Mismatched (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Team Colour Goalie Pads)

I've alway been fascinated when goalies get traded to teams and don't have time to get goalie gear to match their new jerseys. Thus you get some pretty interesting looks, some which look gaudy and awful, some that look pretty solid. Of course these gear quirks are eventually sorted out but these guys will always have these game in their old club's gear to remind them of their transition period.

Most recently, Florida Panthers back up/former Winnipeg Jets starter Michael Hutchinson was recently picked up by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Today will be his first start for the Buds but he has already played for the Toronto Marlies in the AHL.

Photo from Toronto Maple Leafs Official Twitter

Honestly, I kind of like the look of this, as the crown on the Marlies leafs contains those colours, and having the gear being mainly white ties it into the striping on the jersey.


Back in 2013-14, Tim Thomas had moved on from the Bruins and was traded from a terrible Panthers team to a less terrible Stars team. Unlike Hutchinson, his new team contained no colours that matched his old team's, thus, we were given this...mess...

Photo by Jerome Miron from USA Today Sports

There are no words really, it's unfortunate that Tim had to go multiple games with these pads. His blocker and glove don't look too bad, but the giant red pads with the obvious Florida Panthers stripes are nothing short of funny. Top that off with a Panther head mask that looks suspiciously like Darth Maul from The Phantom Menace, it's a shame this potential HoFer had to end his career like this.

Marty Turco was certainly underrated in his time with the Dallas Stars in the 2000s, being one of the premier starters in the entire league. His career extended beyond the big D, including a stop in Chicago as Corey Crawford's back up and his final year in 2011-12 with the Boston Bruins with Tim Thomas & Tukka Rask. He is also one of the goalies to wear coloured pads (be they gold, green, red, or yellow) before Fleury popularized the trend. After beginning the year in Europe, Turco would return to the NHL with Boston, however, his yellow pads weren't quite ready. As a result, he'd have to pull out an old favourite one last time.

Photo from masslive.com

Thankfully this gear contains at least a darker version of the Bruins famous gold, and black. No Dallas green that I can see. If you grew up in the mid to late 2000s and early 2010s you remember those gorgeous pads and if you were a Canucks fan like I was at the time, they struck fear into you because Turco and the Stars were a real thorn in the side some years. This one looks okay, but Marty's gold pads were much better with the Bruins kits.

Speaking of the Bruins their current unexpected number 1 and probably the only goalie in Burins history Habs fans like, Jaroslav Halak has played for many different teams in his career, but 2013-14 saw him traded twice. Many will remember the botched traded between St. Louis and Buffalo that saw Ryan Miller sent to the Blues for a failed Stanley Cup bid, but Halak was sent back to Buffalo in return. Halak practiced with the Sabres but was then flipped to the Capitals. As a result, he would have to bring his trademark claw pads from St. Louis to Washington.

CBS Sports

There is a little bit of irony in the Caps bringing in the guy who was a major part in their 2009-10 upset loss against the Canadiens. It's hard to tell because the pads are mainly white, but those claws are blue and yellow. Surprisingly, despite the pads again being mostly white, once you notice the claw marks aren't the Caps colours, they stand out like a sore thumb. Halak would round out the season with the Caps, but would move to the Islanders in that off season where he would spend some okay to good seasons with before this season.

These are just some recent examples I can think of. If Fleury had ended up going to Calgary over Vegas that would certainly be on this list, but there are so many more examples. Can you remember any? Post them below and good luck to Michael Hutchinson in his first game with the Leafs!