need advice on pads

[bleedblue94 0]

Hopefully I am posting this in the right spot. I haven't played goal in about 8 or 9 years since I tore my groin and I am getting the itch back to play again.

I'm not sure I would fit as a new age butterfly goalie, and would most likely fit the mold of a hybrid. I use the original vaughn velocity pads when they came out and had some issues adjusting to them and eventually switched back to my louisville exhale pads. Shortly after is when I tore my groin in college.

Now I am looking to get back into it and I have been drawn to a couple pads in particular as options: warrior ritual (originals, not the g2s), and the ccm extreme flex 500.

Can people w some actual experience and knowledge give me some feedback on this pads and how they would work with different styles? I had an intermediate butterfly and always had fun stacking the pads when the opportunity presented itself. The ritual pads are very attractive to me bc of their design, but I don't know if they will function well for a hybrid or if they are strict butterfly pads (warrior says both, but I know they are trying to stay marketable to everyone).

Thanks!!

[BenderHockey 127]

I have the Ritual pads. I highly recommend them due to the fact that you can easily adjust and personalize them to your liking.

[Hills 709]

If you are still looking, check out the Ritual G1 on Total Hockey right now for $699 and $599. Amazing deal that I would've jumped on if Canadian dollar was better.

Both the CCM and the Ritual are more of butterfly style. But in reality it is all how you wear them. CCM are pretty boxy as well just like the Reeboks they are based off of.

[IPv6Freely 2082]

If I hadn't already bought my pads I'd be all over the ritual sale. Fantastic looking pad!

[m3thods 13]

When I was shopping, I was actually looking at both of those pads. I eventually settled with EFlex Pros (got an insane deal), so I can give you a bit of insight to my thought process:

The Rituals are great pads. Pro-level everything, and who cares if they're made offshore. That makes it no different than Pro versions from Reebok/CCM. What I didn't like about the Rituals:

-The particular pad in stock was the correct knee size, but the thigh rise was a bit long for me. I was looking at a 32+1.5, and the rises hit the top of my legs. There was no 32+1.

-At the time, I wasn't feeling the single-break knee. Given the pad is quite stiff, it didn't feel right when trying them on in store. Coming from Vaughns, I was used to something softer and the stiffness was quite a shock.

When trying on the CCMs, they fit like a dream (32+1). Naturally, this made my thinking a bit biased. What I liked about the CCMs aside from fit:

-The on-ice (well, carpet) seal is superb. When in butterfly, there wasn't anything in store that made me feel as stable and balanced as the CCM 500s.

-Even though they're so good in butterfly, the pads are softer than the Warriors which felt like they allowed movement a lot better.

-The "tight" leg channel was exactly what I was looking for- not as tight as Vaughn, but still provided a "connected" feeling on my legs.

The only thing I didn't like was the weight. It's a noticeable difference especially compared to the Warriors. That said, they're significantly lighter than my outgoing pads, so it wasn't a dealbreaker.

I hope that helps you out. If you're a pure butterfly goalie, I'd definitely go CCM as they feel so awesome on the ground. If you're a hybrid, I'd still go CCM since they perform excellent in butterfly, and are soft enough to facilitate movement around the ice easier imo. The Warriors will shoot rebounds out further, so that's something to think about if you prefer that way of playing.