape from the knees, presenting excellent coverage on the ice, allowing deflection of pucks to the corner. Extra padding above the knee, referred to as thigh rise, allows the space between the knees to be closed as the top of the pads meet. Butterfly goaltenders may land on any of the facings, inside corners, or knee wings and lifts, if equipped. Profly goaltenders tend to only land on the knee wing and lifts.Hybrid goaltenders tend to rely more on quickness, agility and reaction time. "Profly" goaltenders tend to rely on technical blocking and positioning as tactical responses to scoring threats. This is best exemplified by comparing butterfliers Roberto Luongo
Roberto Luongo
Roberto Luongo is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . Born in Montreal, Quebec, he is of Italian and Irish ancestry. He employs the butterfly style of goaltending...
of the Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
and Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He was nominated for the Vezina Trophy in his first three seasons in the NHL, finishing third all three times, and is the only goaltender in NHL history to record 30 wins in...
of the Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, with hybriders Martin Brodeur
Martin Brodeur
Martin Pierre Brodeur is a French-Canadian ice hockey goaltender who has played his entire National Hockey League career with the New Jersey Devils. In his 19-year tenure with the Devils, he has won three Stanley Cup championships and has been in the playoffs every year but two...
of the Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and Tim Thomas
Tim Thomas (ice hockey)
Timothy James Thomas, Jr. is an American professional ice hockey goaltender with the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League . Raised in Davison, MI, Thomas played college hockey for the University of Vermont for four years, from 1993–1997, during which he was drafted 217th overall by the...
of the Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
.
Technical moves
There are a number of other recent technical innovations in response to the puck and shooter position on the ice.A hallmark of profly is the puck-side leg staying down when recovering to the skates fully upright, to reposition for a rebound or second shot. Rather than picking up the leg closest to the puck, the leg furthest away from the puck is raised, then pushing the puck-side leg toward the puck. At this point, the goaltender may roll back onto the puck-side skate blade, facing the shooter in the familiar ready stance.
Profly goaltenders tend to have an easier time "skating" on their knees, also known as the "backside push", or the "butterfly slide". This term describes where one leg is down, and one is up. The goaltender pushes with his/her leg up laterally from the heel, laterally toward the down leg. This allows for a slide from the up leg to the down leg without getting off the ice completely. If a goaltender is on the inside corners or if the pad faces as in non-progressed "butterfly" styles, the push results in a tendency to roll over onto one's chest and belly.
The V-H move (also called the Split Butterfly) is a move with which profly style goaltenders identify. This is a relatively recent tactical response to a shooter that is advancing from behind the net towards the front of the net, and has the option to pass. The goaltender places the knee farthest from the shooter down horizontally along the goal line. The knee closest to the puck remains vertical next to the goal post. The advantage is on coverage against quick shots to the near side of the net, while still covering the option to track passes to the front of the goal mouth.