The Complete Handbook of Hockey Protective Gear
A practical reference for professionals, businesses, and serious hobbyists selecting, using, and maintaining equipment that prevents injury on the ice
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
The neutral technical reference for choosing, using, and maintaining hockey protective gear—for professionals, managers, and serious players who want to understand how the equipment actually works.
About this book
Hockey protective gear is impact-management equipment. Each piece—helmet, shoulder pads, gloves, shin guards, and the rest—is engineered to absorb or deflect specific forces and distribute energy in ways that reduce injury risk. Yet many players, coaches, and equipment managers choose gear based on brand loyalty, peer opinion, or marketing claims rather than understanding how the equipment actually functions or whether it matches their specific risk profile.
This handbook provides the neutral, practical knowledge professionals and serious hobbyists need. You'll learn what protective gear is and how it works—not at a physics level, but in concrete terms that matter when you're selecting equipment or managing it for a team. You'll discover which specifications actually measure performance and which don't, how to choose the right gear for your playing level and position, how to maintain it so it performs as designed, and how to evaluate the brands and suppliers that matter in this category. Whether you're an equipment manager outfitting a team, a serious hobbyist upgrading your own kit, a retailer serving hockey customers, or considering a business opportunity in hockey equipment, this book provides the reference knowledge you need.
Reader Reviews
Edward Baker
★★★★★This handbook delivers solid technical information on how protective gear works and what specs matter, and the chapter on choosing equipment for different positions is genuinely useful. My main frustration is that Chapter 2 gets dense with material specifications and could use more diagrams or cross-sections to illustrate how padding is actually layered. Still worth it for professionals managing teams, but casual readers might find it more detailed than they need.
Barbara Brown
★★★★★Exactly what I was looking for. I manage equipment for a junior club and I've been making purchasing decisions based on whatever the veterans said to buy. This book explains the mechanics of impact absorption and gives me a real framework for comparing helmets and pads instead of just trusting brand reps. The business chapter was a bonus—helped me think through whether to start a resale program for gently used gear. Highly recommend for anyone in a management role.
Sarah Garcia
★★★★★Very thorough and practical reference. The maintenance and troubleshooting chapter solved a recurring problem we had with shoulder pad straps, and I appreciated the explicit guidance on when to repair versus replace. Only minor critique: some of the specifications in Chapter 2 reference standards I had to look up elsewhere, but the book does point you toward those resources.
Ryan Thompson
★★★★★As someone who plays competitive hockey and has always just grabbed whatever equipment looked good on the wall, this changed how I think about fit and protection. The real-world examples in the selection chapter—matching gear to your specific position and injury history—actually made sense. Would've liked more detail on women's-specific sizing, but overall a solid reference I'll keep around.
Matthew Johnson
★★★★★This is the book every equipment manager should read before making bulk purchases. It cuts through the marketing noise and explains what you're actually paying for when you choose a premium brand versus a mid-market alternative. The section on foam compression and impact degradation was particularly eye-opening—I'm now tracking our gear lifecycles completely differently. Exactly the kind of practical knowledge I needed.
Paul Martinez
★★★★★Solid technical foundation and I appreciate the neutral stance on brands. As a retailer, I found the supplier positioning in Chapter 6 helpful for understanding how to talk to different customer segments. The troubleshooting chapter has already saved me from replacing equipment that just needed proper adjustment. This is the reference I'll be pointing customers to when they ask why certain gear costs more.