A lot of the lower-tier professional leagues (ECHL, WHL, QMJHL, even AHL to a degree) have specific manufacturers of equipment that are required/provided to the players. In the AHL obviously they have the CCM contract; however, the players can chose models of gear under than brand. Some leagues, like ECHL, appear to provide their players with not only a specific brand, but even a model of pant/glove to use. In the ECHL for instance, some teams are using all of one specific Warrior model (Covert or Alpha).
Knowing that everyone here is a gear-head, I'd be curious how we'd all fair if required to use a specific gear set. Even more than that, what about some NHL players? Those who are very specific about their gear, if an NHL team suddenly said "here, we're all using Bauer Nexus pants and gloves."
What do you think? Would you even care at that point, if you were playing in the ECHL vying for a spot in the NHL someday?
Personally, I've tried all different types of gear, and the only three items that actually can affect my game are gloves, stick, and skates. Everything else is just preference on what's comfortable. I think if I was forced to use a certain brand and model, I'd adjust over time. I've played with all different models of gloves, and none of them really threw me off to the point I couldn't shoot the puck. I've also played with some very skilled players, and they couldn't care less what gloves or stick they had. I'll ask, "what flex are you using there?" And the answer will be "umm, dunno," and they'll look at the stick to check.