58 replies to this topic

[ATLL765]

I just realized that pic of Clermont also contains a pink ice surface and I believe he even duct taped his stick pink, lol. That's one way to very clearly support breast cancer awareness, lol.

I wonder if it made the puck easier to see. I always thought about that. Just like black text on white is terrible for your eyes on a screen, maybe there's an ideal color for the puck and ice to make the puck easier to see. Maybe if the ice was a light grey, just to cut down on the contrast of ice to puck.

Obviously none of that will ever happen, but seeing the puck is something the NHL and TV networks have thought about, as we once had puck trails on tv.

Edited by ATLL765, 20 February 2013 - 05:01 PM.

[BlueSkirt]

Union won't go for it.  What they really should be discussing is bigger nets.

I always want to get a keeper's opinion on what the harm is with reducing the circumference of the catching glove ?

I'd prefer that before considering making the nets larger.
You can't make the crossbar higher, as that results in higher pucks....
It's hard to make the nets wider, as possibly goalies will get groin injuries...
So I prefer trying alternatives with the equipment size first.
Things such as reducing catching glove circumference, reducing blocker width, reducing stick width on shaft & blade.

[BlueSkirt]

Also the pads were so thick decades ago because they were filled with deer hair.
I'm confident that modern pads can offer great protection today without such a size.
But really we need a keeper (DevilDan) to chime in with life experience to really see if this is feasible.

However there's more to the story of increasing scoring and/or chances then just reducing goalie equipment size.
You also have to examine how the defensemen have significantly changed the game over the past two-three decades
I've written before about having the "2nd period long change" be in effect for the 1st & 2nd periods, as the only time you really need the short change is in the 3rd to allow the goalie to leave the ice for an extra attacker.

There are multiple subtle changes that can be made before changing the net size, which has dramatic implications that impact the entire sport & noy just the NHL as someone described earlier.

Edited by BlueSkirt, 20 February 2013 - 06:30 PM.

[capo]

The equipment is just ridiculous.  The rule should be that the equipment is appropriate for the player based on their size.  It shouldn't be everyone can wear pads up to such and such a size.  Clermont's pads are just ridiculous.  I'd be embarassed to wear those things.  Players should harass him until he feels shame Denis Lemieux style.

[DevilMinder]

Eventually that leads to diminishing returns though since goalies won't be able to move nearly as quickly in a larger net.

 

 

I think its time for soccer nets in hockey!

[HOLLYWOOD]

Jesus tap-dancin' Christ!  He might as well be Robocop with that armor.

Another "abuser" of the goalie pad regulations is newcomer, Viktor Fasth of Anaheim. Which reflects to your post... because of his "oversized padding" giving such an appearance,  they're calling Fasth, "Megatron".

 

[David Puddy]

The equipment is just ridiculous.  The rule should be that the equipment is appropriate for the player based on their size.  It shouldn't be everyone can wear pads up to such and such a size.  Clermont's pads are just ridiculous.  I'd be embarassed to wear those things.  Players should harass him until he feels shame Denis Lemieux style.

That's what the rule is now. It was changed in 2010.

http://www.nytimes.c...ockey.html?_r=0

[devilsfan26]

Arguably, the fact shooters have less and less net to shoot at is the constant change and going to a slightly bigger net would be to cancel out some of that change.

I don't think I fully understand your point, but if you're saying it is to cancel out the goalies' pads getting so big, why not make the pads smaller instead of making the nets bigger?  Undo the bad changes rather than making more changes to cancel them out.

[devilsfan26]

Problem is goalies themselves are bigger than they were 20 years ago, equipment or no equipment. Even 'legal' equipment is taking up more of the net. And it's not likely they scale back the equipment enough to make a real difference.

I don't see what's so bad about making the net larger if everything else is increasing.

I don't buy this at all.  Yeah the goalies have gotten bigger, but not proportionate to the amount their pads have expanded.  If they trimmed down the chest protectors and made the leg pads shorter and a little thinner, it could definitely make a real difference.  You also have to consider that goaltenders have gotten better at goaltending than they used to be, but I don't think that needs to be canceled out.

I agree with others that have said trimming down the pads is a much better solution than making the nets bigger.  These guys have spent their entire lives in front of 6x4 nets, making them bigger is too drastic of a change for them to get used to.

[Devils731]

I don't think I fully understand your point, but if you're saying it is to cancel out the goalies' pads getting so big, why not make the pads smaller instead of making the nets bigger? Undo the bad changes rather than making more changes to cancel them out.

Because the NHLPA has always argued against smaller pads. Everyone other than goalies and some GM/coaches want smaller goalie pads but its doubtful the NHLPA will ever allow it.

So the only way to bring the amount of net showing back to where it used to be is a bigger net, if the NHLPA won't budge.

[EdgeControl]

the art of butterflying is a huge factor

 

I don't buy this at all.  Yeah the goalies have gotten bigger, but not proportionate to the amount their pads have expanded.  If they trimmed down the chest protectors and made the leg pads shorter and a little thinner, it could definitely make a real difference.  You also have to consider that goaltenders have gotten better at goaltending than they used to be, but I don't think that needs to be canceled out.

I agree with others that have said trimming down the pads is a much better solution than making the nets bigger.  These guys have spent their entire lives in front of 6x4 nets, making them bigger is too drastic of a change for them to get used to.

Agree 100% with this, the art of butterflying has been taken to technique perfection! the bottom of the ice is completely covered and as goalies pass 6'-6" AND can butterfly like a gymnast its a new ballgame. the extension of the pads above the knee do help and should be limited, it has little to do with thigh safety, clavicle pads over the shoulder too

[DaneykoIsGod]

I believe it was two, maybe three, years ago that Kay Whitmore put out an offseason video outlining all the hardline changes being made in goaltender equipment regulations. He talked about how goalies would no longer just be allowed to wear max-length leg pads. They'd all be individually measured, and their personal max pad length would be based on a measurement going from their ankle to their kneecap, or something. He also talked about the absurd shoulder height on chest protectors, and said new regulations would force chest pads to conform to the goalie's body shape without allowing these dramatic exaggerations that give shooters less net to aim for.

 

After watching this, I got genuinely excited about actual, meaningful reform to goaltender equipment. But when the puck dropped, goalies looked the same. Whitmore's video was nothing more than a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

 

As long as the butterfly is the goaltending style of preference, no real changes will ever happen.

[devilsfan26]

Because the NHLPA has always argued against smaller pads. Everyone other than goalies and some GM/coaches want smaller goalie pads but its doubtful the NHLPA will ever allow it.

So the only way to bring the amount of net showing back to where it used to be is a bigger net, if the NHLPA won't budge.

I don't know I think if it came down to smaller pads or bigger nets, the goalies would rather have smaller pads.  That is much easier to get used to than a bigger net.

[Devils731]

I don't know I think if it came down to smaller pads or bigger nets, the goalies would rather have smaller pads. That is much easier to get used to than a bigger net.

The NHLPA may find it tough to give in on pads since they've fought change tooth and nail as a safety issue, not just a preference or want.

[ATLL765]

Here's a picture of modern Brodeur, so we can clearly see his chest protector has grown along with his leg pads, but still, it's not even in the same ballpark as guys like Lundqvist and the other Euro goalies.

[DJ Eco]

I know that's in the recent NY Times mag article but I'm curious if that's what he actually wears for gameplay, or just the brand/sponsorship he has to push in photoshoots.

 

I remember reading a year or two ago that Marty was using Pekka Rinne's old unused pads by request as he preferred the lighter smaller size of them.

[AEWHistory]

Eventually that leads to diminishing returns though since goalies won't be able to move nearly as quickly in a larger net.

Yea, but if you're as big as the damn net why do you need to move?

Real story: I played in an after school floor hockey league in middle school eons ago. There was one kid who was, shall we say, both more mature for our age and quite a big husky..... okay, he was a massive, fat SOB. He and I both played goal. While I played goal like, well, a normal person he just squatted in front of the net. That's it. He just SAT THERE and you couldn't score except for a modest area around his head and upper arms. I used to feel that he was cheating. Little did I know that he was simply cutting edge. I don't remember his name, but why do I have this feeling it was Henrik-something.

[Carter's Mustache]

I don't know if anything will get changed, but Lundqvist's chest piece is just ridiculous

[RunninWithTheDevil]

I'd be pretty disappointed if they changed the size of the nets. It's been 4x6 for how many years now? The thing that's changing is the equipment size, which is where the rules (if any) should be targeted too.

this

 

leave the rink alone