In modern hockey we see a variety of goalie playing styles. Some schools and coaches teach the butterfly style and some teach the old stand-up style. What I want to show is an active style of play in goal, which can be called “modern” or “hybrid”.

What does this mean?
Goalkeepers should not play in a style where the same movement is effective for different game situations. Butterfly is very effective when used correctly and at the right time. However, it does not help when more tactical movement is needed to maximize the coverage of the playing space.

The meaning of this rule is that it is necessary to remain in the “stance” as long as possible and kneel when the situation requires it. This is what I call a modern, hybrid style. Remember that a goalie will always react faster to the puck from his main stance than from any other position. This is the result of practice and is most comfortable for the goalkeeper. Also, being in the main stance, the goalkeeper has the best opportunity to move in any direction required by the game situation.
Some people may ask: “Why can’t you use the butterfly style all the time?” The answer is simple: if a goalkeeper acts according to a pattern in various game situations, then the enemy very quickly begins to understand this and will make the goalkeeper pay for it. Also, using this style it is very difficult to move when passing from flank to flank. Young goalies can avoid mistakes with the butterfly style, especially if they have good technique, but it is much more difficult for older goalies to rely solely on butterfly movements to increase the speed of their play.
If a goalkeeper, deflecting a shot on his knees, hits the puck, it will be very difficult for him to move under a possible finishing move. In the case when the goalkeeper hits the puck “in the stance”, it is much easier to take a position to reflect subsequent shots.

Use the butterfly style when the direction of the throw is unknown, if you need to cover the largest space when playing directly at the goal, during set-ups, rebounds, etc. If you see a throw, simply parry it while standing and be ready to move to counter the next throws.

I've talked a lot about butterfly play here, but this rule also applies to other situations where goalies kneel. Most often this happens to young goalkeepers who fall to their knees in any situation. This is a common mistake that can be corrected by improving basic skills and based on the principle that a goalkeeper is much more comfortable defending the goal while standing than playing on his knees.

So when is it necessary to play downstairs? There are many situations when a goalkeeper should do this. For example:

Pass to the corner of the goalkeeper area
Outputs 2 in 1
Immediate throws during passes from behind the goal
Ricochet
When there are a large number of players in front of the goal
Substitutions
Loss of puck control
Etc.

To summarize, I want to say: teach your goalies to stay in the stance for as long as possible. This way they have the ability to move and move around. By going down on the ice, the goalie limits himself in the game and it may happen that this makes the goalie worse.

The goalkeeper is in a butterfly stance and covers the direction of the throw well. But it cannot be used for all game situations.

It definitely has a couple of Olympiad themes, which style is better. Statistics are given, goals scored/conceded, how the goalkeeper played, etc. Typically, those discussing it have difficulty understanding the difference between stand-up, butterfly and combined style. At best, I understand, I can’t say.

History of appearance

In hoary times, goalkeepers were generally prohibited from playing prone. The reason is that ice hockey comes from bandy, bandy. In general, this game has English roots. And gentlemen should not crawl on ice on their knees.

But then the rules had to be changed. The reason is banal. Increase in puck speed. By the way, goalkeepers who played without helmets and masks found it more difficult to keep the goal dry.

Goalkeepers have expanded their arsenal of techniques for catching and hitting the puck. Although, in the same USSR, for a long time it was considered unkosher to play on your knees. Stand only. In Canada, goalkeepers also rarely knelt. The main difference between “their” school and the goalkeeper school of the USSR was a more active game with a stick.

But, gradually, goalkeepers began to use their knees. The pioneer of this business was V. Tretyak (the same one). In fact, Tretiak originated a certain prototype of the “butterfly”. The legend played mainly using his knees.

But it was someone Patrick Roy who really started playing. Judging by his last name, the guy did not play for CSKA. The collar's career in the main league of the Earth began in 1984. Largely thanks to his efforts, the Montreal Canadiens became Stanley Cup winners.

The modern style itself began to take shape in the 1990s. Playing on the knees was replaced by playing on the side surfaces of the pads (these are the “mattresses” that hockey goalies have on their feet).

Now, according to various sources, 70-80% of goalkeepers (in North America) play in the butterfly style. In Europe, for historical reasons, a little less. Although not anymore. There is the KHL.

Stand up and stand

This is exactly how “stand-up” is translated. The essence of the style is simple:

1. The goalkeeper plays standing, when the goal is most likely to be threatened, he crouches, the so-called. low stand. There is also high and medium. The choice of stance depends on the height of the probability of a shot on goal.

2. The goalkeeper moves along the line of the puck. In stand-up, the important point is the choice of position between the goal and the thrower.

3. Active play with a stick is encouraged.

5. The goalkeeper is active in the goal, he constantly moves, covering the entire vertical part of the goal behind him.

6. The goalkeeper actively plays on exits, reducing the angle of attack on the goal.

Partially, “stand-up” can be attributed to combined style. Although many consider it closer to “butterfly”. This is the same game on your knees. The point is that situationally the goalkeeper remains in a standing position, or, conversely, falls to his knee, stretching his leg. Most modern “stand-up performers” play a combined style...

The goalkeeper, who left no place for the forwards of Novokuznetsk Metallurg and Siberia, was born on International Women's Day - March 8, 1982. In the Swedish Championship he played for Västerås and XB-71. He played for the Swedish national team at various stages of the Eurotour, and in 2007 he took part - albeit very modestly - in the World Championship. He was also on the extended Olympic team, but never went to Vancouver.

– I know this goalkeeper. He played at the Channel One Cup and was recognized best goalkeeper season 2006/2007 in the Swedish championship,” said the senior coach of the Ufa team on the day of signing the contract Igor Zakharkin, who worked in Sweden. – His style of play is classic, and not the recently fashionable butterfly, when the goalkeeper sits on the ice and covers the lower corners. Eric, on the other hand, prefers to act in a standing position, but his main advantage is that he is always in focus: this is when the goalkeeper helps out in those rare acute moments that arise at his goal. For our team, which spends most of its time attacking, the last quality is especially valuable.

Ersberg also performed overseas. In Los Angeles, which invited an undrafted Swede, the goalkeeping team was frankly weak, which, paradoxically, only increased competition: suffice it to say that in the 2007/2008 season the Kings used as many as seven goalkeepers. In just over three years, Eric played 53 games in the NHL and another 32 in Los Angeles and Manchester.

The Swede arrived in Ufa at the end of October, when both goalkeepers of Salavat Yulaev - Vitaly Kolesnik and Alexander Eremenko - began to act somewhat uncertainly. It’s interesting that the discrepancy between what Zakharkin said and what he saw on the ice immediately caught my eye - Ersberg played in a pronounced butterfly style. But later he changed his mind and therefore now his style can be called mixed.

“I won’t lie, I had the opportunity to play in Russia in mind,” says the goalkeeper. “And I wanted to get into a good team.” One in which serious problems are solved. And “Salavat Yulaev” is an ideal option in this regard. In fact, I didn’t know very much about this team and about Ufa. I talked a lot with Robert Nilsson, who moved here in the summer. He told a lot of good things about the city and the club. Doubts disappeared completely. We have good team. We can win anything.

Having made an extremely unsuccessful debut - missing three goals against Vityaz and five in just half an hour against Barys - Ersberg gradually got used to the new team, and at the end of November he went on a strong streak, conceding only one goal in three matches.

– We believe in Eric and will give him the necessary time to adapt to Russian hockey, - said Main coach"Salavata Yulaeva" Vyacheslav Bykov. – Before the start of the playoffs, we will keep all three of our goalkeepers in good shape.

Behind last decades the masters seem to have changed the world of hockey. It has often been noted that he never got the opportunity to try his hand at the NHL in the 80s, but the Soviet goalkeeper changed the attitude towards goalies and the style of their play in the more than 15 years that he gave.

Tretiak’s performance at the Olympics, World Championships, Canada Cup and the ’72 Super Series is forever inscribed in golden letters in the history of hockey, and the goalkeeper’s name is absolutely deservedly included in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Only politics and stubborn officials (on the Soviet side) prevented him from leaving his mark in the NHL world, but Vladislav still managed to influence generations of goalies and changed their approach to the game.

BUTTERFLY

The history of the butterfly style cannot be told without mentioning names such as Glenn Hall, And .

Many experts consider Hall to be the first goalie to not only successfully use this style, but to bring it to near perfection. And although his followers were able to further improve their skills, the nickname “Mr. Goalkeeper” clearly speaks of how Hall influenced the development of the game in his time. Hall's achievements speak for themselves, but it is safe to say that North America I was not ready to see the Soviet goalkeeper in the role of the best goalkeeper at the international level.

Unlike modern goalkeepers, Tretiak perfectly combined the then-new butterfly-style techniques with classic stand-up techniques. The result turned out to be phenomenal when Tretyak amazed everyone during the legendary Super Series-72, in which the national teams of the USSR and. Initially, North American fans expected confident victory their idols, but Tretyak and the entire USSR national team forced themselves to be respected. I especially remember Vladislav, who amazed me with his incredible goal saves.

Tretiak has earned a reputation as one of the most talented and intelligent goalies to ever play in the NHL. And let Canada win the final minimal victory in that Super Series, Tretyak left no doubt who was the best goalkeeper of those confrontations. It elevated him above other contemporaries.

SUCCESS

Before Super Series 72, little was known about Tretiak. And we can safely say that North American fans clearly underestimated the level of his talent. Even though Vladislav, who was only 20 years old at the time, finished the Super Series with an 88.4 percent save percentage and 3.87 goals allowed per game on average, the goalkeeper still left a lasting impression and stopped the star attack of the Canadians many times. It is worth noting that his colleagues from the rival camp showed no better figures - Ken Dryden(83.8; 4.75) and Tony Esposito (88.2; 3.33).

After the end of the 1972 Super Series, the hockey world felt that it could not be content with the only confrontation between the national teams of the USSR and Canada. So in 1974 it was decided to repeat this format. The teams again had to play four matches at home and away. After the first stage of the confrontation, the teams left Canada with a win, a loss and two draws. And then the Soviet team won three out of four matches on their soil. Tretiak appeared in seven of eight meetings and allowed an average of 3.57 goals per match. In doing so, it only reinforced past rave reviews.

After the '74 Super Series, Tretiak's popularity in North America only increased. In just a couple of years, the Russian goalkeeper turned from an unknown youth into a star of the first magnitude. It was his actions in goal that made many change their attitude towards Soviet hockey. Not only did the Super Series demonstrate that a new force had emerged on the world hockey map, but it also played a very important role during the Cold War era.

Tension between the countries had existed for a long time, but the 72 Super Series allowed the national teams of the USSR and Canada to meet and demonstrate their true skills to the whole world. Let it go hockey matches changed little in the attitude towards the USSR as a whole, but the play of Soviet hockey players, including not least Tretyak, changed the attitude of hockey fans around the world towards them.

What names were they: - they amazed with their talents and skills. Tretyak did not lag behind his partners. His performance was so impressive that in the 1983 draft he did not regret selecting him in the seventh round for Vladislav. However, he was never destined to try himself overseas. But don’t think that Tretyak will be remembered only for the Super Series. He did enough throughout his career to be considered one of the greatest goalkeepers of the 20th century.

Tretyak was not only the first number one of the invincible CSKA, but also achieved many successes at the international level as a member of the USSR national team.

His list of achievements includes three golds Olympic Games, ten victories at the world championships, gold at the 1981 Canada Cup and a victory in the Challenge Cup in 1979. A huge number of gold medals and first places. So against this background, silver at the 1980 Olympics and two world championships and another bronze at the 1977 World Cup seem even like minor failures.

Every year Tretyak improved. Both in CSKA and in the national team. He was far and away the best goalie in Europe, but never got the chance to try his hand at the NHL. The Soviet leadership did not let him go. In the end, after another refusal to let him go to Montreal, Tretyak decided to end his career. He may never have made it to the North American team, but on this continent he has been given the status of a legend.

SECRETS OF MASTERY

After finishing his professional career in the mid-80s, Tretiak finally entered the NHL in the 90s, ending up in. Hockey fans were never lucky enough to see him on the ice, but in the 1990-91 season he became the Blackhawks goaltending coach, and it immediately caught their eye. always admitted that Tretiak was his idol. And the goalkeeper does not hide that working under the supervision of Vladislav gave him a lot. Although the teacher couldn’t even speak English.

A new stage in Tretyak’s career began in Chicago. Vladislav himself has always been distinguished by his ability to choose the ideal position in goal. But he had no gaps in other aspects of goalkeeper technique either. So, even despite the language barrier, Tretyak was able to convey his thoughts to his ward, as a result of which Belfort had an excellent season - 43 wins and 2.5 goals conceded on average per match.

Then Ed's career began to grow. And “Eagle” never forgot to thank Tretyak for this: “We communicated through an interpreter. But even without words, I learned to understand what he wanted from me. He himself went on the ice with us. One day he went to training, and no one could score against him. They even threatened to let him out for the next game. But Vladislav refused and said that it was Eddie’s time. And I am immensely grateful to him for everything.”

If anyone remembers that he played in the NHL wearing number 20, then he probably knows that Evgeniy took this number in honor of Tretyak. Belfort once did the same. And even though Ed worked under Tretiak’s supervision in Chicago for only a year, positional play became one of his main trump cards, and a successful career awaited him in the future in other NHL clubs. In just a year, Vladislav helped his ward take a big step forward, and also laid the foundation for further progress.

Many famous hockey players, like Phil Esposito, noted that Tretiak played too deep in the net. But the Soviet goalkeeping school taught goalkeepers to rely on the speed of movement, their reflexes and reactions, and not roll out to meet the attacker. Tretiak's unique playing style, which combined the best aspects of various goalkeeping techniques, allowed him to successfully confront opponents at different levels.

GOALKEEPER SCHOOL

After Chicago, Tretyak organized a special goalkeeper school, which was attended by goalkeepers like Hasek or Theodora, Tretiak always found time to pay attention to children who dream of one day getting into the NHL.

Finally, he was given a high honor, and in 2006 Tretyak was appointed head of the Russian Hockey Federation. During his reign, the team won the long-awaited gold at the World Championships, but at the Olympics the team’s luck has so far turned away.

CONTRIBUTION TO HISTORY

The hockey career of Vladislav Tretyak has become the subject of much controversy in hockey fan circles. Some insist that the world never got the chance to see him in all his glory because he was never destined to make it to the NHL. And although diplomatic differences did not allow Vladislav to leave for North America, he did everything possible so that the countries could exchange experiences.

Throughout his career he was surrounded by brilliant partners. Both in CSKA and in the USSR national team. But some people forget that he faced severe trials at a very young age. At the height of the Cold War, he was entrusted with the post of number one in one of the main hockey events of the 20th century - the 1972 Super Series. And although the USSR national team had excellent defenders, the goalkeeper faced a very difficult test.

After 1972 and 1974, Tretiak won the respect of everyone hockey world. In those years, the national teams of the USSR and Canada gave fans a spectacle that they could not even dream of. During the Cold War, political arguments took a back seat to the game of hockey. And it was then that Tretyak not only wrote his name in golden letters in the history of this sport, but also helped forever change the attitude towards Soviet, and then Russian players.

The history of ice hockey goes back nearly 150 years. The first official match took place in Montreal back in 1875, and the first set of rules was drawn up in 1877. Over the course of a century and a half, almost everything has changed in hockey: from the rules and the number of players on the field to the equipment. Modern hockey players differ from their predecessors in the same way as elite military units differ from Roman gladiators. The change in eras and technologies in equipment can be seen especially clearly in the example of goalkeepers. After all, the goalkeeper is the most vulnerable figure on the ice, requiring increased protection. To learn how goalkeeper equipment has changed from the beginning of the hockey era to the present day, see our new interactive article.

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The evolution of goalkeeper equipment

• 1910–1940
• 1940–1970
• 1970–1990
• 1990–2000
• 2000–N.V.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Clint Benedict became the first innovative professional goalie in hockey history. In those days, the rules of the game were significantly different from today. Forward passing was prohibited, players were not allowed to play the puck with their skates, and lineup changes were only allowed during a stoppage of play. Minor penalties lasted 3 minutes, and no exceptions were made even for goalkeepers: in case of removal, the goalkeeper was sent to the penalty box, and his place in the goal was temporarily taken by a defender or attacker. For violating the rules of the game, participants paid... in cash. The amount of fines ranged from $2 to $15. The minimum penalty applied to goalkeepers who fell to the ice in order to hit the puck. Then this technique was prohibited. However, goalkeepers were still allowed to “slip and stumble,” which Benedict took advantage of as artistically as possible. Due to his frequent “falls” to his knees, Clint was nicknamed the “praying goalie.” Benedict provoked NHL President Frank Calder to make the first rule change in the League: on January 9, 1918, the functionary announced that goalkeepers could play on their knees to protect the goal. “If they want, let them stand on their heads,” Calder said then.

Beginning of an era

At the beginning of the 20th century, the concept of “goalkeeper equipment” did not actually exist in hockey, so protective equipment was borrowed from athletes from other sports, in particular cricket or baseball. However, hockey itself was very different then from what it is today - forward passing was prohibited, and hockey players were fined with money for violating the rules of the game.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

MONTREAL CANADIENS

The personification of that era was goalkeeper Jacques Plante, a six-time Stanley Cup winner and seven-time winner of the title of best goalkeeper of the year. He was the first goaltender in the NHL to regularly wear a goalie mask and play out of his crease to assist the defense. Already in the mid-30s, North American goalkeepers were forced to face a new formidable attacking weapon - clicks. Lightweight equipment could no longer effectively protect against either snaps or wrist shots from improved hook-and-loop sticks. Therefore, the “armor” of goalkeepers was significantly strengthened.

Transition period

The middle of the last century in hockey became a time of commercialization and standardization of both the game itself and the production of ammunition for it. There was still a long way to go before a scientific and technological breakthrough, but the goalkeeper’s equipment, in general terms, already resembled the current one.

CSKA MOSCOW

CSKA MOSCOW

Triple Olympic champion and ten-time world champion Vladislav Tretiak became a symbol of the 1970s era in goalkeeping. It is Tretyak who is considered to be the first prominent representative of the new butterfly style. Before Vladislav, the vast majority of goalkeepers preferred to play in a high stance, falling on the ice only when absolutely necessary. Tretyak sat on the shields in advance, covering the lower corners of the goal with them. The Niners could be protected with a trap and a pancake. The resulting “butterfly” turned out to be extremely unexpected and effective means gate security. However, the new style also required many new technical solutions in the production of equipment.

Revolution

The beginning of the 1970s was decisive for world hockey. The first meetings of North American professionals with European teams predetermined the development of this sport for decades to come. The era also became revolutionary in terms of player equipment. New materials and technologies have made it possible to take hockey to a new level.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Increased speeds forced goalkeepers to Once again change the way you play. It became pointless to count on a reaction alone: ​​the situation on the site was changing too quickly. The new style of play was “hybrid” - a combination of the classic high stance and “butterfly”. One of the most prominent representatives of the “hybrid” was the owner of more than 20 NHL goalie records, Canadian Martin Brodeur. Brodeur's impressive dimensions (height 188 cm, weight 98 kg), as well as huge shin guards and a wide breastplate, allowed him to cover almost the entire target with his body and hit the puck without even reacting to the shot. Many other goalkeepers began to play in a similar way - by blocking the maximum goal area in advance.

Golden age

At the end of the twentieth century, that “stunning” (literally and figuratively) hockey was formed, which is played to this day: high-speed, hard and contact. First of all, this was due to further technological development: nylon was replaced by Kevlar, plastic - by composite materials. The increased pace is evidenced by the fact that now 14 seconds are enough for a hockey player to run around hockey box. In the 1970s it took twice as long.

DINAMO MOSCOW

DINAMO MOSCOW

Already, the speed of the puck after a powerful snap exceeds 50 m/s, which leaves goalkeepers practically no chance to react to a shot from close range. Since the new rules severely limit the size of equipment and no longer allow you to simply block the goal line with your body, goalkeepers are forced to look for some other style of play. In particular, butterfly is now played not statically, but in motion - moving along the ice in pads. One of the first to demonstrate such goalkeeping technique was two-time champion world champion, six-time Russian champion, Dynamo Moscow goalkeeper Alexander Eremenko.

Our days

In the 21st century, the level of technology has reached such cosmic heights that its use in sports must rather be restrained. Hockey's speed and athleticism may have hit their stride. maximum level. New, even more stringent requirements are being imposed not only on field players, but also on goalkeepers, whose lives have been made more difficult by scientific and technological progress than made easier.

Thick knitted sweaters and tight lace-up shorts were used as the only protection for the torso. Since the snap had not yet been invented, and the puck was rarely lifted off the ice, this was enough for goalies to soften the blow.

Trap and pancake

The first goalies had neither a trap nor a pancake; their hands were protected only by gaiters. However, there were no hockey gloves either, so we had to make do with sports gloves. These could be hard mittens or cricket gloves.

Goalkeeper skates were no different from skates for field players neither shape, nor material, nor weight. The same leather boots with metal blades attached to them. However, no one stopped us from experimenting in a makeshift way with additional protective linings, as well as the height and width of the blade. Playing in homemade skates in the NHL was allowed until 1927.

Goalkeepers of the first generation, without further ado, used cricket pads, less often baseball ones. Considering that goalkeepers in those days were prohibited from falling on the ice, this equipment was a fairly reliable and effective means of protection.

At first, the goalie stick differed little from the usual one. Of course, in the future, goalkeepers preferred to play with sticks with a wider blade (although in those days they had not yet figured out how to bend the blade). In addition, the angle between the shaft and the hook of the goalie stick is slightly less than the standard one, to make it more convenient to close the “house” (the space between the pads and the ice). All clubs were made from wood: first from maple and willow, then from birch and oak.

If in amateur hockey goalkeepers began to wear masks already in the 20s of the last century - fencing and baseball nets were used, then in professional hockey such “cowardice” was considered bad manners. Clint Benedict became the first NHL goalkeeper to be forced to violate the unspoken ban. To allow his broken nose to heal, he used a creepily designed leather mask. Which, however, did not take root due to the fact that it reduced the viewing angle and protected the face very poorly.

Since now the puck often had to be reflected not only by the pads, but also by the body, goalkeepers acquired the first primitive “shells” - leather bibs, again borrowed from baseball, and shorts with hard inserts. I also had to protect my back from throws and top part legs, to which the main shields did not reach.

Trap and pancake

First of all, the “scientific and technological revolution” affected such fundamental goalkeeper attributes as a trap and a pancake. The ineffective gaiter was replaced by... the baseball catcher's glove that goalkeeper Emily "Cat" Francis wore to a game in 1947. Catching the puck in this “net” has become much more convenient. But we had to make the pancake ourselves - it was made of sponge rubber with a wooden frame and attached to outside gloves.

It seems strange and ridiculous, but ordinary hockey skates - leather boots with blades riveted to them at the factory - began to be mass-produced only in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Over time, evolution affected only the blade, which took on a more rounded shape, as well as increased protection in the toes and shins. The first plastic inserts began to be used only in the 60s. Goalkeeper skates still differed little from game skates.

The production of full-fledged goalie pads in hockey began only in the early 30s. In technological terms, they were not much different from pads for baseball or cricket - natural leather covering and, most often, cotton filling. The main difference was only in size.

Already in the 1930s, the goalie stick acquired its usual shape: a shaft extended downwards, a wide hook. It was still made of wood, but using a different technology - not from solid material, but by pressing layers. In the 1960s, clubs began to be laminated with fiberglass and other synthetic materials. All together this gave the product greater lightness and flexibility.

On November 1, 1959, a revolution occurred in professional hockey: for the first time in NHL history, a goalkeeper began to constantly play in a protective mask. After Jacques Plante received stitches on a nose broken by a puck, the Montreal goalkeeper returned to the ice wearing the homemade mask he wore in training. The face protector was made of fiberglass, provided little cushioning for the puck and could even cause injury if it cracked during a hard throw. But it was he who became the prototype for most goalkeeper masks that appeared in the 1960s and 1970s.

The increased power of throws required further improvement of the goalkeeper's "shell". Leather and even artificial leather ceased to be reliable protection against the puck after the powerful clicks of the attackers, so they were replaced by synthetic materials such as plastic and nylon. The armor became “monolithic”: the breastplate was combined with hand protection.

Trap and pancake

In the 1970s, the production of traps and pancakes was standardized. The shape of the trap was finally approved by a modified and resized catcher's baseball glove, and the pancake became the back side of a serial goalie's glove.

The 1980s finally retired leather skates. Durable boots made of plastic and nylon fixed the ankle much more reliably, and the plastic base for the steel blade (glass) made it possible to significantly reduce the overall weight and increase mobility. Finally, specialized goalie skates have appeared - with a wider, longer and lower blade, a shorter heel, and also with reinforced plastic protection nose and sides.

The pads have changed little and remain the most conservative part of the goalkeeper's equipment. Although new technologies were used in their production, many goalkeepers of the classical style of play still preferred to play in compact pads rather than in heavy “mattresses” inflated to maximum sizes.

There has also been a revolution in the production of sticks: classic “wood” sticks are gradually becoming a thing of the past, giving way to fiberglass and even aluminum. Wood was now most often used in combination with other materials. However, the changes hardly affected the goalie stick.

Vladislav Tretyak turned out to be an innovator not only in his style of play, but also in the field of goalkeeper equipment. His curved metal mesh helmet, nicknamed for its "cat's eye" visor shape, became the ancestor of today's goalie masks and ended the era of fiberglass face coverings. Such a helmet can withstand a direct hit from the puck without injuring the goalkeeper.

In an attempt to maximize the size of the breastplate, goalkeepers began to resort to a variety of tricks. Some put pillows under their sweaters. The imagination of others extended to complex technical solutions - wire structures that were inserted into the sleeves and which, like wings, expanded under the armpit when the goalkeeper straightened his arms.

Trap and pancake

The trap and pancake did not undergo any significant changes, although they were made from stronger, more durable and safer materials. But they also inherited the general trend - they were increased to the maximum sizes allowed by the regulations.

The production of skates for goalkeepers began to receive as much attention as the production of regular skates. The main revolutionary change is inner part The boot was made from thermoformable materials. When exposed to high temperatures, they took on the anatomical shape of the leg, thereby further increasing stability and maneuverability. In addition, goalie skates have been adapted to different styles of play - classic, butterfly or hybrid.

At the end of the 20th century, some goaltenders' pads looked more like midsize mattresses than puck protectors. The performance of matches fell catastrophically - the score of hockey matches began to resemble football ones. In order to return entertainment to the sport, it was decided to reduce the width of the shields. However, since the length of the pads depends on the height of the goalkeeper, tall goalkeepers still have some advantage. A real war on the size of goalie pads was declared already in the 21st century.

By the end of the 20th century, wood, fiberglass, and aluminum putters passed the baton to lighter, more durable graphite putters. Most goalkeepers already preferred sticks with a slightly curved blade, since such a stick is easier to pass to a teammate or even shoot at an empty goal at the end of the match.

Trap and pancake

Thermoforming technology has also reached the trap, which can now take on individual sizes and the shape of a hand. It is made of composite materials with a foam lining and, sometimes, a carbon coating. Its length should not exceed 41 cm, and its width - 20 cm. The pancake is also made from composite materials; its dimensions are limited to 38 cm in length and 20 cm in width.

Professional hockey skates are usually custom-made, taking into account the structure, style of play and preferences of the goalkeeper. For example, for representatives of the butterfly style, who are forced to move on the ice while sitting on pads, internal sides the toes of the boots are slightly beveled. This allows you to push off from the surface even in this position.

To make it convenient for the goalkeeper to move around the ice while sitting on his knees, modern pads are made in a rectangular shape. Their outer layer is wear-resistant leatherette, and inside there is compressed foam filler of varying degrees of hardness. A feature of modern protectors is low cushioning so that the puck flies away from the goal and does not get stuck on the patch. The width of the pads should not exceed 28 cm, and their height depends on the height of the goalkeeper, but no more than 27 cm above the knee.

The new generation of professional clubs are made entirely of carbon, sometimes with titanium coating. For top-level players, clubs are made to order, taking into account preferences in height, stiffness and blade bend.

The “hybrid” goalkeeper helmet is now made of carbon fiber, but the visor is still made of steel. Airbrushing on a mask (a pattern applied with a spray) depends only on the imagination and personal preferences of each goalkeeper.