Why is the backplate of a goalie mask so important?

people would tell me not to wear an old-school mask because the backplate isn't very big and i might get hit. I've been playing goal for a couple years now and i've never been hit in the back of the head once. And even if I did, wouldn't I be doing something wrong?Why is the backplate of a goalie mask so important?
When a 200-230lb. forward crashes into you (using you as a stopping agent) and the back of your head hits the goalpost...ask that question again.





It's happened to me a couple times, and even with a good backplate I'm still dizzy for a couple days.





Unless you don't mind having a potato for a brain in a few years.Why is the backplate of a goalie mask so important?
It is not so much for protecting you from pucks as it is for protecting you from banging the back of your head on the ice. The newer masks are designed to absorb that impact better than the old school masks. This is not so much because of the back plate as it is the entire design of the mask.





EDIT: Getting hit in the back of the head with a puck could happen and not be your fault. If you are turning your back on a shot then yeah, you are definitely doing something wrong. Hypothetical, you go down for a save, a puck gets loose behind you and a panicky defenseman fires it into the back of your head. There are hundreds of other ways you could strike your head besides a puck that are far more likely to happen and equally as dangerous.
go ahead if you risk being hurt but dont you wanna be like the pros? lol.





also here's an analogy. you wear a helmet when you bike, have a fire alarm too. it's rare to have a fire in your house but when you do you'll be damn lucky to have that alarm and if you're wearing a bike helmet its kinda rare you fall off unless youre just starting but you never know. you could even hit your head on the post and if you lay on the puck and there' ssticks waving around everywhere in the crease or if it takes a funny bounce off the crossbar and hits you or if your helmet comes off if you're playing the puck behind the net, a player comes and you get pushed down a bit and your mask could fall off or come up a little bit and you could be seriously injured. i recommend it, and danger is always an option no matter how careful or how protected you are.
As a goalie there are so many ways that you could get the back of your head hit. You could whack it on the post or crossbar. You could also be hit in a scrum in front of the net. I'm not sure how aggressive your games are, but certainly in the league I played in I wouldn't play goalie without an extremely protective helmet.
Can't say it any better than Lubers just did. For evidentiary proof, look no further than myself. I was a goalie all my amateur life and had backplates on all my face-hugger masks. I am a bit ';touched'; but could be worse if I never had that protection.
it is important because you don't obviously want to get hurt


and then have to sit out now do you ?


listen to your friends


safety first.