History of the equipments used in ice hockey

The skates used for ice hockey in the past had only metal blades fastened to regular shoes. The sticks were simply thin fragments of wood till the 1930s. In 1897, G.H Merritt introduced goalie pads after wearing the pads of the wicket keeper.  The players wore simple leather gloves, till a goalie from Detroit introduced the trapper and blocker sometime in 1948. This he did after experimenting with a rectangular leather piece and a glove of the baseball catcher. The first regular user of the goalie mask had been Jacques Plante. In order to protect a broken nose, Clint Benedict made use of a crude leather version in 1928. 

The goalie mask was improved upon to the Vladislav Tretiak design- the first helmet and cage combo. This mask is considered outdated by the standards of today. This kind of mask is used by Tim Thomas and Dominik Hasek. Their safety is a matter of concern for the team. The goalie mask used today looks like a fortified helmet of a motorcycle. A cage is attached to it. The composition is however totally different and it is a true mask not a helmet.

The composite stick era is very modern. When Penguins lifted the cup, Tom Barrasso was playing with a wooden stick. The equipments used in ice hockey have become modernized keeping in mind the safety concerns of the players. The goalie is especially safeguarded as the puck can attack him straightaway. He is in need of special protection always during the game of ice hockey.