Article

The hockey season is now underway, with the NHL season ramping up, junior, minor and amateurs hockey leagues around the country have dropped the puck on 2011-2012.

But before hitting the ice, it may be time to upgrade your skates, replace that old tattered helmet or treat yourself to the latest and greatest one-piece stick.

The general trend in most equipment categories continues to be towards lighter, faster and stronger. More protective is also an area of increasing focus, particularly in helmets, as a number of high profile incidents in the NHL and elsewhere have everyone thinking "safety first."

Helmets continue to evolve, with top end helmets offering the best combination of protection, light weight and new technology. However, the most important aspect to consider is proper fit. The highest tech, highest priced helmet will not function safely if it does not fit snuggly. Chip straps must also fit snuggly and cages must be properly matched with the helmet size.

All minor hockey players must wear facial protection on their helmets. The most common type is a metal cage, which typically feature chrome, black or white coatings. Some players prefer a bubble style cage, made of clear plastic material. Again proper fit is the key to safe performance.

Age, size, frequency of play and level are all important in deciding which product may best suit you or your child’s needs. Paying more doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get more protective or durable gear, either.

With fit being the primary focus, cost is a secondary consideration. All helmets regardless of price must be certified by the Canadian Standards Board to be legally offered for sale in Canada.

Price does not always translate into the most durable piece of equipment when looking at hockey equipment. Lighter materials, particularly in skates and sticks sometimes sacrifice durability as a trade off for enhanced performance. This performance premium is probably not worth the extra cost for a beginning or a typical adult rec player.

So there you have it kids – and moms and dads. More expensive isn’t always the way to go. With skates and sticks being the key performance tools for hockey players, innovation in these product categories is paramount.

Skates

With skates, emphasis continues to be on a skate’s ability to shape or mold to the player's foot. Every year, manufacturers release more models that fit and feel better both out of the box and after being heat-molded. The break-in process of skates today is almost non- existent, providing players with more comfort and better performance from the very first wear. At the same time, skates are also getting increasingly lighter, taking advantage of new materials such as composite boot forms, and advanced manufacturing processes such as single-piece construction to provide unmatched weight, fit and performance.

Sticks

In sticks, the one-piece category has dominated for several years, but still continues to see new innovation. Carbon, graphite, Kevlar and other composites continue to be the most prevalent materials, but using more fiberglass has allowed manufacturers to produce sticks that can be sold at lower prices, may weigh a little more than the top end models but which also may be more durable. In fact, sub-$100 models have been among the most popular one-piece sticks for the last few years.

Wooden sticks are increasingly rare at pro and even adult rec levels, but are still a good choice for kids just starting out in hockey, and they’re great for street hockey as well, and they're by far the most cost effective choice available. Today’s wood stick manufacturers also manufacturer sticks with narrower shafts which make the sticks lighter and far more user-friendly for kids with small hands.

Goalie

For the masked men in the crowd – goalies – this equipment category is trend-driven. For example, over the last year or so, there's been a resurgence of the "old school" or vintage lines – such as the traditional tan pads as seen on Carey Price, Rick DiPietro and Marc-Andre Fleury, as well as the old waffle-board blocker, as worn by Jonathan Quick in games last season when the Los Angeles Kings wore their 1970s purple and gold uniforms.

New technologies include the introduction of the soft flex pad, going back to the traditional three-knee roll for more flex and increased mobility.

Custom pads are also hot today, allowing goalies to customize their colors, flex, stiffness, amount of breaks, strapping system and even adding the players name and number. Manufacturers have increased their customizable options and have reduced the lead-time to produce the pads, making this a very attractive option.

Again, the sky is the limit for the high performance goalie, but like most other types of hockey equipment sold today, starter sets at the lower price ranges still offer tremendous improvements in fit, protection and performance compared to the equipment available when today's parent was a kid.

Wayne Karl is a journalist in Toronto. He can be reached at wkarl@rogers.com

Wayne Karl's Hockey Now column focuses on the business of hockey. A long time industry insider, Wayne comments on new equipment, player endorsements, sponsorship and related behind the scenes aspects of the hockey world.