Goalie Heaven

Sitting at YYZ and finally I find the time to write about my new pads . Yes after roughly 10 years of service I've retired the old Kohos which I've grown to hate because of their colours ... you wonder what's wrong with the colours ? Well they are the same colours that the dirty habs wear ! Done with em :) hahaha ! So for years I have been taking them in to get repaired by my friends at Toronto Hockey Repair / Goalie Heaven and thanks to them I have never needed a new set but over all those years the shop owner Fiorenzo Arcadi has heard me bitch and complain about weight issues I have while travelling . So just before I went to Egypt I went in to get the set I was donating repaired which Brendan Krick donated (thank you again!) and when I walked in Fiorenzo handed me a sweet new black pair of pads ? They were light . I mean like 5 lbs lighter per leg which is unreal .... he says to me they are all mine if I wanna give them a shot .... ummm YEAH !!! 

 

New pads have come a long way from when I last got a new set .... goalies are now hybrid style and the pads are geared to that . More padding on the side of knees allows a smoother surface to slide on which will take some adjustments and they are much bigger then my old pads . I'm not gonna get into a discussion on sizes as I have said many times that goalie equipment should be worn based on feel rather then what someone told you to wear . This is obviously gonna take time to adjust to . When I got the new pads I was already planning to wear the donated gear on my last adventure and now that mission turned into trying to adjust to larger pads . Larger in height not width as the new pads are roughly 2 inches thinner on the width side .... will have to get used to that too .... so off on my adventure I went thinking when I got back the new pads from Goalie Heaven would be suited for me and ready to go .... 

 

When I got back I had a game and it was go time for the new pads ....  which might I add are a new design for the team at Goalie Heaven . They have been making gear for decades under the name Arcadi and THR so this is nothing new for this shop but the design as I mentioned is new .... the face of the pads is a one piece with no stitching and has a knee fitting that helps you drop down in the butterfly quite easily . Honestly they are very comfortable and quite sleek looking . They have received many compliments and I'm sure will be flying off the racks . These pads have no breaks on them and that will take time to get used to also as my old pads have the triple break on them which allows me to stop a bit easier when sliding across the crease .... with this new hybrid style (that I have to get used to ) I shouldn't need that instead there is more breaking with your skate heel and toe ... or at least that's how it's working for me :) 

 

As of now I have played in 7 games wearing the new pads and I have pulled off a 5-1-1 record which is good . The first game and first shot I faced with them was a left pad toe save which felt good that I made the save but I really couldn't feel the puck hitting me and I felt like I was floating above the ice when me knees hit the ice flat . That's how much things have changed since my old gear where you could feel everything and I mean that I could feel impact and not in and ouchy kinda way . I highly doubt I can get hurt wearing these pads which is awesome . It is taking some time getting used to the new style of pads and how to use them but I'm sure I will be able to adjust over the summer . I definitely would highly recommend checking them out if I were you and if you are a goalie . If you're not a goalie beware because these pads are gonna help me loads . These pads are geared to make the 5 hole disappear and so far they have helped me out with my problem . Honestly I'm so excited to have the opportunity to try out this new gear and I'm looking forward to testing out the new blocker and catchers also in the next month or so . It's definitely a good thing to be working out with new leg pads now and breaking in new gloves later . This hasn't been the easiest transition for an old school flopping goalie to try to learn a hybrid style but i have to admit that these pads are making the transition much easier and I'm sure that anyone reading this with the same issues would benefit from this too . If you ever are interested in getting a pair contact Fiorenzo at the link below .... they are going for a good price . And tell them I sent ya ! 

Goalie Heaven