Eagle sentry 1 pads HELP!

[cdnrookies 0]

Hey Guys,

So my middle child has decided he is going to try goalie at the novice level. Strictly houseleague and im not totally convinced he will even stick it out through this years 3 on 3 hockey.

We got helmet, trapper, blocker and chest protector from a friend, but we havent picked up the pads yet.

not wanting to invest to much until he decides, I have the chance to pick up a eagle sentry1 almost brand new for $55. Can I really go wrong at that price?

please let me know your thoughts, I would like to pick up tonight.

thanks

[Law Goalie 147]

As long as they fit him well, they'll do fine. The Sentries were very well made, and I believe the Junior model was 10" wide, or maybe even 9" - which is great, since the thing that most hampers young goalies is excessively wide, bulky pads. They have a hard enough time skating as it is.

Make sure that when he's wearing his skate sand in a crouched stance, his knee is more or less in the middle of the knee-wing (the piece that extends off the medial/inside edge of the pad). When he drops to the ice/floor (for demo purposes), and his knee rotates behind the pad, his knee should ideally land dead centre on the knee-stack (of which the knee-wing is the part that lies on the ice in the butterfly). If his knee stays in place throughout, you've got properly sized pads.

As for condition, damage to the face of the pads isn't really an issue. You should mainly be concerned with wear along the medial-inside edge of the pads, especially along the boot. This includes the knee-wing, calf-wing, the medial gusset (which both wings attach to), and the crucial binding along the edge of the boot. That's what will be in contact with the ice during the vast majority of skating and save-movements. If the synthetic leather has been worn through, the pads will stick to the ice and may hinder his movements.

I would also *highly* recommend getting a separate pair of knee-pads. The knee-protection that comes with most pads (aka thigh-boards) and is laced into the back of the pad is not only less protective, it can severely restrict movement. Beyond that, it's been my experience that kids' knees are extremely sensitive: not only do they hurt a lot when hit with even light shots, they tend to make the young goalie feel extremely vulnerable, and begin to doubt the rest of his protection. A solid pair of standalone knee-pads will provide better proection and let him skate and move more naturally.

[cdnrookies 0]

Thanks so much for the info, I played goalie when I was his age, but wow, things have changed!

I will get the knee pads tonight when I pick up the pads,

While we are on the topic of things changing, any websites/books you recommend that will help me get up to speed on how goalies are equiped/terminology/practice etc?

[Law Goalie 147]

There are some OK resources online, but they don't really have coherent terminology. There are any number of terms for every stitch of gear and basic movement, and they're not used with great precision, generally speaking. You've basically got two options: pay a bit for good advise, or spend a lot of time researching and cross-referencing.

By far the best site for training on and off-ice is FutureProLive; it's a pay site, but well worth it for the expertise. Maria Mountain also has some fantastic off-ice videos on her blog. In any case, when you're assessing any source of information you come across, make sure it has a sound kinesiological basis, or that the person in question has some sort of credentials. There are a lot of charlatans out there who think that a cup of coffee in pro hockey (or just an absurd degree of opinionation) entitles them to coach and advise as they see fit. Teaching abilities and mechanical knowledge are way more important. This isn't to say that someone with a good hockey resume can't teach, only that playing hockey doesn't necessarily make a good teacher.

PM me your email address, and I'll sort you out with a few things I've collected over the years as far as tutorials, practise drills, etc.