Hockey Goalkeeper

Hockey is a team sport played on ice or on inline rinks in which players use sticks to direct a puck into the opposing teams goal. Each team has a goal keeper that protects each goal from the puck entering into their goal. The goalie protects the goal from the opposing team by using special equiptment and skills to protect the goal. The goalie plays in or near the front area of the net called the goal crease. Hockey is a fast paced physical sport that is popular in areas such as Canada, United States, and Rusia. With the addition of indoor atritificial rinks hockey has become a popular year round sport. Due to the power of shots goalies wear specially designed equipment that protects the body from direct impact.

Hockey Playing Styles

Stand up Style

This is the oldest style of goal keeping which the goalie stops the puck from a standing position. The Goalie may bend over to stop the puck, may kick the puck(kick save), or use there stick to stop the puck (stick save).

Butterfly Style

This is a style where goalies go down on both pads with their toes pointing outwars and the tops of their goalie pads meeting in the middle closing up gaps for the puck the enter. This is the most common style used by modern day goalies. These goalies rely mainly on timing and positioning to create a wall of padding lowering the changes of low angle shots from getting into the goal.

Hybrid Style

The style of goalkeeping is a blend of all styles where the goalie relies on reaction and positioning to make saves. Hybrid goaltenders with make kick saves, stick saves, and butterfly style saves and does not simply prefer one style over the other.

Hockey specifies maximum dimensions of goaltending eqipment to prevent goalies from having an unfair advantage. The purpose of the golies equipment is to protect them from the impact of the puck and assist them in stopping the puck from entering the goal.

Equipment

Blocker

The blocker is worn on the hand that the goalkeeper holds his stick with. It consists of a glove with a rectangular padded board attached to the backhand side of the gloove. The blocker is disigned to help control the deflection and will create a tougher angle on a shot if a goalie uses a shaft down technique.

Goalie Glove

Is a glove worn on the free hand of the goalie that is simular to a baseball glove but with much more protection and a deeper pocket. The goalie gloove is the most valued peice of equipment by the goalie as they use it to catch and stop flying pucks from entering the goal.

Chest and Arm Protector

The chest and arm protector or arm and body pad is designed to protect the chest, shoulders, arms, and collarbone area from impact of pucks. The protector is worn under the hock jersey, and can significantly increase the safety of modern goalies.

Goalie Pads

Goalies wear special leg pads that descend from cricket pads. These pads are typically 10 to 12 inches wide and extend from 4 to 8 inches above the knee. There are different pad stylings that accomodate the different styles of goalie playing. These pads are offered in a traditional style designed for a stand up goalie, and a butterfly style for goalies whp play butterfly style.

Helmet and Mask

Goalies have to wear HECC or other apporved helmets in order to be allowed to goaltend. Helmet masks are designed in many models that goalkeepers can choose from in order for there tastes in visibility and protection. Goalies must wear a neck protector that is ether attached or comes with as an add on to the mask that allows protection to the goalies neck. Hockey Helmets and masks have come a long way in safety, protection and comfort since the original  fiberglass Jason masks.

Pants

Goalies where protective short pants that are similar to the pants worm by normal hockey players. The pants include very heavy padding in the thigh area with lighter padding in the back and sides that cover the back of thighs, tailbone, bottocks, and waist.

Goalie Skates

Goal skates are different from regular hockey skates with a longer, wider, and flatter blade that provides the goalie with more stability. The skates are made of carbon steel rather than stainless steel and they have shorter blades veritcally to allow the goalkeeper to be lower on the ice. The boot of the skate does not have a tendon gaurn on the back of the skate, but it does have rigid cowling to protect the foot from direct impact.

Goalie Stick

Goalkeepers use a special hockey stick that has a blade approximately 3 1/2 inches wide, with the lower 25 to 28 inches of the shaft widened to give the goalie more blocking surface with is called the paddle.