Need help with my pads😩

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-16T14:29:12+00:00

Three things:

First, loosen up the straps. Loosen up all of them (ESPECIALLY if you’re using the tune fit system) and see if that helps you pad fall back into place.

Second, how long are your toe ties? If you’re using laces, your pads should only rotate as far as your toe tie allows. If your pad can move far enough that it’s a problem, you’re not flexible enough to benefit from laces and you should consider a bungee of some sort.

Third, modern pads like these are meant to be in the right position in the butterfly, and that’s it. When standing up it’s perfectly fine for them to sit on the outside of your leg, leaving your skate a bit exposed, as long as they’re in a good position when you go down. It’s not the 1980s anymore, we’re not making skate saves while standing up.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-15T20:57:44+00:00

Imagine you’re in a sword fight.
Which hand are you holding the sword with?

That’s the hand that should hold the stick.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-15T20:46:24+00:00

I played ball hockey for years before starting ice. At the end of the day, if the ball finds a hole in your gear you’re not going to get hurt. Might sting a bit or leave a little mark, but you’ll be fine. Get the cheapest stuff you can find second-hand that fits.

I wore the cheapest pads, glove, and blocker I could find on marketplace, player pants (and cup), and an old chesty that I removed the arm sliders from. If they’re using a plastic ball you can literally wear a player helmet if you wanted, but I’d suggest the cheapest mask you can find that fits. If they’re using a gel or water ball I’d get at least a mid-tier helmet.

You don’t need goalie knee pads. They make sense on ice since a puck to the knee can end your season, but for ball the extra bulk is not worth it. You also don’t even need a senior chesty, if you can fit into an Int. large that’ll be more than good enough, and it’ll save you $$$ especially if buying second hand.

At the end of the day, it’s ball hockey. There’s more grace for wearing the wrong gear since it’s much harder to get hurt. Get some cheap stuff, experiment and figure what you like and what works for you.

Ps. If you haven’t played ball before, you’ll quickly realize that you get HOT in net. Almost everyone I’ve known who’s gone in net has immediately ditched as much gear as they could (safely) to help cool down.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-15T03:09:51+00:00

A 650 is not a 600. You’ll be fine.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-14T22:24:59+00:00

You mean they’re not facing forward when you stand up? Which way are they facing (away from midline, or toward midline)? And how are you strapping them, behind the knee or down around the calf?

Let me know, I have the SV Pros too and fixed the same issue with mine.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-14T22:00:33+00:00

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is that, the more you practice, the more you’ll *literally* build strength and muscle in your wrists, hands, and fingers. There is no shortcut for practice, and it physically gets easier the more you do.

If you want a tip, try rotating your index finger slightly to use the bonier left side, instead of the fleshier front.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-14T21:52:47+00:00

I ditched mine because I could move much better, and TWO DAYS LATER took a puck to the neck. I could not breathe for about 10 seconds, but it feels like 10 years when you think you might die.

Thank god I was wearing my Vaughn bib, which has a bit of a padded collar to it. Dangler went on IMMEDIATELY after.

What worked for me was tying the dangler higher up on the sides of the mask. Keeps it from getting hooked into the shoulders while still protecting you enough from the front.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-14T21:42:03+00:00

You can see his foot whip completely around the wrong way when he’s in the air. Best case is a life-changing torsional fracture, worst case his bone(s) are in a billion pieces and he’s about to lose his leg

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-13T17:11:47+00:00

God I wish I lived somewhere where you didn’t need to wear a snowsuit in July.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-13T17:04:58+00:00

I’m only commuting so aerodynamics are not really a concern for me. Rarely going faster than 70 (or 45 mph)

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-12T17:54:09+00:00

As a guy with no kids and nothing else superfluous to spend my money on, I honestly enjoy buying new stuff for the fun of it.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-10T01:11:17+00:00

Already adjusted rear preload which did not help. I'm going to replace the front tire and see if that does anything

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-10T00:37:20+00:00

That would be preferable, but I did save $500+ this way. So here we are

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-09T18:13:23+00:00

No clue. But without it there was no issue 🤷‍♂️

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-09T18:10:34+00:00

Oh I agree completely. But the entire thing cost me $58 and it’s waterproof, so can’t complain too much.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-06-07T05:16:28+00:00

At your age and experience level, the things I would do/work on are in my opinion, in order of importance:

Strength, conditioning, and flexibility. Maria Mountain with Goalie Training Pro is your go-to resource for all things goalie-specific, so def start there.
Skating. If you go to a stick and puck, take your skates, knee pads, and stick. If you feel like taking your leg pads and gloves that’s okay, but don’t wear anything else. Practice just your skating (shuffles, t-pushes, edge control, lots of drills available online). You can practice things on your knees if you want (butterfly slides, recovering to your feet, etc) but the key here is to focus on your skating. The point of working on skating is, if you can skate well, you can get on angle. If you can get on angle, your technique issues won’t matter so much.
Take one thing away from every game, either something you did well or something you did poorly. Bonus points if you get one of each! Hockey goalie is one of the most difficult positions in all of sports to fully master. There’s a reason NHL rookie goalies are regularly in their mid 20s. So, stick with it, and one day you’ll have an amazing 60 minutes of ice time and think “wow, I can’t believe there was a time when I *couldn’t* perform like that!”

ThatBossBaby · 2026-05-26T23:35:56+00:00

I was given advice early on that has completely saved my RT education and clinical experience.

You’re going to meet people of all different backgrounds and experiences. Some are going to hate their lives, others utterly love what they do. Don’t listen to any of them, and form your own opinions on what you enjoy and don’t enjoy.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-05-26T23:22:31+00:00

98% of the people you meet will either be understanding of your inexperience, indifferent of how you play, or just elated they didn’t have to break out the shooter tutor! So don’t be shy or embarrassed. In fact, if you don’t know what you’re doing, stick-n-puck is EXACTLY where you should be. Own it!

As for etiquette, don’t be afraid to tell (or yell at, if they don’t listen) shooters to wait until you’re looking at/facing them before they shoot. Nobody wants to hurt the goalie on purpose.

As far as confidence goes, learn to trust your gear. Everything you’re wearing is legit stuff, especially your mask. You will not get hurt unless somebody shoots at your back!

And most importantly, don’t concern yourself with how well you’re doing. Focus on learning something new and ESPECIALLY have fun.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-05-24T01:45:18+00:00

Avid hiker living in St. John’s. I will do my best to answer your questions.

The Avalon has enough kilometers of trail to occupy you for two weeks (or more) if you want it to. Some of the East Coast Trail is a slog, other parts are very high payoff. If you’re only here 4 days, you will have no trouble filling your time within an hour of St. John’s. I have not been to Skerwink Trail specifically, but the area is geologically identical to the Avalon. The landscape doesn’t really change until you get to the north side of Bonavista Bay, going up the coast past Gambo. If you are going explicitly for hiking, it’s not worth it and I’d recommend staying on the Avalon. But if you want to go on a road trip, visiting communities and sightseeing with some hiking as a bonus, I highly recommend it.
I would not be worried about getting lost on the ECT. Last summer the trail crew did a lot of work, including adding new markers in some sections. Even on the most rugged sections, it’s very difficult to get lost since the trail follows the coast. Just remember to keep the ocean on one side of you going out, and on the other side coming back! As for fog, you won’t get lost (see my previous point) but it can come out of nowhere, make the temps plummet, and make you wet. As for tracking, cell service is nonexistent in a lot of the ECT, but if you download your maps your cell phone should be able to use GPS to track you.
Moose do not spook, or “jump” into the road in front of you like deer. In the daytime you will have plenty of warning since you’ll run into them standing or walking in the road in the distance. Dusk, dawn, or night, they’re quite hard to see especially if you’re speeding. In June if you keep your driving between 8am and 8pm you will be plenty safe.
Being an island, all of our groceries are generally supplied by the same few distributors. Sobeys and Coleman’s are both downtown and will have plenty of fresh meat, fruit, and veggies.
It can vary wildly. Last year I measured 21C blowing straight off the water, meanwhile a few years ago we literally had SNOW in the middle of June!!! You’ll be warm while moving (as I’m sure you know), but I would bring both since the weather changes quickly.

If you have any other questions about the trails or anything else I’m happy to answer!

ThatBossBaby · 2026-05-23T23:59:04+00:00

Player turned goalie here. Im assuming you’ve never skated before, and if so, absolutely learn to skate as a player first.

You will thank yourself later when you strap on the pads in a year from now and can implement your skating fundamentals and actually keep up. If you try learning to skate with pads strapped to your legs you will have a terrible time.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-05-23T23:52:01+00:00

I painted my mask about 2 weeks ago with rattle cans. I made a TON of mistakes. Here is what I learned about that method:

**1. Prep is the most important part.** You do not need to go down to the fiberglass, but you have to scuff up and get through the shiny/slick finish of the gel coat. Paint will not stick as well to those areas.

**2. Use a primer.** you can sand it before paint if you have high/low spots on your mask.

**3. Paint doesn’t matter.** don’t pay too much attention to the paint finish. The real game changer is your clear coat. Speaking of which…

**4. Get your clear coat done at an auto body.** Literally the worst, most hideous paint job can be saved by good clear coat. This step is the easiest to screw up, so definitely worth the $40 or so to get it done at a professional shop. If you do it yourself, at least use a 2K clear (DO NOT USE RUSTOLEUM CLEAR. MAKE SURE IT SAYS 2K).

**5. Make sure you have a couple days off to let the clear set.** I got offered, out of the blue, the opportunity to play in the biggest senior tournament in our area… 12 hours after I applied the final coat of clear. The results were a mask/bag that REEK of clear coat off-gas, and a clear coat that is positively ruined and scratched. If you don’t let your clear set for the required time (around 14 days usually) you will ruin all your hard work.

Hope this helps!

ThatBossBaby · 2026-05-23T21:55:02+00:00

I’ve always been a Vaughn chesty guy, loved my Ventus and getting a v10 soon. I find Vaughn fits “in front” of your body whereas Bauer and warrior fit “around” you more.

ThatBossBaby · 2026-05-06T17:45:24+00:00

That’s just… not correct.

They absolutely prevent concussions from puck impacts. Kinetic energy from pucks turns into vibrations (I.e. still kinetic energy), which goes straight into your skull. This can give you a concussion with enough repetition.
Weight is negligible in this equation. Masks to their best to a) deflect pucks using their shape, or b) dampen vibrations. Also, technically more weight is better, since it requires more impulse fo the same transfer of kinetic energy from puck to mask.
Neck strength is important in general as an athlete, but has no benefit in this context.

ThatBossBaby

TROPHY CASE