from Adam Proteau of The Hockey News,

The debate around the dimensions of goalie pads has been around for years, if not decades. And San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson isn’t about to allow the contentious issue to fade into the background, because he and others believe the padding has become less about protection and more about stopping pucks from going through a netminder’s five-hole.

“With the length of these pads, somebody has to ask the question why they’re allowed to wear them up to their hips,” Wilson said, without pointing to any specific netminder. “It affects the way the game is played. I want goalies protected, but we’re not compromising protection, we’re compromising the integrity of the game.”

Wilson is frustrated by the league’s stipulations regarding the length goalie pads rise above the knee – specifically, he says the current standards permit goalies to take away virtually all openings to score along the ice when stretching their pads horizontally in a butterfly position – and he intends to put the subject on the agenda at the next NHL GM meetings in March. He’s not the only GM who is concerned by the issue.

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