[Sylvanfan]

Maybe you need to shed those goalie pants with all that extra protection.

If you can skate well without equipment, you should be fine with equipment. I used to like my shin pads over the tongue of my skate, but I was a defenceman who took a few pucks in the feet and did it for extra protection. Maybe you just need to get used to the equipment.

Go to an outdoor rink one night in full gear and skate around. Take slap shots too in the pickup game. Everyone else there will have a good story to tell the next day about the moron who showed up in full gear.