Quote:
Originally Posted by dammage79
I think you can reduce the massive chest armor the goalies have today with equipment more akin to a regular skaters gear in size. I wouldn't however reduce the size of the blocker or glove. Their size hasn't really helped them any more than the old one anyways and as the most mobile tool in the goalies arsenal, I'm okay with them being the size they are right now. Epecially if you're going to reduce the sizing on everything else. I think you can make the pads narrower but due to the growring size of todays goalies over all, I don't think it is wise to shorten them. It may help closing the gap in a butterfly but taking a puck to an exposed thigh/knee isn't the safest thing ever either.
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F that. The blocker and the catcher definitely needs to shrink. Christ almighty, the catcher has an attachment called "the cheater" for crying out loud. The catcher has increased in size to the point where it is the size of a hub cap. To think, people spazzed back in the 40's when a 1st baseman's glove was adapted for goaltending play. Now you have a glove that would make Hal Chase a vacuum.
Leg pads have become ridiculous as well. They are no longer designed for protection, they are designed to cover portions of the ice. They have a portion called "landing gear" which is what protects the knee from impact when the goaltender drops to his knees. This also allows the pad to rotate and remain square to the ice, creating a barrier along the ice. This isn't for protection, but designed to keep pucks out of the net.
All of this has nothing to to do with protection and has to do with covering open portions of the net. Goaltending is no longer about being able to make sames, but is about being in position to be hit by the puck. It's time to change things back to they way things were. Equip goaltenders to protect them, not cover the net.