The Best Hockey Pants for Kids

Choosing protective and comfortable hockey pants is a difficult task when considering the many designs and manufacturers of hockey equipment. Players have highly individualized tastes when it comes to the amount of padding, the tightness or looseness, and the bulkiness of the pants. When deciding on the best hockey pants for kids, protection becomes the most important factor.

  1. The Classic Hockey Pants

    • The most popular and widely worn type of hockey pants is the simple, one piece design. These pants are loose, breathable, and made of a series of inserted hard and soft pads circling the legs and lower abdomen. Classic hockey pants offer easy leg movement, a sturdy design, and, depending on the manufacturer, moderate to high protection.

    The Girdle

    • Hockey girdles offer excellent protection, while being less cumbersome and more freely moveable than the classic pants. Girdles are constructed of a tight spandex material, with a hard-shell padding sewn around the legs and sides, and soft padding over the kidneys. Because of the tight design, hockey pants shells must be worn over the girdles to protect the spandex. Also, when considering girdles, be sure to look at ice hockey girdles as opposed to in-line girdles, which offer far less protection.

    The Goalie Pants

    • Hockey goalies wear larger, more solid pants than skaters. Goalie pants are more expensive, due to the construction and specialized designs available. Although goalie pants are larger and much more cumbersome, the amount of movement possible is enough for the goalie's position. These pants have the same one-piece design as the classic hockey pants.

    Shopping Tips

    • The best way to ensure the purchase of good hockey pants is to have your child try on many different pants. Look at where the padding is, how the pants are put together, and the range of movement available in each. Smaller stores that sell only hockey equipment will provide the most reliable information on each manufacturer, as well as the most representative prices.

    Pricing

    • Hockey pants range in price from as low as $50 up to $160, and sometimes higher. Higher prices do not always indicate more protection, but they are more often than not suggestive of stronger padding and construction. Again, the best course of action is to have your child try on multiple types of pants, keeping an eye to where the padding extends.

    The Manufacturers

    • There are many companies that make solid hockey equipment. Several of the manufacturers that produce highly protective hockey pants include: Tackla, Easton, Bauer, CCM, and now Reebok. Tackla, Bauer and CCM have been manufacturing hockey equipment for many years, remaining among the best-selling companies.