Hockey Goalie Gloves & Blockers

Goalies are allowed to use one of each a blocking glove and catching glove, meeting league-approved sizing specifications.

Goalies wear a special get up consisting of a helmet, throat protector, neck guard, chest protector, special padded goalie pants (which are like padded shorts), a glove, blocker, jock or jill, pads on their legs, skates and use a thick goalie stick designed to protect the “5 Hole".

The blocker is worn on the hand that holds the stick, so a right-handed goaltender wears the blocker on the right hand, and a left-handed goaltender wears it on the left hand.

Yes, you can bake a goalie glove. When baking a goalie glove, it is best to bake it in an accurately controlled bake oven. This will ensure the glove is adequately dried and won't shrink upon drying. The bake should decrease the moisture content inside the glove, making it last longer.

The stick is held in the right hand, not left. This means that the curve on a full right goalie stick will be shaped like a player's right-handed stick, rather than like a player's left-handed one.

Properly sized gloves and blockers can prevent you from jamming (or breaking) your fingers, or from getting unnecessary bruises. Goalies also need gloves and blockers that won’t inhibit their dexterity. Depending on your playing style, you may be a goalie who dishes out passes often (or even takes shots on net from time to time!) Like most of the sport’s equipment, hockey goalie blocker sizing and hockey goalie glove sizing comes in four main sizes: senior, intermediate, junior, and youth. Be sure to consult a sizing chart for the brand you wish to purchase. Most companies will have very similar sizes, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Some general sizing guides are as follows: youth goalie blockers typically measure between 5-6 inches; junior blockers tend to run 6-6.5 inches; intermediate blockers measure 6.25-7 inches; and senior blockers can be anywhere between 7-8.5 inches in length. Whatever size glove and blocker you buy, be sure they allow you plenty of room to wiggle your fingers.

Some of the most popular hockey goalie glove and blocker brands include CCM, Bauer, and Vaughn.

One of the top gloves currently on the market is the CCM Extreme Flex III glove, and blocker. In addition, the Supreme 2S goalie pad line from Bauer is another top seller -- we see a lot of 2S gloves and blockers come through SidelineSwap.

Finally, Vaughn -- a goalie exclusive company -- has the Velocity V8 Pro glove and blocker set out right now. The Velocity line is Vaughn’s most popular equipment line, so be sure to check out earlier iterations of these pads such as the V7 and V6.