Pro Gear: Craig Anderson
- Anderson left Brian's only after his equipment contract expired — not by choice — ending a sponsorship spanning more than half a decade.
- The Bauer Vapor 2X Pro knee cradle required modification: Anderson added a traditional strap to stop his leg from sliding out during play.
- Switching from leather straps and metal buckles to all-Velcro strapping was the biggest initial adjustment Anderson faced with the new pads.
- Anderson's Brian's pads had no outer calf wrap, making the Bauer 2X Pro's design a notable departure from what he was accustomed to.
- Anderson's willingness to trial new equipment reflects a broader trend of NHL goalies moving to Bauer over the past three to four years.
Craig Anderson raised some eyebrows when he opened the Ottawa Senators’ season in a new set of Bauer Vapor 2X Pro equipment after more than half a decade wearing Brian’s.
It just felt odd to see the 38-year-old in anything else, but Anderson said once he didn’t get a contract extension from Brian’s, the decision to try something new was a no-brainer.
“I think everybody’s disappointed but at the end of the day I no longer had a contract and it gave me a chance to try something different,” said Anderson, adding he’d been in Brian’s since Sherwood stopped making goalie equipment. “So many guys switched to Bauer the last three or four years that I said I owe it to myself to try something new. At the end of the day if Bauer showed up and it was garbage, I wouldn’t have worn it.”
Not that adjusting was easy. Anderson’s old pads had some unique elements, including no outer calf wrap, and the Bauer 2X Pro pads have distinct properties that took some getting used to for a goalie with admittedly old-school tendencies. After years of leather straps and metal buckles, Anderson started in all-Velcro strapping in the new Bauer before adding a traditional strap around the knee on his set to start the season.
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