On this episode, I am joined by Zach Fucale (3:49). Zach is a professional goaltender within the Tampa Bay Lightning organization who has a very impressive resume. Zach, now well into his professional career, has accomplished a lot at a very young age winning gold with Team Canada at the World Juniors U20 (WJC-20) and at the Spengler Cup (x2), as well as being a both a QMJHL champion and a Memorial Cup champion with the Halifax Mooseheads. Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens, he was the first goaltender selected in the 2013 NHL draft (36th overall pick).
Zach reflects on his career and talks about how he has used his challenges as an opportunity for growth, such as how not medaling in 2013 helped him achieve gold at the WJC-20 in 2014. This demonstrates his level of resilience and overall mental toughness, with resilience being a prominent mental skill throughout his career.
Zach also shares some tips for goalies on how to maintain focus during games (23:14), and how to be prepared with long-stretches between starts and why it is important to give 100% effort consistently (46:03). As well, he shares strategies to help stay engaged during games where you may not be facing a lot of shots.
