Interesting article, thanks. Size is not quite everything for a modern goalie, but it certainly counts for a lot. That plus the equipment and the butterfly have certainly changed the nature of the position and brought to the fore positional excellence over sheer athleticism and reflexes.
I'd be in favor of reducing the size of some of the kit. Need to maintain safety, but the pads and blocker, possibly even the glove, could all be smaller while still being protective. The chest and shoulder guards that some of the guys wear - like Vasilevskiy - also appear to be unnecessarily big, so you could perhaps regulate that more tightly. I think if you changed the gear in this way it would force goalies to revert to having to be a bit more dynamic and increase their movement, and bring back a little more individual style. My guess is the league has zero appetite for such a change, but it could be nice.
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