There was a point in time where I once played ice hockey, typical of your average Canadian boy. I started when I was 4, and when I was 8, made the decision to become a goalie, since I was infatuated with the pads and masks. Over my near 9-year tenure as a goaltender, I was able to boast a very impressive record that would have easily landed me a legitimate shot in the WHL or CHL.
My first two years of being a goaltender were average at best. Being so young, I hadn't developed the athleticism nor flexibility to produce "highlight-reel" saves. I was considerably smaller than the net then too, so scoring on me wasn't that difficult. However, I hit a growth spurt in the summer of my final year of atom, and was then able to cover the bottom of the net whilst doing the splits. My hand-eye coordination improved significantly in the months leading up to the season, and my reign as king of the northern Alberta goaltenders began. Sorta.
Because of my above-average size and athleticism as a ten, eleven, and twelve-year old, I managed to rack up a rather impressive number of shutouts, falling short of records by one or two shutouts on multiple occasions, but finished each season with a .978, .985, and .990 save percentage respectively (GAA were pretty constant, sitting at 1.14, 1.08, and 0.99 for each season). Defense wasn't exactly a thing in this league, so I faced a lot of shots, and kicked most of them out. My second season of peewee saw me sprain my left knee on two occasions, which really hurt my averages and playing time (0.915 SV% and 2.31 GAA), and I finished that season as my team's backup. However, my time in bantam, and my first season of midget, saw me excel exponentially. Throughout bantam, I dominated the crease, posting SV%'s of .988 and .995 (GAA of 1.01 and 0.74 respectively), and tying two records in my league; most shutouts (18) and most wins (22). My first year of midget was even more spectacular, having shut out the opposition in the first 9 games of the season, and only allowing 9 more throughout the remaining 23 (SV% of .993 and GAA of 0.67). My team won that years playoffs, but lost during provincials, and I was even invited to a handful of UofA Bears practices and Edmonton Oil Kings practices.
It went downhill from there however, as I ended up suspended in my second year of midget for fighting (it's a bad thing to do as a player, and even worse if you're a goalie), which cost me the majority of my season. I ended up having to transfer leagues because of this during my third year, in which I sustained a Grade II concussion during a preseason game, which ended up sidelining me for two months. I did finish the season however, but my numbers continued their downward trend (.921 SV% and 2.14 GAA), and saw an early playoff exit when my coach decided to not start me in our first 3 games of the second round.
Last year was the most interesting, as it saw several scouts from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL meet with myself and my families about me being drafted in the upcoming draft. Goaltenders take extra time to develop, which is why they hadn't approached me when I left bantam, and my injuries only offset this conversation further. This was huge for me, but required both my health and behavior to stay in line, both of which has issues from time to time. I started the season with three consecutive shutouts, and in the next four games, allowing only 4 goals. My backup would get the next two starts however. In my next appearance however, I broke my ankle in the first 5 minutes of the game, sidelining me for at least 6 weeks. I posted another shutout when I returned, and everything appeared to be normal. I finally had a shot to go pro. The rest of the season would see me slowly return to my bantam and initial midget numbers, but in the last game of the regular season, and coincidentally two weeks before the draft, I got into another fight. This time, there was no second chance, and by association, I wouldn't be draft-eligible. I was basically expelled from every minor hockey league, having been given a 4-year suspension, the third longest as I've been told.
So now I play in beer leagues from time to time. And I still kick ass. I'm nowhere near as good as I used to be since having packed on some extra weight, but I was very good in my prime.