Cat Eye Player Cage?

[Keaner18 0]

I think I asked this a couple years ago but haven’t been on in a while. Anyone have one of those beer league cat eye style cages - I think Olympia Composites used to make them, up for grabs? Things are impossible to find and nonexistent but trying desperately to find one or two if possible 

[xstartxtodayx 343]

good luck.  They're not only hard to find but when they do pop up they're expensive. I would create a favorite search on sidelineswap and that way you can get notified if one pops up, other than that maybe just keep checking ebay.  If you join the gear exchange on here there's a gear wanted section, otherwise sports2k has a gear wanted area but I've found many of those members are younger so not sure how great the response would be for an item that's older than most of those members lol.

[VegasHockey 1280]

It would be cool if a company designed a cage for players who have aged out. I wear a cage for men's league and pickup, errant sticks and puck deflections happen far too often. I don't need a CSA/HECC cage, but I do want full face coverage. I have seen too many people take sticks and pucks to the eyes and mouth.

If they took something like the Bauer Re-Akt titanium cage and made the grid .25" further apart, I would be thrilled. 

[xstartxtodayx 343]

I've got a teammate who wears one, I think it might be a goalie one that's modified but not sure:

and also played against a guy with one of the old college style ones that have no chin cup (you see some interesting old gear in the over 40 divisions lol):

edit: I see he actually does have a chin cup of some sort,I've played with other guys who had a similar cage with no chin cup just a chin strap)

I've also seen a couple other variations of the college style one over the years but don't have any pics of them I can easily find.

Edited February 20, 2023 by xstartxtodayx

[OzziesDad 89]

There's a rink here in MA that has a pro shop that sells them. They don't put them out, you have to ask. 

They are 30.00. I just bought another a few weeks ago. Shoot me a message and I can go grab one at some point this week.

Helmet lineage over the past few years.

Edited February 21, 2023 by OzziesDad

[IPv6Freely 2092]

We had this guy. No chin cup or anything. It always looked weird to me, but with how used to a cat eye cage I already am it wouldn't hurt to try... if I ever skated out again (unlikely). 

[shoeshine boy 242]

13 hours ago, OzziesDad said:

There's a rink here in MA that has a pro shop that sells them. They don't put them out, you have to ask. 

They are 30.00. I just bought another a few weeks ago. Shoot me a message and I can go grab one at some point this week.

Helmet lineage over the past few years.

you try to play in that one on the far right in our league and you will be asked to leave the ice. only our highest levels allow you to play with no facial protection and the other levels require your protection to be certified.

Edited February 21, 2023 by shoeshine boy

[OzziesDad 89]

1 hour ago, shoeshine boy said:

you try to play in that one on the far right in our league and you will be asked to leave the ice. only our highest levels allow you to play with no facial protection and the other levels require your protection to be certified.

Yeah. That's interesting.

I played my last college game over 23 years ago. If I had to guesstimate, I'd say I've played around 4000 beer league games/tourneys amongst those helmets (I've probably averaged 4 skates a week on average during that time, and factoring in not playing during the pandemic.) Never had a ref say a single thing about any of them. None have stickers. Only one of the 4500's is currently within certification dates. 

I'm not condoning or promoting any of it. Just anecdotally giving my experience.

[xstartxtodayx 343]

I think it all depends on the league and what rules they follow.  Our league here is a modified USA Hockey rules, so we don't follow all of their rules, as far as helmets and cages you just have to have a helmet with face protection of some sort, could he a half shield tilted up, or a full cage, just as long as whatever straps are present are snapped in.  I've never seen anyone check a helmet certification in my 43 years of life, pretty sure as long as it's a name brand from the past 30 years no one will think twice (I see a few old HT2's still but I'm sure if anyone tried using a Gretzky Jofa one they would stop them).

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Certified helmets or any sort of facial protection are not required in adult divisions in USA Hockey sanctioned leagues. Of course leagues are always able to override those rules. 

Quote

All players, including goalkeepers, in all age classifications except Adults, are required to properly wear a HECC approved helmet as designed by the manufacturer and with no alterations and chin strap properly fastened.
Players in the Adult classification must wear a hockey helmet (including non-HECC approved) with chin strap properly fastened.

 

[YesLanges 127]

On 2/21/2023 at 12:50 PM, IPv6Freely said:

We had this guy. No chin cup or anything. It always looked weird to me, but with how used to a cat eye cage I already am it wouldn't hurt to try... if I ever skated out again (unlikely). 

That's exactly what I wear. It was made by Cooper and called a Protec (or Pro Tec) cage. They actually came with a trapezoidal chin pad about the size of a credit card that clipped onto the bottom with snap buttons. Most guys removed them and just put enough tape on the bottom bar right under the chin and a little bit up on the bottom of the center vertical bar to make them about 1/4" thick. There's also at least 1 guy in Cooperalls in that clip.

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by YesLanges

[IPv6Freely 2092]

1 hour ago, YesLanges said:

That's exactly what I wear. It was made by Cooper and called a Protec (or Pro Tec) cage. They actually came with a trapezoidal chin pad about the size of a credit card that clipped onto the bottom with snap buttons. Most guys removed them and just put enough tape on the bottom bar right under the chin and a little bit up on the bottom of the center vertical bar to make them about 1/4" thick. There's also at least 1 guy in Cooperalls in that clip.

 

Awesome, thank you. I wondered what it was, but not enough to go looking :D 

[mtn 20]

USAH doesn't have any requirements for Adult classifications on a certified helmet or facial protection. For adults, the only requirement is "hockey helmet (including non-HECC approved) with chin strap properly fastened".

Gretzky Jofa helmets are, last I checked, still a hockey helmet, so I can't really throw you off the ice because of it. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

1 hour ago, mtn said:

USAH doesn't have any requirements for Adult classifications on a certified helmet or facial protection. For adults, the only requirement is "hockey helmet (including non-HECC approved) with chin strap properly fastened".

Gretzky Jofa helmets are, last I checked, still a hockey helmet, so I can't really throw you off the ice because of it. 

I literally just said that. lol.

[mtn 20]

1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

I literally just said that. lol.

[VegasHockey 1280]

On 2/21/2023 at 4:12 PM, xstartxtodayx said:

I think it all depends on the league and what rules they follow.  Our league here is a modified USA Hockey rules, so we don't follow all of their rules, as far as helmets and cages you just have to have a helmet with face protection of some sort, could he a half shield tilted up, or a full cage, just as long as whatever straps are present are snapped in.  I've never seen anyone check a helmet certification in my 43 years of life, pretty sure as long as it's a name brand from the past 30 years no one will think twice (I see a few old HT2's still but I'm sure if anyone tried using a Gretzky Jofa one they would stop them).

It also depends on the league/rink as well. Living in CA, AZ, WA, and NV I have seen some associations that don't care at all while others require at least a half shield.

This is also the same with shoulder pads, most of the associations didn't care at all, but some of them would immediately remove you from the ice if you tried to play without a chest protector of some type. I assume those associations has some type of incident occur, and they implemented those changes due to insurance or legal reasons...? 

[xstartxtodayx 343]

19 hours ago, VegasHockey said:

It also depends on the league/rink as well. Living in CA, AZ, WA, and NV I have seen some associations that don't care at all while others require at least a half shield.

This is also the same with shoulder pads, most of the associations didn't care at all, but some of them would immediately remove you from the ice if you tried to play without a chest protector of some type. I assume those associations has some type of incident occur, and they implemented those changes due to insurance or legal reasons...? 

Probably all comes down to the rink and league's insurance policies.  My league plays in about 10-12 rinks so when one rink makes a stink about something the league has to notify all of the teams (usually something more like beer in the locker room/parking lots but a couple years ago it was about helmet straps and needing them to be buckled, also they tried the "no tilting visors up" thing one time which lasted for about 3 weeks).

[IPv6Freely 2092]

6 hours ago, xstartxtodayx said:

Probably all comes down to the rink and league's insurance policies.  My league plays in about 10-12 rinks so when one rink makes a stink about something the league has to notify all of the teams (usually something more like beer in the locker room/parking lots but a couple years ago it was about helmet straps and needing them to be buckled, also they tried the "no tilting visors up" thing one time which lasted for about 3 weeks).

We just had a player get called for a minor penalty for the visor tilt in a low level beer league game. Nevermind that the rulebook has no such minor penalty... 

[shoeshine boy 242]

99.9% of our players are wearing traditional facial protection. once in a blue moon someone will show up with something like that one cage which really won't protect you from anything. that player will be politely told to get adequate protection.

we are not USA Hockey affiliated (we are an independent league run by the players) but do play by most USA Hockey rules. we did change one a few years ago that says if you high stick an opponent wearing a half shield or no facial protection, that you are not given a game misconduct for the injury.

[Robbymac 1]

On 2/21/2023 at 2:15 AM, OzziesDad said:

There's a rink here in MA that has a pro shop that sells them. They don't put them out, you have to ask. 

They are 30.00. I just bought another a few weeks ago. Shoot me a message and I can go grab one at some point this week.

Helmet lineage over the past few years.

OzziesDad, sent you a message on here about this cage if you can still get them at the Pro Shop.  Played in this style cage in high school back in the 80's and looking for another one.   The original ones were Pro Tec Masks, and we called them Chin Breakers in high school because a hard hit would always split your chin open.   I played in another Pro Tec of the same shape in college that just wasn't Cat Eye after they banned the Cat Eye one for players.   If you search Pro Tec hockey helmet and mask, you will see the original white ones that everyone from the era remembers.

[OzziesDad 89]

1 hour ago, Robbymac said:

OzziesDad, sent you a message on here about this cage if you can still get them at the Pro Shop.  Played in this style cage in high school back in the 80's and looking for another one.   The original ones were Pro Tec Masks, and we called them Chin Breakers in high school because a hard hit would always split your chin open.   I played in another Pro Tec of the same shape in college that just wasn't Cat Eye after they banned the Cat Eye one for players.   If you search Pro Tec hockey helmet and mask, you will see the original white ones that everyone from the era remembers.

PM replied to my friend.

[clarkiestooth 235]

Having worn one of these Protec cages for four years of NCAA hockey, I don't see why anyone would want to wear one of them. I played juniors wearing no facial protection and I honestly think that was the safer option. Probably every college player from the early to mid 80's has a nice thick inch 1 1/2 inch scar on their chin from the Protec. After college, went back to wearing no facial protection overseas (just the old Jofa helmet that was basically a wiffle ball with a piece of cork on the top of your head and a small piece of cheap sponge on the front and back) and felt much safer.

[Keaner18 0]

On 3/11/2023 at 7:10 PM, OzziesDad said:

PM replied to my friend.

Sent you a follow up PM myself - difficult to tell some times so just wanted to tag ya here as well. Appreciate the help!

[start_today 770]

My friend wears a cate eye cage from Warwick goalie masks in Michigan. They make at least one cage specific to players. Looks like it’s currently out, but he just bought it a few months ago, so I assume they restock  

https://www.warwickmaskcompany.com/product-category/replacement-cagesreplacement-goalie-cages-new-cage-for-eddy-sportmaskolieitechbauer-replacement-cage/

[VegasHockey 1280]

On 4/14/2023 at 6:14 AM, start_today said:

My friend wears a cate eye cage from Warwick goalie masks in Michigan. They make at least one cage specific to players. Looks like it’s currently out, but he just bought it a few months ago, so I assume they restock  

https://www.warwickmaskcompany.com/product-category/replacement-cagesreplacement-goalie-cages-new-cage-for-eddy-sportmaskolieitechbauer-replacement-cage/

Wild, no chin cup or anything eh?