Floor hockey goalie equipment and street hockey goalie equipment are the same. Since each is played with a ball, ice hockey goalie equipment is really unnecessary to afford protection that is needed for goalies. Of course, if a puck of any sort is used, a goalie is best suited to use more protective equipment such as that of an ice hockey goalie.
For purposes of this website, recommended floor hockey equipment consists of goalie helmet/cage, chest protector, blocker, catching glove, throat/neck protector, athletic cup, hockey goalie pants and goalie pads.
FLOOR HOCKEY GOALIE PADS
Lets start with goalie pads. The old school goalie pad is still being made by Mylec and can still get the job done, although one looks like Ken Dryden. These are made of hard yet flexible black plastic covering a thick foam. They basically look like blocks on your legs. More than acceptable for a tennis ball but they start to hurt the knee after some wear and tear and, most importantly nowadays, are not as wide as other goalie pads (but certainly, the most cost effective). They also offer no protection to the side of the knee or leg. These type of goalie pads are great for sliding on any surface and, if playing indoors, will last a long time. They usually come in small, medium and large sizes.
Next up are type of goalie pad that looks like an ice hockey goalie pad but with much less weight and bulk. These are excellent for floor hockey indoors or on a synthetic surface both in terms of protection for the goalie and wear and tear. These type of goalie pads strap around the leg offering protection to the inside and outside of the leg and move a lot less than the black “old school” mylec goalie pad. Manufacturers have designed these goalie pads for not only safety and protection but for the sleek look that they offer.
For the cost, a much better option. Take a look at these products by Mission, Tour EVO, CCM, Reebok, Mylec, Franklin, Bauer, Tour and Koho. Some manufacturers and now selling Goalie Kits which include the Pads, chest protector, catching glove, blocker and/or helmet.
Ice hockey goalie pads are completely unnecessary for floor hockey and are going to be too heavy for the goalie. Further, they will get destroyed on the street or driveway and will not slide well on synthetic floor.
FLOOR HOCKEY BLOCKERS and CATCHING GLOVE
Goalies must have a blocker and catching glove and for aesthetics, most goalies like to have a matching pair. Good news - most companies sell a combo especially for floor hockey. A floor hockey blocker and catching glove will suffice for a plastic ball as they are much, much lighter than an ice hockey blocker. The blocker of course is held in the hand that the goalie uses to hold the goalie stick while the catching glove goes on the other hand. If one is looking for a bit more help at the position, ice hockey blockers and catching gloves are usually much bigger in length and width than the standard floor hockey ones.
Don’t forget to make sure you get a catching glove with cheater located at the inner wrist. This will give the goalie just a little more edge over the shooter. Once again, the ice hockey blocker and catching glove is going to be heavier and you will be chasing a ball not a puck so quickness is needed. Mylec, Franklin and Tour EVO, Koho, and Reebok (RBK) are all putting out quality products with a sleek design.
FLOOR HOCKEY CHEST PROTECTOR
Chest protectors should be worn by all goalies. A standard floor hockey goalie chest protector with arm protection, will provide enough protection and safety for the floor hockey goalie. It is not perfect, in thickness or in coverage of the elbow joints, but will provide the necessary protection for floor hockey while remaining light, less bulky and definitely much cheaper than an ice hockey chest protector.
Reebok, Franklin, Mylec, Bauer and Tour all sell a chest protector with arm protection at reasonable prices. Some manufacturers sell a nice combo set with the chest protector, blocker, catching glove and/or goalie mask. Koho and Reebok both have nice looking combo sets.
GOALIE PANTS
A lot of goalies don’t wear goalie pants and I can’t figure out why! Who couldn’t use some protection in the thighs as guys are shooting hockey balls at you? No real secrets here! No one seems to be making a floor hockey goalie pants so either an ice hockey goalie pant or even a regular ice hockey pant will have to do. Goalie pants are made by a variety of companies, including Vaughn, Reebok, Bauer and Warrior.
THROAT PROTECTOR OR NECK GUARD
One or the other should be worn by a goalie. The throat protector usually attaches to the bottom of the goalie mask or goalie cage and dangles like a catcher’s throat guard. It is made of hard plastic and will provide the maximum protection. Just keep it tight without a lot of slack so that it doesn’t sway too much to be out of position when needed.
An alternative to this is a neck protector. This is made of strong material and wraps around the neck, under the chest protector. It will protect the neck and throat to a certain extent merely by blunting the force of the shot but will not prevent the shot from hitting the goalie in the throat.
FLOOR HOCKEY GOALIE HELMET / CAGE / MASK
From an evolutionary standpoint, the floor or street hockey mask really mirrored the development of masks in the NHL...
Floor hockey goalie masks initially resembled the “Gerry Cheevers” or “Tony Esposito” masks. They were small, straight across the top, about the size of one’s face, made of thin plastic, and available in WHITE only. If you can find one, keep it, just don’t use it. Many people started to draw on the mask with stitch marks made famous by Gerry Cheevers.
Next came the Jim Rutherford look or better known as the JASON mask. This mask was more oblong and curved, a bit thicker and covered the whole face. Also, only available in WHITE. With the advent of this type of mask, many goalies started to paint the mask like the NHL goalies. Once again, use it as a Halloween mask only to scare people, just don’t use it for floor hockey.
The traditional Hockey Cage came next. This was no different in look than the hockey cage worn by all players in college. It offered a full view of the play, maximum protection for the goalie but the drawback was looking through a cage or wire mesh. Goalies often painted the helmet portion of the goalie mask.
More recently, many companies have been putting out Replica Goalie masks of NHL players. You can find goalie masks that are pre-painted like the masks of NHL goalies. These types of masks are a combination of hard plastic and wire mesh and provide excellent protection for a floor hockey goalie with the look of an NHL goalie. Franklin, Mylec, Koho, Reebok and I Tech are making goalie masks that make you at least look like a goalie even if you can’t stop a shot (CSS). Some companies are putting out goalie masks of NHL teams while others are replicating specific goalie helmets.
GOALIE STICKS
What goalie would be complete without a goalie stick? A goalie stick is wood or plastic but please don’t use plastic. The plastic blades are not strong enough to play the ball effectively as a goalie. For the price though, many opt for the plastic bladed goalie stick by Franklin and Mylec. Find a light weight wooden goalie stick and use it. Sherwood, Reebok, Dom, Bauer, CCM, I-Tech, Christian, Torpso, TPS and Warrior are all putting out goalie sticks. Make sure you get a blade that is curved in the same direction that you shoot.
GOALIE NETS
The question is the type of goalie net needed. Lightweight, heavyweight,collapsible,metal, plastic tubing etc. The mesh of the hockey net also varies by weight.
EZ Goal and Mylec provide a number of different types of goalie nets including folding nets for easy storage. Pro Guard, Franklin and Practice Partner also manufacture hockey nets for use in floor hockey.
For purposes of this website, recommended floor hockey equipment consists of goalie helmet/cage, chest protector, blocker, catching glove, throat/neck protector, athletic cup, hockey goalie pants and goalie pads.
FLOOR HOCKEY GOALIE PADS
Lets start with goalie pads. The old school goalie pad is still being made by Mylec and can still get the job done, although one looks like Ken Dryden. These are made of hard yet flexible black plastic covering a thick foam. They basically look like blocks on your legs. More than acceptable for a tennis ball but they start to hurt the knee after some wear and tear and, most importantly nowadays, are not as wide as other goalie pads (but certainly, the most cost effective). They also offer no protection to the side of the knee or leg. These type of goalie pads are great for sliding on any surface and, if playing indoors, will last a long time. They usually come in small, medium and large sizes.
Next up are type of goalie pad that looks like an ice hockey goalie pad but with much less weight and bulk. These are excellent for floor hockey indoors or on a synthetic surface both in terms of protection for the goalie and wear and tear. These type of goalie pads strap around the leg offering protection to the inside and outside of the leg and move a lot less than the black “old school” mylec goalie pad. Manufacturers have designed these goalie pads for not only safety and protection but for the sleek look that they offer.
Click Image to Purchase Goalie Pads
For the cost, a much better option. Take a look at these products by Mission, Tour EVO, CCM, Reebok, Mylec, Franklin, Bauer, Tour and Koho. Some manufacturers and now selling Goalie Kits which include the Pads, chest protector, catching glove, blocker and/or helmet.
Click Image to Purchase Goalie Kit
Ice hockey goalie pads are completely unnecessary for floor hockey and are going to be too heavy for the goalie. Further, they will get destroyed on the street or driveway and will not slide well on synthetic floor.
FLOOR HOCKEY BLOCKERS and CATCHING GLOVE
Goalies must have a blocker and catching glove and for aesthetics, most goalies like to have a matching pair. Good news - most companies sell a combo especially for floor hockey. A floor hockey blocker and catching glove will suffice for a plastic ball as they are much, much lighter than an ice hockey blocker. The blocker of course is held in the hand that the goalie uses to hold the goalie stick while the catching glove goes on the other hand. If one is looking for a bit more help at the position, ice hockey blockers and catching gloves are usually much bigger in length and width than the standard floor hockey ones.
Click Image to Purchase Goalie Blockers
Click Image to Purchase Goalie Catching Gloves
FLOOR HOCKEY CHEST PROTECTOR
Chest protectors should be worn by all goalies. A standard floor hockey goalie chest protector with arm protection, will provide enough protection and safety for the floor hockey goalie. It is not perfect, in thickness or in coverage of the elbow joints, but will provide the necessary protection for floor hockey while remaining light, less bulky and definitely much cheaper than an ice hockey chest protector.
Click Image to Purchase Chest/Arm Protector
Reebok, Franklin, Mylec, Bauer and Tour all sell a chest protector with arm protection at reasonable prices. Some manufacturers sell a nice combo set with the chest protector, blocker, catching glove and/or goalie mask. Koho and Reebok both have nice looking combo sets.
GOALIE PANTS
A lot of goalies don’t wear goalie pants and I can’t figure out why! Who couldn’t use some protection in the thighs as guys are shooting hockey balls at you? No real secrets here! No one seems to be making a floor hockey goalie pants so either an ice hockey goalie pant or even a regular ice hockey pant will have to do. Goalie pants are made by a variety of companies, including Vaughn, Reebok, Bauer and Warrior.
Click Image to Purchase Goalie Pants
THROAT PROTECTOR OR NECK GUARD
One or the other should be worn by a goalie. The throat protector usually attaches to the bottom of the goalie mask or goalie cage and dangles like a catcher’s throat guard. It is made of hard plastic and will provide the maximum protection. Just keep it tight without a lot of slack so that it doesn’t sway too much to be out of position when needed.
Click on Image to Purchase Throat Protectors and Neck Guards
An alternative to this is a neck protector. This is made of strong material and wraps around the neck, under the chest protector. It will protect the neck and throat to a certain extent merely by blunting the force of the shot but will not prevent the shot from hitting the goalie in the throat.
FLOOR HOCKEY GOALIE HELMET / CAGE / MASK
From an evolutionary standpoint, the floor or street hockey mask really mirrored the development of masks in the NHL...
Floor hockey goalie masks initially resembled the “Gerry Cheevers” or “Tony Esposito” masks. They were small, straight across the top, about the size of one’s face, made of thin plastic, and available in WHITE only. If you can find one, keep it, just don’t use it. Many people started to draw on the mask with stitch marks made famous by Gerry Cheevers.
Next came the Jim Rutherford look or better known as the JASON mask. This mask was more oblong and curved, a bit thicker and covered the whole face. Also, only available in WHITE. With the advent of this type of mask, many goalies started to paint the mask like the NHL goalies. Once again, use it as a Halloween mask only to scare people, just don’t use it for floor hockey.
The traditional Hockey Cage came next. This was no different in look than the hockey cage worn by all players in college. It offered a full view of the play, maximum protection for the goalie but the drawback was looking through a cage or wire mesh. Goalies often painted the helmet portion of the goalie mask.
Click Image to Purchase Goalie Masks
More recently, many companies have been putting out Replica Goalie masks of NHL players. You can find goalie masks that are pre-painted like the masks of NHL goalies. These types of masks are a combination of hard plastic and wire mesh and provide excellent protection for a floor hockey goalie with the look of an NHL goalie. Franklin, Mylec, Koho, Reebok and I Tech are making goalie masks that make you at least look like a goalie even if you can’t stop a shot (CSS). Some companies are putting out goalie masks of NHL teams while others are replicating specific goalie helmets.
GOALIE STICKS
Click Image to Purchase Goalie Sticks
What goalie would be complete without a goalie stick? A goalie stick is wood or plastic but please don’t use plastic. The plastic blades are not strong enough to play the ball effectively as a goalie. For the price though, many opt for the plastic bladed goalie stick by Franklin and Mylec. Find a light weight wooden goalie stick and use it. Sherwood, Reebok, Dom, Bauer, CCM, I-Tech, Christian, Torpso, TPS and Warrior are all putting out goalie sticks. Make sure you get a blade that is curved in the same direction that you shoot.
GOALIE NETS
The question is the type of goalie net needed. Lightweight, heavyweight,collapsible,metal, plastic tubing etc. The mesh of the hockey net also varies by weight.
Click Image to Purchase Goals and Nets
EZ Goal and Mylec provide a number of different types of goalie nets including folding nets for easy storage. Pro Guard, Franklin and Practice Partner also manufacture hockey nets for use in floor hockey.
