If Only This Had Been Available At The Start Of The Season...

As you know, the Caps have had a rash of injuries to blueliners as a result of blocked shots. Not surprisingly, they're not the only team to be feeling the pain, and the art and history of shot-blocking are under the microscope in an interesting read over at the Boston Globe.

But hockey fans and teams aren't the only ones taking notice, and the hockey equipment industry is hurrying to respond:

Tony Priolo, owner of Sportmask, the Toronto-based company that produces the protective headgear for Boston goalies Tim Thomas and Hannu Toivonen, figures he may have part of the answer. He'll journey today to Buffalo, where he'll hand his latest innovation to Bruins defenseman Andrew Alberts and Don Del Negro, now in his 14th season as the club's trainer....

According to Priolo, he has created a carbon-fiber protector, essentially a cap, that will snap onto the boot with the use of a harness that goes under the boot and around the ankle. It will cover the top of the boot, beginning from just behind the skate's toe, and run the length of the laced area to the point where it meets the bottom of the shinguard.

If Priolo needs any more guinea pigs for his new gear, maybe some of the healthy Caps blueliners should volunteer before it's too late.

[H/t to Kukla's on the link]