WOBURN, Mass. — The goalies of tomorrow will have healthier hips. They will be more inclined to stay on their feet instead of dropping into the butterfly to stop a puck. They will be in better command of box control, the technique that encourages more efficient movements to stop pucks. Through increased repetitions, they will be sharper at reading shooter releases and reacting to net-front tips. They will be freer of mind after poor performances.
All of these enhancements assume adoption of virtual reality training. Brian Daccord believes it is inevitable.
Daccord, among other titles, is the director of goaltending for Sense Arena, a Czech Republic-based company specializing in VR. Daccord cites Facebook and its sprint toward the metaverse. According to The Information, approximately 10,000 Facebook employees, nearly one-fifth of its workforce, work on virtual reality. To Daccord, it signals the certainty of VR’s future acceptance into everyday life.
Hence the coming Goalieverse.
Sense Arena’s platform is the Oculus Quest 2. At the cost of $899, goalies can purchase a headset and two controllers — one for the glove, the other for the blocker — loaded with Sense Arena’s software. For existing Oculus owners, Sense Arena offers a $99 monthly user license. Jonathan Quick and Philipp Grubauer are two NHL goalies currently using the system.