The inventor responds to some frequently asked questions.

If I get several hard shots right where the blocker bends,
could that break the mechanism inside?

The Butterfly Hinge™ at the heart of the PaddleFlex board is virtually indestructible. It’s made of tough 1000 denier Cordura nylon, heat-bonded to the EPP blocking pad.

Front view of the PaddleFlex EPP blocking pad. (Click picture to enlarge)		Back view, showing butterfly hinge in open position. (Click picture to enlarge)

It has ben tested extensively, and we guarantee its integrity for 2 years against everything except unintended, unreasonable or abusive utilisation.

Won’t the blocker face start to crack at the hinge point
after it has been flexed hundreds of times?

Hundreds of times? Paddy, our robot, flexed one of our blockers 130,000 times during the World Hockey Trades Expo in January 2000 in Montreal; that’s equivalent to 100 games a year at 100 flexes per game for 13 years. Watch video or download We then sent that same blocker to the Bonaventure Hockey Complex pro-shop where it played over 400 complete games at the hands of goalies of all ages, styles and calibres. Though it is now so covered with puck marks it looks like a piece of cajun blackened fish, it is also remarkably intact, not a stitch is undone, and it looks like it’s ready for many more years of hard use.

On a hard shot to the bottom of the blocker,
couldn’t the board bend backward and let the puck go in?

Not a chance! Just like the doors in your home that can only open in one direction and not in the other, the PaddleFlex board can only flex forward, never backward. Watch video or Download

When the board flexes, it looks like you could hit your fist
pretty hard against the ice; wouldn’t that hurt?

No, because this blocker was designed with precisely that in mind. The hand is extremely well protected; there’s even a peculiarly satisfying feeling when your fist hits the ice. In fact, that’s one of the best features of the PaddleFlex blocker: that you can actually slam your fist against the ice as fast and hard as you want in complete safety and comfort, without the board resisting or getting in the way as with old-style rigid blockers. Just imagine the sharp paddle-down saves you can now throw at startled opposing shooters!. Watch video or Download

Have any NHL goalies tried the PaddleFlex?
What do they think of it?

Fred Chabot, Patrick Lalimme and Dominique Rousselle have tried early protoypes of the PaddleFlex in the spring of 2000 and all three were quite impressed and intrigued by it. Unfortunately, they were endorsing the equipment of a major manufacturer, and could only use that company's equipment. We are now looking into finding non-endorsing NHL pros to try the PaddleFlex.

Where can I find your blocker?

Call our Montreal-area number, 450 452 2832 to find out if there is a retailer who carries it in your area. Or you can order your PaddleFlex directly from us in the To Order section of this site.

The PaddleFlex is a new entry in the goalie market, yet it is priced in the same range as top-of-the-line brands like Koho, Bauer or Vaughn; is that justifiable?

Though the Martin brand is still little-known, the PaddleFlex is a true top-of-the-line pro blocker. It is designed and expertly handcrafted in Montreal, the mecca of all things goaltending, using only the latest techniques and materials of the highest quality.

When you buy a Martin PaddleFlex, you’re actually getting a revolutionary articulated blocker for the price of an ordinary rigid blocker. We’re confident that when you see it and especially when you try it, you’ll agree that it’s not only a great blocker but also a great value.

When I reach out briskly to make a blocker save, could the bottom end flap out and expose my hand to the puck?

The tension keeping the bottom end in check is finely tuned to give way under minimal pressure against the ice, yet remain solidly in place through the full range of hand movements goalies need to perform, even in the toughest, most extreme game situations. And for those times when a deflected puck or an errant stick-blade finds its way under the board, the PaddleFlex has a unique fist protection system based on bio-mimicry; it imitates the way nature has designed the shell that completely surrounds and protects a lobster’s tail: tough, protective, yet form-fitting and allowing full freedom and range of motion.

I really like your blocker; do you have plans for a catchglove
and other goalie gear in the future?

I initially designed this articulated blocker for my own use, because ever
since I started playing goal, I had been frustrated with the way all rigid blockers became a nuisance and often cost me goals in situations like paddle-down, puck-freezing, balance recovery or stick pick-up. Whereas there are already several makes and models of catchgloves, pads, pants and helmets on the market today that are very well designed and do the job effectively.

Chest & arm protectors, however, are a different story. Their basic design has remained pretty archaic, and I have never found one, at any price, in which I felt both comfortable and well-protected. I do have a good design for one that is just as different from conventional chest & arms as the PaddleFlex is different from ordinary blockers. Once the blocker takes off, I will probably try to bring this new C & A to market.

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