Goalie Myths Busted: Does Goalie Pad Color Matter? PART 1 

It would be really interesting to see an NHL goalie try this and see what happens over the course of an entire season.

I will be running a similar test this summer with some high end goalies using a little bit more of a science based approach. Basically going from how the human eye sees different colors and how it adapts to them. Exciting stuff, we even have a sports medicine optometrist on board.

Hate having dark base blue gear rn, can't wait to go back to white base for next set

I’m not even a tendy. This guys a beauty. Makes me feel good to listen to him. Nothing but good vibes and energy.

You can compare Carey Price's stats with all white gear and all red gear. I think that gives a pretty good comparison.

Mine are white and I like em because they have puck marks on em and gives me a confidence boost.

I just found your channel. Bruh, your t-shirts are awesome! I haven’t played serious hockey since I was 19. I’m 34 lol. I’m really missing playing, so I’ve been looking for pads on marketplace, and getting back into shape lol

I do think there is a difference particularly for pads. I play both sides (goal/player) and I do notice a difference between the two. I also own a set of white pads and a set of black (mostly cause it was a steal), but I find myself continuing to use my older white ones (also easier to find the puck). As a player .... Its very minor, as in, it takes me an extra microsecond to find the shooting spot with white, but I believe there is a difference myself.

Mine is blue and white. I would rather have equipment that matches my blue and white team colors. Nice vid!!!

Just look at Fleury with his gold setup, Price with his all red and Sarros with his upcoming all yellow setup ! personally always had colored setup but right now rocking a white and powder blue vaughn iceberg

Those Roy style pads with the red outer and white inner to mimic the pipes and net can all kind of blend together. I had trouble with them, I’m a duster though

White with Red accents for my gear. Look Good --> Feel Good --> Play Good. I like my gear to look clean, my mostly white gear show puck marks really easily :( I think this might be an interesting theory the higher up in skill you go. At the level I play, everyone is looking to go #BarDown (and they can). Maybe try Red Glove - Blocker - Jersey and White Pads, then separate upper from lower shots

Hey man, first time on your channel. I'm not one to leave messages too commonly, but I wanted to let you know that I appreciate your unique content and also find you entertaining. You have a very laid back demeanour, you're humble about your skill, and you possess obvious equipment knowledge. A+

I usually stick to all white just because I never really get custom graphics on my pads so they are usually mainly white. I need to try a dark set some time and see if it makes a difference.

Your music and sound effects are just the greatest lol. You played very well too.

Blue KOHO's. Love the 80's-90's flopping hybrid style goalies AND their gear

Awesome video. I just recently switched from all red/white/black pads (leg, glove, blocker) to all white everything (only the small Warrior logo is black). It makes me want to make the end video for you. If white makes shooters think net then no shots should be chest or five hole. I wear a red jersey and I have found that since the switch I HAVE had less shots to the chest and five hole....However, I am still not sure color matters.

I play Floor hockey and Street hockey, I right now use a mix between Red, Black, and White

Love that shirt!!!

Hey, what spare gear/repair items do you carry to games? My helmet strap busted right before my last game, and I had to hack a fix. I'm thinking I need a kit.

4:13 oh what a save!

Good/ interesting video, a couple nice saves , but hate absolutely hate how goalies have gone to a ball hockey style! I would love to see a NHL team with a true hybrid goalie and watch what the shooters have to do. Again great video

Your video reminded of when Nathan Lane said in the Birdcage “one does like a hint of color”. I think the hypothesis is that white pads “make you look bigger”, and they “confuse the shooter” are valid reasons goalies today go with white. Also, if the pros are doing it so should we right? I myself prefer to use the excuse “nobody played defense” as my reason for being lit for 14 goals on average versus blaming the color of my pads because it can’t be my fault I gave up that many goals during beer league! I even heard of one goalie coaches tell his goalies the outer role of their pads has to be white but the rest could be whatever they wanted. I think Carey Price’s set up of color being on the back side of the pad with a mostly white front were some of the best pads I had seen and offered a clean look. The red material hides sweat stains which is one of the biggest drawbacks of white gear. Just my opinion. I wished my pockets ran deep so I could get a custom set of pads but for now i am using a burgundy/grey set of CCM Extreme Flex IIIs.

4:14 and 4:19 were impressive. You got that second one with your paddle, right?

I used to have black pads with red blocker

Well Wayne, Of course color of equipment matters, damn man. A goalie has to look their best! I just recently got myself a sick pair of Leafs blue and white pads and a Blue and white stick to match! Now i just need to add a little color to my white blocker, catcher and mask! I should send ya a picture. Now before the new stuff i was rocking an old black/white/silver pair of bauer reflex pads, black/white/red catcher and blocker and a grey and black mask.. Which looked like they all went together, but needed to be replaced.

I’m convinced that colour coordination is 50% of being a goalie, the rest of the breakdown is 20% positioning, 10% skill, 15% luck, 5% athleticism/acrobatics and a 100% reason to remember the name. The more confident you are, the better you play. So I think look is essential. I have black and white equipment, I play on a kings colours jersey. I feel great in net because I feel confident and I look the part

I dont play hockey but I do know that you gotta look good to play good. Only thing that matters

I have the ccm premiere 2 pro pads, glove and blocker in black & red. The exact same as Corey crawford uses, and i absolutely love the set 😊 dark gear looks cleaner for alot longer, and just looks way better just my opinion 😊

i have full white equipment for now but i want to spray out my pads to color of my team, is it good to use spray on pads ?

Once I played with a bright blue glove (similar colour to Sanford in Columbus), and everything else was a black/grey colour. Similar to your experience, I don't recall much shots glove side. Personally owned and played with all colour pads or white base with some colour. Best comparisons of similarity to my favourite two sets would be Luongo 2006 and Quick 2014.

While in Pittsburgh, MA Fleury changed his yellow pads to a more neutral color. Yellow attracts attention. Things like school buses are yellow, which makes us notice the color faster.

If you have a black glove I find the ref can't always see if it's covered if the puck is against the glove

Most my life I have used white gear, my most recent was the Brian’s Sub-Zero that were black and white. I recently bought the new Warrior G4 like you, but I went with the all black for the first time in my life.

Wore black for 15 years but just switched to all white Vaughn. Personally I don't think color really matters. Positioning/angles matter more than anything else. Thanks for the video.

If skill level is lower it makes sense shots weren't getting up. Not sure, you ever play ball hockey? Would love to know what pads you use if so

I really dislike plain white gear. Mine is all maroon, it's a rare color and makes me look good. When I look good it makes me feel good, when i feel good i preform better, it's all in your head.

Question: why do some goalies have their leg pads loose? And should I be doing the same?

I've played both and as a shooter, I looked at the net and what's the best spot open with the goalie in the peripheral. As a goalie, hard to say... probably what I'm not wearing would work better.

dude your so good at goalie!!!

My equipment was black with blue trim and a solid blue mask with white bars in high school (school colors) to white with blue trim and same mask after high school.

black and white

I think Patrick Roy's leg pads (well, some of them, the ones that were solid team colors with the swervy white starting at the top and bottom of the inside of the pad and swerving out) were advantageous. When the shooter looked at his 5 whole, the white portion of the pad would blend with the white of the ice behind the blue crease, making it seem that the target area was A.)bigger than it actually was when the pads were apart, B.) appear as if there was a 5-hole option when there wasn't when his pads were together, and C.) that there were areas of the 5-hole that were scorable when in fact they weren't. Combine this with the fact that he was a butterfly goalie, the premier butterfly goalie to the extent that he made the style the standard during his era and some would argue beyond, he definitely maximized the advantage he afforded himself. It's the culmination of lots of little advantages that you create for yourself through creativity that get you cups and into the HoF. I'm a former beer league defenseman who mostly stayed at home, my main offensive contribution was my slapshot/one-timer which was good because it was 94 mph but bad because I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. When my D-partner or onside winger would feed me a one-timer, they'd yell out something to cue the rest of my team to cover their face and groin. As such, I always found goalie's with distracting or deceiving pads to be the most frustrating. It also impacts psychologically, the shooter is thinking, "OK, so I see what he did with his equipment there, but it also shows that this guy has tricks - what else is he doing that I'm missing?" Gives you split-second hesitation. My favorite was this dude that had solid white pads with this ridiculously complex math equation on them, about 20 times as many as the quadratic equation. I kept trying to solve it. Love math. Threw my aim off, too but like I said, that didn't really matter. also, nice save at 4:15

From what I read certain colors are more clearly and easily defined (i.e. yellow, red, etc), and like a shooter tooter some colors more clearly define open spaces for the shooter. Fleury went through something like that with is yellow pads and the coaches begged him to lighten them up. Price did a similar with his red pads recently. Mine are mostly white but mostly out of habit.

I love this channel !!!!!

*I think it really depends on the skill level of the shooters. At professional level, probably not so much. But at "mid" level, maybe it might fool some shooters. At low level, it probably makes no difference because shooters don't have the best aim to begin with. Which also leads into your experiment. Assuming that was a low level game, then I would also account for the fact not every one can shoot it glove side under pressure. Your blocker side only received 2 more shots. I know it was just a fun experiment and you'll need way more sample size either way... But would you dare try one red pad and one white pad? LOL.... Even better if they are not from the same brand!* *But I recall Patrick Roy having pads that had white on the lower inside portion of the pads. It gave the illusion his 5 hole was a lot wider than it really was, but I have no idea if that really made any difference.*

He sounds like the guy from the INFORGAPHICS SHOW

Lol, my first set up (last year) was all blue&white (Leafs fan), but with a red mask.... Have to admit, I felt like that was the thing shooters targeted... . But to be fair, I was as green as you can be, and afraid of every shot.... This year, I'm going with black (mask, used black&white CCM pads, and the new G4 glove). It's not because I want faster whistles (never played a game with refs), but because I feel more confident in the black. G-Noir. The Dark Goaltender. I'm having fun with it....

Definitely always would go with white based if I had a choice. My reason is that they do appear bigger and I don’t need my gear hiding the puck in scrambles.

I just played for the first time with my new white(with blue) pads and blocker but I still have a black glove...i had almost no shots to my glove side... Maybe there is something to this 🤔😅

Yes

Red white and blue Brian’s

And my pads are white and red so it blend in with the net

I have two sets of pads. One is originally all black but I put red ducky tape. And another set of pads that are white with one pad being red and blue and the other green and white. I just like to customize my pads. I’m not sure if it ups my game

I love you man

I like the Mike Luit mask in your logo 👍

I went from white blocker/glove 1s to ALL BLACK warrior g4 glove/blocker. Find no difference in using blocker, but I have missed three glove saves now where the puck hit the edge of glove vs in the pocket...not sure what to make of it, only 3 times so far but I never missed those glove saves with my white glove. Did my eyes loose puck in all black glove? am i just adjusting to new glove? time will tell.

Personal choice. I like all black but I mostly wear what is comfortable and makes me feel safe. Pucks hurt... Alot at times. LoL. I have one set of black (roller hockey) and my go to set for Ice is Reebok Pads / Bauer Blocker / Glove. White and little Black highlights. White is cooler you see the wear. Wear means you stopped more. LoL

MY Tape is bright pink

I lost it when the Bowling pin noise sounded

I play in an Adult League, and my pads are all black except for two white stripes going down the middle. They are Warrior G2. My stick is white with white tape except for black warrior word. It is a warrior Swagger 2

4:10 first of all, GREAT SAVE, second, what the hell was that guy doing behind the shooter.

The only truth of colour is dark blues and blacks are slimming colours so technically your pads would look a tad smaller being all black then all white. I was also told some designs were to distract the shooter which could be somewhat accurate

Had these NYR type pads for 2 games to try out best game of my freshman year.

Interesting question but not convinced you answered it. InGoal magazine quotes Karen Muncey, CEO of Dynamic Edge Sports Vision Training as saying that it seems logical white pads would be an advantage: a dark outline, gives (scorers) a better definition of where not to shoot. Meanwhile, shooters use black tape to reduce the definition of the puck coming off the stick. Still, people will believe what they want to believe I suppose.

I believe it does, Marc Andre fleury had all yellow his first year and with all yellow shooters can see your equipment easier as opposed to all white.

i have all white CCM Premiers And The Only Black Is The CCM Part.

Mine are white with some blue, since I play ringette I wear a different glove on my glove hand side and it's white with a little bit of black. It matches my current team and previous team/associations colours! (I got lucky) I've never thought about pad colour mattering to the shooter I just like it when it's a good colour scheme and matches uniform!

I have padskinz and I get a lot of respect from goalies on the other teams because of my matching set to my jerseys and I think it’s important to match your team jerseys

4:20 reminds Me Of That Save Fleury made and wiped it in mid air

I have never had a white based set, so I really can’t argue one side or the other. However I went from a silver based set (so lighter) to an all black G4 set. And I 100% feel I make more saves and stay more square with the G4’s, but my old pads were Reebok P2’s, so completely different. I would say to have a fair experiment, you’d have to have your red G4’s and an all white set of G4’s as well. Play at least a few games in each and go from there. I will say this, one of the best games I had this season was against a team in yellow jerseys, and I convinced myself it was because they wore yellow, lol. So maybe there is some science behind it, or maybe it’s just another mental thing. Unrelated, do you using sliding polish? If so, what kind? End long post.....

I have all black pads and gloves because I think it’s harder for people to see the puck if they’re scrambling around the crease. Same reason I only use black tape on my stick. I don’t think it makes a difference if it’s a distance shot to be honest.

Awesome video

I wish all NHL goalies would go back to wearing brown pads like they wore 50 years ago. I like the that color style

Retro tan and black gear. dont know about from a shooter perspective but I know I get faster whistles with my dark gear.

White because I like it! Lol

Carey price tried his red set up . even the anouncers recignised he wasnt playing as good as his white gear set up. But kind interesting experiment. I guess its goalie superstition, like most of us have. From packing our bags to not washing our socks lol.

I’m new to goalie can you look at my footage and give me tips?

White, black, and silver. But I'm hoping to change it up to red, black and white.

I have tan G4 pads with matching glove/blocker on the way.

My equipment is black

It is just an opinion. I like my Red, White and Black Sheerwoods!!! I have my white on the ice when I am in the butter fly. But I do like white Blockers and Trapper. What no slap shots!!!! LOL

I've always found when I wear all white.... It makes the skaters second guess.... All white also makes you look bigger. Just like a white truck looks bigger than the same truck in a darker colour.

I use all white gear

Black and with Bauer Supreme s150 pads and red and white warrior G4 blocker and trapper

My gear is whatever decent used gear I could find. Black Leg pads, white blocker, navy blue glove. Unsurprisingly I don't think it matters.

I have white and red Vaughan v7 velocity pros

Let's break it doooown LoL My warrior ritual g4 leg pads are black, because it can go with anything colour scheme wise. And because the tan colour wasn't available. My dad considers it a reverse baseball thing. In baseball there's a black sight wall so batters can spot the baseball better... A shooter shoots and my black leg pads can swallow up the puck or at least a visual... This is good as long as the league doesn't try and get cute and change the puck's colour LoL My (GT) blocker and (G3) catcher are red and white. Red definitely means STOP... But I chose "Detroit" colours because I didn't want to lose track of the puck with black hands...I wanted to know and see the puck in my pocket or hit off my hands...not having a millisecond doubt... If that makes sense...

White and blue

I Wear black-red. I dont Think that there are any differences if its a Black, a white or a red coloured Gear.... you love your Set realy right? Red is Colour of Love man 😉 Greetings from Germany

I have connor hellebuyck looking pads (ccm premier 2)

its something good to look at

White G4❤️

I have white based retro flexes with 2 red rolls and a black rebound roll, along with white glove and blocker. I hate the mis match

i have white bauer vapor

All black....and yes.... I get better whistles in my beer league because its easier for linesmen to lose sight of the puck ....hahaha. Its true , they comment on it all the time. xD

I wear black and or dark gear. To me if you see the puck you can stop it and when the puck is right by you the black gear potentially hides the puck

I have brown pads with a white blocker, glove and helmet

(From a skater) Personally I have more trouble with colored gear than white.

My colors are red,blue and white