I'll fess up; I have an infatuation with goaltender equipment. I always want to know why certain goalies wear the brands they do, why some like a deep pocket glove while others don't, and my biggest obsession is when it comes to colors. Last year, Henrik Lundqvist disappointed me with his elected pattern on his Bauer pads. It looks like he's changed it to my liking for next season, though.
Here is Lundqvist sporting his new pads courtesy of Bauer Hockey:
I happen to love that color pattern. On last year's pads, where you see blue above it was white. And where you see white, it was blue. I so badly wanted him to swap the two and keep the red lines, and I am thrilled that he ultimately decided to do just that for the next season.
What I like best is the white glove pocket. It sort of blends in with the netting behind him which may work to Henrik's advantage. Think about it; a player is coming down the wing quickly, needs to get a shot off, looks up and sees all white. The white he shoots at, though, turns out to be Lundqvist's glove. See what I'm getting at?
And the mostly blue pads will look fantastic with the blue home jerseys. I almost wish he would have a second set of pads made for the heritage jerseys - sort of old, faded-looking to match the heritage look. That would be difficult though because it would require Hank to break in new pads only once a week or so.
Yes, it's August when I am dwelling on goaltender equipment, but I thought you Ranger fanatics would enjoy hearing about my fascination.
Oh, and I should also mention that the guy who paints Henrik's mask, DaveArt, is THE best is the business. He does amazing work for a slew of goalies throughout the NHL.
So, what do you think of Hank's new pads?
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