Dark Gear Discussion Returns with Carey Price in Red
- Carey Price opened the NHL season wearing all-red True L12.2 goalie pads and gloves, bucking the dominant trend of white equipment.
- Price previously wore red gear for nearly three weeks in practice and reported 'a lot of great reviews' before a six-game in-game experiment two seasons ago.
- The primary argument for white pads — that they make a goalie appear larger to shooters — is disputed by Price, who believes shooters know where the net is regardless of pad color.
- Marc-Andre Fleury publicly praised Price's red pads but acknowledged the psychological pull of white equipment still influenced his own gear choices.
- Dark or colored goalie equipment remains a legitimate strategic and psychological choice, with NHL stars offering real support for goalies at all levels who prefer non-white pads.
~ When Montreal Canadiens star Carey Price opened the season in his new all-red True L12.2 goalie pads and gloves on Wednesday, it brought back questions about the positives and negatives of dark goalie equipment. It’s a conversation we’ve had with goalies and goalie coaches around the NHL over the years, including Price and his red gear, but now seemed like a good time to revisit those interviews and share some of the varying opinions.
The last time Carey Price wore red pads and gloves was two seasons ago, and while that experiment only lasted six games, it caught the eye of his puck-stopping peers.
Price’s on-and-off flirtation with colored pads is another beacon of hope for goalies at all levels who long for a return to the days of more colorful equipment. It bucks the trend of NHL goalies opting for white pads because of the belief that appears bigger to the shooter, and re-started the debate among goalies about darker pads. Even Marc-Andre Fleury took notice, asking InGoal Magazine what Price told us when asked about using all-red two seasons ago.
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