In this Episode of the InGoal Radio Podcast presented by The Hockey Shop Source for Sports , we sit down with Michael Garteig, who went from Canucks prospect out of college, to winning an ECHL Kelly Cup Championship with the Toronto Maple Leafs affiliate last season, to tearing it up with Tappara in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league, this season.
Garteig shared plenty of great stories about his transition to playing in Finland, some of the unique differences in the Finnish approach working with Tappara’s goaltending coach Aki Näykki, who is a long-time coach and friend of Nashville Predators star Pekka Rinne (and we hope will forgive us for butchering the pronunciation of his name throughout), as well his college career with Quinnipiac University, the decision to sign with his home province Canucks when it ended, and why it’s important to pack more than a duffle bag when you get called up to the NHL on short notice.
In the gear segment, we connect with Cam at the Hockey Shop again for some Christmas gift ideas for the hard-to-please goalie on your list — December just started, but make sure you listen to this segment so you don’t miss any of Cam’s suggestions, or their shipping deadlines in order to get your gear in time to be wrapped and under the tree on Christmas.