Chest Combo
The chest combo is another extremely important piece of equipment for a goaltender’s protection, as the goal of all goaltenders is to make every save in the middle of their chest. Therefore, a proper fitting chest combo is extremely important.
There are 2 important keys to look for when fitting a chest combo:
1.The length of the combo should cover the hipbones, with an ideal length of the goaltender’s belt line. Any longer and the combo will stretch onto the legs, restricting movement. Anything above the hipbones will create a gap between the combo and the pants, and offer exposure across the lower belly area.
2.The arm length should cover the wrist bone. The shortest the arms should ever be is 2-3 finger widths above the wrist bone. Any shorter will create a gap between the arm and the hand, and expose skin for potential pucks and skate cuts. The arms should never stretch onto the hand itself. If the arms are too long, the goaltender will not be able to put on their gloves and their hand movement will be restricted.
A common area of concern is the open neck of a chest combo. While too much exposure is a concern, there is a standard amount of area that should be exposed. This is to allow the chin of a goaltender’s mask to get tighter to their chest in order to look into their feet when required. To cover this, the goaltender should always wear a proper BNQ certified neck guard, specifically a goalie neck guard with a protective bib.