Dryden: Goalies are too big

[greyshep]

6ft 4" and look at all that net!

[DeluxeMoustache]

Oh man, when a slap shot finds that space over the pad and below the pants. Yeee-ouch!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

He’s right - goalie pads are 11” wide.

That’s just under the width of a standard ruler per leg.

The pads could be another 2” narrower and protect guys just fine.

I do appreciate these composite sticks give everyone a missile for a shot, and I’m all for some allowances on the chest pad front to ensure we don’t have $50M worth of starting goalies on IR with collarbone issues every year.


Gloves and blockers are fine.

As I told my ex, “fix the legs and chest and I’m happy.”

Have you seen the size of those things?

An NHL glove could catch a US Government-Issue weather-balloon and the blocker is the size of a Stampede BBQ pancake griddle!

[greyshep]

Look at the catcher as a prime example. Why do they still have that cheater area above the wrist?




Ken Dryden era:

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by greyshep

Look at the catcher as a prime example. Why do they still have that cheater area above the wrist?

All extra goalie equipment is to protect them from McDavid skating in to them top speed and whatever pile up happens because he has the right of way



He’s a god damn menace

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by greyshep

Look at the catcher as a prime example. Why do they still have that cheater area above the wrist?




Ken Dryden era:

You get shot in the wrist with a puck at 80mph and tell me if you think you’re wearing too much protection.

[greyshep]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

All extra goalie equipment is to protect them from McDavid skating in to them top speed and whatever pile up happens because he has the right of way



He’s a god damn menace

No argument there!

[Icon]

I don't understand why this is a problem or even a conversation... Goals/game doesn't seem to be struggling. Why does every game need to total double digits?

Don't let pads creep bigger, or trim obvious unnecessary padding, sure. But a blanket goalie pads are too big or make the nets bigger statement just makes no sense.

Goalies are bigger, and more skilled, great. So are the forwards and shot speeds are up, and there's more skill than ever in goalscorers.

[zamler]

At the time Dryden was one of the biggest goalies in the league with fattest equipment.

[bubbsy]

My bigger problem is with players blocking shots. Player equipment has taken such a high amount of the pain out of blocking a shot that all layers, including your skilled players have no hesitation in getting in front of shots.

It feels like of all the shots directed towards the net 40% are blocked, 20% miss the net, and 20% actually hit the net resulting in a goal/save.

A shot that results in a deflection off the defenders stick is the absolute most anticlimactic result, as now we get yet another play stoppage coming off what should be a highly exciting play - a shot on net.

[Pellanor]

Originally Posted by Icon

I don't understand why this is a problem or even a conversation... Goals/game doesn't seem to be struggling. Why does every game need to total double digits?

Don't let pads creep bigger, or trim obvious unnecessary padding, sure. But a blanket goalie pads are too big or make the nets bigger statement just makes no sense.

Goalies are bigger, and more skilled, great. So are the forwards and shot speeds are up, and there's more skill than ever in goalscorers.

It's less about the number of goals, and more about the style of goals. The idea is that right now too many of the goals are "dirty". Lucky bounces, screens, deflections, and what not. These are not sexy, and don't make good highlight reels that will attract new fans. They want to increase the number of scoring opportunities. Big shots, big plays, and big saves are exciting.

The theory goes that, because goalies are so good and so big relative to the net, they don't have to move much to make most saves. This encourages the players to bunch up in front of the net to make the goalie's life harder. If you instead increase the size of the net, or decrease pad size, players will have an easier time scoring from further out. The goalie can't just stop all shots by being big, there are corners to pick. Now instead of focusing on clearing out the front of the net, the d has to pressure the shooters, which opens things up for more passing opportunities, and more scoring chances.

I have no idea how this would actually work in practice, but it's the reason this is a conversation. looking for ways to broaden the hockey audience by increasing high skill plays.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by zamler

At the time Dryden was one of the biggest goalies in the league with fattest equipment.

And still a fraction of the size of the current equipped goalies.

I think Dryden is amongst the smartest minds in hockey and I like that he proposes things that, one may not agree with, but are actually innovative and in his mind designed to progress the game.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

And still a fraction of the size of the current equipped goalies.

Meh. Players are bigger and faster skates are better equipment overall is vastly better. Game seems fine to me.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by troutman

Ken was big.

Phil Esposito called him a Giraffe in the net.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by zamler

At the time Dryden was one of the biggest goalies in the league with fattest equipment.

Ken relied on his althleticism to make his saves and not so much his equipment.

[Reggie Dunlop]

A lot of Dryden's contemporaries like Rogie Vachon, Gille Villemure and Roger Crozier were around 5'6" to 5'8". The average goaltender was probably in the 5'10" to 6' range. Expansion era probably gave a lot of smaller guys the opportunity, but even Original Six's Gump Worsley was a little feller.

Equipment became bigger when pads made of lighter wight materials came into vogue. You could only make the old horsehair-stuffed leather pads so big before weight became an issue (especially if they got wet, which was often).

Now that those lightweight materials can be made stronger, equipment sizes should come down (and have, to some degree).

Goaltending is also a different training discipline than in Dryden's day.

[Erick Estrada]

The game is different now as a lot of 5 on 5 is essentially setting up in the offensive zone much like a powerplay where you are trying to get the puck to a shooter that has a clear shot and have the goaltender need to move to make a save. When we see a short spurt of end to end hockey now we all applaud an exciting stretch in the game whereas this used to be pretty normal in the old days when you didn't have to set up a perfect play to score on a goaltender.

[Joborule]

5 on 5 play is pretty boring these days with how structured defenses are, and how pretty much any unimpeded shot is going to be stopped by goaltenders these days. I'm definitely tuned out of games these days if not much is going on, and I'm what would likely be considered an avid fan. If making the goalies pads smaller can lead to offenses having more opportunities to score simply by shooting the puck at the net, it should be done to make the game more exciting.

The NHL desperately wants to draw in new fans - especially those of younger age in this social media world. The NHL is a fast paced game like the NBA is, but the NBA is more exciting to watch from start to finish for majority of sport fans on this continent not just because of it's accessibility/diversity, but because it has a lot more highlight worthy action that occurs on a frequent bases. Every possession can lead to a Sportscenter Highlight of the Night.

People want to see exciting offensive plays. NHL needs to work on increasing that as much as possible, while still maintaining the integrity of the game.

[greyshep]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

You get shot in the wrist with a puck at 80mph and tell me if you think you’re wearing too much protection.

Uhh, how wide are your wrists??

The cheater doesn't protect any anatomy unless your built like Thanos.

[PostandIn]

I remember a game, I think it was against Philly, when Shero(?) called for a pad measurement with a few minutes left in the third. Bowman produced this wood bracket kind of thing that was a foot wide that the ref (VanHellmond?) used to measure the width of Dryden’s pads. Turns out they were too wide, the Habs got a minor, and the trainer had to tape the pads to pull them in. So if anyone knows about over-sized goalie equipment, it’s Ken Dryden.

/coolstory