Christmas Gifts and Goalie Dreams

Kevin Woodley | December 25, 2024 | 12 min read

Pheonix Copley received Heaton gloves and blocker matching his team colors at age 9-10 — the same model worn by Marty Brodeur — and used them for two to three seasons.
Goalies are disproportionately motivated by equipment compared to skaters, with masks, pads, and custom colors often being the original inspiration to play the position.
NHL goalies consistently report that Christmas morning gear reveals created lasting emotional memories tied to their development as goaltenders.
Kevin Woodley has collected these goalie Christmas gear stories annually for NHL.com for five years, with InGoal Magazine publishing the full, unedited versions.
The bond between goalies and their gear begins in childhood and persists into professional careers, with NHL goalies still expressing excitement about receiving new equipment.

~ There is something extraordinary about the bond between goalies and their gear. Add in the magic of Christmas and it’s little wonder so many goalies have special memories about receiving a specific piece of equipment under the tree. For five years now, our Kevin Woodley has been gathering new stories and anecdotes about those bonds for an annual NHL dot com Christmas column, but word count limits often mean shortening them in that format. With no limits here, we want to share them all, in full detail, including new memories added this season:

Pheonix Copley is from North Pole, Alaska, so it’s no surprise the Washington Capitals goalie has strong memories of goalie-themed presents at Christmas.

If being from the North Pole wasn’t enough to ensure a good hockey-related story about being inspired by equipment found under the tree on Christmas morning, being a goaltender did.

Sure enough, Copley didn’t disappoint.

“I can still remember getting a Heaton glove and blocker for Christmas that matched my team colors when I was 9 or 10 years old, and I used them for two or three years,” Copley said. “They were the same gloves that Marty Brodeur had back then and I loved them.”

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