Goalie gear for a new junior..........

[Rick 0]

My 9 year old son has been going with me while I play inline hockey and now he wants to play goalie. I play forward and I know very little about goalie gear. He wants to start playing in a inline league next winter but I don't even know where to begin as far as equipment goes. I saw a street gear set on line that is made by Reebok for around $100 and a street goal helmet (Itech) for around $35. I was thinking it might be a way for him to give it a try (with a roller hockey ball) before we make the plunge and spend big money. Problem is I don't even know how to measure for the pads and the sizes they give are 24 and 27 and we don't have any store near us that carry hockey gear. Can you guys help me out with some advise?

Thanks in advance......

Rick Henry

[Law Goalie 147]

Yikes - stay away from that stuff. It's not worth the paper the advertising is printed on. More in the morning...

For now, and for god's sake, don't let him wear that Itech helmet for one second. He'd be better off in a player helmet with a cage - seriously.

[Law Goalie 147]

My suggestion for pads and gloves at the retail level would be either the Mission line (which you'll find for about $150-$200) or the Sherwood C5 line ($200-$300). Both are very well-made price-point sets.

Those entry-level Itech, Reebok, Olie, etc. masks are simply unsafe. They are designed to look neat and make kids feel like the big boys - not for safety of any kind. HECC/CSA certifications mean nothing for goalie masks. Your son will be safer in a normal player's helmet/cage combo. The market for retail goalie masks that are at all protective starts at $300 USD with Hackva and Eddy and goes from there.

Here's how to measure for pads:

This measurement (taken from the ball of the ankle to the centre of the knee-cap) is called the ankle-to knee or ATK. Generally speaking, your size in pads (eg. those 24, 27, etc. numbers you saw) will be 2x your ATK - thus, if I have an 18" ATK, I'll generally be around a 36" pad. HOWEVER, my advice is always to talk to the place you're ordering form about what will fit with the ATK you have, because some pads fit quite differently: an 18" ATK can wear a 34" Koho or a 37" TPS, based on informal survey.

If you want to minimise spending and maximise your son's enjoyment of the equipment, I would suggest buying high-quality used gear rather than cheap new retail gear. It will take a bit more work, but the results will be much better. It's tougher with kids, since they're always outgrowing everything, but it's MUCH harder or less rewarding to trade in or sell off crappy gear that's been used one season than good gear that's been used for two. Junior and Youth gear is very common on eBay, so keep your eyes open.

[Law Goalie 147]

Perfect example:

$26 for pro-grade Brian's 24" pads and gloves, ending this morning.