The NHL’s new, tighter-fitting goalie pants will be mandatory as of Saturday, Feb. 4.
The pants, which were originally intended to debut at the start of the season, are just the most recent example of the league’s attempt to introduce goalie equipment more proportional to body size—which is itself an attempt to boost scoring. Last season, scoring across the league was down to an average of 2.71 goals per game, per team (scoring hadn’t been so low since the 2003–04 season).
The change in equipment will be subtle to viewers, but the form-fitting pants—which are more streamlined in both the waist and leg—have been met with mixed reviews so far from the goaltenders who’ve been testing them out.
According to a story on NHL.com, Washington Capitals netminder Braden Holtby was initially unhappy about having to switch up his pants midway through the season. But after some tests, he “didn’t find much difference at all.”
Holtby shrugged off wearing the new, thinner goalie pants tomorrow. Reiterated there's not much difference.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) February 3, 2017
Other goalies, though, aren’t thrilled about the change.
Arizona’s Mike Smith said “they feel like they’re really restrictive in your movements, so obviously it’s a big change,” while the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted Penguins goaltender Matt Murray as saying: “It feels like you’re wearing skinny jeans, to be honest.”
