Over the past week, I’ve been reading a lot about the state of goalie equipment, specifically the chest protector. Garret Sparks of the Maple Leafs made waves by complaining about the new size restrictions and how goalies are getting bruised up more. Other goalies, such as Marc-Andre Fleury, Braden Holtby, Ben Bishop, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Brian Elliot have echoed the complaints. There are also those that aren’t complaining, but are thriving, such as John Gibson and Frederick Andersen.
Last year it was smaller pants. A few years ago it was the leg pads. The league has been trying to balance increasing scoring with goaltender safety with mostly positive results. Even with a lot of the new restrictions, goalies are far better protected than they were even just 20 years ago. I did see an interview with Glenn Healy where he was strongly vocal about guys like Sparks complaining. I get where he’s coming from, but for goalies that grew up with larger goalie equipment, it would definitely feel like a step back.
I’ve been playing a long time, and I’ve been through a lot of the equipment changes as they eventually trickle down from the NHL level into youth and adult leagues. I remember getting bruised a lot as a kid, just because there were always spots where the protection was either non-existent, or the pads simply shifted while you moved to make a save. I actually recently replaced my 20-ish year old chest protector with a much newer model (but still made before the recent NHL specs).
For goalies, every piece of goalie equipment is its own talisman. I hung onto that chest protector simply because it became part of me. Changing wasn’t easy, but I finally caved after the most recent shot off my shoulder that hit directly. And it wasn’t easy to do. This weekend will be my first game with it. The process of hunting for a replacement really brought this issue into focus for me. I mean, I can’t complain about the chest protector changes.
I remember goalies like Garth Snow that had those huge shoulder floaters, making them look twice as big as they really were. It makes sense to get away from those days. Now, accompanying more form fitting jerseys, there are more holes for pucks to find their way through. I’ve seen a fair number of goals this year where the puck just finds its way through. While I can appreciate a 1-0 goaltender duel, I also see the increase in enjoyment for the more casual fan. It won’t take long for skill to make up for the smaller goalie equipment.