After spending our time figuring out how to calculate an APBA hockey card not once, but twice, we’ll move onto the final installment, the goalie.  Just like the relief pitcher in baseball, they can be unstoppable one day and a disaster the next, and finding a good one long term is next to impossible.  So instead of finding one, let’s just try to calculate one.

The concept of the goalie card is simple.  The card is called upon to redirect a saved puck or say a goal has scored.  About 80% of the time, it will always be a redirection.  About 20% of the time it will determine whether a goal has scored, and even a 0.2% difference is different from one card to the next.  Each card contains the following sets of numbers:

• 1–6: the always save numbers
• 7–18: the sometimes a save, sometimes a goal numbers – a card will at most have one of these
• 19–45: the always a goal numbers

The stats you will need to calculate the card are not much and are available for many of the seasons:

• Games Played
• Minutes Played
• Save Percentage
• Assists Scored
• Penalties Caused
• Team Shots Allowed
• League Average Save Percentage

First, we’ll handle the top of the card.

• All players will get a Minutes rating of 60.
• For the Assist rating, figure out the assists per game, multiply by 56 and round down.  Convert this number to an 11-66 base.
• For the Min/Maj/Mis ratings, unfortunately there aren’t too many players with the ratings to figure out a good pattern.  This is my best guess, but could be way off:
  • Min: figure out the minors per 60 minutes, multiply by 10, subtract 1 and round down.  Convert this number to an 11-66 base.  Players who are negative receive a 0.
  • Maj: figure out the majors per 60 minutes, multiply by 50 and round up.  Convert this number to an 11-66 base.
  • Mis: figure out the miscounducts per 60 minutes, multiply by 20 and round up.  Convert this number to an 11-66 base.
• For the J rating, use games played.  64+=J-0, 45-63=J-1, 34-44=J-2, 19-33=J-3, 1-18=J-4.
• All other ratings are given a 0.

And now for the play numbers:

• Subtract the league average save percentage from the goalie’s save percentage, multiply by 200, add 18.33, and round to the nearest third.  This gives you the number of ‘save numbers’ the goalies need.
• Use the ‘save numbers’ with the chart below, the column that the number appears in is the play result that dice roll gets.  For the ‘7-12‘ and ‘13-18‘ columns, the red number indicates what is assigned, as a goalie will not have more than one of these per card.
• If the ‘save number’ does not match any of the ranges, they receive the number in the ‘Other’ column.

1. This number is assigned by team as a method of giving the better defensive teams a better chance of not allowing rebounds. If the goalie’s team is in the top quartile of fewest shots allowed per game, award a 20. If the goalie’s team is in the bottom quartile, award a 30. Otherwise award a 24.
2. If the player has 58 or more games played, award a 41, 46-57 games played is a 42, 36-45 games played is a 43, 20-35 games played is a 44 and all others receive a 45.  If the season has something different than 82 GP, adjust accordingly.

One key element of a goalie card is how the saves distribute the puck.  Very few goalies will have the numbers 1–6 evenly distributed, so something to take note when placing the skaters in their positions.

39s and 40s, which could give a goalie a minor penalty, as far as I know have never been awarded.  Even Ron Hextall and his 19 minor, 113 penalty minute 1988-89 season could not give him one.

So this should give you all the ammunition you need, if you dare, to make your own hockey cards.  Good luck!