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Winnipeg Jets backup goaltender Michael Hutchinson made the switch to dark gear for this coming season — and while some fans were pretty opinionated about the swap, he’s got some things to say about it.

There’s an oft-perceived notion that lighter-colored goaltending gear (particularly when it comes to a goaltender’s pads) is more beneficial for the netminder.

Some believe it looks ‘bigger’, while others think it’s harder for the shooter to pick out the spots between the pads — which are often white-based — and the ice.

That resulted, per Hutchinson, in a lot of responses to his tweeted picture of the new gear, suggesting his new pads ‘looked’ smaller to the fans who caught a glimpse of the new look.

“Got a lot of messages about my new gear,” he wrote, via Twitter. “Some love it… [but] some think it looks small.”

Trying out the dark side pic.twitter.com/VTcL70NyVK — Michael Hutchinson (@mhutch34) August 8, 2016

Hutchinson was quick to refute that line of thought. He released a lengthy note via tweeted screenshot on Tuesday, explaining why his new darker gear both isn’t actually smaller and won’t have an effect on his performance next year.

He started by tweeting out a picture of his old pads next to his new ones:

I really don't tweet much but had a lot of interest in my pads from you guys so I will help clear the air a bit. pic.twitter.com/Z7Tt5MIpbs — Michael Hutchinson (@mhutch34) August 9, 2016

“As you can see in the picture, my navy pads are actually 0.5″ bigger than my white pads… the pads just look short because of a combination of camera angle and me trying a different strapping that made my pad sit lower on my skate. Talk to most professional goaltenders that [wear] white gear,” explained Hutchinson, “[and ask] why they do so. You would be hard-pressed to find one that says it’s because they look bigger. It’s all preference. Professional skaters… they know exactly where the net is and where the corners to pick are. It doesn’t matter if you wear white gear or dark gear, professional shooters are going to hit their spots. The color of the gear doesn’t make the save – [your] skill makes the save. Any goalie should feel that they will stop just as many pucks in dark gear as they would in white.”

Hutchinson goes on to bring up a pretty good example of that, citing the identical save percentages for Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford in his 2014-15 season and his 2015-16 season. The first year, Crawford wore white-based pads; last year, the netminder switched over to black-based equipment.

It’s true, of course, that the average fan may see dark pads as easier to spot than white pads — which may play into the misconceptions.

Whether sitting in the upper levels or watching a game on television, it’s likely that the distance between the goaltender and the viewer would make it seem that the white pads almost blend into the ice; as a result, it’s not too hard to see where that conclusion may come from.

As Hutchinson points out, though, there’s not really any evidence that this is actually the case from an on-ice perspective.

Crawford isn’t the only goaltender who serves as concrete proof that darker pads don’t hurt. His numbers stayed the same last year, but another goaltender who used dark pads actually saw his own stats go up.

Brian Elliott, then of the St. Louis Blues, put up a 0.917 save percentage in all situations during his 2014-15 season. Last year, he switched to Curtis Joseph-inspired dark pads and finished the year with a remarkable 0.930 save percentage across 41 games.

Hutchinson, who put up a 0.907 save percentage in all situations last year with Winnipeg across 30 regular season games, suggests that his only reason for always going with white pads in the past was because he ‘liked seeing how quickly he could scuff them up’.

Now, he’s getting a chance to try out the dark side, alongside goaltenders like Crawford and Elliott — and as he pointed out, it’s not likely to be the reason that he sees any potential dip in stats.

In Winnipeg, it’s understandable that some fans are hesitant about seeing changes in net. The Central Division club has been somewhat burned in the past by an enigmatic starting goaltender.

When it comes to gear color, though, there’s nothing to worry about — so sit back and enjoy the snazzy new duds for the Jets backup.

Colorful goalie gear is here to stay (and that shouldn’t concern fans)