Players did not wear protective gear against physical damage The main goal of the gear, was resistance against the cold weather as the only time top play the game was during the winter in the freezing cold below 0 degrees when the water would freeze at a local pond. Ice skates, where made out of blades attached to regular boots. Sticks were made out of single pieces of sticks and pucks were a piece of wood or rubber. Goaltenders did not have any protective gear for the pucks that were flying towards them at irregular speeds. The first goaltender gear, was introduced in the 1896 Stanley cup when George Merrit Winnepig goalie used cricket pads as shin guards. Their opponents scored zero goals on the confident Winnepig goalie giving Winnepig a 2-0 victory over Montreal.

The early 1990's players started to realise the dangers of hockey and began to use better equipment. The league, did not enforce the use of protective gear but the players had the decision. Fred "Cyclone" Taylor, one of the star players, was the first to incorporate this feature adding protective back and shoulder gear using spare pieces of felt. Gloves and knee caps were also upgraded to have more protection using leather and felt.

Before the 1930's it was rare to see a player constantly wearing a helmet. Ace Bailey, a player for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the time had a career ending injury after colliding into Eddie Shore, a player for Boston Bruins, injuring his head. Eddie Shore returned to the NHL wearing a helmet every game. It was still fairly rare to see a player wearing a helmet until the late 1970's. Babe Siebert, a player for the Montreal Maroons, broke his thumb. His trainer, added a shoe horn to his glove adding extra protection and reinforcing his thumb. This lead to more gloves with reinforced leather in the thumb area. Another area that was upgraded in the 1930's was elbow and forearms. Players damaged their elbows and forearms regularly from falling onto the hard ice. Leather elbow pads on the outside of the uniform and extra felt stitched on the inside of the uniforms was a common solution. 1930 was also a big year for goalie equipment. Clint Benedict was the first goalie to wear a mask. He only

The 1980's was revolutionary for hockey pants. A new system called Cooperall designed pants that were 80% lighter than the previous type and also increased protection. The Cooperall design only lasted two years as they were very easily ripped and destroyed. New gloves were designed without wrist protection making stick handling easier but wrist injuries more inevitable. This con was removed as gear manufacturers designed longer elbow pads to protect their elbows as well as their wrists.

The most recent upgrade to uniform, was in 2007 when the Reebok and the NHL introduced a new uniform consisting of 4 different fabrics. This style gives peak performance as well as maximum protection. This design is used to this day.