Unmasked: Goalies able to break in new Olympic gear quicker than ever

Much has changed in the world of goaltending since the NHL last took part in the Winter Olympics in 2014, but perhaps the most obvious difference is how quickly current goalies are able to wear new equipment compared to 12 years ago.

Goalies around the NHL have been gearing up -- literally -- for the start of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in recent weeks by practicing in new equipment featuring colors from their respective national teams.

Some goalies broke their equipment out for the first time this week and most will only need a couple sessions in the new Olympic-themed pads, gloves and masks before they’re comfortable wearing it when competition begins Wednesday at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

“The pads I wore just once and I could play already,” Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins said of his new burgundy-colored Team Latvia gear. “I love them stiff and new. The gloves usually take maybe three or four practices and you’re good to go.”

That echoes the sentiments of most current NHL goalies.

Winnipeg Jets goaltending coach Wade Flaherty remembers needing 10-14 days to break in new equipment during a 19-year pro career that included 120 NHL games before retiring in 2008, and marvels at how fast Jets and Team USA No. 1 Connor Hellebuyck can feel good wearing a new set.

“Mostly it takes three practices,” Flaherty said. “But ‘Helly’ can wear new gear in the morning of a game and if they feel good, he will wear them that night.”

That short turnaround time is hard to imagine for many of the goalies who took part in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, or any of the Winter Games before then.

“In my two Olympics, I didn't switch anything. I wore my (Buffalo) Sabres gear each time,” said Ryan Miller, who was named Olympic MVP and top goalie at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics after helping the United States win silver, and played one game in Sochi. “In 2014 I just covered (the Sabres) colors up with those stickers you could get.”

Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Henrik Lundqvist had a similar story about the blocker he wore while backstopping Sweden to a gold medal at the 2006 Torino Olympics.

“I remember in ‘06 I wore the same blocker for the entire year; It just changed colors three times,” said Lundqvist, who played 15 NHL seasons for the New York Rangers and three Olympics for Sweden before retiring in 2020 due to a heart ailment that required surgery. “I started with a blue and red set for the Rangers, then the Olympics came and 'Cass,' (Acacio Marques) my trainer actually changed the color on the blocker: He put yellow and blue on it. After, I switched my Rangers gear to white and red, so he switched the blocker to white. For whatever reason, I struggled to switch the blocker. I liked it really tight on my hand and the way it felt after a couple months, but over time I got better at switching.”

By the end of his NHL career, Lundqvist had no problem breaking out new equipment with special custom graphics on short notice for special events like outdoor games. Even Miller, who was famously meticulous with his equipment, said he was comfortable switching into different colored sets to match special jerseys with the Anaheim Ducks during the final four seasons of his 18-season NHL career.

So what changed to allow goalies to get into new gear so much faster? It’s a combination of shifting mindsets and manufacturing.

Goalies used to prefer pads that were softer and more flexible, moving with their legs and strapped up tighter than most would today. Newer pads are typically worn looser, in part because they are stiffer, designed to produce an active rebound that bounces off faster so attacking players close to the crease have less time to react, and travels farther, buying the goalie more time to get to his next position.

“Our theories on rebound control are a lot different now,” said Miller, who now works for the San Jose Sharks as a goalie scout and development coach. “Nowadays pads are made to kick rebounds out hard and far away but things were made different back then. You wanted them to have the feel you were used to, to feel more broken in. Now everything is built for a certain mindset, so it benefits the goalie to wear a newer piece of equipment.”

Lundqvist was a huge part of that shift, working with Bauer behind the scenes to create a new style of pad that he debuted in 2013 and wore at the 2014 Olympics.

“The pads got thinner, stiffer too and it was so light, like a street hockey pad,” Lundqvist said. “That was a big change to kind of start the process of what the pad is today.”

With that trend toward a stiffer pad adopted by so many goalies in the NHL, the ideal feel is now closer to new compared to 14 years ago, when goalies wanted to break in and soften up the feel of their pads. The manufacturing process and custom options have also improved, allowing goalies to get their preferred feel right out of the box.

“They're so specific with all the small little details you can customize so well that you like the feel of a brand-new pad,” Lundqvist said, adding that using one-off equipment for special events like the Olympics and outdoor NHL games helped him get used to the feel of wearing new equipment sooner. “It used to be maybe a couple weeks of practicing and breaking it in and now, right out of the box, the feel and the balance and the control is great. Everybody is a little different if they need a few practices, but I don't think anybody in the League needs a couple weeks anymore, the way it used to be.”

Gloves, as Merzlikins and Miller noted, can take longer.

Even then, most are comfortable a lot sooner. That too is because of improvements in the manufacturing process, not just in assembling a new glove, but for the internal parts involved. But there has also been a shift in mindset as NHL goalies got used to getting more new gloves.

“I got used to beat up gloves because you weren't offered an alternative,” Miller said. “In college and early pro, you were only going to have maybe two gloves a year, so you get used to performing with a really beat-down glove and that becomes your baseline. … You weren't getting a new glove whenever you wanted it so it’s almost like I was used to the beat-up shape, not the new shape. … As I got a little later in my career, it became more, ‘Hey, burning through gloves, let's get another order going’ and there’s no real pushback on that.”

Combine all those factors and goalies headed to Milan don’t need much time to get comfortable with their new equipment.

“Most guys play with pretty stiff gear these days and love the feel of a new set, so I don't see new gear being an issue anymore,” said Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks and Team Finland. “For me it takes a few practices to feel good. I've been able to break the Olympic set in during the past week, so I feel comfortable going in.”