High School Goalie Seeks to Patent Camouflage Technology

Last season, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury ditched his trademark bright yellow pads at the urging of a Canadian optometrist. In a letter to the team, Ottawa optometrist Janet Leduc suggested that Fleury switch his pads to a more neutral color that would be harder for the human eye to pick up.

Now, Trevor Leahy, a New Hampshire high school goalie, has gone Fleury one better and created a set of goalie pads designed to confuse shooters further by blending in with the net. Here's David Rattigan from the Boston Globe:

Using computer skills he learned in a graphic design class at the private school in South Hamilton, Leahy sketched out new leg pads that blend into the goal netting behind him. He wanted pads, a trapper, and a blocker that are white with a raised double-stitched design, just like the goal. He applied for a design patent and had them custom-made by a Canada-based pad maker.

"When the shooter comes down and only has a split second to shoot the puck, they're looking for net," said Leahy, a senior from Hampton, N.H., who grew up in Byfield. "If you put the net on the pad, they'll shoot at the pad instead of the goal."

The verdict: thus far, it's split. A couple of Leahy's teammates told Rattigan that the pads confused them, especially when they had little time to shoot. Some opponents took a different view, saying that the pads made no difference. In any case, whether or not the pads have confused any shooters, Leahy is making the most of them, posting a pair of shutouts since donning the new equipment. He's got a patent pending in Canada.