Hockey pants

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hockey pants, also called "breezers," are knee-to-waist protective gear for ice hockey or roller hockey players. The pants carry a variety of padding depending on whether they are worn by goaltenders or skaters (forwards and defenders), and also on the manufacturer.

The pants are traditionally a one-piece garment with a lace-up fly augmented by a strap belt. Sometimes, they are additionally held up by suspenders (particularly in the case of goalie pants).

A type of pant popularly called a "Cooperall" was seen in a failed experiment in professional hockey by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1981-82 NHL season and by both the Flyers and Hartford Whalers in the 1982-83 NHL season. The name stems from the manufacturer, Cooper. The Cooperall was a full-length pair of shell pants that covered protective padding from the waist to the ankles, as opposed to the traditional breezer and shin guard combination. A breezer-length version, sometimes called a Cooper girdle, is currently available from a few gear manufacturers, though it is most commonly worn by roller hockey players.