Blocker

Ice Hockey is an adventurous sport that gives you an opportunity to witness fantastic edge thrilling matches. The goalies often face challenges to handle their stick which are much larger than player’s sticks as their one hand is always occupied with the goalie’s glove. Therefore to overcome the difficulties where both the hands are filled with ice hockey equipment, a blocker with the right fit and size act as a rescue guard. The goalie blocker is an additional rectangular board worn over the gloves on the dominant backhand side. The board generally has one curved end that provides better control over deflection of the puck and also creates a tough angle while performing the shaft-down technique.

The blockers are generally worn on the hand that carries the stick. Therefore a right-handed goaltender wears the blocker on their right hand whereas the left-handed goalies wear it on their left hand. Thus a left-handed goalie is regarded as “full right goalie” as he / she wears the catch glove in his right hand. The blocker is also regarded as a waffle and sometimes called a domino. In reference to the older models, the blockers were used to be covered with real leather with holes cut over to reduce its weight and give the blockers a typical waffle-like appearance. Blockers come in various sizes, similar to the catch gloves like Youth, Junior, Intermediate and Senior.

Types of Ice Hockey Blockers

• Regular - The right-handed goalies wear the regular blockers.
• Full right - The full right blockers as the name suggests are just contradictory to its purpose. The left-handed goalies wear these blockers.

 Construction of Blockers

• Blocker board - The blocker board is the primary visual and functioning part which has specific design and pattern. It is composed of various layers of foam that are either glued or stitched together. Sometimes, there’s a ramp present on the board to deflect the pucks effectively. These boards have 8 inches width and 15 inches length, which is standardized by the NHL. A board can fit on a glove on multiple positions. Ideally, the higher the board rests upon, the more coverage it provides between the board and arm floaters.
• Side hand protection - Side-hand protection is more widespread in modern blockers. The single foam side-board protection has been upgraded to an additional blocking surface. The boards are composed of multiple high-density foam layers aiding in increased protection. The side-board is made rigid by attaching it to the blocking rib that functions as a durable blocking surface against the pucks.
• Blocking rib - The rib functions in increasing the rigidity of the side-board and makes it a more reliable surface.
• Glove - The gloves act as a supporting factor with which the blocker fits into player’s hand. The gloves come in various types having additional grip fabric and leather.
• Finger protection - The finger protection is situated in the tip of the finger stalls and has been widely improved for better performance. It is composed of high-density foams that is attached from the front board to the glove.
• Cuff - The blocker cuff is present on the underside of the glove from where the hand enters the glove. It basically protects the bottom region of the wrist from getting in contact with the ice. Most of the times, cuffs are made extra wide to enable arm floaters to fit inside the gloves. This fitting creates a better seal with the board along with the floaters and therefore, provides more protection and coverage.
• Adjustable strap - The adjustable strap is essential for tightening and adjusting the blocker around the wrist and lower palm. Henceforth, the straps provide a better balance and control of the glove.