STEVE HARTMAN:
00:00:43
When a former Zamboni driver took to the ice a few years ago as an emergency replacement goaltender, he stopped 8 out of 10 shots and became an overnight sensation. Interviews and autographs, everyone celebrating the average Joe who appeared to be as good as an NHL goalie. But I wondered if maybe the opposite was true, that maybe NHL goalies are no better than the average Joe. To test my theory, I suited up the most average Joe I know, me. Prior to this, the only hockey position I ever played was hockey dad. Got it? My son, Emmett, was learning to play, and from my place in the stands, I almost immediately started questioning the goalie position. Is it really as hard as everyone makes it look, or might a bale of hay perform just as well? So I took my curiosity to Springfield, Massachusetts, home of the minor league Springfield Thunderbirds. Chris Driedger was their goalie, and like everyone else in America, Chris was amazed that a Zamboni driver could do so well. Can you believe it? I can because I think goalie is a lot easier than people think. Than it looks, yeah. Like you can go out there and make some saves. They're going to hit you sometimes. Yeah, right, because you take up most of the net. Yeah, you take up the net.
STEVE HARTMAN:
00:02:02
A goal opening is 24 square feet, but a person in pads takes up almost half that, leaving just a few pockets to even defend. I predict I'm going to block 8 out of 10, just like the Zamboni driver. I drive a car. How different is that than a Zamboni? And with that, it was time to put my lack of skills to the test. My opponent would be no slouch, a prime NHL prospect named Henrik Borgstrom. You think you can score on me every time? I highly think so, yeah. You can't even hold your stick right.
STEVE HARTMAN:
00:02:31
Game on, rink rat. So, is goaltending really that hard? Initial indications seem to be yes. He's kind of slowish.
STEVE HARTMAN:
00:02:42
In fact, as our experiment progressed and the taste of crow filled my senses-- That was close. --I started to believe that not only is this job hard-- I touched it! --it may be one of the most impossible in sports. That's cheating. In the end, he made 9 out of 10, and I made a promise that next time anything looks easy, I'm keeping my big goal shut. Joining us now, one of America's best storytellers-- But one of its worst goalies-- Steve Hartman. Welcome to our show. Your show? [LAUGHS] What did this experience teach you? It taught me that arrogance is the enemy of humility. I made an assumption about something that I knew very little about. So earlier, I mentioned the importance of acknowledging your weaknesses. Can you list your weaknesses for the wonderful people at home, or do we not have enough time for that? [LAUGHTER] Oh, yeah, the list is kind of long. Eat too much sugar. Stealing my Twizzlers. I was going to say, yeah, sorry about that. Water shoes are also a bucket item. I borrowed your water shoes. OK. This is actually a good, serious question. How do you think you walk the line between acknowledging your weaknesses but not being down on yourself? You know what I mean? I think the key is reframing your weaknesses as areas that you need to grow in, and that makes it so that they're not bad things. They're just potential to be good things. That was good.
EMMETT HARTMAN:
00:04:13
Yeah. So to sum up, humility helps you learn from your mistakes and makes you more enjoyable to be around. And finally, as for my hockey-goalie dad, I think we can all agree this lesson was definitely a good save. We'll see you next time. Until then, stay kind. I love those Hartmans so much. We had a special appearance from George, who clearly has a great sense of humor talking about his dad. I love Steve Hartman stories because, actually, they are lessons that I am now applying as a dad or giving me things to think about when these difficult conversations will come up.
TONY DOKOUPIL:
00:04:47
Yeah. No, it's great. He really is one of America's greatest storytellers. And the thing that I like about it, it's not just for the kids. The adults can learn something every time he does one. Yeah, I feel bad about saying I could do the luge. [LAUGHTER] I don't think I can. That I could ice skate. No, I can't.
