CCM Blockade Trapper: The catch glove works a lot better than the leg pads do
Written: Apr 02 '04 (Updated Dec 13 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lightweight, well designed and very impressive all around
Cons: If you want a matching set of gear, the leg pads are trash.
The Bottom Line: The leg pads don't work, but this glove is outstanding. Innovation paid off here.
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| puckmugger's Full Review: CCM Blockade Pro Goalie Catch Glove |
The Blockade line was one of the most anticipated innovations in goalie equipment, but for the leg pads, not the gloves. The weird, knee roll lacking, leg pads were what caught everyone’s attention, not the gloves that went with them. Yet, after the initial buzz died down a bit and people started looking at the gloves, it became obvious that they too were different.
At first glance a trapper is a trapper, and the Blockade doesn’t seem very different from the hundreds of other catch gloves on the market. A little closer examination reveals that it does have a few new tricks up its sleeve.
The Blockade Trapper
There are two very notable differences in the Blockade Trapper. The first is that the Blockade has a one-piece palm and cuff. Where a normal goalie trapper has a completely separate cuff pad, the Blockade’s pad is an integrated, single piece that extends all the way to the palm of the glove. Not entirely unlike the flat face of the leg pads, it helps the goalie to have more predictable deflections on the pucks that don’t stay put in the glove. The lack of a seam also makes a more stable platform for dispersing the blow of a shot to the entire hand rather than having the wrist bear the brunt of it.
The other difference that is notable is the light and seemingly sparse design of the trapper. At first glance it seems like there simply cannot be enough padding there to make the thing work safely. When you pick it up, it is feather light. The weight is fantastic. This is by far the lightest goalie trapper I have used, and it makes the glove that much more dangerous for shooters.
The materials are excellent on all of the Blockade products, as is the workmanship. CCM’s technoweave is among the best looking synthetic fabrics on any goalie gear. The lining is supple and dries relatively quickly as well. I would expect this trapper to last a very long time.
My Experience using the Blockade Trapper
I was able to use a demo set of Blockade gear shortly before it was released for the general public and found the leg pads very disappointing (please see my published review on them as well). As much as I disliked the CCM Blockade Goal Pads, these gloves were both outstanding. The trapper felt a little tight on my hand at first, and I thought this might be a problem as I occasionally have circulation problems in my hands. However, through two hours of play, I had no issues with discomfort.
The off the shelf break in on the trapper was good with no problems closing the glove and no weird openings that allowed pucks to get out. The light weight of the glove was a joy, allowing me to make numerous heroic glove saves. In light of my inability to cover the bottom of the net (due to the Blockade leg pads) many of these brought my bench to a rousing – albeit sarcastic - standing ovation.
The padding in the Blockade is more than sufficient despite any apparent lack at first glance. I took a number of hard shots to the glove with no stingers. CCM accomplished this by using stiffer materials in the glove than normal. There are also no real holes where the puck can sneak in and get your bare hand. Usually this is more of a bad technique issue, but many gloves will expose the pinky side of the hand if it is turned the wrong way when making a glove save. This one does not.
The pocket has a good shape. It is deep enough to capture the puck without closing the glove. It also is stiff enough to put the puck back into play without it hanging up in the webbing. This was a definite improvement over my current glove which sometimes eats the puck and is reluctant to cough it back up.
Final Recommendations
The Blockade Trapper was something of a surprise. I was so focused on the innovations behind the leg pads that I never really thought about CCM’s gloves. Further, the poor design of the leg pads was almost enough for me to overlook the gloves in the frustration of my first experience using the Blockades. Nonetheless, these are one of the best new goalie products I have come across in years.
I highly recommend the Blockade Trapperdespite my many reservations about the leg pads. This glove is well worth the price.
© Scott Noble – Unauthorized use prohibited
A few of my other links that you might find helpful:
Fitting Goalie Gear
CCM Blockade Blocker
CCM Blockade Goal Pads
Brian’s Demon Goal Pads
Battram Custom Goalie Equipment
© 2005 Scott Noble – All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
Thanks to openroad for adding this item so I could review it.
Recommended:
Yes
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