NHL goaltenders are a breed of their own. Many show their wild side by painting their masks, but some take it a step further by customizing their pads. Some pay homage to the franchise’s past, others incorporate the team’s logo in new and creative ways. This is (in my opinion) the Top 5 NHL goaltender pads past and present.
Number 5- Eddie Lack
Eddie Lack played for multiple teams during his NHL career and always went with the teams logo split on his pads. His others included Vancouver, Calgary, New Jersey, as well as a couple AHL teams. Other players inspired by this design were Henrik Lundqvist and Chris Mason.
Number 4- Garret Sparks
Garret Sparks pads he wore during his 2015-16 recall by the Leafs paid homage to former Calgary Flames goaltender Trevor Kidd, who wore the same design during his career. Even though his NHL stint was short lived, he left an impression with his solid setup.
Number 3- Anders Nilsson
Not entirely sure what Anders Nilsson is going for here, but it is a setup that would make Ilya Bryzgalov proud. Some kind of claws and all over take of the “iceberg” style Brian’s is know for, Nilsson had one of the top setups across the league in 2018-19 season.
Number 2- Aaron Dell
The first of two San Jose Sharks to appear on this list, Aaron Dell rocked these custom pads during the 2018-19 season. Taking inspiration from the current Sharks crest on their jerseys rather than a real shark, the pads add an artistic spin on a nice concept.
Number 1- Kelly Hrudey
Does the Jaws theme song not immediately start playing in your head looking at these? Even though Hrudey only played the last two seasons of his 16-year NHL career in San Jose, he went out with a bang. Even though his mask featured cartoon-like Sharks, his pads have an unnerving feel to them. Don’t test Hrudey in these pads or you’re gonna need a bigger boat.
Honorable Mentions-
Spencer Martin
Bit of a Coors Light feel from Spencer Martin here, but they are supposed to represent the rocky mountains that surround Denver. Given Spencer Martin is only 24 years old, it’s safe to assume he will rock a few more beauty setups over his career, but it will be hard to top these.
Martin Biron
Quite frankly, there haven’t been too many cool setups throughout Flyers history, so it’s easy for Biron to take the cake here. The design style is known as the “iceberg”, a style Jimmy Howard and Charlie Lindgren would later adopt.
Marc-Andre Fleury
It’s only right that the face of the Golden Knights has golden pads, right? Fleury also rocked an all-yellow setup during his days in Pittsburgh which were also sweet. Sometimes the beauty is in the simplicity.
By: Daniel Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit:
Dell: thehockeywriters.com
Martin: tendy gear twitter.com
Hrudey: goaliesarchive.com
Sparks: reddit.com
Lack: icehockey.fandom.com
Nilsson: lastwordonhockey.com
Biron: zimbio.com
Fleury: NHL.com
Biron: NHL.com
brotherlypuck.com 