How to Wear Butterfly Hockey Goalie Pads

A hockey goalie’s leg pads once amounted to not much more than two leather clad pillows stuffed with deer hair. Pads these days feature specialized strapping systems that allow the pads to rotate around the wearer’s legs, creating a cushioning for the knee when dropping into the butterfly as well as creating a virtual wall along the ice surface to block the puck. Properly wearing the pads helps the goalie in both of these areas.

Instructions

    • 1

      Don your all of your lower body gear: skates, pants, jock, socks, etc. Lay the pads out on the floor face down with the boot channel (the part that fits over your skates) facing you. Pull the toe ties on each pad to the sides of your skate blade, forming an inverted V shape.

    • 2

      Thread each toe tie lace through the opening between the toe of the skate blade and the skate itself. Continue threading the ties through the opening, wrapping the laces around the toe several times, stopping when there’s only about six inches of length left on each lace.

    • 3

      Tie the last six inches of length around the top or the heel of the skate. Tying the laces in this manner creates a pivot point for the pads to rotate around. Thread the bottom most strap on your pads through the opening between the skate and blade and fasten it semi-loose. If your pads feature an additional strap (like Reebok brand pads), fasten it in the same manner.

    • 4

      Fasten the next two to three straps slightly tighter to help the pads stay close to the leg, despite rotating. Fasten the final two straps loosely; some goalies fasten the last two straps to form an X: the top right strap attaches to the lower left and vice versa. Attach the Velcro knee sling (a feature on Vaughn pads) fairly snug.

    • 5

      Stand up once both pads have been strapped on using this method. You want the pads to fit somewhat loosely but not overly loose. Drop into a butterfly to check if your knee remains on the internal cushion without slipping; if so, slightly tighten the straps. If you feel the straps pinching your leg or the pads don’t rotate, loosen the straps slightly.