Ice hockey goaltending equipment
Most modern goaltending equipment is made from hydrophobic synthetic leather and nylon on the outside and dense closed-cell foams and plastics inside.
Once it became obvious that this was causing a dramatic decrease in scoring, the National Hockey League (NHL) and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) along with other leagues and governing bodies began mandating maximum dimensions of goaltending equipment to encourage reasonable levels of scoring and prevent goaltenders from having an unfair advantage.
The board is usually curved up at one end, which is designed to help control the deflection of the puck and will create a tougher angle on a shot if a goaltender uses the shaft-down technique.
However, near the end of his career, retired goaltender Dan Blackburn played with two blockers after nerve damage rendered him incapable of closing his glove hand.
It is similar to a baseball mitt, but has additional padding to protect the lower forearm, wrist, palm, fingers and thumb, and has a deeper pocket.
The first goaltender trapper, worn by Reid Miller in 1948, who played for the Wadena Wolverines and the North Stars, was a baseball first baseman's mitt.
Particular attention is now being given to protecting the goaltender's heart from physical shock, since it is well-known that an impact in that area can unpredictability cause immediate cardiac arrest.
With the advent of better materials such as high density plastics and foams, chest protectors can be made to protect the body from injury.
However, even with modern chest protectors, goaltenders still receive bruises and other minor injuries from pucks that hit them in the torso.
Toe foils, a plastic shield that was affixed to the bottom outside edge of the goaltender pad, began to be used but were later not allowed by equipment regulations.
Advantages of synthetic materials were lighter weight and less saturation from water, lower cost, a quick break-in period, and leg pads that could be manufactured in the colors of the goaltender's team.
Assuredly, it was also Vladislav Tretiak's brilliant play during Canada-USSR 1972 Summit Series, that North American players first began to notice the superiority of the helmet/cage-type mask as opposed to the form-fitting fiberglass model, especially in terms of increased vision.
Today, most goaltenders utilize hybrid masks made of fiberglass, kevlar, carbon fiber, and other composite materials.
Modern masks have a large cutout in the eye and nose area covered by a steel or titanium cage.
Examples include Curtis Joseph's Cujo, Ed Belfour's eagle, Félix Potvin's abstract cat design, Martin Brodeur's generic Devils mask, or Patrick Lalime's Marvin the Martian.
Its popularity peaked during the 1980s, yet started to decline during the 1990s, as hockey equipment manufacturers discontinued the production of helmets and cages favored by goaltenders.
Included in this small group were Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings and Rick DiPietro[5] of the New York Islanders in the NHL, Martin Prusek of Dinamo Riga in the KHL, and Marco Bührer of SC Bern in the Swiss National League A. Dominik Hašek also wore the helmet/cage combo for the duration of his career.
The blade holder, which is molded to the cowling or affixed directly to the boot, was historically shorter vertically so that the goaltender is lower to the ice.
When the modern goaltender went into a deep "butterfly" position, to see between the players in front of him, the cowl would lift the blade off the ice.
The new goaltender skate is made out of newer materials, allowing the boot itself to provide the needed protection.
While these sticks are widely sold, most professional goaltenders have continued to use the foam core paddle-wood shaft type, even though it may be painted to look composite.
