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Goaltender equipment manufacturers and equipment managers, however, offer yet another factor. They claim some goalies were cheating, using pads and other equipment with blocking areas that are larger than printed NHL maximums.
They also claim not enough was done to check or ban the illegal gear.
First, the NHL equipment standards can be subject to broad interpretation. Second, the use of fatter pads and other items was so widespread that coaches didn’t complain. The bench bosses didn’t ask officials to check if opposing netminders had the oversized gear because, in many cases, their own goalies also were using it.
“Personally, I suspect that the lower GAA were a direct result of the leniency that the NHL had on enforcing size rules on goalie equipment, particularly the 12-inch wide pad,” said Brian Heaton, who oversees the Heaton and Koho goalie lines for Karhu.
“I’ve certainly heard of requests from some goalkeepers who, on a custom basic wanted wider equipment,” said Ned Goldsmith, a Vaughn Custom Sports’ design engineer. “If that’s want they want, manufacturers will build it for them. But we wouldn’t put anything like that on the shelf at a dealer that could get a goalie booted out of a game.”
Various goal equipment makers have different opinions about oversized gear. Some like, Goldsmith, say its use is still relatively infrequent. Others say it us becoming more commonplace and quietly accepted.
“A lot of the coaches know that the pads are illegal, but they don’t say anything to they officials,” said one equipment maker. They’re all 13-inches wide, so they’re all on equal playing ground.”
Regardless if pads are intentionally made wider, they can fatten somewhat through routine use. “Pads will widen on their own and change shape,” Heaton said.
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If on-ice officials suspect a goalie is using illegal equipment once a game starts, they won’t stop the contest to measure. However, the referee is empowered to check the equipment between periods. If the gear is not within standards, the goaltender must change to regulation-sized gear before he can continue playing.
If it’s determined that a goaltender used illegal equipment in a game, a report is filed by a supervisor with the NHL’s officiating office in Toronto. In turn, the issue is referred to the commissioner’s office for review and possible discipline, such as a fine.
“Actually, catch gloves might be more of a problem,” said Harris, noting that trappers must not exceed eight inches at the cuff and 15 inches at their widest point. “A couple of years ago, one company I think it was Cooper, added some webbing on the outside. It was a monstrosity. We told them there was no use manufacturing that stuff because we wouldn’t allow it.”
