gretzky takes on posada
 

i was at lunch today with a close friend and we had an interesting conversation about hockey and baseball goalies/catchers.

lets say you were in a hockey rink (all ice) but there was 1-2 foot circle of dirt where the goalie stands, this is where the catcher will be spiked up ready to take slapshots from the NHL's best.

he gets the same protection and equipment as a hockey goalie and 30 minutes of practice before Gretzky starts firing away.

now the catcher is standing in the dirt b/c it wouldn't be fair if he were to be forced to skate and we figured that a 1-2 foot circle of dirt would not affect a slapshot (please correct if wrong).

Gretzky or whatever hockey great you want taking the swings gets 20 shots at the goal, how many does he make from 20-25 feet away against a Major League catcher? he cannot take the goalie/catcher one on one, these are slapshots.

Discuss.

FWIW, my close friend is a MLB starting pitcher and from the north and was familiar with hockey so was able to see it from both sides wheras i am somewhat of a newb when it comes to hockey and pretty much think they are un-fuckingbelievable [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

Re: gretzky takes on posada
 

Or how about if it was against a good defensive catcher?

Re: gretzky takes on posada
 

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Or how about if it was against a good defensive catcher?

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i never picked the shooter or the goalie. the title was just that, a title.

some of the discussion lies within your thoughtless reply though.

Re: gretzky takes on posada
 

In the NHL, goals are rarely scored when the goalie has a clear view of the shot and doesn't have to move. If the goalie is squared to the shooter, can come out to cut off the angle and has a clear view, he almost always makes the save. The shot has to be an absolute blast in a perfect spot to score. Most goals are scored on tip-ins, deflections and shots where the goalie has to move and isn't squared and/or screened.

The catcher is going to have more or less equal hand eye coordination to the goalie, and with a 30 minute lesson on positioning he won't have that much of a problem.

So very few goals.

Edit: FWIW I've played both positions and keeper in soccer.

Re: gretzky takes on posada
 

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and with a 30 minute lesson on positioning he won't have that much of a problem.


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he isn't getting a lesson on positioning, he is just having a guy take a shots at him for awhile until time is up and the NHL guy steps on the ice.

Re: gretzky takes on posada
 

Ok that changes things a bit.

As I think about this more, the 20-25' thing is getting me. That's really close considering what the catcher is used to.

I think a soccer keeper would do better because they probably have a better understanding of positioning/angles than the catcher. But with that said, I'm assuming the catcher can save some of them, and a lot will just hit him in the chest or miss the net anyway.

Now, if the NHLer is taking penalties? He's going to pwn the catcher.

Re: gretzky takes on posada
 

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As I think about this more, the 20-25' thing is getting me. That's really close considering what the catcher is used to.


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you bring up some good points and ones that we discussed.

part of the reason we made it so close was for the reason you mentioned, "most goals in hockey aren't scored from slapshots," but then again this is a new look seeing a hockey puck coming at you rather than a baseball. new shape new everything.

a catcher can handle many tough situations as pitchers manipulate baseballs to move and to move in directions a hockey puck simply cannot. but the catcher knows its going to be a curveball/slider/splitter etc right? so that way different, well the ball still goes in the dirt and changes direction and sometimes backs up and doesn't do what its supposed to.

then the kicker is, cathers hit. and they hit a baseball in which they don't necessarily know to the fullest what its going to do (they have an idea). so their hand eye coordination is going to be as good as a hockey goalie and their reflex's will be as sharp and i don't care if its posada or pudge in there.

on the other hand, i have seen those sharp shooting contests in the NHL all-star game and from 20-25 feet away some of the best look pretty deadly and those hockey pucks are scootin' (especially from the distance mentioned).

Re: gretzky takes on posada
 

I've never played hockey, but I've got to think that a kick-save would be a lot tougher standing on dirt, than on ice.

I tell my sniper to aim low. The catcher won't have time to drop to his knees and "block" it, like a pitch in the dirt.

Re: gretzky takes on posada
 

How many would he make?

All of them.

Re: gretzky takes on posada
 

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How many would he make?

All of them.

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care to elaborate?