Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner may be the starting goaltender of a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, but he isn’t letting the high pressure take the fun out of the game.
One of the changes that the 25-year-old Edmonton native made going into this season was ditching the traditional set of white gear he used last year. In its place, he designed not one, but two sets of brand-new gear, one for home games and another for away games.
It’s not often you see an NHL goaltender do this, but Skinner told Daily Hive in an exclusive interview that it was something he wanted to have fun with this season.
“I just really wanted to enjoy myself on kind of making two different sets, a home and away set, just to have fun,” Skinner said. “It obviously saves the gear too. I’m not using the one pair every practice, every game, so they don’t break down as quickly.
“Just having a little fun this year.”
Stuart Skinner has two sets of gear for the 2024-25 season (Perry Nelson/Imagn Images | Sergei Belski/Imagn Images)
The two sets differ in a lot of ways. The away gear is what you typically expect from an NHL goalie with a white base accented by Oilers blue and orange; however, it’s the home set that has caught some eyes this season.
White is non-existent on the gear he wears at Rogers Place and is instead a design based entirely on the blue and orange colour scheme. It certainly pops with the Oilers’ iconic royal blue and orange uniform.
“I love a full set of coloured gear,” Skinner admitted. “Trying to have everything match with the jerseys is always nice, it looks clean.”
Some NHL teams are not a fan of this type of design, with some even implementing bans on their goaltenders having gear that doesn’t employ white as the main colour. Skinner understands why that may be the case elsewhere, but it isn’t a problem in Edmonton.
“Nothing on my side, we’re free to do whatever we want,” Skinner said. “I know from a shooter’s perspective, white gear can sometimes make you look bigger, but either way the equipment is the same size and you still got a chance to make every save.”
Oilers fans may recognize this set of gear as being very similar to a set that was also worn by Mike Smith a few seasons ago. Skinner also realizes this and while it’s very similar, he said it was not done on purpose.
“It’s exactly the same [as Smith’s],” Skinner said with a smile. “It might’ve been subconscious, to be honest. I made it myself and then I looked at some of the pictures walking down the aisle in Rogers Place and I saw his, and they were the exact same, it’s just mine are royal instead of navy.
“It’s pretty funny, no consultation, no talking, nothing like that, it must’ve been subconscious.”
If Skinner’s new gear looks a bit familiar, it’s because it’s almost identical to the set that Mike Smith wore during his time with the #Oilers pic.twitter.com/VYUHbZP8Nx
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) September 19, 2024
Having two sets of goalie gear does have unique challenges for Skinner. It’s an additional set that needs to be worn in and that can take some time. He told Daily Hive that he is still having a bit of trouble with the away set, despite being just over the halfway point of the season.
“The home set was super easy to break in, the away set was definitely a little bit tougher,” Skinner said. “I’m still, honestly, trying to figure it out with the white gear with the gloves and everything. Once I figure it out, it’ll be smooth sailing.”
This new gear has also been complemented by a new mask design as well that pays tribute to his two kids.
After a slow start to the year, Skinner has once again shown that he deserves to be the Oilers’ starting goaltender. Since December, Stu has an 8-3-1 record and a solid .913 SV%. While the gear may not be the entire reason behind that success, it sure helps him look good on the ice.