Athletic gear with a printed cover

An article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment wearable by a hockey goalkeeper to protect a given one of a leg of the hockey goalkeeper and a hand of the hockey goalkeeper, the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment being one of:

• a goalkeeper leg pad wearable on and configured to protect the leg of the hockey goalkeeper, and a goalkeeper blocker or catcher wearable on and configured to protect the hand of the hockey goalkeeper, the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment comprising an outer surface defining a front of the article of hockey-goalkeeping equipment, the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment comprising:
• a) protective padding configured to be wider than the given one of the leg of the hockey goalkeeper and the hand of the hockey goalkeeper;
• and
• b) an outer cover disposed on the protective padding and constituting at least a majority of the outer surface of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment, the outer cover comprising:
• foam;
• a digitally-printed layer comprising digitally-printed graphics and bonded to the foam at least one of adhesively and chemically;
• and
• a transparent protective layer over and thinner than the digitally-printed layer.

An article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment wearable by a hockey goalkeeper to protect a given one of a leg of the hockey goalkeeper and a hand of the hockey goalkeeper, the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment being one of:

• a goalkeeper leg pad wearable on and configured to protect the leg of the hockey goalkeeper;
• and a goalkeeper blocker or catcher wearable on and configured to protect the hand of the hockey goalkeeper, the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment comprising an outer surface defining a front of the article of hockey-goalkeeping equipment, the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment comprising:
• a. protective padding configured to be wider than the given one of the leg of the hockey goalkeeper and the hand of the hockey goalkeeper;
• and
• an outer cover disposed on the protective padding and constituting at least a majority of the outer surface of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment, the outer cover comprising:
• a. foam;
• b. digitally-printed layer comprising digitally-printed graphics and bonded to the foam at least one of adhesively and chemically;
• and
• c. a transparent protective layer over the digitally-printed layer;
• the digitally-printed layer and the transparent protective layer being continuous and exposed from a first edge of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment to a second edge of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment that is opposite to the first edge of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment in a widthwise direction of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment.

A goalkeeper leg pad for a hockey goalkeeper, the goalkeeper leg pad being wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg of the hockey goalkeeper, the goalkeeper leg pad comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion, the foot portion of the goalkeeper leg pad extending transversally and forwardly relative to the lower leg portion of the goalkeeper leg pad and being configured to overlie a skate of the hockey goalkeeper, the goalkeeper leg pad comprising an outer surface defining a front of the goalkeeper leg pad, the outer surface of the goalkeeper leg pad comprising a main frontal face and an edge projection that is at a lateral edge of the goalkeeper leg pad, projects forwardly relative to the main frontal face of the goalkeeper leg pad and is elongated in a longitudinal direction of the goalkeeper leg pad, the main frontal face of the goalkeeper leg pad extending at the front of the goalkeeper leg pad from the upper leg portion of the goalkeeper leg pad to the foot portion of the goalkeeper leg pad in the longitudinal direction of the goalkeeper leg pad and from the edge projection at the lateral edge of the goalkeeper leg pad to a medial edge of the goalkeeper leg pad in a widthwise direction of the goalkeeper leg pad, the goalkeeper leg pad comprising:

• a) an outer cover constituting at least a majority of the outer surface of the goalkeeper leg pad and comprising:
• foam;
• a digitally-printed layer comprising digitally-printed graphics and bonded to the foam at least one of adhesively and chemically;
• and
• a transparent protective layer over and thinner than the digitally-printed layer;
• the digitally-printed layer and the transparent protective layer being continuous and exposed from the edge projection at the lateral edge of the goalkeeper leg pad to the medial edge of the goalkeeper leg pad in the widthwise direction of the goalkeeper leg pad;
• b) an inner cover;
• c) protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner cover and configured to be wider than the leg of the hockey goalkeeper;
• and
• d) a lace lacing the protective padding and being unapparent at the front of the goalkeeper leg pad such that the goalkeeper leg pad is free of lacing extending through through the digitally-printed graphics and the transparent protective layer.

A pair of goalkeeper leg pads for a hockey goalkeeper, the goalkeeper leg pads being wearable on legs of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the legs of the hockey goalkeeper, each goalkeeper leg pad comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion, the foot portion of the goalkeeper leg pad extending transversally and forwardly relative to the lower leg portion of the goalkeeper leg pad and being configured to overlie a skate of the hockey goalkeeper, the goalkeeper leg pad comprising an outer surface defining a front of the goalkeeper leg pad, the outer surface of the goalkeeper leg pad comprising a main frontal face and an edge projection that is at a lateral edge of the goalkeeper leg pad, projects forwardly relative to the main frontal face of the goalkeeper leg pad and is elongated in a longitudinal direction of the goalkeeper leg pad, the main frontal face of the goalkeeper leg pad extending at the front of the goalkeeper leg pad from the upper leg portion of the goalkeeper leg pad to the foot portion of the goalkeeper leg pad in the longitudinal direction of the goalkeeper leg pad and from the edge projection at the lateral edge of the goalkeeper leg pad to a medial edge of the goalkeeper leg pad in a widthwise direction of the goalkeeper leg pad, the goalkeeper leg pad comprising:

• a) protective padding configured to be wider than the given one of the legs of the hockey goalkeeper protected by the goalkeeper leg pad;
• and
• b) an outer cover disposed on the protective padding, constituting at least a majority of the outer surface of the goalkeeper leg pad, and comprising:
• a digitally-printed layer including digitally-printed graphics;
• and
• a transparent protective layer over the digitally-printed layer;
• the digitally-printed layer and the transparent protective layer being continuous and exposed from the edge projection at the lateral edge of the goalkeeper leg pad to the medial edge of the goalkeeper leg pad in the widthwise direction of the goalkeeper leg pad;
• wherein the digitally-printed graphics of a left one of the goalkeeper leg pads depict a left part of an object and the digitally-printed graphics of a right one of the goalkeeper leg pads depict a right part of the object that is visually combinable with the left part of the object to visually form the object.