A detailed personal background on The Goalie Guild and The Hockey Guild’s founder.
The Goalie Guild’s owner, Justin Goldman, is the creator of The Hockey Guild, a promotional and creative hockey services company founded on June 1, 2007. Born on a small, isolated farming village in Parker, Texas in March of 1982, Goldman was raised in a very non-traditional hockey market. Learn about his story and how he went from being a cowboy to a crease monkey.
In the summer of 1993, the Minnesota North Stars relocated to Dallas and forever changed the youth sports landscape in Dallas. At that moment, and when Andy Moog and Darcy Wakaluk first stepped onto the ice at the original Dr. Pepper StarsCenter in Valley Ranch, goaltending instantly and completely captivated Goldman’s mind. He was only 11 years old.
With red-hot hockey blood coarsing through his veins since that moment, Goldman has been dedicated to promoting, tracking, learning and informing others on the goaltending position. Education always being at the forefront of Goldman’s life, he has been a very astute student of the position for many years. As a competitive and successful youth, high school and college (ACHA) goaltender, Goldman has also experienced the high of winning league championships and the frustration of lacking opportunities to play elite hockey in a non-hockey market.
But combined with his penchant for expanding his creative, artistic and literary horizons, Goldman’s passion for goaltending and the game of hockey has soared to astronomical heights through the written word. Since moving to Colorado in 2000 to attend college at Colorado State University, Goldman is known as one of the biggest hockey promoters throughout the Rocky Mountains.
During and after graduating from CSU in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Technical Journalism, Goldman created and initiated numerous journalistic and interactive programs throughout the state. Below is information on Goldman’s creative services and programs, including The Goalie Guild, which opened their doors two years after The Hockey Guild, on June 1, 2009.
PERSONAL STATEMENT: Goldman sheds light on his personal missions for The Goalie Guild here:
“As a true student of the goaltending position, I am extremely dedicated to offering reliable and independent goalie scouting services in a consistent and accurate manner. I promise that everything within The Goalie Guild is truly of my own making. I have my own unique way of scouting, dissecting and projecting goaltenders, along with a truly unique writing style. Writing, which comes very naturally to me, fuels my fiery desire to learn as much as humanly possible about the way the position is being played, and to track those who play it at a high level. With a passion for the Medieval, consider The Goalie Guild an extension of the many popular Guilds that existed during the Midddle Ages. My doors are open at all times for you to discuss and celebrate the goaltending position. I look forward to speaking with you during my journey.”
“My mission is to be of service to the hockey world as a resource, a tracker, a messenger, a mentor, a teacher and a friend. With my keen eyes as my guide, I strive to do whatever I can to inform you on the thousands of pro, amateur and international goaltenders that create the world I live in. Everything I write comes naturally, therefore it will have personal biases from time to time. It is important to realize that I am merely one scout, one goaltender, one person. I do not see all, I do not know all, I will never stop learning more. And that is why I am and will continue to be a student of the goaltending position until the end.”
THE GOALIE GUILD: Founded on June 1 of 2009, The Goalie Guild is Goldman’s haven for all things goaltending. Powered by his creative and unique understanding of the goaltending position, Goldman has quickly become known as the world’s most reliable independent goalie scout. Rooted in the philosophy of intense tracking, The Goalie Guild posts updates and insight on thousands of goaltenders on a daily basis. As such, Goldman acts as a genuine resource for the hockey world, as he is independent from any other scouting service, pro or amateur team.
With partnerships and friendships growing into a stronger network every day, The Goalie Guild continues to advance and enhance your understanding of the goalie position. It is essentially a haven for Goldman to post all of his prospect reports, rankings and skill assessments. It is also the home for the popular PadsTracker feature, which lists, displays and tracks every active NHL goaltender’s current pad setup.
SCOUTING PHILOSOPHY: Goldman’s scouting philosophy is centered around natural vision, intricate detail, informative skill assessment and full individuality. Since no two goaltenders are completely alike, their path, style and situation is considered an ever-changing entity. Each entity lives in a world with their own rules and system. Therefore, Goldman’s goal as a scout is to not only track the tangible aspects of a goalie’s development and style, but to track and understand the unique system and environment that makes the goalie special. Everything from mannerisms to mental toughness is analyzed and discussed in-depth and recorded into our Guild.
Similar to the mission of a Medieval Guild, Goldman’s natural ability to track and explain a goaltender’s strengths and weaknesses are executed, honed and refined on a daily basis. With a strong emphasis on the mental aspects of the position, Goldman’s unique goaltending philosophy is discussed in an open and honest manner. As he learns about the latest trends and theories regarding the position, so too do The Goalie Guild’s members.
PRO HOCKEY WRITERS ASSOCIATION: The PHWA is a North American professional association for ice hockey journalists writing for traditional media outlets and select websites. In the summer of 2006, and after his second season covering the Colorado Avalanche as the editor of the Colorado Hockey Insider, Goldman was personally invited by the Denver Post’s Terry Frei to join the Colorado chapter of the Pro Hockey Writers Association. This allowed him to cover the Avalanche with full press credentials on a daily basis. Since then, Goldman has been a proud voting member of the PHWA and now covers pro hockey on a daily basis. He attends Avalanche home games in order to scout goaltenders and track the team’s progress. The PHWA was founded in 1967 and currently has close to 400 members.
NHL.COM GOALIE ARTICLES: In April of 2011, Goldman was invited to join NHL.com as a part-time contributor to their website. Alongside Ken Baker, Goldman broke down each series’ goaltending matchup in the first round, then wrote another set of articles in the following rounds. A complete list of his NHL.com articles can be found by clicking here.
ELITE GOALIES PARTNERSHIP: In 2010, Goldman became good friends with Mike Valley, the founder of Elite Goalies. Over the course of the winter of 2010, Goldman was hired as an independent consultant to create the new Elite Goalies Online Goaltending System. This system includes an interactive website that allows goaltenders across North America to be mentored on a daily basis by an NHL goaltending coach and his staff. More information on Goldman’s partnership with Valley and Elite Goalies can be found right here.
YOUTH GOALIE COACHING: Starting in the summer of 2003, Goldman was hired as the head goalie coach for the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) University of Denver Junior Pioneers. Sponsored by the NCAA D-I Pioneers program, Goldman was fortunate to work with and coach alongside numerous pro goalies and coaches, including Ron Grahame, Sean Savage, Peter Mannino, Marc Cheverie and many more. Responsible for the development and coaching of close to 50 goalies on more than 15 teams, Goldman held the position for four full seasons an produced a number of goaltenders that went on to play juniors in North America. Goldman still gives private lessons to select goaltenders in the Denver Metro area and provides mentorship, guidance and scouting servies to youth goalies everywhere.
RADIO BROACASTING CAREER: The day before the NHL Lockout ended in June of 2005, Goldman’s pro hockey broadcasting career took flight. As a special guest on KBPI 106.7 FM during Uncle Nasty’s Do You A Favor Tuesday segment, Goldman hopped on air to promote the Colorado Hockey Insider magazine. When asked when the lockout would end, Goldman started rambling about hockey and the Avalanche’s prompt return. The next morning, the Lockout had officially ended and Goldman got a phone call from the station. Uncle Nasty, impressed by Goldman’s interesting prophecy, dubbed him as the show’s newest Avalanche Informant. Since the 2005-06 season, Goldman has appeared on Uncle Nasty’s show prior to every Avalanche game to offer previews and insight on the team.
In 2008, Goldman was hired by Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510 to act as a co-host for their new Avalanche radio shows. During the 2007-08 season, Goldman co-hosted and produced a weekly local hockey show called Gross Misconduct with Brendan Thomas. During the 2008-09 season, Goldman and Thomas co-hosted Avalanche PostGame, which aired directly following all 82 Avalanche games.
For the 2009-10 season, Mile High Sports Radio secured a partnership with the Avalanche, making them the official flagship radio station of all Kroenke Sports Enterprises teams. As such, Goldman was hired to co-host Avalanche Weekly with Altitude Sports and Avalanche TV play-by-play broadcaster Mike Haynes. Goldman also co-hosted the show durin the 2010-11 season, this time with special hosts Derek Armstrong and Rick Berry, two former NHL players.
With six seasons of professional radio broadcasting experience, Goldman appears on numerous radio shows an podcasts to discuss goaltenders and the Colorado Avalanche. A list of radio shows and podcasts that Goldman has appeared on is available by clicking here.
THE HOCKEY GUILD: Founded on June 1, 2007, The Hockey Guild, LLC is a hockey promotions, consulting and creative services company based in Colorado. Since the 2007-08 NHL season, the company has initiated, developed and managed hundreds of local adult hockey tournaments, adult, youth and roller hockey skills clinics and camps, viewing parties and most importantly, charity hockey events. Goldman’s company is the home for both The Goalie Guild and The Avalanche Guild. We also founded the annual Quest for the Crown charity tournament.
THE AVALANCHE GUILD: Founded on June 1, 2007, The Avalanche Guild is another promotions and creative services company dedicated to enhancing and advancing the local adult hockey fan’s Avalanche experience. Since the 2007-08 NHL season, Goldman has created, developed and managed hundreds of interactive on and off-ice events alongside the Avalanche. Some of the programs include the popular “After-Hours” games on Pepsi Center ice after Avalanche home games, the Big Bear Classic adult hockey championship games, the Battle for the Banner adult shootout tournament and much more.
QUEST FOR THE CROWN: Created in the summer of 2007 by Goldman, Quest for the Crown is an annual charity hockey event held in Littleton, Colorado to raise funds and awareness for the National Hockey League’s Hockey Fights Cancer foundation. The first-annual Quest for the Crown charity event included 26 adult hockey teams, 30 local celebrities and thousands of fans coming together to raise thousands for the NHL’s biggest fight. Since that first event, Quest for the Crown has become known as the Rocky Mountain’s most-recognized charity hockey event and hosts 34 teams from all over Colorado. In four years, Goldman’s charity event has raised and donated over $20,000 for Hockey Fights Cancer and other local cancer-fighting initiatives.
COLORADO EAGLES: During Goldman’s sophomore year at CSU, the Colorado Eagles were born. Goldman quickly became the team’s beat reporter for the Rocky Mountain Collegian newspaper. Covering home games and following the team since the day they were born, Goldman started his professional writing career. He had the opportunity to quickly master the art of interviewing prospects and pro players, including goaltenders Tyler Weiman, Gian Baldrica, Ryan Bach, Paulo Coliacovo and hundreds more throughout the Central Hockey League. Goldman covered the team from the 2002-2003 season until the end of the 2004-05 season, the same year they won the CHL Championship.
COLORADO HOCKEY INSIDER: Starting in March of 2003, Goldman was hired by Score Publishing owner Dean Nordstrom to design, edit and manage the Colorado Hockey Insider. A free monthly tabloid publication located in over 200 locations throughout Colorado, Goldman was responsible for all content and promotions for each issue. Over the course of more than three years, Goldman built up the publication from eight to 36 pages and from zero to 30,000 readers per month. He moved on from his position as Editor-in-Chief in May of 2007. During his tenure, Goldman covered the Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Eagles, DU Pioneers, Air Force Falcons, Colorado College Tigers, Rocky Mountain Rage (CHL) and all youth and adult hockey leagues in Colorado.