The 9040: Why are Jofa shin guards the choice of all but two NHL pros?
Written: Apr 25 '04 (Updated Oct 05 '05)
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Pros: Outstanding protection, scientifically engineered safety and comfort
Cons: Single strap system is not friendly to guys who don't like to tape
The Bottom Line: Hey, if they're good enough for the pros, they might be good enough for you.
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Jofa Senior Hockey Shin Guards SG9040 |
Jofa protects the shins of every player in the National Hockey League except for two. Why? The simple answer might seem that they pay them to wear their stuff. Sorry, guess again. Maska, also known as The Hockey Company – the conglomerate of Jofa, CCM and Koho – sponsors only six skaters in the entire league. Yeah, all the pros get free shin pads, but they get that offer from every company making them. So what makes Jofa so special?
European Engineering meets Crazy Canadian Marketing
Jofa, like their sister company CCM, has come up with some crazy marketing terminology to describe the scientific principles behind their gear. I prefer to think the technology is the reason for Jofa’s popularity, not the propaganda. Like Graf with skates, Jofa puts a great deal of research into their products. Their shin guards are no exception – if anything they are the rule.
~~~ASD~~~
ASD sounds more like something needing a Ridilin prescription than a selling point for shin guards. It stands for Anatomic System Design, meaning apparently that Jofa shin pads are designed to fit actual humans. This implies that other brands were engineered for chimps and are now simply sold to humans. Makes sense since the chimpanzee hockey market faltered back in the early nineties. Obviously I’m not a big fan of this particular bit of hype.
Don’t get me wrong, Jofa makes a comfortable shin pad. They are as good as any other brand in the comfort department. Still, no two legs are exactly alike, so ASD doesn’t really mean much.
~~~JDP~~~
Yes, Jofa tossed three more seemingly meaningless letters on their shin pads. Nonetheless, there is an actual meaning behind this portion of Jofa’s prodigious use of the alphabet. JDP is short for Joint Discharge Principle. All of Jofa’s better gear operates on the principle that large muscles absorb impacts more safely. This portion of the design actually redirects impact away from the player’s joints. Essentially a blow to the knee is felt in the calf instead of the knee. As odd as this might seem it actually works.
The design is most apparent in their shoulder pads. Put on a pair of Jofa shoulder pads and have someone smack you hard in the shoulders. The pads will transfer the impact to the large muscles of the chest and back. It seems like magic, but it really works. This is the same principle behind their shin guards and elbow pads and one of the major reasons they have the overwhelming mandate of NHL players.
~~~Hyper X~~~
Hmm, right back to the Ridilin it seems. In fact Hyper X refers to the hyperextension protection built into Jofa’s shin guards. This is the second reason that Jofa 9000 series shin guards are the nearly exclusively choice in the NHL. The knee cup locks into the shin guard at 0˚ extension to prevent player’s knees from over injury.
Certainly these shin guards are not a substitute for a quality knee brace and Jofa doesn’t market them as such. However, the locking aspect of the shin guard will offer as much protection as the twenty or thirty dollar neoprene devices that the drug stores sell if the shin guard is taped properly. Obviously Americans put great faith in those rather flimsy drug store devices by the sheer numbers I have seen. Further the Jofa design minimizes the chance that blows to the knee might cause serious damage. This definitely works by having a design that cannot cave in on itself.
~~~Flat Spots~~~
Strangely, Jofa didn’t come up with a three letter acronym for the flat ridge on their shin guards, so I guess I will need to do it for them . . . hmm . . . I think I will go with FSR (frankly I think my acronym is far superior to any of theirs, don't you?). FSR stands for . . . um . . . what did that stand for? I got lost in my momentary acronym pride . . . ahem. FSR is Flat Stability Ridge. Pretty good, huh?
The flat stability ridge is . . . well a flat ridge in the center of each kneecap. This ridge actually makes recovery from diving sweep checks or tripping over the blue line a little quicker. Granted, the difference is small, but they do assist in finding your balance from a prone position. Jofa’s shins don’t roll on the ice, the flat spot centers your balance on your knees allowing you to stand up approximately two tenths of a second more quickly . . . OK, I made that statistic up, but I made up the marketing acronym as well so I felt justified in doing it. Besides, according to Benjamin Disraeli or Mark Twain (no one is quite sure apparently), “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics”
The Jofa 9040
All of Jofa’s 9000 series shin guards are in use in the NHL. This is another thing that is nice about Jofa, all the gear that is used in NHL hockey is clearly marked with the NHL “center ice authentic” logo. There is not much question of quality in gear when the pros are using it.
The 9040 is the lightest shin guard of the 9000 series. It covers only the shins with minimal wrap around calf coverage. It is also a little lighter on the inner knee coverage than the 9060 and 9090 models are.
Like all of Jofa’s shin guards the 9040 features a single strap. This will hold it in place long enough to puts your socks on, but requires the use of sock tape to keep everything snug. The lack of straps is the only feature that I personally find disappointing in Jofa’s shin guards. I’m a strap and no-tape-preferred guy.
The kneecap gel is outstanding. It is firm, yet malleable enough to offer substantial protection. It reminds me of the space foam bed but much stiffer. Also it is far too small to sleep on so I don’t recommend buying this shin pads for that purpose. The liner is removable for quick drying or even washing. Velcro holds it in place allowing you to move the knee “doughnut” in order to slightly personalize the fit.
While the plastic on the cheaper 5500 model is prone to some cracking, I haven’t ever seen or heard of anyone breaking 9000 series shin guards. They usually last until someone steals them or kids outgrow them.
Bottom Line
Jofa doesn’t have any crazy scheme to trick NHL players into using their gear . . . not that they’ve informed me of anyway. Nor do I suspect that all but two NHL players fell prey to Maska’s brilliant marketing schemes. I’d bet ¾ of the NHL doesn’t even know what the heck ASD stands for. So what does their choice mean to you?
To have such a mandate from players who have literally hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars riding on their health is quite a confidence builder in my book. There are numerous other brands on the market and certainly reps from those companies have offered up their wares as well. Still the NHL has overwhelmingly chosen Jofa for shin guards. If my hockey career ends due to an injury, I will be very upset, but at least it won’t affect my income.
Jofa shin guards aren’t cheap, but they aren’t outlandishly expensive either. The 9040 is a very good shin guard for forwards playing at any level. Unlike some other gear, there is no point in buying a lighter pair of shin guards for lower levels of play except to be frugal. However, players who want a little more comprehensive protection might consider the 9060 or 9090 which wrap around the calf as well.
The Bottom Line is that if you plan to play hockey, Jofa’s 9000 series are the best shin guards on the market. You’ll save money in the end by buying the best to start with rather than upgrading or replacing cheap ones that break. Growing players will save some money and still get most of the features in Jofa 7500 or 6500 shin pads.
The only questions that I still have are: what kind of shin guards are those other two guys are wearing and why?
© Scott Noble – Unauthorized use prohibited
Some of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Fitting and Selecting Hockey Protective Gear
Hockey Stick Buying Guide
Nike V-10 Elbow Pads
Recommended:
Yes
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