Ice hockey equipment

[jacob]

Had a question from a prospective member asking if he could use his ice hockey equipment for lacrosse.

I think the helmet would be okay as some people have used those Bauer Helmets. But what about the gloves?

He also said he has shoulder pads, but I'm guessing those are a bit bulky for lax?

[webby]

You might need to look into the rule book, as I have a feeling it was changed in the past few years to state that all equipment must be specifically designed for use in lacrosse.

He might be able to get away with wearing his helmet as long as he has a cage and not a visor (obviously) and as long as he as not removed the ear pieces like a lot of hockey players do. You are at a greater risk of taking a ball or stick to the head or neck in lacrosse than your are in hockey, so I really wouldn't recommend using a hockey helmet in the long term as the risk of injury is higher. This is why Box players wear hockey helmets with specially designed face masks that come down further, and are not directly in contact with your face.

Hockey gloves are as protective if not more so compared to lacrosse gloves, but they are no where near flexible enough. Hockey gloves have a fixed/rigid thumb piece to protect them from shots, slashes, etc. You would not be able to stick handle well enough with hockey gloves due to this design difference (you don't have/need as much fine control of your stick in hockey).

Elbow pads are designed to protect the user from falls onto the ice or into the boards, and are therefore not designed to withstand slashes, and again they are not really flexible enough for lacrosse. He might be able to get away with them though depending on how bulky they are.

Shoulder pads - it really depends on the size of the pads, as obviously hockey pads tend to be more bulky as they need to absorb body contact, as well as hits into the boards and falling onto the ice. Some hockey players remove the shoulder caps from their shoulder pads to make them more flexible and less bulky, so if he's done this he might be more comfortable using them. I wouldn't be surprised if some box players wear hockey shoulder pads. But like Nick said, a lot of players in the UK don't wear shoulder pads anyway.

In short - he might be ok at first using his helmet, elbow pads and shoulder pads for things like trainings and scrimmages, but I wouldn't like to use my hockey equipment for anything more than that. His gloves, unless they are super cheap or super old, will be too rigid in the thumb area to be usable.

Like I said initially, check the rule book (I don't have mine to hand) as equipment designed for a sport other than lacrosse may affect insurance, etc. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable reffing a game with a player kitted out in hockey pads/gloves/helmet for safety and insurance reasons.

[jacob]

Thanks for the info

[dblacklock]

The rule book does say specifically for lacrosse, however I am quite sure that you would be safe with the hockey equipment. in Canada many players use hockey equipment for both field and box lacrosse.

[webby]

The rule book does say specifically for lacrosse, however I am quite sure that you would be safe with the hockey equipment. in Canada many players use hockey equipment for both field and box lacrosse.

From what I've seen, they tend to have box lacrosse face masks fitted, which brings the cage away from the face and further down giving more protection. Hockey helmets have the chinstrap directly connected to the face cage, which finishes at chin height, so you're at a greater risk of injury from a high check or a slash. That and as far as I'm aware, the box face cages are thicker than a hockey cage to withstand a misplaced check.

[dblacklock]

Its only in box lacrosse where they change the face mask. Many field players use the standard helmet and facemask that is used in hockey.

Not so sure that a field facemask is all much safer then a hockey helmet's mask, although if you read the sticker on the inside of the hockey helmet you will see that it states that it is not certified for lacrosse. But that is only because Canadian Lacrosse has not paid to have the helmets certified for lacrosse.

[Xman22]

I'd say a no on the gloves, ice hockey gloves have a very sturdy thumb which your not suppose to be able to move. Helmets should be cool because they are effectively what box lax helemts are just with a different face mask. Hope this helps