The “Lundy Loop”is a modification to a pair of goalie skates, made famous by former professional goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Many people incorrectly assume that the Lundy Loop was “invented” to relieve pressure on a goalies hips when going into and out of the butterfly. Actually, Lundqvist had his skates modified in this fashion so that his pads would sit higher on his feet, in turn, giving him a bit of added thigh rise. The Lundy Loop may also be referred to as the Lundqvist Loop.
The photo above shows what the Lundy Loop actually looks like. It’s from Instagram user Ben Meyer.
What is a Lundy Loop for Goalie Skates?
The Lundy Loop goalie skate modification allows a goalie to use his goalie pad boot strap on the back of his or her skates, in turn, lifting the pad so it sits higher on the skate itself.
The Lundy Loop, while it sounds like goalie slang, is simply an extra “loop” on the back of a goalies skates. Instead of running a goalie pads boot strap through the bottom of your goalie skate, the user would run the boot strap through that loop.
Advantages of the Lundy Loop
There is just one reason why Henrik Lundqvist invented the Lundy Loop, in turn having it forever named after him. This was so that his pads would sit higher on his skates, giving him added protection up higher, also reducing space in the five whole area.
Should goalies use the Lundy Loop?
Lundqvist invented this to get his pads sitting higher on his skates, so, unless you’re playing in a league with pad height restrictions the Lundy Loop is not actually all that necessary. In fact, most goalies end up not using the loop for their boot strap once they’ve tried it a few times.
While it’s pretty cool that Lundqvist will be remembered for one of the few major gear modifications that actually made it’s way to the top of the food chain, the Lundy Loop is unnecessary for most goalies.
The Case for Removing Your Boot Strap
In recent years, the boot strap of a goalie skate has become almost non-existent in the eyes of some users. This is due to the fact that major improvements have been made in the toe strap region of the pad. Improved toe straps provide the ability for the toe strap itself to hold the pad on the skate much better than previous toe strap technology, ultimately removing the need for a boot strap altogether.
What does a boot strap even do?
The goalie pads boot strap was originally designed to keep the pad on top of the skate, specifically for goalies that used the butterfly position. The boot strap would hold the pad so that it did not turn sideways on the goalies leg. Of course, improved toe ties have made goalies remove the boot strap altogether.
