Pro Gear: Coating your pads in Vaseline?

Spencer Martin started this season with one of the most unique equipment quirks we’ve seen in 20-plus years covering the NHL, but the funny thing is he evidently wasn’t the only goalie that was rubbing Vaseline on his pads.

Yes, you read that correctly. It’s not a typo. Until recently (and more on what changed below), the Vancouver Canuck goalie applied a healthy coat of Vaseline to the face of his pads — and for a while his blocker too — before every game.

It’s a habit Martin said he picked up from Pavel Francouz during his time with the Colorado Avalanche, but it has nothing to do with any performance benefit.