Starting in Goal as an Adult - 2020 Canadian Edition

[Giltis 116]

I'm close to 40 and I've been wanting to start playing in nets for a long while now. I have so many questions and any advice I can get would be lovely.

Experience wise, I've played back up goalie from Novice to Midget and had success, but our family could not afford goalie pads of my own to play full time, and after my last season I've stopped playing for about 20 years. Now that I'm older and have been getting back into playing Pickup Hockey on a regular basis, I wanted try my hand at it again. To add fuel to the fire, my U8 son has picked up playing goalie for his hockey team as well, he's quite raw at the moment with his movements but he seems to be pretty decent at it, and more importantly been having fun. I think it'd be good bonding to learn together.I've been reading IPv6Freely's post but wanted to start a thread of my own, as some info seems either dated or not relevant to me.

 

So far I've procured myself an NME8 in decent shape with some paint chips on the chin, and a CCM ExtremeFlex III Glove and a CCM Premier Blocker, both in decent shape but could use some mending. 

 

Quick Questions

- What would be the best way to repair this? Or should I just wear a glove underneath?

 

 

- What break is this? I'm gonna guess it's 590?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

NME8 is the mask I use. It's pretty much the lowest end mask you can buy thats made of fiberglass and not plastic. As for the blocker, you can get them re-palmed. The glove, sorry I have no idea on break angles. I've never used CCM gear before. What about leg pads? Do you have any yet?

[Giltis 116]

Yeah the couple of goalies that I play with all seem to use NME8s, I might upgrade it later, but my priority for now is to get all my gear first.

For the blocker palm, I was also wondering how hard would it be to replace the whole glove as shown here (http://www.protectiveathleticwear.com/blockerpalm.htm) it might help with the smell as well (I've tried washing with some Lysol Laundry additive, but seems like I need another go at it). 

No Legpads yet, it's where I'm a bit stumped. I've been having trouble finding a decent deal for pads that would fit me properly. I'm tempted to go with a new entry level pad, but people have been telling me that they won't last and are a poor value.

I'm 6', my FTK is 19.5 and my ATK is 16.5. I thought I had longer legs than most, but from some of the threads that I've been reading, maybe I'm measuring wrong? Does that put me at a 33+1 for a CCM and 34+1.5 for a Warrior? I'm not really brand loyal.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

For cleaning, soak in a bathtub with oxyclean. Agitate, soak, drain, repeat. 
 

Not sure on sizing. I haven’t had to look at that since I started. As for pads, most Sr level stuff is going to be just fine. I will take a new lower level leg pad over a used set any day. You want to avoid anything with leather straps too. Lots of guys still use them but the future is elastic strapping so you might as well get used to it from the beginning so you don’t have to switch later.

As for quality, if you’re going lower level Brian’s is going to be the best build quality, but I’d use just about anything. Just don’t skimp on your glove. 

[Hills 712]

That is a 600 break.

[Giltis 116]

9 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

As for quality, if you’re going lower level Brian’s is going to be the best build quality, but I’d use just about anything. Just don’t skimp on your glove. 

I see some deals on BRIANS GNETIK 8.0, are these decent? Time to look for some deals, and I think I will head into a store to do so as those sizing charts are kinda confusing.

And yeah I'm not a big fan of leather strapping on my son's pads either, they are always way too long and seems precarious when I slot them back into the buckle to keep it from flopping around, terrible design.

For skates, any thoughts on Graf DM1030 series? There's also a deal on Ribcor 44Ks that I see. I will have to punch the hell out of them for comfort.

 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I wouldn’t hesitate to buy the Gnetik8.0, if I was starting out again. My first pads were Brian’s S-Series which was their low end product at the time. The glove was a bit thin but the leg pads were great.

I have zero interest in Graf skates, personally. I have VH (now True) but only because I have a hard time with retail skates. But I would always encourage somebody go retail if they’re able to. Try to get something cowlingless, as just like leather straps you might as well get used to the style of the future and not the past!

[Giltis 116]

Ok yeah, I have TRUE skates as well because of my Navicular Accessory and having a hard time fitting into skates that don't numb my feet but I also have a hard time justifying another set of a thousand dollar skates when I'm just starting out (although maybe I can see if there's a used pair), I also have a custom punch tool that I had made in the past for my player's skates. I will take your suggestions though into looking for cowlingless if it's not too much more over the ones I've seen. 

Do goalie lines fit differently? I remember reading about how Bauer lines are reversed in terms of fit.

Ok so that kinda narrows the search down for pads and skates. Once I have those, I will be looking for chest and pants. 

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by Giltis

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Yea bauer is kind of reversed. My first goal skates were Reactor. As for chest - I'll give you the same quote the guy at the store said to me when I started. "All of these are protective enough for your level, so its a matter of whats comfortable". Mostly true, though the bottom of the line is still not fun if you play pickups with higher skilled guys. I'd go AT LEAST one step up from the bottom, at first. I ended up going with Passau because its a fantastic chest, super light weight, very protective, and was cheaper than retail top of the line models, by a lot. That's one of the best decisions I ever made as far as goalie gear. 

Oh, and get a neck guard. Whether you are going to wear a dangler or not, get one. Most of them are useless. I use Maltese but they're dead now so the best option out there is either ecoprofoam or roughneck, which are pretty much the same thing, in general.

Of course you'll need a jock (preference) and knee pads (Again, I went Passau because I hated everything retail I tried). 

[Giltis 116]

Ok I was looking at those Brian's when I came across some CCM Premiers for a good price, it came with a blocker, and two gloves (one game and one practice).

I'll post pictures later on, but next on the list now are skates, pants, chest, knee pads, neck guard. Also is https://www.maltesehockey.ca/ no more for real? I wanted to get a mask foam kit from them, is Resilient comparable?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I'm not sure, I thought they were dead. Who knows. I wasn't a fan of their mask kits though (aside from the chin sling - I love those). 

[Giltis 116]

Just came across this chest, is this any good/decent deal at 300CAD ?

 

Edited January 31, 2020 by Giltis

[Hills 712]

Offer $250, it is old and used.

[Giltis 116]

9 minutes ago, Hills said:

Offer $250, it is old and used.

Yeah nvm that deal, I'm actually seeing much better deals on new clearance items.

[Giltis 116]

Talk to me about goalie pants, are there any that's vastly different than others? Anything that I should look out for?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Not really, whatever is comfortable to you. They all have some various features but it comes down to comfort.

I also personally don’t like the internal belts and always remove them and use suspenders. I wear my chesty over my suspenders, though many people tuck their chesty into their pants and put the suspenders over top. Do whichever is more comfortable to you, though the latter approach means you need pants big enough to accommodate. So when trying pants on, either bring your chesty from home or just be sure to put one on in the store. 

[Giltis 116]

Alright, progress time.

Kinda stoked that my butterfly actually seem to overlap a bit, not every time, but most of the time (more on this later). I tried going down into a butterfly and then recovering a few times, and it is more taxing that it looks haha. Also I found that I really need the softest knee pads, I was looking at PAW's (http://www.protectiveathleticwear.com/kneepadsmain.htm) with the viscoelastic gel (anyone have experience with those?), I figure I need to order and repair those knee flaps anyway (maybe I'll order the neckguard there as well). I've also read that I can add a bit of height to the knee stacks to make things more comfortable, I should look into it as well.

 

I've then afterwards found an issue where sometimes I would land below the landing of where I should be.

 

I'm wondering if my strapping could be improved? Keep in mind that I'm also using player skates for the moment to test the fit, and removed the bootstraps as they seem to be getting in the way, but maybe I should put them back.

 

 

Standing up the knee stack seems to be at where it should be.

[Giltis 116]

Starting to get a bit of the "What the hell am I getting myself into" feeling.

I lucked out and found a used 2nd gen Passau in a very good condition for cheaper than what most used chestpads were going for around me (gonna wash it before I adjust straps and things).

I also have a PAW knee guards coming in (if these don't work, I will get the Vapor 1Xs that I liked when I tried it at the store), so I think all I have left to look for are pants, jock, stick, skates, neckguard, dangler.

Edited January 31, 2020 by Giltis

[Giltis 116]

So these are the chests, I think I will order a belly extension.

But other than that, how does this sit on me (esp. around the neck)? It feels pretty mobile and I'm able to reach things well.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Looks pretty much perfect to me!

[caveman27 208]

On 2/5/2020 at 10:52 AM, Giltis said:

So these are the chests, I think I will order a belly extension.

But other than that, how does this sit on me (esp. around the neck)? It feels pretty mobile and I'm able to reach things well.

Probably don't need a belly extension. You will have goalie pants and a goalie jock to protect your torso where the bottom ends

[caveman27 208]

On 1/19/2020 at 10:08 PM, Giltis said:

Yeah the couple of goalies that I play with all seem to use NME8s, I might upgrade it later, but my priority for now is to get all my gear first.

For the blocker palm, I was also wondering how hard would it be to replace the whole glove as shown here (http://www.protectiveathleticwear.com/blockerpalm.htm) it might help with the smell as well (I've tried washing with some Lysol Laundry additive, but seems like I need another go at it). 

No Legpads yet, it's where I'm a bit stumped. I've been having trouble finding a decent deal for pads that would fit me properly. I'm tempted to go with a new entry level pad, but people have been telling me that they won't last and are a poor value.

I'm 6', my FTK is 19.5 and my ATK is 16.5. I thought I had longer legs than most, but from some of the threads that I've been reading, maybe I'm measuring wrong? Does that put me at a 33+1 for a CCM and 34+1.5 for a Warrior? I'm not really brand loyal.

pouring boiling hot water into the glove (blocker or trapper) multiple times will get rid of the body odor-based funk. 

You could always remove the old palm manually with a thread cutting tool tailors/seamstresses use. But, unless you have an industrial sewing machine, it would be difficult to sew in a new palm. Regular sewing machines may have difficulty poking through both the replacement palm and existing glove material. You could try to cut out a Pad Skinz in the shape of the replacement palm and stick that on. Ghetto solution and I have no idea if that would work or not.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

1 hour ago, caveman27 said:

pouring boiling hot water into the glove (blocker or trapper) multiple times will get rid of the body odor-based funk. 

You could always remove the old palm manually with a thread cutting tool tailors/seamstresses use. But, unless you have an industrial sewing machine, it would be difficult to sew in a new palm. Regular sewing machines may have difficulty poking through both the replacement palm and existing glove material. You could try to cut out a Pad Skinz in the shape of the replacement palm and stick that on. Ghetto solution and I have no idea if that would work or not.

For stink, soaking in a bathtub of hot water and oxyclean is the best way to clean all your gear. I do mine every 6 months or so. The water in the tub is GROSS, though if MINE is gross I can’t even imagine how nasty it would be for people who don’t hang their stuff up in front of a box fan after every use! 🤮 

[Giltis 116]

Yeah I had to do the Oxyclean bath for the chest protector, I had ran it through a long cycle in the wash, and it still smelled, so I dunked it for about an hour in oxyclean, and that was what fixed it. Incredible how much brown water it produced even after a cycled wash. The bath actually took off the Passau logo that's in the back lol.

A few updates

• W.R.T. the gloves, I probably won't be using the ones pictured because I got better sets that came with the pads (and matches too). They close a lot better/easier, in better condition, with only a tiny hole.
• I got myself a PAW kneeguard and pro-laces, tried going down a few times into a butterfly, and it felt MUCH better. I feel much more confident.
• I'm going shopping for pants/jock/skates today most likely, so I'll have a look when I get home how it all fits with the chest. 
• I'll probably try my first game within a month's time., I got the ok from two guys that runs pickup leagues (so I can slot in the one that I usually play at, or one that's a level lower) 
• I'm still not certain of the paddle sizing, so I might borrow a few different ones from the goalies that play in my pickup. After reading a lengthy post on here, I was looking at a 25" one. I heard they differ a bit by brand though.
• Also I was afraid the arm length on the chest was too short, but I put on my glove and blocker, and it covers everything perfectly and gets out of the way.

Edited February 19, 2020 by Giltis

[caveman27 208]

5 hours ago, Giltis said:

• I'm still not certain of the paddle sizing, so I might borrow a few different ones from the goalies that play in my pickup. After reading a lengthy post on here, I was looking at a 25" one. I heard they differ a bit by brand though.

Figuring out goalie stick paddle length isn't quite an exact science. There are varying opinions on optimal paddle length.

https://www.goalcrease.com/sticks

Whatever works for you and your style.