Random Goaltending Knowledge of the Day- Thigh Rise

by Raditzzzz on Feb 18, 2012 11:43 AM CST

one of the more controversial aspects in modern goaltending equipment is the thigh rise of the goal pads. the thigh rise is the area above the knee rolls that extend upwards to protect the goaltenders thighs between the pads and his pants. a relatively modern picture shows where we were at not to long ago:

note the pad face that is above the knee rolls. juxtapose this with pads currently used in the nhl:

with the heavy reliance of modern goaltenders on the butterfly save, goaltenders began to request larger and larger thigh rises, +1 (inch), +2, +3 and even a whopping +4. the advantages of a giant thigh rise are obvious: 5 hole coverage in the butterfly. to combat the ballooning height of goal pads, the league passed one of its more confusing rules on goaltending equipment:

“The leg guards worn by goalkeepers shall not exceed eleven inches (11’’) in extreme width when on the leg of the player.Each goalkeeper must wear pads that are anatomically proportional and size specific based on the individual physical characteristics of that goalkeeper. The League’s Hockey Operations Department will have the complete discretion to determine the maximum height of each goalkeeper’s pads based on measurements obtained by the League’s Hockey Operations Department, which will include the floor to center of knee and center of knee to pelvis measurements. Each goalkeeper will be given a Limiting Distance Size based on these measurements. The Limiting Distance Size will be the sum of the floor to knee and 55% of the knee to pelvis measurements plus a four inch (4") allowance for the height of the skate. The Limiting Distance Size is a vertical measurement from the playing surface and will be measured with the Limiting Distance Gauge. Any pads deemed too large for a goalkeeper will be considered illegal equipment for that goalkeeper, regardless of whether or not they would have fallen within previous equipment maximums. "

i like to juxtapose this with classic goaltending equipment, take a look at billy smith here. he don’t need no stinking thigh rises:

Tweet Comment 9 comments | 5 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Great post

This seems so familiar though. Did you post it once before?

The goalie pads used to be there to provide protection to the goal tender. Now they’ve turned into integral parts of stopping goals. What’s next? Goalie sticks or blockers that are 4′×6′?

Thank you, sir! May I have another?

by Badgerdano on Feb 19, 2012 8:07 AM CST reply actions

I do seem to remember reading this.

But yeah great post. I love our resident Goalie Guru

Curator of Dark Side of the Five Hole
I like our guys, especially these guys.
Unapologetic apologist for hockey South of the Mason/Dixon

by DesertHawk on Feb 19, 2012 10:55 AM CST up reply actions

i just remember the one about the stance. the rest of these are new to me

"Orange Mocha Frappuccino!"

by justforkicks on Feb 20, 2012 5:49 PM CST up reply actions

yea

i’ve posted all of the old goalie comments people wanted me to put into fan posts. in the future i’ll make fan posts for new topics in ’tending.

by Raditzzzz on Feb 21, 2012 10:11 AM CST up reply actions

I really like these posts btw, excited for more info!

"Orange Mocha Frappuccino!"

by justforkicks on Feb 21, 2012 10:34 AM CST up reply actions

hey badger

its really interesting to see the evolution of tending equipment. in actuality, alot of of pieces have been reigned in on modern goaltenders. take a look at the basket glove in the first picture and compare it to the the one in the second. yep, its smaller on the current goalie. next, take a look at billy smith’s blocker. yep, its bigger than the modern goalie. i could post some old blocker pics they used to use that you could serve and entire pizza on.

it goes to show that people are always trying to wiggle around the rules at any era. i think alot of people think that goalie equipment is just getting bigger and bigger, and that isn’t necessarily the truth. usually, when they do get bigger, it is in response to something not regulated in the rules, just like the issue with the thigh rises. will be interesting to see what they think of next, tho.

by Raditzzzz on Feb 21, 2012 11:40 AM CST up reply actions

It is interesting

and I agree it’s human nature to push the boundaries as much as possible. I’m glad the league has taken a position to try to curtail the size of the equipment. I’m old school and I like to believe the goalie should make the saves not his over sized equipment. Great posts, Rad.

Thank you, sir! May I have another?

by Badgerdano on Feb 21, 2012 3:23 PM CST up reply actions