Interesting Goalie Pad Concept

[cth95]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/25/teen_goalie_designs_pads_to_trick_shots/?page=2

[ben03]

personally, i like it ... props to this kid for using his noggin. it'd be interesting to see if this actually has any effect on the outcomes of more than just his games.

[andyw2100]

I've always wondered why goalies don't all use black pads. I would think it is easier to pick up a black puck against a light background. So black pads might make it just a hair harder for attacking players to see rebounds.

Of course this kid is taking a completely different approach, hoping to encourage a shot at the pads instead of at the net. But I'd be interested in the thoughts of those of you that actually play hockey with respect to whether or not black pads might make it harder to track rebounds.

[Josh '99]

I don't know whether it'd actually provide any improvement in practice, but it's certainly clever.

[TimV]

Maybe you'd get a few more whistles to stop play on a loose rebound that was close enough that the ref loses sight of the puck?

[RichH]

[quote andyw2100]I've always wondered why goalies don't all use black pads. I would think it is easier to pick up a black puck against a light background. So black pads might make it just a hair harder for attacking players to see rebounds.[/quote]

Also harder for defending players looking to clear rebounds.

[andyw2100]

[quote RichH]

Also harder for defending players looking to clear rebounds.[/quote]

Agreed, but I think it would make more of a difference for the attackers. The defenders would often be more to the side or behind, so would not be viewing the puck against the black background. So on the whole, I think the attackers are going to be more affected by the black background than the defenders would be.

[cth95]

From what I have read in the past and from playing some myself, I think white pads do give a more ambiguous target to shoot around.  Darker pads provide the shooter with easily defined lines.  This story takes the concept a step farther by actually making the white pads look like the net.  I am confident that white is a little trickier for shooters, I just don't know if it makes enough difference to quantify.

[ftyuv]

[quote andyw2100][quote RichH]

Also harder for defending players looking to clear rebounds.[/quote]

Agreed, but I think it would make more of a difference for the attackers. The defenders would often be more to the side or behind, so would not be viewing the puck against the black background. So on the whole, I think the attackers are going to be more affected by the black background than the defenders would be.[/quote]

YMMV, but I find that when there's chaos in front of the net (eg, nobody's exactly sure where the puck is), the advantage goes to the attackers.  Loose pucks can move in strange ways when there's chaos, and it's much more dangerous for the defenders/goalie to lose track of the puck for a moment as it's moving toward the net than for the attackers to lose track of it for a moment as it moves away. As a defender, I almost always prefer being able to see the puck to not, even if it means the attacker also sees it.

[andyw2100]

[quote ftyuv]As a defender, I almost always prefer being able to see the puck to not, even if it means the attacker also sees it.[/quote]

I appreciate the feedback. I have never played hockey, so insight from those that have is certainly adding to my knowledge.

As someone who has played, though, wouldn't you agree that it's easier to defend when not seeing the puck than it is to attack when not seeing the puck? I mean if you are defending, you can stick check the attacker or otherwise mess with his ability to get his stick on the puck and get a shot off, without actually seeing the puck. Whereas the attacker is pretty unlikely to get his stick on the puck if he can't see it.

As an example, think of the situation where an attacker and someone defending are trailing the play, with the attacker trying to put home a rebound. The defender can defend without even seeing the puck, but the attacker has to see it. So in a situation like this, goalie pads that make it harder for the second attacker to pick up the rebound would seem to favor the defense. Again, I'm just floating ideas. I could obviously be wrong.

[ftyuv]

[quote andyw2100][quote ftyuv]As a defender, I almost always prefer being able to see the puck to not, even if it means the attacker also sees it.[/quote]

I appreciate the feedback. I have never played hockey, so insight from those that have is certainly adding to my knowledge.

As someone who has played, though, wouldn't you agree that it's easier to defend when not seeing the puck than it is to attack when not seeing the puck? I mean if you are defending, you can stick check the attacker or otherwise mess with his ability to get his stick on the puck and get a shot off, without actually seeing the puck. Whereas the attacker is pretty unlikely to get his stick on the puck if he can't see it.

As an example, think of the situation where an attacker and someone defending are trailing the play, with the attacker trying to put home a rebound. The defender can defend without even seeing the puck, but the attacker has to see it. So in a situation like this, goalie pads that make it harder for the second attacker to pick up the rebound would seem to favor the defense. Again, I'm just floating ideas. I could obviously be wrong.[/quote]

I should preface by saying that I'm not a very good player. :-)

Your point is taken, but the thing to remember is that when there's chaos, the puck goes in and out of sight -- at any given point, some people are going to see it while others don't.

If there's a brief moment where a defender sees the puck and the attacker doesn't, the worst case scenario for the attacker is that the puck gets cleared.  But if there's a brief moment where an attacker sees the puck and the defender doesn't, the worst case scenario is a goal.

So while you could argue that a hard-to-see puck creates an equal amount of opportunities for both sides, the potential effect coming from those opportunities is fairly heavily weighted to the attacking team.

[TimV]

Everybody continues to forget the ref.  If he loses sight of it, there's a whistle and a faceoff in the defensive zone.  Not good for the D.

[Josh '99]

[quote TimV]Everybody continues to forget the ref.  If he loses sight of it, there's a whistle and a faceoff in the defensive zone.  Not good for the D.[/quote]I dunno that I'd say categorically that that's the case; there are plenty of times that a quick whistle helps the D.

[cth95]

As a goalie, I can assure you that I absolutely need to see the puck.  It can easily get lost against my pads or in among a bunch of sticks and skates.  If I can't see the puck I stay still so I don't accidentally knock it in.  Unfortunately for me, if it is still loose and I don't realize it, an opposing player will often see the puck and poke it by me.

If you watch most college and pro teams, you will notice that the goalies and defense use white tape, while the forwards use black tape.  I have always been told this is to help their own goalie see the puck better while making it more difficult for the opposing goalie to pick it up.

[ugarte]

[quote Josh '99][quote TimV]Everybody continues to forget the ref.  If he loses sight of it, there's a whistle and a faceoff in the defensive zone.  Not good for the D.[/quote]I dunno that I'd say categorically that that's the case; there are plenty of times that a quick whistle helps the D.[/quote]
Ask Trent Andison or anyone at the 1990 ECAC semis. (I'm sure that there is a more recent example.)