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$10,000 well spent: The quirks of outfitting an NHL goalie


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Once per year.

That's how often Robin Lehner of the New York Islanders sharpens his True goalie skates, putting a little bit of an edge on the blade as he begins his preseason skating in the summer, then maintaining the blade with a skate tool every couple of weeks throughout the season.

No, you're not misreading that. Just one trip to the skate sharpener for the 6-foot-4 Swedish goaltender for the entire grinding NHL campaign -- and he's happy.

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NHL goaltenders have long been obsessive about their equipment. After all, they are wearing nearly $10,000 in gear at any given time, and Blues head equipment manager Joel Farnsworth estimated that the cost of outfitting an NHL goalie for the entirety of the season ranges from $45,000 to $55,000. 

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Allen will go through six to eight sets of leg pads per season, along with more than a dozen catching gloves, six to eight blockers, double-digit pairs of pants, six dozen sticks, a pair of masks and at least two pairs of skates. The only piece of equipment that remains in the bag all season for the Blues goalie is his chest protector. He got a new one this past season for the first time in more than three years, preferring the broken-in feel that is contoured to his body.

More to read in the link below:
http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/24465718/nhl-oddities-absurdities-outfitting-goalie-10000-dollars-well-spent

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I only sharpen my skates about 1-2 times per year. I don't like the feeling of having super sharp skates (never have) and I like gliding everywhere instead of digging, and I'm fairly light on my feet. I use the top portion and toe of the blade to push while I'm in my butterfly and it works perfectly fine for me.

I would assume a pro would get more sharpens than one, due to the fact that they see so much more ice than I do. So that was surprising, but I can totally relate to a goalie who doensn't get their skates sharpened all that much.

Not sure if he's like this now, but I think I heard how Lundqvist is another goalie who doesn't sharpen his blades that much, either.

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I get my skates sharpened once every two weeks or so, but I also get about 13-15 hours of ice time a week. 

As for gear I like to replace my gear every 2 years but I also get insane discounts on gear from a close friend, getting all new everything for about 800-1000 compared to the 10,000 retail (stuff is lightly used).

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One of the junior goalies I sharpen for likes his done once a year too. I talked him into trying 3/4ths so he can do them more frequently and not feel they are too sharp for him when they are fresh. I'm surprised no one has tried to have Lehner experiment with an inch or like 15/16ths this way they can be maintained.

I can't fathom doing one sharpening for a season that long! I used to do mine a lot when I played, but now that I'm a washed up men's leaguer, once every three-to-four games suffices. I've even gone down a bit from 3/8ths to somewhere between 1/2 and 7/16ths. I wanted to get more life out of the edge since sharper, more pronounced hollows tend to get roughed up more. Also the increasingly dank, urine-smelling hellhole I play at has wet, Rice Crispy Treat-textured ice unless the good zammer guy is working, so I don't even bother wasting my stone and steel sometimes. That ice around the boards and crease shreds an edge like an iceberg through the hull of the Titanic. 

Surprised how many sets of gear some of these fellas go through. I wonder which gear company breaks down the most at that level? 

Also; didn't Jake Allen wear Reebok almost his whole junior career and first year in the AHL? Wonder what made him crave the tightness. 

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I get my skates sharpened every 5 ice times, roughly. I like them sharp. The first ice time after sharpening is maybe a little too sharp, but second and third are best. By 4th ot 5th it's time to sharpen again.

For gear, CA, skates and helmet can last a long time, 5-8 years. Leg pads and gloves 2-4 years. After that, it's getting rotten and falling apart.

On the flip side, I really don't see why NHL goalies go thru multiple sets per year (?) I don't think they need it, it's more because they can. I'm sure they would be just fine going thru the season with just 1 or 2 sets. Of course they go thru more abuse than the typical beer leaguer, but still, this "phenomonon" of goalies going thru a dozen sets in a year is relatively new. It wasn't too long ago that guys like Irbe would wear the same battered KOHO pads for several seasons in the NHL and they were just fine. Goalies today are just being prima donnas ?

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3 hours ago, estogoalie said:

I get my skates sharpened every 5 ice times, roughly. I like them sharp. The first ice time after sharpening is maybe a little too sharp, but second and third are best. By 4th ot 5th it's time to sharpen again.

For gear, CA, skates and helmet can last a long time, 5-8 years. Leg pads and gloves 2-4 years. After that, it's getting rotten and falling apart.

On the flip side, I really don't see why NHL goalies go thru multiple sets per year (?) I don't think they need it, it's more because they can. I'm sure they would be just fine going thru the season with just 1 or 2 sets. Of course they go thru more abuse than the typical beer leaguer, but still, this "phenomonon" of goalies going thru a dozen sets in a year is relatively new. It wasn't too long ago that guys like Irbe would wear the same battered KOHO pads for several seasons in the NHL and they were just fine. Goalies today are just being prima donnas ?

I would say it is just as much the NHL and the manufacturers wanting the stuff to look newer, as well. Irbe would be an embarassment these days. He would probably be getting pestered by Boris Bettman and ol’ Whitless to have newer looking gear! 

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11 hours ago, Moose75 said:

Also; didn't Jake Allen wear Reebok almost his whole junior career and first year in the AHL? Wonder what made him crave the tightness. 

Was doing a whole bunch of google image searching to see if I could find a leg channel picture of his old reebok setup. Unfortunately not, but, they sure don't look like they're worn very loose.

/shrug

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4 hours ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Was doing a whole bunch of google image searching to see if I could find a leg channel picture of his old reebok setup. Unfortunately not, but, they sure don't look like they're worn very loose.

/shrug

Here's a good one of his current tight-ass strapping. Any more tight leather straps and it might become NSFW lol.maxresdefault.jpg

I used to think I liked tight, but when the pad was so snug to my leg that it came off the ice instead of staying more flush like a looser pad would, I went to a middle ground. Semi-tight at the top of the calf and bottom, loose everywhere else. That tight calf grip on the 1X is why I've had a hard time getting used to them. It doesn't rotate back in place all the time on my right leg either. I even had the large strap on. I think I just hate velcro straps. I took the calf one off my Vaughns.

2 hours ago, creasecollector said:

Here's one

s-l1600.jpg

That's what I'd call pretty loose. If I remember, he started his AHL career on fire and even made the All-Star Game, then he had a massive skid in the second half and he had pretty average numbers. Wonder if that second half influenced his change? He also wore Koho in his second year, if I'm not mistaken.

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29 minutes ago, Moose75 said:

I used to think I liked tight, but when the pad was so snug to my leg that it came off the ice instead of staying more flush like a looser pad would, I went to a middle ground. Semi-tight at the top of the calf and bottom, loose everywhere else. That tight calf grip on the 1X is why I've had a hard time getting used to them. It doesn't rotate back in place all the time on my right leg either. I even had the large strap on. I think I just hate velcro straps. I took the calf one off my Vaughns

Yea, exactly, tight on the boot so the pad moves together with the leg, and a little tight around the knee/thigh so that the top half isn't flopping around and doing it's own thing. The calf straps a little loose for good rotation and staying flush on the ice when in the butterfly.

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