Goalies have fond memories of equipment received on Christmas

VANCOUVER -- Pheonix Copley is from North Pole, Alaska, so it only made sense to begin Unmasked's annual Christmas-themed look at goalies and gear with the backup of the Washington Capitals.

Sure enough, Copley didn't disappoint.
"I can still remember getting a Heaton glove and blocker for Christmas that matched my team colors when I was 9 or 10 years old, and I used them for two or three years," the 26-year-old said. "They were the same gloves that Marty Brodeur had back then and I loved them."
It's not universal among goalies, but for many, the lure of custom-painted masks and personalized color patterns on the latest pads and gloves played a role in wanting to play the position.
A favorite piece of goalie gear waiting under the tree, and the part it played in a fledgling career, is at the heart of fond memories.
"I remember when I was little watching hockey and thinking, 'I wonder what those goalie pads feel like,'" Copley said. "That's where it starts for a lot of guys is equipment, the masks, the pads, and even when guys get older, I still love getting new gear and new helmets, and I think a lot of guys are like that. Goalies tend to be way more excited about their equipment."
Edmonton Oilers goalie Cam Talbot said getting new pads on Christmas morning signified a pivotal moment in his commitment to a position he's played ever since.
"I got a pair of TPS pads for Christmas when I was 10 years old and that was the first set that I owned because our minor hockey rotated equipment, so as soon as you were done playing, you put it on the hanger and the next group could take it," the 31-year-old said. "I strapped them and wore them around the house all day and wouldn't take them off. As soon as you get your first set of goalie gear and you commit to the position, I kind of feel like that is a big Christmas for you as a young goaltender. I tried out for rep [hockey] the next year."

NHL goalies past and present have shared similar Christmas memories through the years.
Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo, who grew up in Montreal a fan of Grant Fuhr, said for him it was his first pair of pads at age 13, a set of Vic McMartins bought by his grandfather.
Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price remembers getting a set of red pads he'd seen at a sporting goods store when he was at hockey camp in the summer.
Even goalies who aren't as gear obsessed often have a fond Christmas memory about receiving their first mask. Talbot's came the year after he got those inspiring TPS pads.
"Even though it wasn't painted, and I never had a painted helmet until I turned pro, I remember my first helmet was a white Itech," Talbot said. "It was all rusty by the time I was done."
Panthers goalie
Michael Hutchinson
called it a turning point getting a mask when he was 8 years old after wearing a helmet-cage combo in house hockey.
Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom remembers getting his first painted mask featuring Bart and Homer Simpson from artist David Gunnarsson of DaveArt when he was 11. Canucks backup Anders Nilsson remembers getting a green snake head mask when he was 12.
Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen's fondest memory was getting street hockey pads for Christmas when he was 7 or 8 years old in Vantaa, Finland.
"We opened gifts on Christmas Eve and I was outside right away in cold weather playing," the 30-year-old said.
Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne always asked for one piece of equipment each year, whether it was a stick or a mask, and said "Christmas night I would always sleep with my new gear."

Equipment played a big role in the development of Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy in Russia. In fact, a lack of it is the only reason he catches with his left hand.
"I am left-handed. I do everything with my left, but at that time because it was Russia, it was tough time, so we [didn't] have equipment for a right-hand catching goalie, so basically I had no choice and I got used to playing with a left glove," Vasilevskiy said.
Imagine his joy when his puck-stopping father came back from a hockey trip to Finland with new Bauer pads for Christmas.
"I even remember the colors, like black, silver and white," Vasilevskiy said. "That was cool, like I was the fanciest guy on the team. That's the gift I really remember."
Most goaltenders have one, even if they're not from the North Pole.