Very cool, thanks for posting that. I was talking w/a friend last night about the white pad thing watching MAF. I skate up & play net so I have a shooter/goalie perspective. To me the white pads probably work better than the black/white tape theory (no goalie would be fooled by black stick tape... oh no where is the puck?) but at the NHL level I really have a hard timne believing pro's will be fooled by white pads.
White Goalie Pads
- Thread starter Stephen
- Start date
Very cool, thanks for posting that. I was talking w/a friend last night about the white pad thing watching MAF. I skate up & play net so I have a shooter/goalie perspective. To me the white pads probably work better than the black/white tape theory (no goalie would be fooled by black stick tape... oh no where is the puck?) but at the NHL level I really have a hard timne believing pro's will be fooled by white pads.
Giroux tha Damaja
Registered User
The problem is you can lose track of pucks under you and in front as well. I like the all white as it just takes more time to visually identify open net. Anything to take time and space away from the shooter is to the goalie's advantage IMO. Though the advantage is probably small.
cptjeff
Reprehensible User
It's not a matter of actively fooling a guy, it's a matter of making the subconscious mind take a little more time to process. A good player does not aim a shot. A good player's subconscious mind takes over. You get the puck, you fire it and the practice you have trains your mind to look for a spot much faster then you can consciously decide.
Having a white pad takes away the distinction that color helps provide. You don't have as clear a line dividing pad from net, and it slows the process down a little and makes it less accurate, so you're more likely to fire it into the pad.
The big reason most goalies have switched is because there was a study that showed a slight improvement for guys with white pads over guys with colored pads.
And if you're at all interested in how the subconscious mind processes things for us, there's a book out there called "Blink". Really fascinating read.
Having a white pad takes away the distinction that color helps provide. You don't have as clear a line dividing pad from net, and it slows the process down a little and makes it less accurate, so you're more likely to fire it into the pad.
The big reason most goalies have switched is because there was a study that showed a slight improvement for guys with white pads over guys with colored pads.
And if you're at all interested in how the subconscious mind processes things for us, there's a book out there called "Blink". Really fascinating read.
Jarick
Doing Nothing
I think if I were going to design a pad, I'd have them be white with a dark triangle going the length of the pad with the base at the top. That way it would appear as if there is more room on the five hole and on the posts.
densetsu
Registered User
Someone should bring back the Kevin Weekes panther design those were weird and I guess they intimidated people...or something.
kingscups
Registered User
kingscups
Registered User
Trevor Leahy you are a High School genius!!! Sweet Idea.
Someone should bring back the Kevin Weekes panther design those were weird and I guess they intimidated people...or something.
Not sure why it would intimidate anyone.
Wow ... that is brilliant. Too bad the only company to do it was Stomp.
Wow ... that is brilliant. Too bad the only company to do it was Stomp.
I could see the gloves having the twine effect, but based on the shooters view wouldn't straight white pads make more sense to match the ice?
The reason that Fleury changed was because of an Ottawa ophthalmologist that had noticed that yellow is a color that attracts inadvertent attention much more quickly. The white actually makes finding the goalie pads a touch more difficult. We're obviously dealing in fractions of a second here, but for elite players, a fraction of a second is a pretty sizable advantage.
(One report on the Fleury story at http://bleacherreport.com/articles/21040-marc-andre-fleury-change-of-pads-change-of-playing)
I'm sure Reebok wasn't pleased, considering how big a seller the yellow pads were, but I'm a bit more concerned with Fleury's play than Reebok's profit margin
A. Khomutov once said that he, as a goal scorer, liked the flashy pads, because he could see them very well from any position, which helped to avoid them when shooting.
Other scorers say: there are no goalies, there's only holes I see. Maybe white pads make the distinction between pads and net a little bit more difficult.
Other scorers say: there are no goalies, there's only holes I see. Maybe white pads make the distinction between pads and net a little bit more difficult.
MikeD
Registered User
For the average joe, the color/s of goal gear really doesnt make a difference but when your playing in situations where its top-tier its a different story. Take a net scrum as one example.
Most times the puck would be released from a reasonable distance from outside and to the sides of the goalies priviledge zone. Given the goal has to contend with traffic at his front and an opponent parked for a redirect, black can hide the puck from the shooter for a fraction of a second, if a shallow rebound is given up. If the puck is not in contrast to the pad it takes just a bit more time to find, if in close to the goalie. Black and dark colors or brilliant colors stand out when thier background is in sharp contrast. Seeing the openings between the goals red outline and the goalie is significantly easier. On hte flip side to this, black and darker blues will also hide a puck from the goalie who has given up that shallow rebound. I personally want to be able to pick that up as rapidly as possible to make a cover. My view as a goalie is more restricted than that of the player in front of me.
To varify it is very simple to do. If you have a white painted wall in your home, have someone tape a pic of a goalie/or other object in dark or brilliant color to it. Make the object abour 5-6" tall. Turn your back so that you can not see where its placed. Time yourself...turn, find and touch the object. Repeat with an object thats color is NOT such as a light grey and finally with a white version. Your time will increase as you progress to the white. Not many want pastel colors plus the difference is much less significant until you really match the back ground.
Some pad designs will also help a shooter gain a more rapid lock on a five hole. Simmons and a few others have in recent years put out graphics that actually POINT to the five hole when the goalie is in stance. Designs with lined graphics may look very cool but with just a short glace a sniper can lock on and shoot with confidence much more quickly.
That .1 to .3 seconds, depending, quicker pick up of the puck by myself can be the difference between a goal or a cover. That same time frame taken by a shooter to lock on target can be the difference between a shot released or my team mate preventing a shot on net or me being in position for the shot ready to make the save.
Over all, black, dark or brilliant colored goal gear only advantages the shooter. White as a predominate and with out graphic design to highlight the pads provide more aid to the goal than the shooter in most instance.
By the way....white or black tape on a shooters blade does make a difference from the goalies perspective. White or color tape allows me to see the shot release much easier. Black tape makes picking that up and my reaction to that shot a tad slower. Given it takes less than .3 seconds for a 75 MPH shot from the blue line to cross the goal line, a shooter who uses white or colored tape is giving the goalie just that little bit more time. Go ahead and keep thinking it doesnt make a difference, USE WHITE TAPE...I prefer that you make my job easier. lol
Most times the puck would be released from a reasonable distance from outside and to the sides of the goalies priviledge zone. Given the goal has to contend with traffic at his front and an opponent parked for a redirect, black can hide the puck from the shooter for a fraction of a second, if a shallow rebound is given up. If the puck is not in contrast to the pad it takes just a bit more time to find, if in close to the goalie. Black and dark colors or brilliant colors stand out when thier background is in sharp contrast. Seeing the openings between the goals red outline and the goalie is significantly easier. On hte flip side to this, black and darker blues will also hide a puck from the goalie who has given up that shallow rebound. I personally want to be able to pick that up as rapidly as possible to make a cover. My view as a goalie is more restricted than that of the player in front of me.
To varify it is very simple to do. If you have a white painted wall in your home, have someone tape a pic of a goalie/or other object in dark or brilliant color to it. Make the object abour 5-6" tall. Turn your back so that you can not see where its placed. Time yourself...turn, find and touch the object. Repeat with an object thats color is NOT such as a light grey and finally with a white version. Your time will increase as you progress to the white. Not many want pastel colors plus the difference is much less significant until you really match the back ground.
Some pad designs will also help a shooter gain a more rapid lock on a five hole. Simmons and a few others have in recent years put out graphics that actually POINT to the five hole when the goalie is in stance. Designs with lined graphics may look very cool but with just a short glace a sniper can lock on and shoot with confidence much more quickly.
That .1 to .3 seconds, depending, quicker pick up of the puck by myself can be the difference between a goal or a cover. That same time frame taken by a shooter to lock on target can be the difference between a shot released or my team mate preventing a shot on net or me being in position for the shot ready to make the save.
Over all, black, dark or brilliant colored goal gear only advantages the shooter. White as a predominate and with out graphic design to highlight the pads provide more aid to the goal than the shooter in most instance.
By the way....white or black tape on a shooters blade does make a difference from the goalies perspective. White or color tape allows me to see the shot release much easier. Black tape makes picking that up and my reaction to that shot a tad slower. Given it takes less than .3 seconds for a 75 MPH shot from the blue line to cross the goal line, a shooter who uses white or colored tape is giving the goalie just that little bit more time. Go ahead and keep thinking it doesnt make a difference, USE WHITE TAPE...I prefer that you make my job easier. lol
How about..
I never liked the feel of them personally, but I always liked the look. My current pads are 38.5" white Eagle Skudras. They're a custom order, but the softest pads you'll ever touch. Amazing. Funny thing is Skudra's actual pads are 1.5" bigger than mine and I'm almost 4" taller.
I never liked the feel of them personally, but I always liked the look. My current pads are 38.5" white Eagle Skudras. They're a custom order, but the softest pads you'll ever touch. Amazing. Funny thing is Skudra's actual pads are 1.5" bigger than mine and I'm almost 4" taller.
LeProspector
AINEC
- Feb 14, 2017
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Penguins recently mandated that their goalies have to wear white pads. Maybe there is something to White Pads giving you an advantage?
koyvoo
Registered User
- Nov 8, 2014
- 17,272
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I know the reasons stated upthread are pretty reasonable, but solid black does seem to be an underrated colour for competitive use IMO. It may be easier to pick up at a glance than white, and the goalie losing track of the puck in black pads during a scramble is a major concern BUT:
The referee is pretty much obligated to end the play as soon as the puck disappears into all-black equipment because he cant track it any better than the players can.
The referee is pretty much obligated to end the play as soon as the puck disappears into all-black equipment because he cant track it any better than the players can.
Nogatco Rd
Owner & Operator, HFBoards LLC
- Apr 3, 2021
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If you watch Canucks games, Demko wears white pads while DeSmith wears colored ones. Especially noticeable when they have their retro black jerseys. Ian Clark believes that white pads give a goalie a slight edge, and maybe that's all you need.
Slats432
Registered User
You can easily see how the white pads blend with boards, ice and net. Players shoot for open space and if they have less of an ability to determine where that space is, advantage goalie.
I think the GM is looking at the analytics and making that call. Not surprising from Dubas.
Kevinsane
Kraken up.
Anything white looks bigger than anything black, except on that one website you just deleted from your browser history.
GoldenSeal
Believe In The Note
When I played, I was really diehard into the old school "leather" look and ran a set of Wilson's just because of that. I'm kind of a weirdo tho. The idea of color being used as an influence here is really interesting. Never thought anything about that.
