Pinner in black Monarch pads

Looks like Pinner is actually going with Monarch as blogged about previously. Although he's going for the all black look versus the red pads and kickers he was trialing with in the Hampstead game way back when. I wanted to blog about this before the Euro Easter weekend, but forgot to, so a bit of retrospective commentary. Obviously!

http://www.hockeyimages.co.uk/sm33613

To be honest, I'm not sure if I can get away stating this, even though it's obvious to 'goalie nerds' (i.e. kit obsessives) and hockey fans that he's wearing Monarch. After all, aren't journalists supposed to dig up info and research and be aware of things before they're made official?! Not that I'm any good at it. In ice hockey goalie sightings are an encouraged part of the goalie community and yet it's not something considered in hockey! Strange... But, I thought Monarch were supposed to be making an official statement about their redevelopment and releases but it's April now and nothing's been heard, so a little confused.

Having said that, they did post on their official Twitter page that Pinner was going to be playing in their kit at the weekend. And Pinner has changed his own account to update his sponsorship status. So it's kind of official, if not totally public...

In the Reading game, he was wearing black Monarch kit for the final game of the season. Interesting game as Pinner got carded and Beeston had to make use of a 'kicking back'. Here you can see Pinner in pads and what went on after/at the incident!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12608538@N03/8586117981/

Interestingly (still interested in the difference), the left glove looks much more square than the 'lipped' designs you see from Mercian, Mazon and Grays and the like, although it does retain curves, however small, at the top. And I think Monarch's new rhp design is still in the producion/design feedback stages, hence Pinner not using one of theirs. Rhp is the Mercian foam modded with the red foam to hide the company logo...