HOW SHOULD HOCKEY PANTS, GIRDLES, & SHELLS FIT?

 Both hockey pants and hockey girdles should be snug with the belt around your waist, not your hips. Hockey pants will fall a little longer, overlapping the kneecap of your shin guard by about half way. Since girdles are tighter, they’ll be shorter than pants so they don’t interfere with your shin guards.

 When you stand upright in hockey pants, the bottom of the pants should fall somewhere about a third to halfway down the kneecap of your shin guard. This slight overlap will ensure that you are fully covered when in stride. When your leg is bent, the pants are going to cover down to the top of your shin pads, again for the purpose of keeping you fully protected.

 With a girdle, there is less movement in stride since it is tighter to the leg. There isn't enough room to overlap with the shin guard. For these reasons, the girdle will need to fit slightly shorter. Without that extra play to fall over the shin guard, it becomes more important to be sure that the two pieces of gear are not interfering or displacing one another. If purchasing a girdle, you’ll also need a hockey pant shell. Think of the girdle as your inner liner and padding and the shell as your pants.

 ·        The bottom of the pants should arrive on the kneecap or just a little bit higher.

 ·        Try them with your shoulder pads on. There should not be any space, or very little space in between them at the back when standing. It’s okay if they overlap a little bit, as you will be bent forward when you skate.

 IN SHORT – HOCKEY PANTS, GIRDLES, & GIRDLE SHELLS FITTING GUIDE:  Hockey pants protect the butt, spine, hips, waist, kidneys, and thighs from falls, hits, and pucks.

 ·        The pants should not rotate or slip down when tightened.

·        If the pants are too loose or slip down, suspenders can be purchased to hold them in place. 

 ·        The bottom of the pants should touch the top of the player’s shin guards.

·        It is important to get your child a properly fitted pair of pants to ensure that they are not sagging down or too small, which would leave the bottom of the thigh exposed to injury.

 Pants should be fitted with shin pads in place to ensure the length of the pant reaches the top of the kneecap and covers approximately 2" of the shin pad's top flair padding. It is also important to make sure that leg and kidney pads cover those areas adequately. Pants should not be cut for any reason.