In order to do his job effectively, a goalie must have among the best reactions of nearly anyone in sports. Those reactions allow him to make saves on shots that are delivered with a turn of the wrists that travel at overpowering speeds. To have a chance to compete on even terms with the best offensive players in the world, goaltenders must use every bit of their equipment. That includes a catch glove that provides some of the great highlight-film moments for most goaltenders. When a powerful shooter comes steaming in down the wing with a chance to fire away at the goalie, more often than not it is a catch glove save that prevents the goal. A goaltender must be fearless at the thought of facing a slap shot traveling at 100 mph from as close as 30 feet and has to have cat-like reactions along with dependable equipment.
What to Look for
In order for the catch glove to be effective, a goaltender must have confidence that it is ready to perform. Much like it's counterpart in baseball, a catch glove must be broken in with care and effort for it to respond to the goalie's needs and reactions. Therefore, it has to be soft, pliable and responsive. But there is far more to the catch glove than comfort. It must be extremely strong and protect the hand from shooters who will fire away with impunity and could care less if they inflict pain on an opposing goalie.
So there is a bit of a problem here, because the breaking-in process is an ongoing thing, while the more a glove is used, the padding gets worn down. A goaltender may want to hold on to a glove a bit longer than he should because it is comfortable. Manufacturers use two air bladders in most top-of-the-line catch gloves today in order to combat these problems, but it is still an issue to be considered.
Common Pitfalls
Size is an issue. Smaller goalies may have a harder time finding gloves that are exactly the right fit. Unless a professional equipment manager is in charge of procuring the catch glove, a well-meaning but ill-informed sales person may try to sell a bigger glove to provide more protection and help the goalie cover more of the goal. Nothing could be further from the truth. A form-fitting glove provides much more protection than an oversized one. Also, a smaller glove is easier to move around and block shots than a bigger, heavier one. No matter what the size, goalies must work on the pocket of their catch gloves to make sure it is flexible enough to snare booming shots as a matter of course.
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