After putting the pants on, the next step is to put your skates and knee pads on. Now while knee pads are not required I highly recommend them. As you will see later in this article, the knee protection system on pads is just not adequate. It only takes one good shot to your knee to cause some long-term damage and cut your hockey career short.
Putting on your pads comes next. This part confuses most new goaltenders, how exactly are you supposed to attach those pads to your skates with the lace? Well you're about to be answered! Note that this is the way I attach them, there are variations depending on the preference of the goaltender as well as the design of the pad. I personally like to have my pads tied tight at the ankles, others like it very loose so try different variations out and see what you like.
First, position the pad in front of the appropriate leg (buckles and the wide part on the front of the pad are towards the outside), the following picture depicts the right skate and the right pad.
Then take the laces and cross them through the first hole between your skate boot and your skate blade.
TIP-> If you want to increase the distance between your skate and the pad, you can tie a knot in the laces close to the pad (betwen 2-7 cm away from the pad). When you will pull the laces tight, the knot will keep the distance you want between your skate and your pad.
