The biggest change in the new CCM Extreme Flex 4 glove isn’t easy to spot. You will notice it as soon as you try to close it, however.

CCM re-aligned the pocket angle of their stock 600-break in the E-Flex 4 line, creating a more natural extension of the break in the palm, and making it easier to close the deeper double-T pocket that became the stock option on the Extreme Flex 3 line two years ago. Where the break was more in line with the top T in the previous model, it runs right between the double-T in the E-Flex 4, creating a better open-and-close “snap” in this glove right out of the box.

It’s not a huge difference but it is noticeable, and eliminates the need for goaltenders to choose a single-T when custom ordering a 600-break CCM glove, which had become a bit of a trend because the previous double-T didn’t close as smoothly out of the box as it did on 590 and 580 breaks. Speaking of break options, we’ve got a complete overview below, but first let’s go over the rest of the improvements on the new CCM Extreme Flex 4 glove.

Like the slight shift in the pocket angle, those upgrades are subtle.

CCM made significant changes to the E-Flex 3 glove in consultation with Carey Price, creating a notably deeper pocket and reconfiguring the one-piece cuff by shifting more of the coverage above the wrist to add high coverage without sacrificing seal between the glove and pants, or the top of the pad when goalies are down in more of a butterfly. They also moved to a double-t pocket as the stock retail option in the line, widening the gap to improve visibility, a feature Price also noted in our review of the E-Flex 3 gloves. Those changes were well received at retail and in the NHL, and in the spirit of “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it,” the E-Flex 4 glove maintains the most popular features of past models, with a few minor tweaks and improvements.

The most obvious change is the addition of a quick-release wrist strap tab on the outside of the glove, which doesn’t change much for goalies that like to leave this strap loose but makes life a lot easier for those that prefer to cinch it up tighter. In past gloves that strap was contained inside the outer wrist cuff, so you had to open that up to tighten it, and the excess strap was loose inside the cuff. By adding the tab outside the cuff, CCM solved both issues.

The other small change is inside the glove to the Velcro tab that runs over top of the mesh-and-neoprene finger stalls, and it started with the Premier 2 glove we reviewed last spring. This tab allows goaltenders to adjust the tension over their fingers, and therefore the grip pressure under their fingers into the palm. CCM widened this tab significantly (it’s almost three times wider) and split it in line with the double-T, significantly expanding the adjustability compared to the E-Flex 3 glove, which featured a thin Velcro tab that only allowed goalies to adjust the tension straight across the fingers. Now they can angle it up or down too.

Many key features have been carried over from Extreme-Flex 3 and Premier 2 lines, including the use of impact-absorbing D3O foams in the palm of the glove for increased protection and insulation from puck impact (by absorbing the impact, not kicking it away like a harder material might), the use of Speed Skin material on stock gloves, and increased protection over the back of the finger tips for goalies turning their glove over in reverse-VH.

CCM will also continue to offer three levels of protection at custom: a “Game Ready Palm” with 5/16-inch layer of felt; the “Pro Palm” with a 1/2-inch layer of felt; and the “Practice Palm” with two 5/16-inch layers. But since adding the three-millimeter layer of D3O to the palm, they have seen a decrease in the use of “practice” gloves right up to the NHL. And because that thin layer of D3O in the palm won’t break down, goalies will still be protected even as the rest of the glove softens over time, enhancing the durability in a line already known for it.

Speaking of durability, CCM gloves continue to use more-expensive injection molded plastic components rather than compression molded parts that tend to lose their shape faster.

Continuing with the “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” theme, the CCM E-Flex 4 blocker builds on the success that has seen NHL goalies like Ryan Miller still using it despite wearing other catcher and leg pads. While there are some notable changes from the E-Flex 3 blocker, most are a continuation of improvements made in the Premier 2 blocker last spring.

That includes re-designing the inside thumb protection by removing the big pillow that used to sit between the thumb and the side board and replacing it with more high-density foam to maintain the protection while also reducing weight and improving balance. The thinner profile is noticeable visually and on your hand compared to an E-Flex 3, and pro and tester feedback all noted the improved balance when the change was first made on the Premier 2 blocker.

The biggest new feature unique to this year’s Extreme Flex 4 blocker that wasn’t in the Premier line is the addition of a nylon quick-release wrist strap, something Price used in Montreal. It replaces the Velcro strap that used Speed Skin, which remains the stock surface material, and is a nice combination with the more open and adjustable cuff now standard on CCM blockers.

The other, more subtle change is on the elastic attachment between the index finger and the outer finger protection. Where the E-Flex 3 elastic between the index and middle finger attached atop the finger, the E-Flex 4 is anchored at the inner edge, which keeps that outer protective layer pulled closer. And should a puck still roll up the paddle or deflect in a way that gets past that outer layer, CCM continued the use of a layer of impact-absorbing D3O foam that wraps around the tip of the index finger for increased protection.

The E-Flex 4 blocker is binding-less (you can custom order it with the binding around the edges) and comes stock with their grey Sure Grip material but traditional Nash but is also available on custom orders. The palm comes centered in a stock blocker, but can be custom ordered in an offset high position, and can also be custom ordered in intermediate size for smaller hands or in XL for bigger hands. The extra layer of finger protection between the sidewall and index finger comes stock as the “straight” option, but the “curved” protection can be ordered as well.