Hockey goaltenders are odd. This is a fact that you will hear from any hockey player, and that nearly any goaltender will admit to. They are a rare breed that are willing to put on 40 pounds of extra padding, stare down a small rubber object, and keep it from going into the net behind them. Goaltenders tend to be very picky about their equipment, especially their stick.
Some goalies will choose to use a stick based on the brand. They become accustomed to a specific brand and the curve and paddle that brand offers, so they tend to stick to that. Other goaltenders don’t care so much about the brand as they do about the blade shape and the length of the paddle.
Goalie sticks are different from regular hockey sticks in that they have a larger blade, the blade is more squared off near the toe, it lies flatter to the ice, and the shaft of the stick is made up of two parts, the paddle (the wide part), and the shaft (the narrow part). A big thing to remember when purchasing a goalie stick is that you will not be able to cut it down. Goalie sticks, unlike regular hockey sticks are made to be weighted properly so the shaft is the proper length to balance out the blade and the paddle. If you were to cut down a goalie stick in the same way you cut down a player stick, the stick would become unbalanced and therefore harder to play with.
Goalie sticks come in a few sizes; junior, intermediate, and senior. Kids should use the junior sticks, shorter players, some women, and older kids should use the intermediates, and adults should use senior length sticks. Goalie sticks are made from either wood with a fiberglass reinforcement, or out of a composite carbon material, which makes a much more lightweight stick. The choice of playing with one type or the other is a personal preference. Some goaltenders say they prefer playing with the composites because the weight of the stick allows them to play the puck more easily, and to clear it further. Other goaltenders prefer the weight of the wooden sticks, as it gives them something to hold onto, and they can feel the weight of the stick against the ice.
Goaltenders choose their paddle length depending on their stance. Goalies who tend to stay lower to the ground and play in a solid butterfly position usually have shorter paddles. Hybrid goalies and stand-up goalies usually have longer paddles. The NHL passed a ruling on the equipment standards of goaltenders stating that the longest legal paddle for a goaltender’s stick is 28 inches. However, some other recreational leagues do not adhere to these standards and will allow any length paddle for play. The best way to choose a paddle length is to assume your goaltending stance in the store and hold the stick in front of you as you would in a game. You want the bottom of the blade to lie flat on the floor, and you should be able to slightly turn your wrist to keep the blade upright, so the puck will not hit your blade and ramp up your stick to go in the net.
Goalie sticks have different blade curves and different lies to the stick. This determines how easy it will be to play the puck and how much loft you will have when you clear the puck. The more lie the stick has, the more the puck will rise when you clear it. The more curve a stick has, the more careful the goaltender will have to be when playing the puck or stopping it in front of the net. Some goaltenders believe it is best to start with a stick that has a flat blade and graduate to a more curved blade as the skills increase. Other goaltenders say you should choose a blade that is comfortable to you and stick with it if it works.
Therefore, it is important to try a variety of goalie sticks in the store before purchasing one. You can practice puck handling, measuring the paddle length to your stance, and seeing how the blade lies to the floor all in the store. Once you find a stick you like, you should purchase multiple sticks that are exactly alike in case you break one. Especially for goaltenders, it is tough to find identical sticks after purchasing the initial one. If you need to use a backup, you will want it to be just like the one you are used to playing with, otherwise you risk throwing off your game.
