Getting back into Hockey

[Sean McG 0]

ya, what the title says.

to sum it up, i played rep hockey (as a goalie) for 6-7 years, and then i decided to call it quits, this was 3 years ago. now i've decided i'm going to play again, starting next year, in house league (also as a goalie). i quit when i was 12, and now i'm 15.. so my equipment is all pretty much useless as i've easily grown 8-9 inches, and my pads are like knee protectors now. a friend recommended this board to me because i don't really know that much about equipment anymore, and i figured i would make a thread here asking about it, just to get some feedback/opinions.

i need ALL new equipment, from pads to a jock, so opinions on everything would be great. i honestly don't know how much my parents are willing to spend on equipment, but i'm going to assume there's no chance i'm getting all top of the line, brand new stuff, so what i'm looking for is quality equipment, but at an affordable price, and so far from what i've read here, smith hockey equipment seems to fit that role.

i know it's really how you play/what you prefer, but i'll try and give as many details as i can that could possibly help.

5'11

160

butterfly goalie, tends to slide around a lot, tends to flop

equipment i had before (sorry, i don't know the names of them because it was 3 years ago)

mask - itech (with the devil on it)

chest protector - sher wood

pants - sher wood

gloves (both catcher and blocker) - mckenney

pads - tps

skates - bauer

stick - rbk (black one with white letters, wooden, cujo curve)

i don't recall any problems with any of it, i really liked the sherwood stuff.

like i said, i'm looking for quality at an affordable price, brands like smith, mckenney, etc.

thanks in advance, if you need some more info to give an opinion just ask.

[humandictionary 0]

Reebok does put out lots of good stuff for starting ranges at about $350.00. It would never also hurt to check out a used spot(maybe not your ideal shopping destination) but a place like "Play It Again Sports" (depending where you live). They have tons of stuff to choose from at very cost friendly prices. It is all about comfortability. You want it so you feel safe and comfortable in, so buy what you think will help you suceed into making it back into Rep hockey if that is what you want to do, not what will make you stand out from the rest of tendy's in your local association. Best of luck!

[Law Goalie 147]

Couple of things...

If you want to get a feel for Smith pads without trying them on (assuming you don't know anyone who has a pair you can demo), just try on some Vaughn Velocities - same basic design, since Pete was the one who designed both. The Smith blocker is also basically the same as the Velocity blocker; his glove, however, is rather a different animal. It's a bit like the old Vaughn 5500 with some pretty significant internal changes - very nice piece all things considered. Smith is a great choice for the legs and hands. You could also look at Battram, Viper or Vortek, who all offer excellent custom gear at reasonable prices with their own signature designs.

McKenney is a great way to go for pants and C/A. Think of them as a discount version of Brown - close to state-of-the-art protection at a fraction of the price. You don't even want to imagine what a custom Brown C/A can run... McKenney also makes a couple of terrific goal-jocks, for what it's worth.

Oh, and on the subject of jocks, always double up: wear one cup in a pair of compression/bike shorts in your base layer, and a goal jock over that. A true two-cup package always beats a one-piece 'double-cup jock'.

There is only one neck guard on the market worth wearing: the Maltese Gel GPS Combo. It's comfortable, no more expensive than an off-the-rack Vaughn, and completely protective against cuts and impacts.

The other piece you can't cheap out on is the mask. The Itech line is not what it once was. Sure, a 96x series mask is a solid, pro-level piece, but it's not a Jerry Wright special any more. It's also horribly expensive for what it is. The cheaper Itechs (even the very popular NV7) are very expensive and minimally protective. You're better off looking at the various offerings from Sportmask, or a Hackva, or something along those lines. You can get a great mask with a lifetime warranty on the shell for about $300, as long as you don't pay a premium for a brand name.

Get your sticks cheap and plentiful - find wood ones on closeout and buy a bunch. There have been 3-packs of Sherwood pro-stock sticks in a variety of sizes going on eBay for $60-$80, and sometimes less. The only real suggestion I have here is to pick your paddle size carefully. Generally speaking, less is more. Find a padding that leaves your blocker hand in a comfortable place when you're in the butterfly, and adapt your upright stance to that. I'm 5'11" and I use a 23.5" paddle with a 13.5 lie, for reference. That's a little shorter than most guys my size would use, but I like where it puts my hands.

Skates... just buy what fits. The CCM/RBK cowlings with the replaceable blades offer a lot of flexibility, and their stainless steel is terrific, but Bauer's catching up. If your shop will allow it, find the boot that fits and have the RBK cowling put on in place of the stock one.

In general, it's always better to buy used pro-grade stuff than brand new price-point senior gear. The RBK 5K pads may look sexy on the shelf, but it'l last about 1/10th as long as a beaten-up pair of Premiers you'd get for the same price on eBay. Gloves are pretty cost-effective to buy online; other stuff, not so much, since the shipping kills the deal.

[samson35 0]

Hey, I have a pair of Vapor XXX pads that are 12 inches if you are interested?

On another note, I think you'd be able to find some pretty nice pre-owned stuff. I just picked up one95 skates for 270$ and they had only been used a dozen times. There are some deals on ebay with sticks as well. Good luck!