“Goalie” is a short story by Rudy Thauberger, who was a Canadian writer and film school teacher. “Goalie” is about the love/hate relationship a boy has with being a goalie, and his father’s attempts to support and understand his son’s obsession and skills. We’re shown the physical and mental toll the sport takes on the boy and how he’s progressed through the years. Here’s a summary of “Goalie”.
“Goalie” Summary
A boy comes home angry whether he wins or loses. He drags his equipment bag up the driveway and kicks the door. His father opens it. The boy glares at everything. His clothes are sweaty and blood-stained. He goes to the laundry room and garage, throwing equipment everywhere. His room is just as chaotic. It’s a contrast to how focused he is on the ice.
He hates his bulky and smelly equipment when he’s not playing. Before a game, he lays each piece out carefully. Every piece represents a type of pain. He’s always bruised and swollen, but he loves the game. In the summer, he’s restless and miserable. He distracts himself with other activities.
When fall nears, he prepares his equipment. He tells his father funny stories of failure. In September, he starts wearing his leg pads around the house and shooting a tennis ball against the fence.
When practice starts, he despairs at not being good enough. Praise from his father doesn’t help. He accumulates injuries, but people think he’s invulnerable. His father understands being a goalie is like being an adult too soon, with the inevitable pain and failure. He keeps his broken sticks in a garbage can. His father throws them away when the season ends.
His father and mother sit in the freezing arena when he comes out. He’s disconnected from his teammates. He had at least four cups of coffee at home. His teammates take easy shots that he deflects during the warmup. He seems bored. His father thinks about how expensive each piece of equipment is.
The game starts. His father remembers him at six playing goal in the backyard with his rudimentary equipment. He flailed around like the goalies on TV. He painted his goalie mask different colors every month.
At some point, he started surprising his father with his saves. One day playing against his friends, he stops everything.
He learns to skate and his parents buy him all the proper equipment. He starts losing and is miserable. His father’s cheering and support don’t help. He starts winning trophies.
His father tries to see the game as his son does but the puck is a blur. Position is everything. He can’t understand the game the way his son does. His movement is exceptional and efficient. He sees everything, just like when he watches on TV.
His father suddenly sees the game as a state, not a series of events. All the parts blend into one. His son is furious as the other team scores. He wants to control the chaos.
The son goes home angry but victorious. His father wonders when his son became so driven and sullen. Everyone admires his skill and there’s talk of scouts.
Seeing the physical and mental agony his son is in makes the father want to ask why he keeps playing. He doesn’t ask, though. His son has no choice; it’s all he’s ever wanted to do.
I hope this summary of “Goalie” by Rudy Thauberger was helpful.
