Manufacturers are constantly seeking ways for lighter goalie equipment

What happens when you eliminate leather straps and start using improved foams?

Well, if you’re talking about hockey goalie pads, specifically leg pads, they become lighter. It’s as simple as that. Except it’s not so simple — these changes are considered successful only if performance and durability aren’t sacrificed.

That’s a constant battle for some of the top manufacturers of goalie pads. It’s also a battle they win, time and time again.

Take CCM, for example. The company just released its lightest pad series ever — the Premier II. But not before trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t.

"We played with the combination of our high-density and low-density foams, and integrated what we call rate-sensitive foam, which is in the first layer of the pad and offers the maximum rebound," said Mathieu Filiatrault-Giroux, product manager at CCM. "We took our core and reworked it by playing with the foams to bring the weight down, while also keeping the structural integrity and the level of performance that goalies are looking for in a Premier family pad."