Today I thought I would do a quick check in on the gear my husband got as a beginner, although he never played as a child so his hockey gear is fit for him but he has been upgrading some of it for better quality.
Hockey Gear Basics
Hockey Stick:
My husband ended up getting a stick by Warrior. It’s the Zetterberg Edition Dynasty HD 5. It is the 85 flex grip style and is 60 inches from the top of the shaft to the heel of the blade. He truly enjoys this stick a lot and it’s quite affordable which is fantastic. The grip provides the concave sidewalls and has rounded corners. Enhanced velocity is great and that comes from the carbon-fibre shaft. Furthermore, another bonus to this stick is the Soft Core X Blade which is lightweight and reduces the vibration for a superior response.
Protective Gear
The protective gear is super important in hockey which is pretty obvious. More so, it helps protect your body from getting injured from the hit of a flying puck. When a puck is hit, they travel fast. During a hockey game pucks can reach speeds of 100 mph (miles per hour) or 160 km/h. Of course not all pucks will be traveling that fast but they easily have the potential to go that fast.
All of his gear for protection is part of the Bauer Supreme 150. This is an affordable line of hockey gear and does provide good amounts of protection. The shin pads are comfortable, they fit well, and allow you to move around well while wearing them. The elbow pads are fairly short but have good coverage overall. They provide great coverage for a high puck. Furthermore, they are firm all around with the slash guard on top and with a glove they will fit wonderfully.
Shoulder Pads
Next up is the shoulder pads. The shoulder pads are entry level and the most affordable from Bauer released this year. The should pads fit well and float/hover just above your shoulders allowing you to easily swing a stick. Another thing to note is they provide good motion, not great but it’s totally workable. Collar bone protection has padding underneath and it noticeable with the protection in the shape of a Y. The backside is quite protective of your spine which is needed in this sport. Keep in mind that where it detaches off the shoulder and wraps around the arm, that part is solid/hard so it’s a smooth transition from the shoulder pad to your elbow pads.
*Not discussed are the gloves and mask. As a result, I haven’t had time to go over the pros and cons of these items with my husband so look for those in a future, upcoming post.
