Equipment care: dry it, check it, and know when to replace it.

The fullest care advice we found from a hockey body is in the Pashby fitting guide, written by the Hockey Development Centre for Ontario with the Dr. Tom Pashby Sports Safety Fund and hosted by Hockey Eastern Ontario. It treats care as one of three checks on every piece of equipment: in proper condition, properly maintained through its life, and properly fitted.

After every game or practice

The Pashby guide's routine:

• Dry all equipment after every game or practice, to slow its deterioration.
• Wash undergarments after every use.
• Clean visors after every use.
• Hang throat protectors to dry.
• Dry goal pads and store them upright.

A 2013 Hockey Calgary post, written to promote a commercial gear-cleaning service, gave similar advice: hang gear to dry after each use and open the bag to air it out. It suggested professional cleaning about once a season for players 10 and under and two to three times a season for older players. That is the cleaning service's recommendation, not a Hockey Calgary rule.

Skates and blades

• Dry the steel at once. The Pashby guide says to dry blades and holders immediately after use. Hockey Calgary says to wipe blades dry every time.
• Take the insoles out. Hockey Calgary says insoles should come out after use so they do not stay wet and rust the rivets. A retailer, Icebox Hockey, also advises air-drying skates with the insoles removed (claim).
• No direct heat. The Pashby guide warns never to dry skates over direct heat, because it can crack and damage the boot.
• Guard the edges. Use skate guards when walking off the ice or carrying skates, per the Pashby guide. Sparx, a maker of skate sharpeners, advises checking edges before every skate because hard floors, boards and posts can damage them (claim). For sharpening, see skate sharpening.

Helmets

• Hardware. The Pashby guide says to replace loose or missing helmet screws at once.
• Paint and stickers: the sources disagree. The Pashby guide says never paint or add stickers to a helmet, saying it weakens the structure and removes CSA certification. Hockey Canada's 2022 reminder and its 2026-28 Rule 3.6(e) Note 5 take a narrower line: check the maker's instructions before applying any sticker, because some adhesives can weaken the shell and void certification, never cover the CSA sticker, and officials are not to rule on stickers. Hockey Canada says any other alteration destroys the certification.
• Condition. Hockey Canada says helmet lifespan depends on use, care, maintenance and storage, and that a helmet that is cracked, has loose fittings or missing liner pieces, or has taken a severe impact should be replaced. USA Hockey's 2013 memo asks officials to check that ear pieces and mask clips are present and the helmet is in good condition.

For certification dates and expiry, see helmets and the helmet sticker checker.

Goalie gear

Beyond drying and storing pads upright, the Pashby guide says never to warp a goalie blocker. Rules also limit what you can do to goalie gear: Hockey Canada's 2026-28 Rule 3.5(b) says goalie pads must not be altered in any way, and the NHL bars adding pads, straps or attachments to a chest protector after it has been inspected. See goalie equipment.

Shared equipment and skin infections

Shared gear can carry skin infections from one player to another. The South Dakota Department of Health's 2015 question-and-answer sheet on MRSA in school sports describes MRSA as a staph bacterium resistant to some antibiotics, spread by skin-to-skin contact and by shared items such as towels and athletic equipment, and notes that MRSA infections have occurred among hockey players. Its prevention list includes:

• covering all wounds;
• showering with soap after practices and games;
• not sharing towels or personal items, and washing hands often;
• routine cleaning schedules for shared equipment, and regular laundering of clothes;
• cleaning equipment and surfaces that may have touched a wound with a commercial disinfectant or a freshly made diluted bleach solution before anyone else uses them;
• reporting skin lesions to coaches.

Anyone with a skin lesion or suspected infection should see a doctor; this page does not give medical advice.

When to replace

• Anything cracked or unsound. The Pashby guide says to replace it or have it professionally repaired.
• Straps. The Pashby guide says torn jock or jill straps, especially where the leg straps meet the cup, should be repaired or replaced immediately.
• Helmets. A retailer, HockeyMonkey, lists expired certification or a missing label, a cracked shell, compressed liner, broken hardware, drilling, paint or other modification, a significant impact, or an unknown history (claim).
• Neck guards. HockeyMonkey says to replace a guard that is cut, frayed, stretched or no longer closes securely (claim).

We found no governing-body guidance on hockey bags beyond airing them out. Where a maker gives care instructions for an item, follow them; Hockey Canada, for example, points to the helmet maker's instructions before anything is stuck on a helmet.