In college, I had a regular goalie mask and I wore a collar underneath my c/a, and I was fine. After college, I switched to a Mage (ala Tim Thomas circa 2011, if you didn't know what a Mage is), and I added a dangler but I kept wearing the throat collar, and that is unequivocally the best setup I ever had. I definitely recommend it, but I don't see anyone wearing Mages anymore (unfortunately).
My only advice is, if you are the parent of a goalie, please protect your kid's head, throat, collar bones and mid-chest areas at all costs. Don't skimp on that. And don't let them convince you otherwise with a tough guy act. The rest is negotiable. You obviously don't want your kid's hand to get broken by a shot, but...better that than his or her trachea or sternum.
My only advice is, if you are the parent of a goalie, please protect your kid's head, throat, collar bones and mid-chest areas at all costs. Don't skimp on that. And don't let them convince you otherwise with a tough guy act. The rest is negotiable. You obviously don't want your kid's hand to get broken by a shot, but...better that than his or her trachea or sternum.
