Now we're talkin!!!! Smaller goalie equipment.

[no name]

Corey Hirsh put together a little video on making the goalie equipment smaller without compromising safety. I think he hit it on the mark. Equipment got so big by the NHL not monitoring it, Make some of his changes and you will add just enough offense to bring back the multi 100 point scorers in the league, and multi 50 goal scorers.

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hoc ... -stay-safe

[Jim]

Lundqvist just walked onto that set and knocked over the net!

[no name]

Lundqvist just walked onto that set and knocked over the net!

that made me Laugh Out Loud... at work infront of everyone.

[Jim]

You are welcome

[shoeshine boy]

I am 100% in favor of this. the era of Garth Snow goalie equipment needs to end.
Goalies need to be monitored and required to wear the proper size. have you ever seen Ryan Miller in street clothes? he's a medium at best yet I'm quite sure all of his gear is XL.

[no name]

Colin Campbell even said in a interview that, the goalies equipment getting so big was the NHLs fault for not monitoring it a lot sooner. When you see everything Hirsh puts forth and where and how to reduce the equipment it makes total sense that the equipment you see is meant to just take up more space its not really there for just protection.

[Pitt87]

Colin Campbell even said in a interview that, the goalies equipment getting so big was the NHLs fault for not monitoring it a lot sooner. When you see everything Hirsh puts forth and where and how to reduce the equipment it makes total sense that the equipment you see is meant to just take up more space its not really there for just protection.

Reminds me of hard-shell elbow pads. What did the league think players wore them for?

[no name]

just seen on NHL channel last night that this is a no go for this season. They said the companies didn't have enough time to get all this gear custom made. McLean hinted that the goalie union was to strong and didn't want any change. Now its back on the shelf until next season.

Reasons like this is why I hate the NHL. McLean also said with the way the Penguins played this year that maybe it will allow more teams to score. He also wanted the trapazoid gone so goalies are forced to play the puck and hopefully they fumble it that allows more goals. A lot of BS that we know its going to be the lowest scoring season in a long time.

[Jim]

Goalie union?

[no name]

Goalie union?

Well that McLean guy stated it with finger quotes. Not a real union but a group with some pull. If they were unhappy with it they could make it difficult for the NHL to go through with this.

[Jim]

Naturally they wouldn't like it. It would make their numbers go up, who wants that. They would probably vote for leg pads to be expanded to 4ft high by 3ft wide (so 2 would be 4x6) if they could.

[no name]

Naturally they wouldn't like it. It would make their numbers go up, who wants that. They would probably vote for leg pads to be expanded to 4ft high by 3ft wide (so 2 would be 4x6) if they could.

It makes the NHL look helpless against the union if they can just put a wrench in the NHL plans to increase scoring. Unless the NHL is a bunch of unorganized idiots that can't get the other companies in line with what they are doing.

[no name]

Been reading a ton about this as much as I can and most people think the goalies are plain scared of the new streamlined equipment. Not scared for their safety as much as knowing it will lead to more goals. How it will effect them and their stats and next contracts.

Even if goals do increase as long as you are in the top 5 in stats for goalies you will get paid like a top 5 goalie. weather you got a 1.99 GAA or a 2.50. if you are first in GAA you will get paid that same amount. In the next 2 seasons I think everything will be shrunk to a better size and goals will go up to the proper limit.

If you look at a goalie and he covers 70% of the net and you shrink his size to 65%, logic dictates more goals will be scored.

[interstorm]

This is why I say to make the goals bigger. Everyone says enforce the rules we have and make the pads smaller. Anything that has to get run by the NHLPA will take forever (if it ever gets done). They could pass a rule to have bigger nets tomorrow and boom, we're done.

Nets 3 inches taller and wider is a 10% increase to shooting area. This isn't drastic and could offset the goalie equipment size. Just do it already, NHL...

[no name]

This is why I say to make the goals bigger. Everyone says enforce the rules we have and make the pads smaller. Anything that has to get run by the NHLPA will take forever (if it ever gets done). They could pass a rule to have bigger nets tomorrow and boom, we're done.

Nets 3 inches taller and wider is a 10% increase to shooting area. This isn't drastic and could offset the goalie equipment size. Just do it already, NHL...

Well if you make the nets bigger the NHL has to create guidelines for equipment either way. If you create bigger nets the goalies will wear new helmets.



Cause you know they need ear protection.

the gloves will no longer have a "cheater" it will be called the "cheater maximus" that is twice the size it is now.

Keep the nets the same and get goalies back down to the way they should look, they are the ones who kept growing their equipment why shouldn't they be the ones who have to bring it back down.



LOOK AT ALL THAT NET!!!

[interstorm]

Love the SpaceBalls movie reference -- good job there.

I don't think it is realistic to expect any movement on reversing the size of the equipment. All the NHLPA has to do is show one example of where the larger equipment protected someone whereas the smaller (AKA legal) equipment would have most likely allowed the injury. This conversation has literally dragged on for a decade.

I've given up on it and have come to the conclusion it just won't happen. It'll be much easier to regulate moving forward than unwinding the current equipment. What would be really interesting is whether the NHLPA suddenly oks such gear rollbacks if the NHL gave them an ultimatum and said they were increasing the goal size immediately if equipment didn't revert (my guess is that they wouldn't -- but would be interesting).

[no name]

i don't know who would give the bigger push back, the traditionalist who wants the nets to remian the same (older GMs and owners) or the goalies themselves who would also not want bigger nets. Either way you are going to have to fight someone to get change that can result in aleast 1 more goal a game. if you got the league up to. 6 goals a game average i would be happy.

Somehtiing nieeds to be done, i just think at this point you have to watch all new manufactures equipment to make sure it stops growing. If you go that far u miles well have them amke the new stuff streamlined.

remove the cheater from the glove. make the pads 10in. instead of 11in. allow the pads 25% above the knee. instead of 45% where it is now. pants should be made to fit, jerserys also. Take the bulk out of the chest protector.

[FLPensFan]

i don't know who would give the bigger push back, the traditionalist who wants the nets to remian the same (older GMs and owners) or the goalies themselves who would also not want bigger nets. Either way you are going to have to fight someone to get change that can result in aleast 1 more goal a game. if you got the league up to. 6 goals a game average i would be happy.

Somehtiing nieeds to be done, i just think at this point you have to watch all new manufactures equipment to make sure it stops growing. If you go that far u miles well have them amke the new stuff streamlined.

remove the cheater from the glove. make the pads 10in. instead of 11in. allow the pads 25% above the knee. instead of 45% where it is now. pants should be made to fit, jerserys also. Take the bulk out of the chest protector.

I am one of those that really doesn't want to see the nets get bigger. I think reducing goalie equipment size and setting standards on size is the way to start. That is the easiest thing to change, that isn't altering the game at it's core. Think about it......the equipment used to be much, much smaller. Companies adapted to make equipment bigger, whether for safety or, just because they could. The NHL needs to set standards, and then set a date for the change. Set your standards now, and they tell the NHLPA and equipment manufacturers "These are the standards you must follow. They will be implemented next year. " That gives manufacturers a year to alter their product and their supply, and allows goalies to acquire new equipment over the summer, break them in, and adjust. Chest equipment and jersey's need to be more form fitting, not big and droopy, adding several inches around the goalie. I'd be interested to see if blocker size has increased, not sure.

If they do that, and it doesn't work.....then I would consider adding no more than 3 inches to each side and 3 inches to the top of the nets. The trapezoid needs to go as well. Sure, some goalies may fumble the puck, but it's much more exciting to watch a player play the puck instead of a goalie being chained to his net.

[shoeshine boy]

I've said this before and I'll say it again, streamlining the equipment needs to happen but so does requiring goalies to wear their proper size. if a goalie is 6'2" 168lbs *cough*RyanMiller*cough* he should not be in XL gear. make goalies AND EQMs responsible for this.

[no name]

Wait do you mean this Ryan Miller??

[no name]

I can't wait for this to all get sorted out, I hope the NHL takes their time and makes every reduction they can to bring these goalies back down to earth. Not just in the chest and pants but the glove, blocker and leg pads. I do think the goalies are the best there has every been in the NHL and with the advent of the 6 foot plus goalie who are also athletic makes it compelling that even some reductions won't have the desired effect. Hog wash, when you look straight on and see no net around a goalie and then you see how much of a string bean these guys are there is no doubt they are padding up. I hate to say it but even Fleury wears bigger chest protector.

[tfrizz]

Just to address a few of these...

remove the cheater from the glove.

Cheaters haven't been allowed since the 2004-05 lockout

make the pads 10in. instead of 11in.

I doubt they'll reduce the with any further. At 11", they're already the narrowest used in NHL history.

allow the pads 25% above the knee. instead of 45% where it is now.

I don't see this changing. It's already pretty restriction, given that it's not a flat 45% -- it's 45% to a maximum of 9". If they go much further, there's going to be a lot of leg exposed on a lot of goaltenders.

pants should be made to fit, jerserys also. Take the bulk out of the chest protector.

I do agree with these. And it sounds like, due to a dropping of the ball, that form-fitting pants and jerseys are going to be the only change for the upcoming season.

For the C/A units, I'm not sure there's a ton they can do with them. But they could certainly perform some trimming to make them more form-fitting rather than the purposefully blocky design in use right now. I know a lot of people look at the iconic photo of Lundqvist with the floaters going up almost to his ears, but those have already been made illegal by the NHL.


From my perspective, I don't think any number of changes to goalie equipments are going to make a difference unless you remove the position completely. The biggest reason goalies excel now, despite several reductions in the size of equipment since the 2004-05 lockout (they've lost an estimated 20% in size since the 2003-04 season)), is because the game is so defensive. It's played with a defense-first mentality. Even in international competition, you aren't going anywhere if you aren't responsible defensively (see: Subban, Letang, Neal, ...).

The late 80s and 90s showed the hockey world that you could beat a far more skilled team by playing a smothering defensive game, and that's change the game at a fundamental level. Something needs to happen to change it back. Maybe it's more rule changes. Maybe it's a brilliant coach who can finally figure out how to overcome defense with offense. Either way, I'm pretty confident that equipment changes aren't going to be the catalyst.

[tfrizz]

i don't know who would give the bigger push back, the traditionalist who wants the nets to remian the same (older GMs and owners) or the goalies themselves who would also not want bigger nets. Either way you are going to have to fight someone to get change that can result in aleast 1 more goal a game. if you got the league up to. 6 goals a game average i would be happy.

Somehtiing nieeds to be done, i just think at this point you have to watch all new manufactures equipment to make sure it stops growing. If you go that far u miles well have them amke the new stuff streamlined.

remove the cheater from the glove. make the pads 10in. instead of 11in. allow the pads 25% above the knee. instead of 45% where it is now. pants should be made to fit, jerserys also. Take the bulk out of the chest protector.

I am one of those that really doesn't want to see the nets get bigger. I think reducing goalie equipment size and setting standards on size is the way to start. That is the easiest thing to change, that isn't altering the game at it's core. Think about it......the equipment used to be much, much smaller. Companies adapted to make equipment bigger, whether for safety or, just because they could. The NHL needs to set standards, and then set a date for the change. Set your standards now, and they tell the NHLPA and equipment manufacturers "These are the standards you must follow. They will be implemented next year. " That gives manufacturers a year to alter their product and their supply, and allows goalies to acquire new equipment over the summer, break them in, and adjust. Chest equipment and jersey's need to be more form fitting, not big and droopy, adding several inches around the goalie. I'd be interested to see if blocker size has increased, not sure.

If they do that, and it doesn't work.....then I would consider adding no more than 3 inches to each side and 3 inches to the top of the nets. The trapezoid needs to go as well. Sure, some goalies may fumble the puck, but it's much more exciting to watch a player play the puck instead of a goalie being chained to his net.

Bingo. When we hit late August and into early September and the NHL's goalies still hadn't been given any new equipment specifications, it was pretty clear that nothing significant would happen this season. The end result, AIUI, is that they're moving to form-fitting pants and form-fitting jerseys right now, and the rest of the changes will come in the future.

[tfrizz]

I've said this before and I'll say it again, streamlining the equipment needs to happen but so does requiring goalies to wear their proper size. if a goalie is 6'2" 168lbs *cough*RyanMiller*cough* he should not be in XL gear. make goalies AND EQMs responsible for this.

There's been a few goalies actually talk about this. With the way the NHL's specifications are set you, goalies basically have their pick of two sizes of gear: L or XL. They always choose XL because they don't want to be at a disadvantage to their peers who are all using the same XL gear. The right move here is to measure each goalie, like they already have for knee-to-hip height (for thigh rises) and for pant sizes (upcoming season), and have them wear gear that fits.

Blocker, trapper, and pads don't need a whole lot of changing -- they're already at, or among, the smallest ever used in the NHL. Plus there's the fact that a good 90% (guessing, obviously) hit goalies in the torso. Focus on trimming the C/A units. Make them form fitting just like they're doing with the jerseys and pants.

[tfrizz]

I can't wait for this to all get sorted out, I hope the NHL takes their time and makes every reduction they can to bring these goalies back down to earth. Not just in the chest and pants but the glove, blocker and leg pads. I do think the goalies are the best there has every been in the NHL and with the advent of the 6 foot plus goalie who are also athletic makes it compelling that even some reductions won't have the desired effect. Hog wash, when you look straight on and see no net around a goalie and then you see how much of a string bean these guys are there is no doubt they are padding up. I hate to say it but even Fleury wears bigger chest protector.

On the flip side, Fleury may stand to benefit as much as anyone from a reduction in equipment size. His natural athleticism is unreal. Taking some bulk away will allow him to utilize that more. The guys that'll suffer from the reduction are the ones that aren't overly athletic, and basically just get in position and take up space.