[MR] Hockey Glove Failure/Advice on the Best Hand Protcetion

[Lisa and Ken Theriot]

I thought I would post this message as a warning for others who are using 
hockey gloves (not street hockey gloves, but the full-on, large and bulky 
hockey gloves) as their hand-protection while fighting pole-arm or great 
sword.  This is legal as far as the latest society Marshal's Handbook is 
concerned.  The note under paragraph 5C says so:
5. Hand and Wrist Armor
The outer surfaces of the hand and wrist of both arms must be covered by 
one or a
combination of the following:
a. A metal basket hilt with enough bars or plates to prevent a blow from 
striking the
fingers or the back of the hand. If a basket hilt is used, a vambrace or 
partial gauntlet
shall cover the remaining portions of the hand and wrist.
b. A gauntlet made of rigid plates; either lined with padding or closed 
cell foam, or
designed to transfer potentially injurious impact to the surfaces being 
grasped.
c. A gauntlet of heavy leather lined with closed cell foam or heavy 
padding. (Note: A
hockey glove is considered to be the equivalent, but looks blatantly 
modern, and their
use is discouraged.)
d. A shield with a shield basket or equivalent. (Note: A shield alone is 
NOT sufficient,
since it covers only the back of the hand but not the fingers or thumb.)
e. Street hockey gloves are NOT equivalent. Street hockey gloves may be 
used in tandem
with a demi-gauntlet and basket hilt. Street hockey gloves may also be used 
behind a
shield in tandem with a shield basket.

Having said all this, I need to mention that I broke my finger last night 
while wearing a like-new pair of these hockey gloves and using pole-arm at 
practice.  Someone hit my hand while I was grasping my glaive, and not only 
did it fracture my little finger, but it tore an inch-long laceration into 
it as well.  So other than preventing me from fighting at Crusades this 
weekend, this situation has sent me on a quest for the best hand protection 
one can have.  I prefer aluminum, or leather, since the steel ones are so 
heavy, which causes several difficulties.  Problems I have had in the past 
include poor strapping, causing slippage of the gauntlet; painful rivets in 
contact with the hand after someone tried to attach tem to a glove, and 
just poor fit.  Is there some agreement on the best solution here?

Thanks for any advice in advance.

Sincerely,

Sir Kenneth