can I demo pads/ full sets like tgn

[Jonathon v]

So I was thinking, and I know there is basically 0% chance I make the nhl. I think im a fairly skilled goalie, but I would need to be next level and above that. So I want to get a job working at  a store helping with goalie questions, or even helping nhl goalies with their custom specs on their gear. That would be my dream helping others like @TheGoalNet does. But it would be really cool if I also could demo pads like him. Ik all his stuff isnt free, he has to pay for some, but is there a way i can demo gear for brands? I play quite often, so I could give a fair input. Also just the way I watch goalie review videos, especially hills and tgn, it just makes me so interested and excited about the gear. I also really just want to try all the brands top of the line pads . Is it possible to even do this, I would love making videos like him to entertain and inform people, even though my videos might be hot gargabe at first.

[Puckstopper]

Yes. Many stores have demo programs.  Goalie Monkey will allow you to demo quite a few sets for nothing more than a deposit.

If you want the level of personal attention and care that someone like TGN gets you have to bring something more to the table than just enthusiasm.  TGN has a decently large social media following AND has created a community for all of us here.  Based on those contributions he is given access to the gear and facilities as a form of advertising for the MFGs.   Since they have him already doing this, you'll have trouble getting the same kind of access by simply copying him.  You'll have to come up with a unique angle that brings value to the community and large AND the brands you expect to send you gear.  On top of that, expect to have to work hard for months/years until you've established a presence. 

I'm certainly not saying it can't be done, but the quicker and easier path to "gear whoring" (not using that as an insult, I'm a total gear whore) would be to flip sets on Sideline Swap, the marketplace here, etc...  Getting a job at a local store would be a good step towards paying for that first set of extra gear so you have a set to play in while you're flipping other stuff online.  

Helping pro goalies is the job of their equipment manager and the gear manufacturer's Pro Rep.  Usually to get a job as a Pro Rep you need to have played at a decently high level yourself so you can better understand what it's like to be a professional goalie, not just a goalie.   Many of the pros don't care about the specs the way we do.  They're more focused on how THEY are stopping the puck than how the GEAR is stopping the puck.  Often they want the same old pad as last year so that they can eliminate one variable from their equation.  It's certainly not impossible to break into the field of being an equipment manager though.  I'd speak with a local Junior/College/ECHL or AHL team and see if you can spend some time with their Equipment Manager and see if it's a field you're interested in.

I reccomend listening to the InGoalMag podcast.  There is a lot of good info about pros and their gear on there, especially in the early episodes.

Good luck!

[Jonathon v]

39 minutes ago, Puckstopper said:

Yes. Many stores have demo programs.  Goalie Monkey will allow you to demo quite a few sets for nothing more than a deposit.

If you want the level of personal attention and care that someone like TGN gets you have to bring something more to the table than just enthusiasm.  TGN has a decently large social media following AND has created a community for all of us here.  Based on those contributions he is given access to the gear and facilities as a form of advertising for the MFGs.   Since they have him already doing this, you'll have trouble getting the same kind of access by simply copying him.  You'll have to come up with a unique angle that brings value to the community and large AND the brands you expect to send you gear.  On top of that, expect to have to work hard for months/years until you've established a presence. 

I'm certainly not saying it can't be done, but the quicker and easier path to "gear whoring" (not using that as an insult, I'm a total gear whore) would be to flip sets on Sideline Swap, the marketplace here, etc...  Getting a job at a local store would be a good step towards paying for that first set of extra gear so you have a set to play in while you're flipping other stuff online.  

Helping pro goalies is the job of their equipment manager and the gear manufacturer's Pro Rep.  Usually to get a job as a Pro Rep you need to have played at a decently high level yourself so you can better understand what it's like to be a professional goalie, not just a goalie.   Many of the pros don't care about the specs the way we do.  They're more focused on how THEY are stopping the puck than how the GEAR is stopping the puck.  Often they want the same old pad as last year so that they can eliminate one variable from their equation.  It's certainly not impossible to break into the field of being an equipment manager though.  I'd speak with a local Junior/College/ECHL or AHL team and see if you can spend some time with their Equipment Manager and see if it's a field you're interested in.

I reccomend listening to the InGoalMag podcast.  There is a lot of good info about pros and their gear on there, especially in the early episodes.

Good luck!

ok thanks! its ok I am a gear whore 

[Peter36]

@Puckstopper What other stores have demo programs?

[coopaloop1234]

1 hour ago, Peter36 said:

@Puckstopper What other stores have demo programs?

The Hockey Shop has one as well.

Basically any decently sized hockey store with a large goalie section should be able to help.

[Puckstopper]

6 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

The Hockey Shop has one as well.

Basically any decently sized hockey store with a large goalie section should be able to help.

Bingo.   Very few advertise their program as well as GM, which is why I refer to them so often.  If you've got a local store like a Pure Hockey, Perani's, Pro Hockey Life, Source for Sports, etc... go in/call and ask what they can do for you.

[Mroy31]

@Jonathon v Another thing you can do is reach out to Vaughn by email from their site (depending on where you're located).  I did that before I settled on my 2S set.  I just asked if they had a demo program and got a reply from a sales rep who ended up dropping off a set of SLR's that I demo'd for like 2 months.  I may have caught him in a sweet spot where nobody else was asking him for the set, so not promising it would play out the same way, but never hurts to reach out and try to establish contacts.

[Jonathon v]

2 hours ago, Mroy31 said:

@Jonathon v Another thing you can do is reach out to Vaughn by email from their site (depending on where you're located).  I did that before I settled on my 2S set.  I just asked if they had a demo program and got a reply from a sales rep who ended up dropping off a set of SLR's that I demo'd for like 2 months.  I may have caught him in a sweet spot where nobody else was asking him for the set, so not promising it would play out the same way, but never hurts to reach out and try to establish contacts.

 ok I'll try that. I can't buy any new pads, and I don't need new pads yet But I am very curious on the SLR2 pads, as it has a lot of aspects from brains optik