The NHL goalies of the 1990s have long been the subject of fascination for many, with that decade truly marking the widespread adoption of the butterfly style, and with it featuring a wide range of legends. Famed 90s goalies Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy, Ed Belfour, Ron Hextall, and Curtis Joseph are among those featured in a new narrative podcast from Canadian sports media company theScore (with this marking that company’s first narrative podcast), with that podcast hosted by their senior NHL writer John Matisz and supported by research and reporting from features writer Nick Faris. Here’s more on that from a release:
theScore has launched a long-form hockey podcast, ‘When Goalies Were Weird,’ a six-part narrative series about the players and larger-than-life characters that redefined the position during the ‘90s and early 2000’s. When Goalies Were Weird is theScore’s first narrative-focused podcast content.
Episode one, featuring Dominik Hasek, premieres Monday, November 22 and will be available across all major podcast platforms.
…In the ’90s, the goaltender position was undergoing a revolution in style and substance. The butterfly goalie replaced the stand-up goalie as advancements in equipment technology helped usher in a modernized, more athletic playing style. The old guard’s quirks and the new guard’s innovations melded together to produce an era of pure chaos in the blue paint.
…Episode 1: Dominik Hasek – Nov. 22
Episode 2: Patrick Roy – Nov. 29
Episode 3: Ron Hextall – Dec. 6
Episode 4: Ed Belfour – Dec. 13
Episode 5: Curtis Joseph- Dec. 20
Episode 6: Martin Brodeur, Garth Snow, Damian Rhodes, Jim Carey – Dec. 27
Here’s a trailer for the podcast:
theScore director of content Rory Barrs said via email this is a big step for the company, and a subject worth focusing on:
“These podcasts are a look back at some of the most influential players who transformed not just their position between the pipes, but the game at large. As our first narrative audio series, the stories are sure to strike a nostalgic chord and take fans back to this era of generational goalie talent, with anecdotes from the players themselves and those around them. John and our NHL team did a terrific job bringing these stories to life.”
There’s certainly a lot of potential here. Matisz and Faris are both notable hockey writers, and the list of featured and discussed goalies is quite promising, and this seems like a great topic for an in-depth podcast. The 90s NHL goaltenders did change the game in a lot of ways, and they brought quite a bit of interesting personality and quirks to the forefront as well. We’ll see how When Goalies Were Weird is received, but it definitely seems like a worthwhile attempt from theScore, and a good way for them to test out the narrative podcast space.
