{coyotes} NHL wants to further scale back size of goalie equipment

 

Of the many things to come out of the most recent Competition Committee's rules summit was the proposal to reduce the size of goalie pads by 10 percent, something recently agreed upon by the NHLPA. It didn't draw much attention behind some of the other changes such as the grandfather clause coming into effect for shields moving forward but it was relatively significant.

But it might not have been significant enough. Kevin Woodley of InGoal Mag says the NHL is interested in going even further.

That wasn't enough for the NHL, which in early June also asked that new measurement be enforced separately rather than continuing as one of part of the formula for each goalie's entire pad height. The NHL also originally asked for tighter restrictions on the width and contouring of kneepads, something the NHLPA planned to pass off to a Competition Committee sub-committee that is scheduled to meet for the first time over the next week to 10 days -- likely too late for the upcoming season.

According to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, after meeting last Thursday in New York the NHL Players' Association is still going to consider the additional goaltending equipment reduction requests for this season.

"We have the Players' Association commitment to going back to the goaltender group on kneepads and some of the other additions that Kay Whitmore has in mind to do," Daly said prior to taking part in a Town Hall-style event with Vancouver Canucks season ticket holders this week. "It is an ongoing process. We are going to get some movement this year with respect to goaltending equipment, but it's going to continue to be a work in progress."

What we're talking about here ends up being just a couple of inches here and there but when you add it all up it matters. Just consider how the puck seems to go through goaltenders at times as if it were bypassing them with osmosis, take away a few inches from the pads and the chances go up. It's all about scoring, specifically finding ways to get more of it.

The goalies will have concerns -- they say over injury which is certainly true but the cynic in me says it's also about protecting their numbers -- but the NHL seems to want to get this done. When you look at this picture of Corey Crawford that was making the rounds during the playoffs, perhaps you can understand why. Doesn't this just look a bit extreme? That's not to single out Crawford, others have extreme pads too, that's just an example.

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