For a defender, especially a shot-blocking specialist, there's an emotional rush of high-stakes accomplishment after smothering a booming shot and perhaps saving a goal.
But blocking shots is mostly a lost art, rarely practised at most levels of hockey because of the risk of injury in an age of 150-kilometre-an-hour slap-shots.
Players who drop down or slide to block shots, such as noted penalty killer and defensive specialist Guy Carbonneau of the Dallas Stars, do so of their own volition, knowing the dangers involved.
Journeyman forward Trent McCleary of the Montreal Canadiens, seriously injured when struck in the throat while blocking a shot in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers last Saturday, is an exception, as today's players mostly remain upright on their skates when blocking shots directed at the net.
There are few premium shot blockers in the mould of former National Hockey League standouts Bobby Baun, Bill Gadsby, Rod Langway and Bob Goldham. They were scarred and darn proud of it.
"You certainly appreciate the courage of people who throw their bodies in front of such hard shots," said Ryan Walter, once a NHL forward with Carbonneau in Montreal and now a CTV Sportsnet commentator as well as a minor-hockey coach in White Rock, a Vancouver suburb.
"Guy is very good at this aspect of the game. He used to go down on just about every shot he thought he could get to on the penalty kill. I've also seen Guy turn his face when he got too close to the shooter."
Blocking shots is a skill not often taught in minor hockey. Most coaches who broach the subject insist players slide feet toward stick, stacking the legs so the shot can be absorbed by shin pads.
The speed of today's game, stronger and more flexible sticks and much harder shots make for fewer shot blocks. Most NHL penalty killers try to block shots by staying up and blocking from the inside out with their legs, trying to deflect pucks wide of the net. Or, in most cases, not getting in the way at all, letting the well-padded goaltender handle the shot by not screening the netminder.
"Blocking shots is less of an issue today because of the speed of the game," Walter said yesterday. "As minor-hockey coaches, we don't want players to commit themselves by leaving their feet. A player that misses the block usually takes himself out of the play and the scramble is on to cover up in the defensive zone."
Carbonneau and now retired Dallas defenceman Craig Ludwig blocked shots frequently last season when the Stars won the Stanley Cup. Bulky Ludwig used older, moulded shin pads with special wads of padding that made them wider than shin pads used by smaller forwards.
Most hockey schools don't have enough time to teach shot-blocking techniques, although a few specialize in defensive tactics and use lighter rubber pucks when young players first begin blocking shots from the point.
Dwayne Lowdermilk, who was drafted by the New York Islanders and played briefly with the Washington Capitals, has a shot-blocking component to the bodychecking course he teaches at National Training Rinks in Langley, B.C.
"I'm looking at getting the tape of the McCleary incident so we can use it as a teaching device," Lowdermilk said. "We teach feet-to-stick, not face-first, when blocking shots."
The McCleary injury -- fractured larnyx and a collapsed lung -- happened when he mistimed his slide when trying to block a quick shot by Flyers defenceman Chris Therien. Television replays show McCleary oversliding before he was struck in the unprotected throat area.
This is not an equipment issue, Lowdermilk said, because even a neck guard likely would not have prevented the injury to McCleary. Minor-hockey players in British Columbia are required to wear a lightweight neck guard as protection, mostly from high sticks and possible skate cuts when landing on the ice after bodychecks.
"When players slide to block shots, we teach feet-to-stick, with one hand over the cup and the other free in case you must cover your face," Lowdermilk explained. "It's an art and not for everybody. You use shot blocking as a strength, not a liability."
Players instructed in shot blocking are mostly of bantam age (14-15) because that's when bodychecking is acknowledged as a legal tactic in minor hockey. Lowdermilk believes shot blocking could also be taught as young as atom (10-11).
"You don't have to slide on the ice to be proficient at shot blocking," Lowdermilk added. "Look at [Nicklas]Lidstrom of Detroit. He's an excellent blocker and rarely leaves his feet. He does it by playing angles effectively.
"Most shot blockers have overcome the fear of blocking a hard slap-shot and know the shooters they're facing. The players that are good at it, they have that confidence that they can do it without being seriously hurt.
"Shot blocking is a true team sacrifice. It's part of the game."
Brian Kilrea, coach of the 1999 Memorial Cup champion Ottawa 67's, does not specifically teach shot-blocking techniques to his junior-age skaters. Players who block shots do it on instinct, he said.
"In the old days, when Bob Goldham played junior, he was just as good at blocking shots as he was at blocking passes," Kilrea said. "He got close to the shooter and blocked shots with the bottom half of the body.
"Now, guys would have to think twice before they dropped down in front of a shot fired by Al MacInnis of St. Louis, or, a few years ago, Dougie Wilson in Chicago."
Junior coach Dean Evason of the Kamloops Blazers wants his players to stay on their feet, both forwards and defencemen, when killing penalties.
"As soon as you leave your feet, you're in trouble," the one-time NHL penalty killer said. "It's much better to get hit in the leg or toe. I've seen the McCleary tape. It's scary."