When players still played on natural ice in the early days of the National Hockey League, a uniform was primarily to keep a player warm, not necessarily safe from injury, according to NHL.com. Little by little, protection for the shins, then other parts of the body, and finally the face and head crept into the game. The sticks, too, have undergone some major changes through the years, just as the players have gotten bigger, stronger and faster.
Pads
The practice of protecting the legs from sticks and pucks dates to the 19th century. The National Hockey League reports that the first players to protect their shins with leather or felt, reinforced with lengths of cane, did so in 1880s. In 1896, the first goaltender to wear leg pads was George Merritt, of the Winnipeg Victorias. They were actually cricket pads, but the basic design hasn't changed much in more than 100 years. By 1900, hockey players were also starting to protect their kneecaps with leather or canvas squares and wear leather, padded gloves.
Masks
Goaltenders' masks, as hard as it is to believe, didn't become widely used until Montreal Canadiens' Jacques Plante started wearing one in 1959. Prior to that time, Plante had broken his nose, jaw and several other bones, according to the Library of Archives Canada. The earliest report of a hockey player wearing a mask dates to 1927, when Elizabeth Graham wore a fencing mask. In 1930, Montreal Maroons' goalie Clint Benedict wore a leather mask he designed himself, but only for a couple of games.
Helmets
Even though head injuries were common, few players followed the lead of Boston's Eddie Shore, who became the first everyday player to wear a helmet consistently in the 1930s, according to NHL.com. It wasn't until the NHL started requiring helmets in the 1970s that players started wearing them regularly. Players who came into the league in 1979 or later had to wear one, but those who were playing before June 1, 1979, had a choice whether to wear one.
Sticks and Pucks
Wooden hockey sticks changed little during much of the 20th century, but in 1976, the NHL allowed fiberglass blades. In 1981, aluminum shafts were allowed, and in 1994, composite sticks made their debut in NHL games. The earliest games of hockey in the 19th century probably used stones, balls, potatoes or other similar-sized objects. But by the late 1880s, rubber pucks first appeared. Vulcanized rubber pucks have been used in the NHL since the league began.
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