Hurricanes Goalie Coach Tom Barrasso to be inducted to USHHOF Tuesday

NHL.com writer Mike Morreale has written two pieces about the Hurricane's own Tom Barrasso and his remarkable career that has qualified him as one of this year's inductees to the US Hockey Hall of Fame  in Minnesota, with induction ceremonies scheduled for tomorrow. Other inductees include Barrasso's fellow NHLer's and US Olympic medalists Tony Amonte, John LeClair, the gold-medal winning 1998 women's Olympic team, inventor Frank Zamboni, who'll be inducted posthumously.

From NHL.com: Barrasso doesn't expect anyone to follow in his footsteps Goaltender Tom Barrasso, who will enter the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on Dec. 1, had a one-of-a-kind rise to stardom in the NHL.

Even Barrasso, the only goalie to make the NHL right out of high school without some form of major junior or collegiate experience, said it's highly unlikely we'll ever see another scholastic goalie earn a one-way ticket to the big leagues again.

Morreales' extra story , a follow-up "where is he now" piece focuses on Coach Barrasso's continuing involvement and influence here in Raleigh.

via LTD (as usual)

Barrasso's passion for coaching shines with 'Canes As a goaltender coach for the Hurricanes, Tom Barrasso's love for the game remains evident. Great stuff - just when we hockey fans in Carolina needed reminding of a career and long-term future of which we can all can be proud.

The first thing was to show [Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward] who he was as a goaltender -- what made him good," said Barrasso. "Everybody has certain things they're strong at but the trick is recognizing, at the height of your success, why you were successful. I think a lot of times we take for granted and say, 'Well, I just played well.' But, for me, the more important question is, 'Why did we play well?' "

Only then can a player begin to break down the finer details to reveal the building blocks necessary to consistently succeed. 

"We can build our foundation from that so that when we're not feeling well or not as confident, we can always rely on those same positions and movements all the time," Barrasso said. "This way, you take that unknown variable out of play. That's my philosophy of goaltending.