Bigger Nets?

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Yeah, you mean a great distortion of reality. Would you mind using a picture of a goalie in THIS era to prove your point rather than a 10-year-old one? Roy and Snow/Giguere are probably the two or three main offenders in equipment size in a period of time when taking advantage of limited equipment regulation was the rage; not all goalies have done this. Equipment has grown but everything has changed: players are faster, stronger, better than they've ever been. You can't just pretend the 1980s are what the NHL is about. It's not like anyone looks like Roy did in 1996 now--they identified the problem and corrected it. But now that there has been a change, people think, why not a little more, a little more? Face it guys, goalies are just better. Giguere would still be a super goalie with smaller equipment, you're just in denial because the Wings keep losing to him.

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying.

what distortion of reality?

First of all, those weren't my pics, I was merely referring to the post that used them. and the whole point is that they've grown over the years, so I'm not sure what your point is.

Players are faster and stronger, but what does that have to do with oversize goalie equipment? The point was that goalie equipment has gotten ridiculously large over the years. Those pictures sure seem to show an example of that.

And if you read my post, which I'm not sure you did, you'd see I said you were right that goalies are much better than they used to be?

They saw the problem and corrected it? What was the problem they corrected?

I seriously don't understand your post, but thanks for telling me I'm in denial.

explain yourself better and i'd gladly continue this discussion.

And my post had nothing to do with Giguere specifically. It's a widespread problem. Hell even Dom's pads are huge when you consider how scrawny he actually is.

I don't agree...his game excels because of it, but every goaltender's game is based on proper positioning, even Hasek's. You don't make saves in the NHL without it, the equipment is not the major issue people believe it is. People thought shrinking the equipment last time would have an effect, and it succeeded in ruining Jose Theodore's game and no one else's ...and trust me, they dramatically shrank the equipment. You don't understand unless you've tried playing goalie with an old style catcher and then a new style catcher. Or pants. Or smaller chest pad. Goaltending is just as important a skill and art as is shooting the puck into the net or clearing it off the glass...simply there are fewer goalies to defend that point of view, and sadly, they will get the shaft because of it. Anyone who can't recognize this is not looking at the facts of the situation.

who dramatically shrank the equipment?

The current NHL rulebook still allows for a catching glove that has a perimeter of 48 inches. 4 friggiin feet around! They could definitely reduce the size of the glove, without risking any safety to the goaltender, including the ridiculously wide wrist protection.

They shrank the leg pads by what, an inch?

Again, I don't understand your point. No one is arguing that goaltending is an important skill. What the hell does that have to do with pad size? Reducing the pad size will only reveal the truly great goaltenders among the average goalies with giant pads.