Checkin' Out the Women's Hockey Equipment

By Deanna Miyauchi
For Hipcheck: Volume 1, Issue 4
July/August 1998

In the last few years equipment manufacturers have started to pay
serious attention to outfitting female hockey players. Some got out of
the starting gate early and worked with teams and individual players to
test-drive their new prototypes and give feedback. So what caused the
sudden awakening?  The answer probably lies in our growing numbers and
purchasing power, and our increasing sophistication and knowledge of
hockey. Bonafide Olympic sport status, televised international
championships, and endorsements from top women players are signs that
our game has graduated to a new commercial level.

So what's out there to buy?  Lots.  When shopping for new equipment, you
will notice terms like "anatomically" and "proportionally" designed, but
what does this mean? It means that equipment fits the female anatomy
precisely, unlike the days of yore when we wore equipment designed for
boys and men. Read the correlation between better fit and improved
on-ice performance...and start getting excited!

Louisville Hockey has been the loudest out of the starting blocks with
its line of female equipment, plus top names Like Cammi Granato, Kelly
Dyer and Geraldine Heaney to design and promote it. Louisville
introduced its TPS 800 series in 1996 and the response was so successful
that product offerings are expanding in 1998.

Karhu, with its Jofa, Titan, and Koho brands, adopts a different
approach, offering products for women "developed with the same
innovative technology and high quality as in our existing line, but that
will accommodate the female physique."

Pelvic protection

Check out Itech's new Pro Lycra short with built-in pelvic protector and
large velcro tabs to grip hockey socks. The material is lightweight,
extremely comfortable and specifically designed to fit the female
anatomy. Longdon has the Pro-Activ Woman hockey compression short with
built-in pelvic protector and velcro sack tabs.  It is made of two-way
stretch poly-cotton and rubber blend which provides compression and soft
support for hamstrings, quads, abdomen and groin. Additionally,
breathable fabric pulls perspiration away from the skin.

Trifilar-A Sports has the only full-length pant underwear called The
Eliminator for Her, in 50/50 cotten and polyester blend,  incorporating
a pelvic protector and velcro sock tabs. The soft fabric wicks away
moisture and is very comfortable.

Shoulder pads

Female-specific pads are proportioned properly and designed to be
lightweight and free moving. The Louisville TPS 800 was the first such
piece for women and is joined this year by the Itech SPW 675. They both
offer a similar level of protection with poly foam in the chest and back
and were developed for the women's no-hit game.

Elbow pads

Many female players prefer to wear a high-end pad on their elbows, but
are caught between a boy`s velcro shortage and fl... quality, and too
much bulk and length in men`s sizes, Jofa offers the JDP 5035 with a
smaller bicep cap in size medium and both smaller elbow and bicep caps
in size small to accommodate women. The Jofa JDF 5025 is also
recommended, having a smaller elbow cap in sizes small and medium.

Pants

Today, pants designed for females have lower-scooped kidney protection
for shorter torsos, longer crotch rises, more hip room and shorter thigh
padding.  These fit! Louisville has two new models: the TPS 850 with
increased pelvic padding, four-way stretch Lycra, three-piece tail bone
protection and increased waist padding and the TPS 8l0 with two-way
stretch Lycra and a two-piece tail bone protection. Both feature the
Contour Flex Thigh protection system.

Easton introduces the Women's Air 4000 pants with built-in, removable
"Jill", patented Air II System protection, tapered European fit and
professional two-belt closure. Koho adds its new HP 2260 WM pro style
pants with tough-coated nylon and stretch material insert for
flexibility.

Gloves

Puckhandling and shooting, finesse and scoring, it's what every player
needs their hands to do, so cut out the big glove baggage and help them
do it right!  Women's gloves are narrower in finger and hand width and
shorter in finger and cuff length, have less bulk and weight and provide
a precise feel.

Louisville's new TPS 850 gloves have reinforced Clarino palms, precurved
fingers and backrolls, a three-piece thumb and are available in a 13.5"
length. The Jofa ASD 5500 and Koho 2270 pro leather gloves and the
lighter weight Jofa ASD 2500 and Koho 2250 pro polyester gloves are in
13" lengths for women too.

Hockey sticks

Female hockey players generally have smaller hands, weigh less and have
less upper body strength than males, which affects puckhandling, shot
velocity and shot height. Intermediate proportions solve a big need with
smaller shaft geometry, lighter weight and more flex than senior sticks,
and have full-length blades. Shaft heights range between 54"-57"
compared to 52"-53" for juniors and 59"-62" for seniors.

Louisville diplomatically offers the TPS III Lite in Granato and Heaney
patterns. New for Karhu is the Koho Revolution 2250 Thin Grip and the
Titan Exchange 7000 Thin Grip which offers a shaft shape that is convex
in both palms. Sherwood trots out a new PMP 6050 with a smaller, shaved
handle, and don't forget the Branches Ultra 2700 medium flex and Ultra
2770 stiff flex.

In shafts, Koho targets women's hockey with the CoreLight 10 composite.
It has a lightweight Core construction (300 grams), rounder radius,
reduced shall geometry, and is available in flex, mid-stiff and stiff.
Louisville has the new TPS Pro Convex Kevlar to complement the TPS Pro
Convex graphite version, both shafts have extra flex. Fix them up with a
choice of Locjaw blades in Granato or Heaney patterns.

Skates

Skates are critical to performance and will be one of the most important
choices you'll make. At least one company offers female-specific fits
with lower cuff heights to accommodate a lower calf structure and
narrower heel and foot to improve control and stability. CCM produces
two models of Tacks, especially for women: the 852  Custom Fit with
Kevlar-reinforced nylon, pro quarter stitching, Supra Form footbed, lace
bite insert and Prolite 3 stainless steel blade, and the 452 Tack with
full grain leather uppers and a Prolite 3 carbon steel blade. Both
models feature CCM's Heel Stabilizing Wedge II which gives added forward
flexion and heel lock and come in sizes 2-8 (full and half) in regular
and narrow widths.

The equipment in this review was selected because it was either designed
specifically for female hockey players or targets this clientele. There
are other product choices out there and we'll provide them in future
issues of HIPCHECK, plus check out what the world's first hockey store
for females has to offer!

Deanna Miyauchi is a freelance writer who plays hockey in Edmonton.
Putting 26 seasons of experience wearing some ill-fitting equipment to
good use, she plays with APT Edmonton of the Northern Alberta Ladies'
Hockey Association.  Until recently, she was a female hockey equipment
specialist at a local sports store.

Hipcheck Volume 1, Issue 4, July/August 1998