FORT LAUDERDALE – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
That’s the mantra of some of the Florida Panthers when it comes to hockey equipment.
Whether it’s superstition, comfort, or something else, sometimes we just can’t let go.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve polled a number of players to discuss this very topic.
As far as their oldest gear goes, here’s what they had to say.
Alexander Barkov: Probably shin pads. I used to be more strict about my equipment, but now I like everything so I’m getting used to it.
Sam Bennett: My shoulder pads are pretty old and I just replaced them this year. Maybe my pants. I’m wearing a girdle, but it’s very old. Very few men wear girdles now, but they are probably more than five years old. I don’t like using new equipment, but the equipment I had was getting old and I needed to switch it up. I’ve been using shin pads for about 10 years and only replaced them a few years ago because they broke, but I like using my own.
Adam Boqvist: I’ve been wearing gaming undershirts for seven years and gaming pants for probably closer to 10 years.
Jesper Boqvist: Elbow pads. I’ve been with these guys for probably 8-9 years.
Jonah Gajovic: The shin pads. I think it started from my first year as a pro, so it’s been about 7 years.
AJ Greer: Elbow pads. They may be 2 or 3 years old, but I hit them a lot and I like to protect myself, so I flip almost everything over and keep them pretty established.
Spencer Knight: Probably my neck guard. I’ve had it for a few years now and replace everything else pretty frequently.
Anton Randell: My shin pads. I think I’ve been using it for about 5 or 6 years. If I remember correctly, I believe so (since returning to Finland).
Etu Luostarinen: Probably my chest protector. It’s been a while. I think it’s been about 8 years now. It still has the Finnish league tag on it and a tracker like the one used here.
Niko Mikkola: Probably my pad. I’ve had these for probably 5 years. Last year I was using the old elbow pads, but this year I switched to the new elbow pads. That was the oldest one.
Evan Rodriguez: I’m not that weirdo. I’m always wearing new things, so I have no idea. These practice pads are probably several years old. That’s probably it. Other than that, I like wearing new things.
Macky Samoskevich: I just bought new skates, but I had my old skates for about a year. I’ve been through a lot of things like that, so I guess that’s probably the case.
Nate Schmidt: My shin pads are from my first year as a pro, probably my second year. They are 11 years old. Both caps have already been replaced once, maybe twice.
Carter Verhage: My shoulder pads. I’ve been using it since I was probably 17 years old.
