What sets Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood apart from other NHL netminders is his conditioning. Like many goalies, he practiced yoga to improve his flexibility. But now, he focuses on Pilates.

Pilates is a low-impact exercise method that focuses on strengthening the core, improving posture, and increasing flexibility through controlled movements. It can be practiced on a mat or specialized equipment like the reformer.

Wedgewood mentioned that former Dallas Stars goaltender Ed Belfour talked about the benefits of Pilates in his career at a speech he did a while back, which sparked a discussion between the two. 

The 33-year-old Brampton, Ontario native had an instructor last summer, but that got expensive. He invested in his own home machine, which is portable, and he can take it on the road with him. His wife enjoys practicing Pilates and utilizes the machine as well.

“I was getting into certain movements and I run classes through Alo Moves … so follow those and manipulate splits, and pushoffs and extensions and then just use your feet in straps for any kind of assisted stretching or core moves. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it,” Wedgewood said.

Hockey goalies are a different breed. They know it. Their teammates know it. Coaches know it. But what makes them so different? They CHOSE to play a position where their job is to stop a vulcanized rubber disc traveling at speeds of nearly 100 mph (or more in rare cases). They must be in top physical form to avoid injury.

“With the goaltender movements and stuff, it’s a completely different sport. What we do, the way our bodies move, that whole position has really nothing to do other than we have blades on and stop a puck,” he said. “But it’s completely different the way players train, and it’s just made me feel really confident, just the movement of it, the ability to almost trust myself in that extension has become a little bit more of a back of my mind, put me at ease.”

According to Cleveland Clinic, “Pilates is a form of exercise and body conditioning developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century, mostly as a method of injury recovery for dancers.” It makes sense that it would be used for the same purpose for professional athletes, as well.

“It’s great just for a rehab thing … Move around and stretch … Do a back door slide and fully extend. It’s like do you fall over or can you at least get to that stretch for that half second you need to keep your chest up and make a save,” Wedgewood said. “It’s really hard to simulate that with just a little slide board or band or whatever at your gym. So to be on the board, put the tension in, stretch out, feel like your putting your hand on a stick or whatever, keep your body up, and then just lean into that tension and it pulls you back.”

Avs defenseman Josh Manson said he practiced it to recover from an injury, and it was incredibly helpful. Wedgewood does not know of any other teammates who practice the exercise. He said with a laugh that his fellow netminder, Mackenzie Blackwood, “would probably break the machine. I don’t know if they have enough tension to stop that animal.”

Wedgewood started the season, while Blackwood recovered from an offseason injury. His game has been on point with a .902 save percentage and an 8-1-2 record through 12 starts (league-leader in wins). He has the best record and lowest goals-against average of the top five goalies with at least 12 starts.

He has become more confident in his game and earned respect from his team with his outstanding play.

“Wedgie has been great to start the season, and that’s been huge for us and as a group, and we’ve got tons of confidence in him,” captain Gabriel Landeskog said on Nov. 4.

With Blackwood back in action, Wedgewood will not disappear. He has proven his worth and will likely see more time between the pipes this season.