Gear and It's Influence on a Goalie's Success

[RichMan]

As my brain (or the little hamster as I like to refer to) churns away with countless thoughts, ideas and observations, I got to wondering if a goalie's success at the elite level could be measured or responsible in part to their choice of gear?

Clearly talent and skills development, good foundation and mental acuity are the building blocks on which these individuals have excelled upon. But I dare ask, can there be a direct correlation between what you wear and how you perform? For example, of say the top 10 goalies in the league, how many wear traditional skates vs cowling-less ones and does that affect they movement or skating or playing the puck ability? Is wearing a flat faced no breaks pad demonstrates better rebound control compared to more softer traditional looking pads?

We witnessed lately how a change in c/a can affect their GAA. If you were to put these 10 goalies in the exact same set-up (properly sized of course), would they all perform equally? Would some get better from using something different and would some falter for an inability to adapt?

Without a doubt, what you (they) wear might have a direct affect on overall performance. 

 

[DL42]

pros wear what they are use to so they dont have to adjust or tweek their game. they prob will just change the material to be lighter and not worry 

about thing they don't have to worry about.  

if i can get the same pad over and over again with diff color and better material I would. I don't like change bc it takes adjustment period.

That's why i have pretty much the same goalie stick pattern for the last 16 years or so and pretty much all pros use the same one with minor adjustments.

Stick with what you know and are use to. That's why Price still use the same brand skate and Quick still use cowlings.

[Hockey School Dropout]

I'd agree with that DL42.  Hockey players are creatures of habit.  Think about yourself and the small rituals and patterns you do on a game day.  Down to putting on your left skate first or whatever.  When you find something that works, why change it?  

The other thing to consider, is the top goalies also get sponsorship/promotion deals from their gear manufacturer.  Price with CCM, Lundqvist with Bauer, etc.  They work closely with the gear maker/designer to get exactly what they want.

[MTH]

Pro sports is so over calculated now. Goalie play is a result of it. Coached up so much that they are robots.

The gear I think is so similar anymore it means little to the kids playing net now.

Technique and size.

[jayluv54]

I think its all a combination of preference vs. trend and its always changing.  Pads didn't get stiffer until they got smaller, less coverage meant a preference for bigger rebounds.  However, the changes in pad size didn't affect everyone equally so that might correlate with who chooses what kind of pad.  With smaller chesty's you might start to see changes in glove preferences as a guy who hadn't previously, may start leaning towards a 600 or 590 style glove or change technique altogether to cover more net up top.  I think the best goalies are the ones that can use their gear effectively to adapt to the changes in the game.

We see pics all the time of these guys demoing different types of pads, that should tell you that the gear matters.  At the same time, everything they get is completely custom, so not matter what it looks like to us, it could be completely different functionally.

[Doobiesnax]

[seagoal]

There are natural variations in athleticism,  age, size, health, and body mechanics coming into play, too.

I don't think, if all gear being equal, we would see as much of a consistent, neutral level of play as we might think.

The raw material of their bodies beneath the gear is a factor. 

[ThatCarGuy]

1 hour ago, seagoal said:

There are natural variations in athleticism,  age, size, health, and body mechanics coming into play, too.

I don't think, if all gear being equal, we would see as much of a consistent, neutral level of play as we might think.

The raw material of their bodies beneath the gear is a factor. 

+1 this. Just for fun I played a high school JV game in these:

(sorry. couldn't find a better pic in the same color scheme)

The pads look incredible compared to my Vaughns but don't slide near as well. The goalie I played against had a full set of Bauer 1s. We whupped his *ss. Shots were pretty close to even (about 20 each I think) but it was a 4-1 game. 9 year old Premier IIIs vs. Bauer 1S...

[seagoal]

So, you're a better goalie, at least on that day.   He had better gear.

See how that works.

[MTH]

I love the dumb people who can't operate simple things in EVERY infomercial.

[coopaloop1234]

28 minutes ago, MTH said:

I love the dumb people who can't operate simple things in EVERY infomercial.

https://www.reddit.com/r/wheredidthesodago/

[MTH]

On 11/5/2018 at 10:03 AM, coopaloop1234 said:

https://www.reddit.com/r/wheredidthesodago/

Thanks for making me waste more time on the internet...

[aircanuck]

On 11/2/2018 at 12:59 PM, ThatCarGuy said:

+1 this. Just for fun I played a high school JV game in these:

(sorry. couldn't find a better pic in the same color scheme)

The pads look incredible compared to my Vaughns but don't slide near as well. The goalie I played against had a full set of Bauer 1s. We whupped his *ss. Shots were pretty close to even (about 20 each I think) but it was a 4-1 game. 9 year old Premier IIIs vs. Bauer 1S...

Hey that's my exact setup every game! I mean, just with a far superior mask