GOALIE TIPS

1. Packing your Goalie Bag

Many goalies do not think that it is important to pack their hockey bag in any certain way. However, getting yourself into a routine of packing your bag properly can help you in maintaining the proper shape of your equipment, not to mention help cut down on the chances of having a piece of equipment left at home!

Here's a step by step guide to follow: (click on the images for a larger view)

"pre-hockey bag" packing

1. Take your goalie mask and place it inside of your hockey pants. Do this before you put pants inside the hockey bag. This will help protect your mask from scratches.

2. Take your skates (covered with a pair of skate guards or an old pair of hockey socks) and "wrap" them in your chest protector (a.k.a. body armour). This will help protect your equipment from cuts that could occur with the skate blades.

Once this is done, we can move on to putting your gear into your hockey bag.

3. Place the hockey pants (with goalie mask) at one end of the bag and chest protector (with skates) at the other. Both should lie side-by-side in the bottom of your hockey bag. 

4. Next lay your goalie pads length-wise in the bag on top of the pants and chest protector. Pack your pads with the faces down so they will not get bent out of shape.

5. Place your blocker and catcher in the bag next. Put one at each end of the hockey bag as shown. I recommend that you keep a softball in the pocket of your catcher (when it is not in use) to help keep the pocket in good shape.

6. Finally add the rest of your necessities, such as your jersey, socks, athletic supporter (jock), under-clothes, and towel. If your bag has an additional pouch or side pocket, you can place these items there. If not, just place them on top of your goalie pads.