Brian’s Kevlar Goalie Throat Guard – It works for some things.
Written: Sep 07 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great for keeping skates from cutting you.
Cons: Won't help much with shots hitting your neck.
The Bottom Line: If you have a lower neck on your chest and arm protector, I highly recommend one
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Brians Soft Kevlar Senior Hockey Goalie Throat Gua... |
How I came to own mine
When I first started playing goalie I knew that getting hit in the neck would be a bad thing. The problem was that no one seemed to carry the lexan protectors that hang from the helmet. In my naivety and inexperience I purchased a Brian’s Kevlar throat guard instead.
If you’re like me you’ve gotta figure that Kevlar can stop a bullet so it better be able to stop a puck. I mean frankly if pucks are more dangerous than bullets I might have picked the wrong sport. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time
Why it wasn’t that great an idea
It turned out that this type of throat guard wasn’t intended for stopping pucks from hurting your neck. Instead it is meant to keep skates and sticks from slicing you wide open. A goalie bleeding from the neck puts a damper on the whole game so it isn’t a bad product. It just isn’t what I was looking for.
In fact the impact protection of this item is rather minimal. Instead the Kevlar materials which cannot be cut with a normal knife are the main protection. If you get smacked with a stick it still hurts. If a skate blade catches you in the jugular it will likely be painful. However, it shouldn’t be fatal with one of these on.
The Design
Essentially the throat guard fits like a bib. It fastens with a Velcro closure at the back of the neck. If you have a low cut chest and arm protector and are a little more modest about showing your chest, this is a great way to augment the coverage. There is a small amount of padding inside the neck and bib area of the throat guard, but not enough to make me happy about taking shots there. Granted I would rather take a shot with one on than nothing, but it isn’t a suitable substitute for a lexan neck guard.
Durability
When used with a lexan protector (which I highly recommend) a Brians throat guard will last many seasons. In fact your own sweat is more likely to be the biggest wear and tear on it. This is a product that you hope you never need and honestly you might never need. It isn’t going to take a ton of punishment from being hit by pucks unless you have a really odd style of goaltending. Further if this is the case, it will probably outlast you.
As mentioned mine was purchased when I first started playing five years ago. It is the only piece of gear that I haven’t replaced. There are two reasons that I haven’t replaced it. One is that I haven’t used it for two years since upgrading to a better chest protector with a built in throat guard. The other is that it looks brand new still.
Parting Thoughts
While this type of neck protector isn’t a required piece of gear to play the game, it is nice insurance. Freak accidents do happen. I know three people who have had serious injuries from skates hitting them in the face while they were on the bench! One player was almost killed when a skate sliced his neck factions of an inch from the jugular.
If this kind of thing can happen on the bench, you know that goalies are at risk. I’ve been lucky enough to never get cut by a skate blade. My jersey bears witness to how many times I might have been though. It is laced with cuts from skate blades. I think I might even need a new one soon.
Nonetheless, this is a pretty good product for what it’s intended to do. Just don’t expect it to stop pucks.
Recommended:
Yes
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puckmugger
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