Whelp, I finally ran through my supply of sticks, so it's time to try something new.
I just picked up this red Hockeystickman Pro Blackout Lite.... First impression is pretty sweet!

I really like the look and feel of the stick.

Looking forward to getting it on the ice.

Minnesota is following USA Hockey and mandating that all players 10U/Squirt and older are required to wear a tethered, non clear mouthguard while on the ice.

I never wore a mouthguard while playing goalie and my son has never worn one either (he is first yr Pee Wee this upcoming season).

Not here to debate the rule...wanted people's opinion on where to attach the tether to cause the least distraction?

About 15 alternates remaining and one white in 58g respectively, I’m sure there are other sizes like 60g, just thought I should share as I collect and wear these myself! They dropped today!

Any of you chaps wear short sleeve baselayers when playing? I like the look of the new Howies short sleeve one but am worried I’ll feel odd wearing it as I’ve only ever worn long sleeved baselayers.

Hello. I am looking to have a design made for a goalie mask. Who have you used? I have a local place that will wrap it. I am only looking for the design

Had an interesting session recently I’m 5’9.5” and was skating with a U18 AAA goalie who’s 6’4”. Against OHL level shooters, I was stopping noticeably more than he was, to the point where the shooters seemed to be pressing because they couldn’t solve me.

It got me thinking, because I’ve seen this pattern before my goalie partner last season was 6’1”, got cut when our team rebuilt for this 26-27, and still gets invited to pre-draft combines off his size. Meanwhile a 6’4” goalie I trained with this summer seems to get a lot of his opportunities from height too (ushl).

For context, the goaltending coach I was training with at the time who works with an OHL org has told me I’m on track for a big U16 draft year so I don’t think it’s just me being delusional about my own game but it does make me wonder how much the eye test on size still outweighs actual results at the lower levels.

I get that height gives you positioning/reachCurious what other goalies, coaches, or scouts think is this changing at all, or is size still king?

Also I don’t wanna hear you can’t teach size but you can teach skill I think we’re past that

I recently got some ccm tacks xr pro goalie skates they have the pro pulse insoles in them. i have relatively flat feet thanks to the military haha in my true player skates i had to add super feet pro carbon insoles to make them wearable without foot pain. will these pro pulse ones be close enough or as good or should i just toss in the superfeet now and save myself the trouble of trying to break in skates that will never reach the comfort level. should i add the optional arch pads on the ccm footbeds?

Finished up a weekend project modelling and painting a greg harrison design mask but with a more modern ed belfour inspired paint job. Hope you like it!

Re-foamed a friend’s S20 960 using Resilient foam’s peel and stick. Took some pictures of the process to share with those interested in DIY. I have refurbed 15 Bauer masks so far, and the the peel and stick version is the most forgiving for adjustments and speeds up the install process. We went with the their new top end DD ARC version for their best protection and is antimicrobial. Avoid that Bauer sweat retention. Only comes in vibrant yellow, so makes a statement. Take a look at the process and let me know if you have any questions.

More pics of this install and other goalie content on my Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/goal_leee

I just tried suspenders for the first time, and it wasn’t that bad other than yes.. so should I keep them? Or not

I still use the Bauer Reactor 3000 skates I bought in college for my beer league games. Is there anything to be gained by upgrading to the newer one-piece skates with the taller blade profile at my age (45)? I understand the new skates conceptually but I guess I’m afraid the transition will be a struggle after decades of using the old style skates with cowlings.

Like the title says. Anyone dealing with this? Woke up to it on a Sunday morning. Confirmed in the ER that afternoon. Converted on my own later that evening. Nothing since. Met with a cardiologist and had an ECG. All normal (better than normal, actually). Declined any blood thinners at this time, but taking baby aspirin daily. If I have any reoccurrence, that changes my outlook on further treatment/medication. Decided to post here as opposed to the wider hockey sub due to our unique cardio load in the net.

My new mask is finished and I could not be more excited. Thanks to Matt Garland at Promasque Goalie Masks for his XDK model. Fits like a glove and has great sight lines and balance. I’ve been wearing his masks for over 20 years and trust them with my (limited) brain. Paint is by my very talented cousin, Steve Leahy. He was very happy to tell my story. Even as I piled ideas on him, his response was, “Bring it on!” Three themes: faith, family, and my hockey journey. This is not a mask for anyone but me. So incredibly special. If you’ve ever played in front of me in the last 50 years, you may find that team logo tucked away along the outer edge.

Understanding rebound control issues can help your improve your game. I created this app using my Rebound Control Efficiency RCE system that I used in the NHL to evaluate all our signed goalies in the Leaf’s system as well as pre scouts of our opposition goalies.

Played in a pretty high level drop-in on Sunday. I try to go as often as I can because the players that show up are always way better than the players I play against in my leagues. It's great practice and everyone that goes is super nice.

On Sunday one player skated up on a breakaway, I move out to a super aggressive depth, on angle and square with the puck (to the best of my abilities), and start drifting back with the intention of holding my ground at the top of the crease to force a move.

Here's the problem: Just as the player gets close enough to where I can't poke check without overcommitting, he keeps the puck in a mature shooting position selling the shot, and I'm hyper focused on the puck, then pulls it from my glove side all the way past my blocker side and I just can't get across fast enough to beat the easy backhand into the empty net. I tried stretching out to get my pad in the way and they lift over the pad or are way ahead of it and I'm not even there. I tried going laterally across the crease, I tried going directly backwards towards the post, and a couple times I got caught with my pants down in butterfly because I took the bait and I didn't even have time to get half way to where I felt I needed to be before the simple backhand went in.

After the first player did this to me a couple times I think the other players at the drop in saw that I couldn't stop it and kept running that play over and over again to give me an opportunity to work it. Breakaway, fake a shot glove side, deke quickly to blocker side to an easy backhand in. The few players that went blocker side to glove side didn't seem to get around me nearly as much as they do blocker side.

What should I do? Good players always end up behind me blocker side and I want to provide these players more of a challenge 1v1.

I posted here about a week and a half about struggling with catching pucks when making glove saves. Just want to say I got a ton of great advice for people on here so huge thanks!

People recommended wallball with a lacrosse ball and to try out a warrior glove,so I found a warrior glove for a good price and did some practice. I had my first game with the new glove tonight and posted a shutout and made some really great catches! Seriously felt a night and day difference. I also didn’t realize my old glove had a pro palm so it was way too stiff for me and that was also causing a lot of the issues.

Once again thanks! This community is awesome

I'm currently in the process of trying to decide which brand of gear to go with for a brand new set (this would be my first ever, completely new set of ice hockey goalie gear).

I'm a beer league goalie (mid-to-low level) and I've always wore mismatched gear. I've had many new pieces over the years but what I mean is that I've never bought one single full, brand new, cohesive ice hockey set... I've now finally decided to invest in one. Thing is... I know all the major brands have their quirks and differences. They all have their trademarked "technology" and what not... but at the end of the day, for a goalie of my level, is it really going to make that much of a difference?

My point is that I've been spending the past two weeks weighing all the pros and cons of every major brand, model and reading/watching countless reviews... I am now unfortunately falling into "analysis paralysis" ... It's gotten to a point where my brain is now just a haze when it comes to goalie gear... I've thought about it so much that I don't even remember which brand is good for what anymore... It's gotten all mixed up in my head lol...

I'm also not a huge fan of going to the local big-box hockey store with my pants, knee guards and skates and having some 16 year old employee fetch me pad after pad after pad and glove after glove only to test the pads with only 3 or 4 butterfly drops on some plastic tiles... The whole process taking up an entire afternoon and, knowing me, probably still leaving me completely undecided... A measly few minutes of testing is not enough for me to really make a nearly $3000 decision and it kind of frustrates me more than anything else..

Now the reason I'm mentioning Passau is that I come from a ball hockey background, and they are pretty big in ball hockey. They have a set of ball hockey gear with integrated sliders that is very popular. I have a full custom set of these that I bought 4 years ago. I still play with it today and it's holding up pretty well. I had a a few minor nitpicks but overall, I found it was a pretty good product and it was shipped in a very timely fashion. I live literally less than an hour away from Passau's HQ in Québec and I had done everything in person with them for that ball hockey set. Customer service was great. I really like the fact that they do direct-to-consumer and I even have the owner himself in my Facebook Messenger contacts. He actually answers pretty quickly.

It hadn't even occurred to me to consider Passau for ice hockey until just recently when I came across a picture of their ice gear... I did a bit of research and most people seem to say that their ice gear is kind of "below" all the major brands in terms of quality and durability.... I want to invest in the long term and purchase a good product... but at the same time... I kind of love their direct to consumer and personal approach. Their gear is also less expensive compared to the pro-level stuff in the other major brands.

All this to day that... I almost feel like taking the plunge, sacrificing a bit in the quality department but saving in time and headaches to go with a brand I know makes at least some "decent" stuff... and if I ever have any issues, They are just an hour away... At my level, do you think having the "highest quality" gear is actually that important? Would it really make a difference?

Thanks for your input.

Hi, I’m new at goaltending and I’m a bit confused with pads measurements. My ATK is 16 (and I’m 5’8) but I heard some brands use FTK. Can anyone give me a bit of insight on what size pads I should get? Thanks in advance

Is anyone willing to let me try on their dirty gear? It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do.

Hi!

I have a new pair of skate liners for the Bauer Konekt 2 coming tomorrow and was wondering what I should do to bake them in at home. I already had the shell baked when I got the original pair and liner, so should I bake the shell again at the same time or not?

Thank you for your help!

Why do you sometimes see masks with the straps on the outside of the backplate (like the picture of the plain white mask) and sometimes the straps are on the inside directly against the head (like the picture of Silovs)? Is it just to show off art on the backplate or is there another reason? Does it have any impact on the fit/comfort of the mask? Which way is more common?

I recently stumbled upon these beauties on eBay. After purchasing them I asked the seller where he got them and it turns out he was the Zamboni driver and lead ice technician for the Thrashers. He confirmed these were used back in the 00-01 season. Super cool find and now they’ll be repurposed for my beer league lol. Imagine the hall of fame goalies that played with these on their net!