This is for active goaltenders.. How many of you wear a goalie mask with the cat eye cage,,?

Question

My Son plays travel hockey and it's time to replace his current Vaughn.. Have looked at the ReidiC's, as well as Itech, and Vaughn.. but the cat eye caught my eye and he's 'interested' Those who wera them, do you like them, is your field of vision better, if you don't like them.. why

Thanks folks, you've given me some great answers and a few things to think about.. hadn;t really considered whether it's a legal piece of equipment, so that is the first thing I need to make sure..

Answer 1

I never really got used to the regular cage. I always had a bar in my vision. The cateye gives me a far better view straight ahead, although the peripherical view is not much different from the regular cage. So I got used to turning my head more than moving my eyes to follow the action.
I don't know, what kind of league your son is playing. The cateye may be forbidden for security reasons, because the end of a stick would fit through the bigger "eyeholes".
A good compromise between safety and vision may be this kind of cateye ( http://www.hockeydogs.com/ProductImages/2005images/ItechRP624.jpg ), which has additional bars. This is sometimes allowed in leagues where the normal cateye is forbidden.

Answer 2

Cat eyes a illegal in minors and under. It might even be in the NHL too, but that I am not too sure of. I have an Itech, and I love it. It is very comfortable, and I was sure that it would have the sweat piece for the forehead. This is my first goalie helmet, and I have used it for the past season and a half. It does not cut down the vision too much, but all goalie helmet are going to cut down your vision somewhat, some more then others. So I would say try them on if you can before you buy it (Easier for some people, but I live in Memphis, so I just have to do research, but I made a good choice.) Good Luck!!!

Answer 3

I would check with the rule book as in minor hockey travel or not
18 and under are not allowed to wear cat eye.
Theres a solution if thats the case....
Itech makes a csa approved cat eye for 18 and under that like it

Answer 4

i am not a goalie but i was at the national develepment camp and an equipment manager was talking to us and he said some leagues like the nhl forbid those masks so u have to look into whether it is legal or not where your son is playing

i think it is really stupid for them banning them because their reason is because a stick end can fit in the hole...but i can fit the end of my stick into the cage of my helmet

i also talked to a goalie...she said the vision is awesome out of the cat eye mask

Answer 5

I like them personally because I feel it expands my field of vision especially on "close-in" action . If your son is used to using a regular cage he might not notice much of a difference .