The pre-1980 thread

[Lucky Pucker]

I’m very interested in hockey history, so figured a thread for pre-modern(ish) goalie stuff might be interesting. I picked 1980 as an arbitrary end date, but we’ll see how it goes.

I’ll start with something I noticed looking at pictures of the legendary Glenn Hall during his time with St. Louis. Knowing that he was the grandfather of what became the butterfly, I’m tempted to think that he had a crude knee guard made (maybe for temporary use while recovering from an injury? With a 502 game streak under his belt, he was the quintessential “play through the pain” goalie.) On the other hand, maybe it’s part of a pant girdle sliding down from a Blues shell...?

[Lucky Pucker]

From CuJo’s biography, for shits and giggles - this is terrible and fantastic at once:

[Standup61]

5 hours ago, Lucky Pucker said:

I’m very interested in hockey history, so figured a thread for pre-modern(ish) goalie stuff might be interesting. I picked 1980 as an arbitrary end date, but we’ll see how it goes.

I’ll start with something I noticed looking at pictures of the legendary Glenn Hall during his time with St. Louis. Knowing that he was the grandfather of what became the butterfly, I’m tempted to think that he had a crude knee guard made (maybe for temporary use while recovering from an injury? With a 502 game streak under his belt, he was the quintessential “play through the pain” goalie.) On the other hand, maybe it’s part of a pant girdle sliding down from a Blues shell...?

 

  That’s a knee pad. I had a similar Cooper set in the 70’s.  They weren’t leather like Hall’s look like they’re covered in. Basically a cap over the knee with a short thigh rise.  Mine were better than nothing, but in the gear back then you felt a lot of shots and always had bruises somewhere.

  Great thread. Will have to keep my eye on it since I started playing in the 70’s.

[keeperton]

I've got a couple of things to share at the moment.

I'm based out of Portland, OR, as my family has been for a few generations. My dad got into hockey because of the Buckaroos back when and still has a few connections with various people that were part of the organization. He's sent me a few pictures that they've shared with him...

My dad said of the first picture, "I first thought this was Dave Kelly, but I think it's actually Jimmy McLeod because he's wearing #1." I did my own quick checking and it's hard to really know since Dave did wearing #1 a couple of times and also used Northland sticks in the pictures I've seen. I got to meet Jimmy a few times as he stayed in Portland after retiring, he passed away in 2019 though. He and Norm Johnson used to be at every Winterhawks game and were really nice, Jimmy was a much more quiet guy though.

Of the second picture, the two goalies said, "I am familiar with those vintage goaltenders! I've [left goalie] got GM6s and WinnWell pads. I think my pads are new...look at the white felt on my right knee!" "I [right goalie] am in Tube blades and sloppy Cooper pads...Shout out gm6 and blue felt gm4 I think."

I've got a few old commemorative pieces of Buckaroos memorabilia hanging around and some game programs I could scan and upload some time. I'm still asking for more pictures and stuff too since this stuff is all super cool to me.

[Lucky Pucker]

Tony Esposito was a notorious modder, and came up with some innovations that were adopted by others. The webbing sewed into his pants, and the wire frame over the eyes of his mask are well known - but I was watching the intro to the 1980 All Star game with my son, and saw an odd addition to Esposito’s blocker. In the game, the commentator said something about a hand injury, so maybe it’s extra protection for that...?
 

Tried to get a decent screen grab, but you can watch him in the intro here:

[WillyGrips13]

I ended up watching the whole video. Weird how the conferences were set up. I guess they’re always changing the alignment of teams. 

[Wonder35]

This is my late 70's gear, more photos somewhere in a couple of boxes I have to go through.

[Wonder35]

The same Cooper gloves and pads (above) as in the Team Canada photo below, 3 years later.

GP-95L pads, GM-12 Blocker and GM-21 Trapper

Same Cooper GP 95L pads but new gloves with updated side trap on the GM-21

BROWN Pads and Gloves, early 80's with Lange Goal Skates.

Edited April 19, 2020 by Wonder35

[Lucky Pucker]

16 hours ago, Wonder35 said:

The same Cooper gloves and pads (above) as in the Team Canada photo below, 3 years later.

GP-95L pads, GM-12 Blocker and GM-21 Trapper

Same Cooper GP 95L pads but new gloves with updated side trap on the GM-21

BROWN Pads and Gloves, early 80's with Lange Goal Skates.

Holy crap - you had a mask painted up like Rogie Vachon’s...? That’s amazing!!

[Wonder35]

1 hour ago, Lucky Pucker said:

Holy crap - you had a mask painted up like Rogie Vachon’s...? That’s amazing!!

Yup, painted the mask myself, still have it and the Kings jersey but sold the vintage BROWN gear in order to buy new BROWN gear about 5 years ago. Tried to sell the mask and jersey, with bonus autographed Rogie photo, but didn't get any reasonable offers so they hang on the wall. (shameless plug)

[MTH]

On 4/20/2020 at 11:04 AM, Lucky Pucker said:

Holy crap - Rogie Vachon painted his mask like Wonder’s...? That’s amazing!!

Edited for "truth".

[MTH]

Watching a lot of pre-80 hockey on NHL Network. The appreciation for the gear then is growing for sure.

I always wonder what if Doc Brown showed up and took me back to the 70s. Would the concept of non-leather gear blow minds?

[Lucky Pucker]

The size and shape (and make) of blockers for a spell back in the 1960s is fascinating it looks like it went up almost to the elbow in some cases, or down way lower than today’s would.

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Lucky Pucker

[MTH]

Seeing how arm "pads" were basically quilted sleeves.. I can understand why blockers were almost as big as a leg pad.

[coopaloop1234]

On 4/29/2020 at 6:19 AM, MTH said:

Watching a lot of pre-80 hockey on NHL Network. The appreciation for the gear then is growing for sure.

I always wonder what if Doc Brown showed up and took me back to the 70s. Would the concept of non-leather gear blow minds?

I'm sure any piece of gear that's modern now a days would be so foreign to these guys back then. Just like this is foreign to us.

I wonder if someone would be laughed out of the room for showing up with today's gear

[Naz]

41 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

I'm sure any piece of gear that's modern now a days would be so foreign to these guys back then. Just like this is foreign to us.

I wonder if someone would be laughed out of the room for showing up with today's gear

Hell, a foreward would get laughed out, nevermind a goalie

[Colander]

46 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

I'm sure any piece of gear that's modern now a days would be so foreign to these guys back then. Just like this is foreign to us.

I wonder if someone would be laughed out of the room for showing up with today's gear

For reference, if you look at the first picture @Wonder35 posted of him in his winter jacket...err I mean chest protector, I grew up with the same thing. Right about the (first) time I got out of tending the new generation of CA's were just coming out (late '80s) - fairly similar to today's in size and coverage. I remember specifically seeing one in a sports shop and thinking two things:  

1. Man that is expensive (upwards of $300 - $350  when we were paying probably~$75 fore what Wonder was wearing

2. There is absolutely no way that will catch on - too many forwards will complain it is too big and giving the goalie an unfair advantage.

[Colander]

...and seeing how @wonder got to show us his, I'll show you mine (to use the vernacular). This pic is so old that this is the cleaned up version..(push processing didn't help the cause). Also note the height of the net relative to me. Hard as it may be to believe, it hasn't gotten any better in the past 45 years

(Edit: should have added, circa '77/78)

Edited February 26, 2021 by Colander

[creasecollector]

18 hours ago, Colander said:

...and seeing how @wonder got to show us his, I'll show you mine (to use the vernacular). This pic is so old that this is the cleaned up version..(push processing didn't help the cause). Also note the height of the net relative to me. Hard as it may be to believe, it hasn't gotten any better in the past 45 years

(Edit: should have added, circa '77/78)

that is such an awesome picture.

[Wonder35]

20 hours ago, coopaloop1234 said:

I'm sure any piece of gear that's modern now a days would be so foreign to these guys back then. Just like this is foreign to us.

I wonder if someone would be laughed out of the room for showing up with today's gear

Up until this past year I would wear some of my old gear a couple of times per season. Keep in mind that we play no slapshot hockey.  The boys get a kick out of it and I usually survive unscathed. Our local Jr A team practises 30 minutes after our ice time. Occasionally one of their goaltenders will approach me post game and ask questions. One simply wanted to touch my leather pads and gloves, a history lesson for him.

This past season with COVID-19 restrictions in place I wouldn't have had the time to properly dress in my old stuff (10 minutes) and then feel comfortable playing in it.

But next year ........

However, you just can't beat the newer gear when it comes to trout fishing.

 

[Colander]

 

4 hours ago, Wonder35 said:

However, you just can't beat the newer gear when it comes to trout fishing.

 

Nice catch (I'll see myself out)

Edited February 27, 2021 by Colander

[Colander]

1 hour ago, creasecollector said:

that is such an awesome picture.

Ha ha, with my head down, I'm sure, as it so often did, something bad just happened. It's what I have now come to refer to as my Denis Lemieux "he feel da shame" pose.

[Lucky Pucker]

Just too fantastic to swipe past when I saw it, so I’ll post here.

...but while we’re here, interesting trapper cuff modification, which according to Dave Stubbs “Ken had trainer Eddy Palchak fit a Velcro sleeve on his trapper to keep water out”

[Scythe]

Love seeing the pics of you all that played in the 70's n 80's. I dreamt of playing in those years but never got to.  We only went ice skating a lot. 

[Colander]

13 hours ago, Scythe said:

Love seeing the pics of you all that played in the 70's n 80's. I dreamt of playing in those years but never got to.  We only went ice skating a lot. 

It’s funny you say that…

Back then you were “coached” by a bunch of forwards who really didn’t know a thing about goaltending. As a kid you just assumed, “hey they’re the coach, they must know what they are talking about…”

Over the years, talking to different players (not goalies) I was shocked to discover how little they know about the position. I think goalies have always known a lot about how forwards and D should play because we watch them intently all the time. But the forwards and D – the same guys that “coached” me in my youth - turns out really didn’t know squat about the position.

I suppose some of the luckier kids were coached by actual goalies, and they most probably excelled. The rest of us used the extremely efficient “trial and error” method. The challenge was exacerbated because some of the things you were being “taught” you felt deep down inside just didn’t sit right. Probably the biggest one was the idea that you didn’t drop, and if you did, and a goal was scored it was fully your fault. Yet you knew inside dropping and blocking seemed so natural and necessary.

There was also no “outlet”. As I have said before, there were two other goalies: the one on the other team, whom you would never talk to, and the backup or starter (depending on where you stood) on your team – you didn’t share secrets with them because they were the other form of competition. So unlike today, there was no way of knowing what others were going through or thought. I am always struck by what I read on these forums, only think to myself “ooooh, so I’m not the only one…”

Now we have (real) goalie coaches, we can drop, we have equipment the takes the fear of injury out of the equation (I put on my, by today’s standards, cheap gear and know 90+% of the guys can’t bring any shot that will hurt me) and goalies can experiment with moves, gear…

This is the golden age….

*When I say "coached" in my case there was no actual training. I remember being showed how to do a 2-pad stack by another goalie at my first practice - I guess he took pity on me - but other than that - nada

Edited March 22, 2021 by Colander