Thinking about playing goal

[mickz 107]

Thanks for the reply. Upon looking into the pad sizing further it looks like I'll have to go with a senior sized pad. My instep to center of the knee cap is roughly 19", I'm a size 8 skate and I should add 7-8" to that so I'll be approximately a 34" pad, not 31"-32" like I had originally though.

As for the negative reviews on the Envy 7 I probably won't be looking into Itech/Bauer anymore. I've heard good things about the 960 so I thought the Envy 7 would be decent. I'd love to get a 960 but it's a bit too much for me to spend at this point.

My price range is approx $300-$400CAN for the mask. Would you guys recommend anything made by Eddy, Vaughn or RBK in this price range? My LHS carries these brands as well as Itech and Sportmask so I want to buy it locally to ensure I get a proper fit for such an expensive purchase.

[kevintung_2k 0]

Thanks for the reply. Upon looking into the pad sizing further it looks like I'll have to go with a senior sized pad. My instep to center of the knee cap is roughly 19", I'm a size 8 skate and I should add 7-8" to that so I'll be approximately a 34" pad, not 31"-32" like I had originally though.

As for the negative reviews on the Envy 7 I probably won't be looking into Itech/Bauer anymore. I've heard good things about the 960 so I thought the Envy 7 would be decent. I'd love to get a 960 but it's a bit too much for me to spend at this point.

My price range is approx $300-$400CAN for the mask. Would you guys recommend anything made by Eddy, Vaughn or RBK in this price range? My LHS carries these brands as well as Itech and Sportmask so I want to buy it locally to ensure I get a proper fit for such an expensive purchase.

If your ankle-to-knee is 19", you will need at least 37" pads, depending on the brand. Measure from your ankle bone to the middle of your knee cap. You most likely have an ankle-to-knee measurement somewhere between 16-18".

In the price range for a mask, I'd recommend a Hackva. They have a lifetime warranty on the shell. I believe TheHockeyShop in Surrey has some Hackva's in stock at their store (not listed online).

If you have any other questions, send me a PM, I live in the Vancouver area as well.

[Law Goalie 147]

That's not his ATK, that's his FTK (the measurement Smith uses) - as he said, from the instep, rather than the ankle-bone. A 37" pad on a 19" FTK would be enormously oversized.

I agree with those above who advised against the NV7. It has a horrible track-record. Eddy has slightly better masks at that price-point, but I'd suggest looking first at Sportmask and Hackva. Those are probably your two best retail options. Hackva masks are a little over-hyped - there are some people who claim they're better than almost everything - but they are a fantastic value. Vaughn does not make masks - they're ghosted by some other company and then branded. I believe Eddy is making them now, but I'm not 100% on that.

As for the pads, I have a friend who has happily used his 6K's for two years: he's a big guy, and they're still in good shape. They are definitely a big step or three down from the Premier series, but they work just fine. The only thing he had to do was replace the knee-blocks (aka knee-lifts) with a new P2 set, since he almost powdered the cheap foam that was in the original pair.

Any pad you put on a ball-hockey surface that is made from synthetic leather (eg. Jenpro) will be torn up pretty quickly. If it's absolutely slick concrete, you *might* be OK.

[fatwabbit 93]

If you are interested, I've got a relatively good condition Van veldon helmet that I'm selling... I bought it used, but never used it myself... got injured before I could play in the crease again...

[Rayzilla 0]

... it's just a matter of time before I can afford to get some gloves and a stick.

I would highly recommend that you try to pick up stuff here and there that are used. It's just a matter of which pieces you don't mind wearing that have been worn by others. Some of the stuff that matter the least in my opinion are pads, skates, and maybe gloves. The C/A is kind of touchy because it hugs you so much so that it would gross out some guys. Kind of like being too close to another guy, assuming you don't swing that way :P . So experiment with those things used first, and buy the other pieces new when you see a great deal. Go for models that discontinued. For example, ITECH got bought out by Bauer, so some retailers will be unloading ITECH branded gear, even though in some cases, they will come out with a very similar model in the Bauer name.

If you do one thing right, I recommend not to go cheap on the chest arm protector. That is what 'protects' you the most from possible major PAIN. If you get a cheap one and face hard shots, it will affect you mentally too in addition to the bruises. Once you are affected mentally, you will never play to your potential whatever skill level you are at at that time. So get a pro level C/A instead of some low level or even mid level.

The above is just my opinion. Others may differ...

Ask away if you have any questions to what I have said above.

Cheers!

[kevintung_2k 0]

A floor-to-knee of 19 would be about a 16" ATK, which should put you in 32" pads (31 for Rbk's).

[Law Goalie 147]

Kevin, trying to infer the ATK from the FTK is not really useful, since it's hugely dependent on the shape of the foot and the placement of the ankle joint. My FTK is about 4.5" higher than my ATK - by your rule, that would put me in 38" pad, instead of my proper 36+.

He really needs to measure his ATK properly and go from there - or even better, just go to the shop and try some on. No shortage of gear in Vancouver.

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

... it's just a matter of time before I can afford to get some gloves and a stick.

I would highly recommend that you try to pick up stuff here and there that are used. It's just a matter of which pieces you don't mind wearing that have been worn by others. Some of the stuff that matter the least in my opinion are pads, skates, and maybe gloves. The C/A is kind of touchy because it hugs you so much so that it would gross out some guys. Kind of like being too close to another guy, assuming you don't swing that way :P . So experiment with those things used first, and buy the other pieces new when you see a great deal. Go for models that discontinued. For example, ITECH got bought out by Bauer, so some retailers will be unloading ITECH branded gear, even though in some cases, they will come out with a very similar model in the Bauer name.

If you do one thing right, I recommend not to go cheap on the chest arm protector. That is what 'protects' you the most from possible major PAIN. If you get a cheap one and face hard shots, it will affect you mentally too in addition to the bruises. Once you are affected mentally, you will never play to your potential whatever skill level you are at at that time. So get a pro level C/A instead of some low level or even mid level.

The above is just my opinion. Others may differ...

Ask away if you have any questions to what I have said above.

Cheers!

Yeah, I've used a few different C/As from P1, Summit, V3, and recently 6K. I like to feel the shots a little bit so I'm not that big of a fan of the latest pro offerings from Reebok (They are so armored you can barely tell the puck hit you :P). For my situation it is less about what choices I have, and more about just not having money for anything at the moment.

[Rayzilla 0]

Yeah, I've used a few different C/As from P1, Summit, V3, and recently 6K. I like to feel the shots a little bit so I'm not that big of a fan of the latest pro offerings from Reebok (They are so armored you can barely tell the puck hit you :P). For my situation it is less about what choices I have, and more about just not having money for anything at the moment.

Oh yeah, I forgot about those guys that like to 'feel' the puck. I know what you mean, but I had enough of them that I prefer to go for the protection now. I'll try to figure out where the puck is after I was able to keep my eyes open because of my Brown C/A. :lol:

Well, if you want a brand new Summit 7 Pro C/A, just let me know and maybe we can work out some trade. ;) I relocated in Hong Kong and I bought this a few months ago and only received it last week because I waited for my friend to bring it over here for me. I bought it because I thought that I need a 'feeling' C/A (well actually, a C/A that was not as HOT as my Brown). Turns out that it was more a matter of my poor conditioning when I started playing here than the temperature at ice level that was draining me out. So I never bothered to use it still.

I'm going to start playing out again this season, so I am trying to update some of my gear from over a decade ago when I started playing goal. That's what I'm going to do when I visit Toronto later this month.

Good luck with your goalie gear accumulation project. It is ongoing once you get started. And if you thought player gear whorism is bad, wait until you get the goalie gear whorism disease.

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

Good luck with your goalie gear accumulation project. It is ongoing once you get started. And if you thought player gear whorism is bad, wait until you get the goalie gear whorism disease.

I have witnessed it first hand with my brother so I know what I'm getting into haha. I think I want all white gear though. Once I get the gear, then I can design a new paint job for my mask. :D

[Rayzilla 0]

Good luck with your goalie gear accumulation project. It is ongoing once you get started. And if you thought player gear whorism is bad, wait until you get the goalie gear whorism disease.

I have witnessed it first hand with my brother so I know what I'm getting into haha. I think I want all white gear though. Once I get the gear, then I can design a new paint job for my mask. :D

Funny. That's what my gear is now. Almost all white pads (just bright red nylon on the outside gussets) and almost all white gloves (just a small patch of red on the back of the catcher where white nylon would not have been good, and same with the blocker). The problem is, I love my old pads (SWD C10) so much that it's hard to stop using them. Oh yeah, and my mask is an all white Itech 9601 (that will now be branded under Bauer).

And I've got a brand new set of R8 pads back in Toronto that I haven't even seen live yet. :o

[hockey4me 0]

This is probably off-topic, but what is it like playing in goal? Is it fun?

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

This is probably off-topic, but what is it like playing in goal? Is it fun?

I'm primarily a forward, but I think playing goal is a blast. It's another dimension of the game and if you don't have a problem getting hit by pucks, by all means go for it. :)

[Oykib 0]

This is probably off-topic, but what is it like playing in goal? Is it fun?

Its being on the ice the whole time and could easily be the reason you win or loose. It is high pressure, high reward position IMO. With today's equipment your not going to feel a lot of pain from pucks, but it is a very physically demanding position. Playing goal is an even more demanding mental position. With all that said its awesome!

[Rayzilla 0]

This is probably off-topic, but what is it like playing in goal? Is it fun?

Its being on the ice the whole time and could easily be the reason you win or loose. It is high pressure, high reward position IMO. With today's equipment your not going to feel a lot of pain from pucks, but it is a very physically demanding position. Playing goal is an even more demanding mental position. With all that said its awesome!

Agree with a lot of what is said above. One of the best things that I got out of playing goal since I switched from playing out, is taking more responsibility on the outcome of things. I know that hockey is a team game, but I still don't want to be one of the key reasons for a loss, so I take on a lot of the blame if we ever lose - even if we were outshot 2-1. I don't take it too hard or anything like that, but I make a commitment to myself to make up for a loss with a solid performance in the next game. I found that this responsibility thing has carried over to my personal life too in being more accountable for my actions and not blaming others, or making excuses for many things that go wrong. A lot of the things that happen around you in some direct or indirect way was caused/created by your own actions at some time before. Maybe I'm getting too philosophical here... :P

[jmacie3 0]

Hey guys, always wanted to play ice hockey and finally started about 6 months ago at the age of 23. I've totally enjoyed it and have improved greatly but I've always wanted to be a goalie since I was a little kid and was always the goalie for our street hockey games, lol. My main problem unlike others that are wanting to learn from this thread is that is it too late to start making the switch to goalie when I just started learning to skate? Also I noticed modsquad doesn't have much activity on the goalie section, is there any other forums I should check out.

[DCott 0]

Hey guys, always wanted to play ice hockey and finally started about 6 months ago at the age of 23. I've totally enjoyed it and have improved greatly but I've always wanted to be a goalie since I was a little kid and was always the goalie for our street hockey games, lol. My main problem unlike others that are wanting to learn from this thread is that is it too late to start making the switch to goalie when I just started learning to skate? Also I noticed modsquad doesn't have much activity on the goalie section, is there any other forums I should check out.

It's never too late to start, I only started skating out last year (I'm 21). The first thing you'll figure out is that players and goalies use 2 radically different skating styles. As a goalie, you will be moving laterally instead of forward and backwards as much. I would advise you to borrow some gear and try it a few times before you jump in and spend a ton of money.

You could try the bulletin boards at www.goaliestore.com. They will give you a lot of information fast, but it will be a fun mix of good info and nonsense. ;)

[jmacie3 0]

e first thing you'll figure out is that players and goalies use 2 radically different skating styles. As a goalie, you will be moving laterally instead of forward and backwards as much. I would advise you to borrow some gear and try it a few times before you jump in and spend a ton of money.

You could try the bulletin boards at www.goaliestore.com. They will give you a lot of information fast, but it will be a fun mix of good info and nonsense. ;)

Thanks for the info. The main problem is that I have no one's gear to borrow. There's really not a lot of places in Illinois that have adult beginner classes and it's more impossible to find adult beginner goalie classes. It seems that I would just have to join some rat hockey games and get thrown into it and learn that way.

[B19Kress 0]

This thread was super helpful as I am thinking about doing this as well. What would you say in the absolute minimum to get started? $1000?

[Law Goalie 147]

I'd say that's a low-ish estimate. You can get under the $1K mark, but generally speaking, that will mean compromising in areas you won't want to, like the mask and skates, or just getting blind lucky and finding, for example, a pair of good used condition pro-grade NHL-spec pads for less than $500; it happens, but not often.

[DangerIsGo 0]

Yes, A wise man once said:

Your head, your neck, your crotch, and your heart are the four things you need to protect most: don't blow all your money on pretty pads and skimp there.

[docar15 1]

Original post removed, too long, sorry.

[mickz 107]

Just bumping this thread as I've taken the first steps to playing goal by purchasing a trapper and blocker today. I am planning to slowly accumulate gear as I save up over the next few weeks so bare with me. What kept me from buying the gear before was price... but my LHS has some pretty good prices around town (almost on par with online prices) so I took the plunge and picked up a Brian's DX2 Blocker and DX5 Trapper for $300 today. I don't need top of the line everything but just gear that will get me by with maybe once a week in net.

After reading some of your suggestions this is what I'm leaning towards:

Mask: Hackva ~$400

C/A: Vaughn Epic 8606 ~$270 or McKenney 870 ~$300

Pants: Vaughn Velocity V3 7500 ~$230 or McKenney 870 ~$190

Pads: Something that fits and is in stock for $300-$500 or so

Skates: NBH ONE95 $300

I've left out the cheaper items out of the equation for now like stick, jock and knee pads but is there anything on here that you guys would change? Is there much of a difference with mid-end and higher end goalie skates? My shop's got the ONE55 ($200), ONE75 ($250) and ONE95 ($300.) I am wearing Total ONE player skates right now so I'd assume they'd fit similar. I noticed after the $300 C/A's they tend to jump into the $500+ range. How cheap is too cheap for a C/A?

[LivHockey84 0]

When it come to c/a's you get what you pay for. The bulky-er they are the less you will feel but the less mobility you will have.

[mickz 107]

I am in the market for some throat protection right now and I know some of you guys are against danglers. They are better priced and makes me feel like I will be protected better than a neck collar but what are your guy's take on the two?