314 Parents: Questions from Parents on Travel and Gear

This week, instead of having one specific topic to jump in on, Woody, it's sort of a few quick questions that have been fired our way over the last little while, and I'm gonna dip my toe into each of those. If you wanna jump in a little bit and and share your feelings as well, we'd love to hear from you. And there it's a it's a diverse range, not around a theme at all. The first one, must be a lot of people traveling this time of year for hockey. Seems a little late for me, but there's a lot of questions coming up about how do you travel with goalie gear.

This is not a full segment on how to travel with goalie gear except to say it's a lot easier than you think. It feels a little bit overwhelming. All that gear, all that weight, we're all worried about baggage and so on even without goalie gear. It's pretty simple. Probably easier in Canada frankly.

I think they understand. Some of our big airlines here just see hockey equipment as another piece of luggage. And even though it's oversized, if it's under 50 pounds, they just treat it as a piece of luggage. Your sticks are part of the package. I recommend you tape at least two sticks together.

It gives them a little bit more strength when you're traveling. And, you might choose to use a stick bag. You might choose to use a plastic ski bag that sometimes they'll provide to you at an airline. And, and from there, it's really as easy as checking it in. Do do obviously check with the individual airline because it does vary how they do that.

I would recommend having a bag that you can fit your pads in. They'll be better protected in there. In one bag, at the highest levels of the game, goaltenders travel with their pads in the bags. It keeps them better on the bus, on the airplane, whatever. And then I would say put an air tag in it.

We made that suggestion on a segment years ago coming out of COVID and Daren did it with his golf equipment and it saved him on a trip when the airline lost his golf equipment. So put an air tag in. Usually, they don't charge you extra for the gear. I'll give you one little story of my son charming people. Arrived at the airport with his goalie bag recently.

Way overweight, north of seventy five pounds because he chose to travel with two sets of gloves, two pairs of skates for some reason, and, sorted other things. So he just looked at the lady and smiled, and he said, no. Come on. We're not gonna penalize goalies just because they have extra equipment, are we? It's gonna be easier for you.

It's gonna be easier for me. And she said, yeah. You're right. Go through. And so it was nice that we have people who get hockey, get goaltending.

So that's my tips on travel. Woody, how's that sound? You haven't traveled with goalie year really, have you?

I was gonna say I'm I'm I'm at a loss to be helpful here, which is I think a lot of people that listen to our podcast every week would would kind of agree that that's a that's a regular thing. But, yeah, I I don't I don't have a ton to add there because I have maybe this this may be a shameful admission given where we are in the game and and and how active a voice we have in the position, but I have never, never traveled with goalie gear. The most I've ever traveled with is what some people would call a coaching kit. Right? So skates, knee pads, a sweats, you know, a track suit or whatever, like a a coaching suit.

And and clearly, I'm not a coach, folks, just I'm not pretending to be, but going out on the ice with video cameras, you you bring those things. That's all I've ever traveled with. So my biggest thing is and funny enough, we are old enough to know there was a time where you would bring your skates on the plane because you didn't want them to get lost because you absolutely couldn't be without them. But sharp objects and planes don't go together anymore. You gotta make sure you check that bag.

That's the extent of my goalie knowledge is you need to make sure you check your skates.

Interestingly, I've seen some parents comment that they take the skates on the plane. I don't know how you pull that off if we can't bring a pair of nail clippers on here. But clearly some people have pulled it off.

Do know some people the blades out?

That could be it. Yeah. That could be it. That's good thought. But some people do strategically to keep it under that 50 pound limit, which a lot of airlines have.

Will pull skates out if they can, a helmet, just pick a few things that are extra heavy and bring that with a carry on if you need to be careful about the weight. Okay. Speaking of bags, there was also a question about a coach forcing a seven year old to carry their bag into the rink. If you can't bring your own bag into the rink, you can't play. I'm not gonna rant about that anymore.

You've heard me say it before. I hate it. A coach forcing all the kids at a very young age to carry their bags in because we want them to have fun. I would just say, don't be shy about using a a wheeled bag. I know it's not cool at a certain age, but if you've got a seven year old who has to bring their gear in and it's gonna help them, don't be, shy about that.

A lot of parents in the groups love those giant sumo bags, Woody. You see it all the time. They rave about it. In this situation, I can understand why you would do that. I will say to the parents of the young goalies, as you get higher up in the game, they expect you to hang all your gear in the room and then put your bag under the bench so that the rest of the room is clear.

It's easier for people to move around. It is safer for people to move around. And when the room is stuffed full of 10 or 15 of these giant sumo bags, not ideal at all and tends to be when you're at the youngest ages, they give you the smallest dressing room. So if you can get to the point where you're working with a regular bag, great. But if I had a seven year old and the coach was forcing them to bring their own gear in, a big bag that you can strap the pads on and strap the stick sticks to, I would not be ashamed about that at all.

So that was point two. Woody, you probably don't wheel your gear in, do you?

I'm gonna be You have

a different reason. You have a different reason. And it's vanity and it has nothing to do with being seen.

It's vanity? It is, but it has nothing to do with being seen

Okay. Wheeling So it is is it vanity? This has changed over the years. It it wasn't Utility? My I basically had a trunk that the wheel bag was destroying.

And so couldn't fit it in. Obviously, a a wheel bag has hard plastic, liners on it, sort of like a like ribs on the bottom of the bag to give it its integrity in the bottom so that you can sort of grab the handle on one end and there's a solid line to the wheels. It doesn't sag and drag along the ground. And that absolutely murdered the trunk of a coupe. And you're right, Hutch.

There was a point in my life not that long ago where I had a vanity coupe, a very nice car, the nicest car I've ever owned, And there was no way in hell that I was wrecking the car. By the way, it was a lease at first before I bought it out, so that was part two with one of those wheel bags. So I went to a soft, you know, that Warrior soft, big goalie bag, really durable two years that yeah. I've I've still got it. Team gave us one in beer league.

We had beer league bags and it would you know, no wheels on those. So it's not because if I had a truck with a bed that I could throw a wheel bag in and not care about, a 100%. I would be wheel bag guy. Because let's not forget, the only this is the secret to beer league. If you don't want your team to get rid of you, be the manager.

Be the manager.

Yes. And but unfortunately, the manager also so the manager of

my You gotta bring the guy at Coke with you, don't

you? Had had to bring the pops. Yeah. How how whatever type of pops those may have been and the cooler. So imagine this, I'm getting out of the car.

I'm pulling my non wheel bag out of the trunk. The cooler out of the back seat carefully lined. I did love this car. Carefully lined the back seat with a bunch of towels so nothing could ugly could get on my beautiful leather interior. So I would be going into the rink with the bag over the shoulder, the pads and the sticks in one hand, and the other hand towing the cooler, which had the team bag with the spare jerseys and all the other spare supplies on top of it.

People would look at me, are you a lunatic? Why is the goalie bringing all that stuff? To which I would reply quite flatly.

So he doesn't get cut.

This is my way of making sure they can't get rid of me no matter how bad I suck.

That's funny. Years ago, this seeing these questions reminded me years ago, we talked about doing a segment for the old PDF magazine where we would review cars and we would talk about what size bag could fit into each car. And I actually saw a parent on one of these online forums say, I want to use the large Sumo Grit Goalie Bag. I need an SUV. Which one should I buy?

So they were putting the goalie bag ahead of the vehicle, reminded me of our article, and this is apparent clearly has their priorities straight. Goal tending comes first.

I love that. Listen, I gotta go shameless plug here because the reason I don't have that car anymore is I I'm gonna I'm gonna cross worlds here is, I am now sponsored in the Vancouver market by a Hyundai dealership. And let me just tell you parents that are out there listening, as a guy who has driven a Santa Fe, an IONIQ an IONIQ5, a Kona electric right now, as well as a Tucson, you can fit a goalie bag into the back of all of those and probably shock some people to hear that you can fit the full size, everything in it goalie bag into the back of a Kona electric. So that's my shameless plug for my friends at Hyundai. Thank you very much for taking care of me and my goalie equipment.

Oh, jeez. You get one all year long. Does that since it's on this podcast, does that get me a vehicle for a week or what?

I will talk to my friends at White Rock Hyundai and see what we can do.

Okay. I've got a few more of these. Woody, stop me when it's time and we can use the the rest for next week. We could turn this into q and a next week as well. We did have another question about breaking in gear and a parent said, bought my kid a new chesty.

Should I make them wear that wear it at the next camp that they're going to and it's not a goalie camp? And my first reaction was, why are you even asking this question? The only way you're gonna break that chest protector in is to use it. It's not a goalie camp. You're just a target.

Put that chest protector on and use it. But it did just remind me of a couple of things. One, you need to use it. Two, remember the Mike Vaughn story when we were visiting him in Michigan? He actually told us that a great way to break a chest protector in would be to put it in a pillowcase, and I think you probably have to be a junior goalie to fit your chest protector into a pillowcase, but this one is.

And then put it into your dryer on low heat or on no heat and just let it tumble. Just beat it up for a little while. So something you could try with caution. We do not guarantee it works. I am not paying for your chesty if it doesn't.

The lawyers have asked me to say that. But but, yeah, you gotta get out there and use that thing, and the summer is the best time. Don't wait to go see Cam with the latest sale at the end of August as you're heading into to playing your next game.

Can I can I give a little piece of advice here?

Please, please.

Because you're I I understand you're worried or maybe the goalie is worried about how they perform at that camp. Mhmm. Obviously, should be out there not worrying about the finish. It's a like, view it as process when you're at a camp in the summer as opposed to, you know, puck stop, process over puck stop. Now understand, maybe that camp is being run by a goalie school that is also taking part in your evaluations and maybe you're worried about that.

So if I could share one piece of advice from InGoal testing and we test equipment. If it's a chest protector, great. But if you have a new chest protector and new pants and maybe a new glove, maybe on each day limit it to one thing. There's an adjustment process, especially if it's a new brand, not just a new size. If they're changing brands, if they're changing fit, if they're going up from a, you know, maybe an intermediate to a senior or to a senior pro and there's a difference that's gonna force them to adjust, try not to ask them to adjust to too much at once.

Maybe the first three days of camp, they're in the chest protector till they're comfortable, and then they add the pants, or maybe they add the pants, and the old chesty until they feel comfortable in both. We do this with testers as much as we can, and we went through this recently because we're doing a whole bunch of testing now for Warrior this week. Yeah. We had we're doing a whole bunch for Warrior. They're back on board with InGoal Magazine.

We're gonna be if you saw it on social media, we're gonna be doing a whole bunch of review work with them like we do for other companies, CCM in particular. But you can't take a goalie and be like, here is everything at once head to toe because they won't know what part feels the most different. So we had a case this week where, you know, it's like we're we're working with an integration of one piece to the other and they thought, oh, like, this is pre this is limiting my vision. And then we put them back in their regular chest protectors. Okay.

Now how do you feel about the way the mask looks? And it's like, oh, this mask is incredible for down vision. But because they were changing two different things at the same time, they couldn't tell which one was the issue. So really important to not to as much as I say get them in the summer and try it, I think it is important to not ask them to change everything at once because it's just too many aspects of their game that it can affect, and and you won't feel comfortable at all out there.

That's awesome that you actually jumped into this, Woody, because one of the other questions was about a parent who had bought all new gear for the kid for the first time ever, head to toe. They'd quite young, been borrowing gear from the association till now, time for their first set, and they went out and they were miserable and what am I supposed to do? And I think you've outlined it all there beautifully. I I would make the point that just because changing that chest protector then made the mask feel great, doesn't mean that there was a problem with the chest protector either. Because what we find every time we bring a new set of gear on the ice, whatever piece it is, there's an adjustment period while you tweak this strap and that strap and how I tie it up and how I wear it and so on.

And and so we might have been able to dial that chesty in to work great with that mask, but we just didn't have time to work with everything. We had a an hour and a half of ice, and we had a whole lot of things we had to accomplish. So that's why you need all those different skates with all those different pieces, so you've got time to adjust and tweak and and wear it the way it needs to be worn for you.

And listen, man. If Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie can go to public skates to work on their skating Amen. And and maybe not every young goalie is they're gonna be too self conscious to be out there in gear to do with crease movement patterns while everybody's circling wraps laps around them. Okay. I get that.

There is no reason you can't go out there in a new pair of pants or a new pair of knee pads or a new pair of pads or skates and just get that break in process again without the results portion of having to stop pucks.

Yeah. Absolutely. I think I think we've probably done enough here, Woody. We've gone through three fairly long questions. Used more time than I typically do.

I think I've got three more pieces, so all that means is really good news. Parent segment's already written for next week.