Old style helmets

[IniNew 53]

Hey goalies, I'm looking at you Lawgoalie, I have a question concerning helmets. My friend would like to get the Osgood style helmet with cage. The closest thing we can find at retail right now is the Sportmask Mage. I've heard great things about this mask, but finding a dealer is a bit ridiculous.

We then noticed that Sportmask offers a cage on their website (the Mage SM-90 Cateye Cage) that fits player helmets. Would it work to purchase that cage then place it on a normal player helmet or were the older helmets (Cooper SK2000) made differently than today's helmets?

[Law Goalie 147]

The SK2000 was an unusually protective helmet, and perhaps the only one even remotely appropriate for use by goalies. There are two main reasons: the thickness and strength of the shell, and its shape. Because the SK2000's shell has no thin or vented sections (it's a uniform thickness), and curves smoothly all around (no flat spots), there are no weak-points on the shell, and the impact of the puck is diffused around the shell rather than passing through to the head. The SK600 (which was popular with a few guys, including Tretiak and Billy Smith) had a big, flat, recessed panel right smack in the middle of the forehead, which was why so many guys got concussions in them.

The SM90 fits nicely on an SK2000 if you want to go that route.

You can also have an SK2000 shell custom-made to a head-mold using modern mask materials (kevlar/aramid and fibreglass) by Shawn Schroeder (shawn@custommademasks.com). His website isn't up any more, since he's scaled it back from a business to a hobby, but there are several reviews of his work floating around. Superb craftsman and very reasonable prices.

Frankly, given the skyrocketing prices on eBay, etc. for Ozzie-style helmet/cage combos, it wouldn't cost much more to get the custom-made option.

If he does insist on buying an off-the-rack helmet and slapping an SM90 on it, for god's sake make him get one with VN foam. EPP is incredibly unsafe in a goalie mask. Now, of course, that doesn't stop Itech from putting it in their widow-makers because of the unspeakably awful standards-testing... but I digress.

[Rustpot 1]

Also, to expound on Law Gaolie's reasoning for the SK2000, the other Jofa and similar helmets got around the problem by fitting ridiculously large cages that protected the forehead, ala Irbe. http://www.neosaturn.com/irbe/IrbeDynamaxOil.jpg

And remember that Catseye cages are generally not certified or legal as the main opening is too large in most cases. Also, if he plays in a league that enforces certification rules he won't be able to use a player combo of any kind. The SK2000 would be well beyond any certification and player helmets are only certified with certain cages. He would have to look to see what the goalie requirements are.

[IniNew 53]

I appreciate the responses. Thanks for the information.

[Law Goalie 147]

I forgot to mention the Jofas - thanks, Rust.

Incredibly, there's a Jofa combo in my local PIAS right now in great shape for $60 (IIRC) - 390 helmet with the really enormous cage (bigger than Irbe's).

[Rustpot 1]

Yeah, there are some crazy ones out there, I can't find a picture but I seem to recall someone on GSBB or maybe a pic posted of a Swedish goalie wearing an old Jofa combo with more cage than anything else on his head, absolutely crazy.

Also, you need to remember that VN will degrade, harden, and otherwise lose all its protective properties as time goes, especially if it's been sitting unused. An old Cooper SK that you buy from ebay has no guarantee that it won't need to be re-foamed to be usable, and that the plastic hasn't degraded over time.

I have played goal in a Bauer 4000, but there was a very strict "if you shoot high I will come after you, and this goalie stick is very heavy" rule that day. I felt that anything the pickup game would throw at me would be handled, but no way in hell would I face real shots with it.

[RonLopez 0]

I remember that pic. Basically it was a Jofa cage with the parts covering the ears spread out a bit more and the dangler part from the Cooper GL-100 cage, the wire one, attached. The best part about that pic is the guy behind the glass laughing.

[Law Goalie 147]

Heh - that's exactly the setup that's collecting dust at the PIAS.

I can just envision it: some time after Christmas, when they have their lull and put on a little sale, some bender's going to show up playing left wing in that thing...

[lukejameslarson 5]

tommy soderstrom's cage was pretty enormous.

[Law Goalie 147]

Imagine that, but with a wire danger and a huge piece that extends up over the forehead...

[Rustpot 1]

Here's a few from GSBB users

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c147/agre/DSC00039.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2613/asdfasdfdsa5yk.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d182/dha.../bubblecage.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/7853/dcp0574ym7.jpg

http://www.goaliestore.com/board/attachmen...rs-dscn3888.jpg

I think this is what LawGoalie is referring to;

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/5063/img2869lt2.jpg

A whole lotta cage on the right.

[jrhky36 1]

forgot to mention that mike veron wore a ccm ht2 for some while he was in calgary.

[forbs02 20]

The goalie for the women's team at Northeastern is wearing this monstrosity. How old is this cage and where the heck did she find it?

[Law Goalie 147]

Oh man - that's a classic setup.

Helmet is hard to ID, but I would guess it's a Jofa 390.

The cage is a 387 - maybe a 267. It could also be the Junior models of either, which makes it trickier. It's definitely one of those two because of the forehead coverage. Any shot's going to hit nothing but cage. Actually kind of a smart arrangement: with no point of attachment on the forehead, any impact gets distributed along the sides to the hinges.

Dangler is a plexi 481.

Either way, those probably haven't been manufactured for a decade at least. I hope someone replaced the foam for her...

[DCott 0]

whatever you do, don't try this:

Come to think of it, there is alot of silly gear in this pic. Never would of guessed he would eventually win a Vezina...

[westcoastsniper 0]

I don't understand what's going on in this picture...

There are a few questions, if you would be so kind to help me out.

1. Who? looks familiar, but I can't place it.

2. how did Skoda ads get on U.S. jersey?

3. When?

[Law Goalie 147]

1. Timmy the Tank-Engine Thomas

2. It's a World Championship game (or possibly Spengler Cup) held in Europe, which Skoda sponsored.

3. Given the massively illegal R6 gear, I'm going to say 1998 WC.

[krwwc6 0]

I'm not a goalie guy, but I always liked those pads. . . what was illegal about the R6 gear?

[Law Goalie 147]

The gloves - the blocker's concave curvature was shortly to be made illegal, and the glove had a perimeter of above half a mile.

The R6 pads were lovely in construction, but a bit of an ill-conceived design.

[Oykib 0]

The gloves - the blocker's concave curvature was shortly to be made illegal, and the glove had a perimeter of above half a mile.

The R6 pads were lovely in construction, but a bit of an ill-conceived design.

Reminds me of my old Vision Blocker hehe

[Law Goalie 147]

That was another beauty! All this thread is missing now is a Martin Paddleflex... and a Cooper XL7 with a dangler.

[DCott 0]

I like the R6's as well. They were a butterfly-inspired design before Smith started the whole flat-face/flat inside edge thing. The angled breaks and staggered shin straps were creative, though most people I saw with the, didn't seem to use these features correctly for a good butterfly, as Thomas does in the pic. They were designed (well) for a time where the butterfly was becoming popular, but goalies still wanted to strap their pads tightly.

Yes the blocker was foolish and gave awful rebounds. The trapper's cuff was awkward as well, and the T was curved, like C-shaped for no apparent reason.

That was another beauty! All this thread is missing now is a Martin Paddleflex... and a Cooper XL7 with a dangler.

...and a curtis curve.

[westcoastsniper 0]

thank you, I had no idea thomas wore a player helmet before.

and yes that blocker looks like a half-pipe and those pads make my eyes hurt

[DCott 0]

Yup, he wore all kinds of stuff before he settled on his Mage.