Ice hockey goaltending equipment

Refer to caption.
Mathieu Garon, playing for the Los Angeles Kings, in full goaltending gear.
As Braden Holtby receives the shot fired by opponent Bryan Rust (far right), he can use any one of many pieces of his equipment to make a save on the puck; he can catch it with his left-hand glove, he can block it with the blocker that covers his right wrist, he can deflect it with his goaltender stick, he can block it with his leg pads, or he can bounce it off of his goaltender mask.

In ice hockey, the goaltender wears specialized goaltending equipment to protect themselves from the impact of the puck, and to assist in making saves. Ringette and rinkball goaltenders use the same equipment with some exceptions. This article deals chiefly with the sport of ice hockey.

Most modern goaltending equipment is made from hydrophobic synthetic leather and nylon on the outside and dense closed-cell foams and plastics inside. In the past, pads were often made out of leather and stuffed with horse hair. Professional pads were stuffed with deer hair, which is hollow, giving more protection.

Prior to the 1980's, the weight of the materials used subjected goaltending equipment to practical size limitations. The use of lighter materials made larger equipment feasible, with an emphasis on larger pads in particular. Once it became obvious that this was causing a dramatic decrease in scoring, the National Hockey League (NHL) and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) along with other leagues and governing bodies began mandating maximum dimensions of goaltending equipment to encourage reasonable levels of scoring and prevent goaltenders from having an unfair advantage.[1] Most European professional leagues and many non-professional leagues adhere to equipment size regulations based on IIHF rules.[2]

  1. ^ National Hockey League (2006). "Rule 21 - Goaltender's Equipment". Archived from the original on 2001-06-16. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  2. ^ International Ice Hockey Federation (2006). "IIHF Rule Book 2006-2010". Retrieved 2008-09-22.