xstartxtodayx

I always thought the blade stiffness was more related to the feel of the puck and softer was more beneficial for receiving passes, not much of a difference for shooting, not sure if that's totally accurate but my uneducated logic seems to think it makes sense.

Not too familiar with that one but looks like a more standard traditonal fit, so maybe a Tacks? All of the new Bauer ones seem to tapered or anatomical to me. Also, not sure what size you are but these brand new Nexus 8000's just popped up if you're a 16": https://sidelineswap.com/gear/hockey/protective/shin-pads/7362023-bauer-nexus-8000-nhl-pro-stock-hockey-protective-shin-pads-senior-size-16 That seller has a website, lockerswap.com and you can get 10% off through the site, I've picked up some shells from them in the past.

Also, pretty much all pro stock socks have a layer of cut resistant fabric sewn to the back of the leg for the past number of years (I've had a bunch, you only notice when you wash them since you see/feel the extra layer on the inside). I mean it's great for protecting your calf but unless you're overlapping the tendon guard it still leaves some room for injury if a skate comes down into an exposed tendon area.

I haven't used their cut resistant variety but Aycane makes a really nice skate sock, I would try them if I was looking. I have a pair of their normal skate socks and they're really high quality and haven't worn down/stretched out much at all over the past year.

I might trust an old school cobbler more than a local shop in this case (unless it's a legit shop with people who know what they're doing, not something like a Pure Hockey), couple stitches and could prob replace that eyelet in no time. Hardest part is finding one still in business still.

I think a white cuff would've been great, kind of how the Flyers do it now which looks so so good.

Rangers breaking in their alternate gloves... Navy with red trim, kind of wish they had some white in there too, two tone gloves are kind of boring.

especially after the fabled Iron Lotus incident.

That testing process is not the end all be all, it is not perfect by any means and has some flaws. There are many threads discussing the shortcomings of their tests and lots of opinions on how much different people value, or don't value their findings. I'm sure the ones discussing the Tacks X helmet here have already decided whether or not the VT ratings mean anything to them. I've heard that CCM does their own testing (or uses another lab/University) which is more thorough than the VT tests and I'd guess their results are pretty good which is why they're expanding the usage of the 3D Printed webbing.

Growing up it was mandatory (I started playing around 1990), wore one til I got to college and it wasn't mandatory anymore. I remember there were various brands/models, some more comfortable than others, I'm sure now there are even better ones than back then and a lot more to choose from since there's more companies making them now. I recently saw CCM, Bauer,and Shock Doctor even make base layers with them built in which seems like a nice option, albeit a very expensive one. Now, personally, I don't know if I'm going to wear one, I mean I bet you're more likely to get cut on wrists/back of legs, and most don't even wear anything in those areas. This tragedy appears to have been avoidable from what I saw, I've never seen anyone's leg naturally extend how his did but that's just my opinion.

I tried a Tacks X in small and medium (I'm normally a small in CCM with the adjustment about halfway), both pro stock but not "custom", don't think I paid more than $175 for either. The small was way too small even at the largest setting, tried it for one game and it was not comfortable at all (aside from how much more airflow there was) so I resold that and found a medium. The medium fit at the smallest setting but felt like I was wearing a bowling ball, like felt like it was not snug enough, it was odd. So I sold that and have stuck with the 910's I have but I'm curious to try the 720 since it seems to fit more similar to the 910, I was lucky in that I was able to recoup almost everything I spent on my Tacks X experiment, it might've cost me $5-10 in the end which is ok with me, just glad they were pretty easy to resell. I'm sure a Custom Tacks X would be 100% better fitting and slightly more comfortable than what I'm used to but there's no way I'd spend that kind of money on a helmet.

Currently Trigger 6 Pros, just recently switched back to those after using FT4 Pros and LX2 Pros for a while. The LX2's were harder to find since I like a P90TM curve and it's not a standard Warrior curve, but I found a couple pros that used them and that supplied me with a bunch over time.

I'm with Stick9... I'm happy paying $150-200 USD for pro stock sticks off SLS or prostockhockey, once you know what you're looking for you can get some good deals. I've never had interest in those generic brands that cost as much or more than what I'd normally pay for sticks I know I already like.

I've only had QRL's with the funnel cuffs (EK65 specs) which are the same body but different cuff, and for me, the QRL's all felt a bit wider in the backhand than HG12's. HG12's definitely take more breaking in than QRL's do (which feel broken in from the start) and, in my opinion, the HG12's are a better built glove.

Another vote for Tacks line. Construction wise they're as close to Pro Stock as you can get since the shall is essentially the same as the "pro stock" versions of the latest Tacks models (can find pro stock models of AS-V, Ultra Tacks, Super Tacks). The biggest difference is the liners... pro stock uses the classic Jofa style removable liner which has WAY more padding around the knee with the old school donut padding, the retail ones have much thinner padding so your knee can actually contact the outer part without much force.

Personally I think it's pointless. I've played with a cage almost all my life, once you play and stop focusing on the bars they just disappear if the cage fits properly (I've had some that didn't sit quite right and the horizontal bars seemed to be right in front of my eyes). I highly doubt the guys who cut a few bars out are getting any real benefit (maybe actually less b/c now there's a big gap and might mess more with your eyes?). I tried a full bubble a few games and didn't see any real benefit vision wise (just hotter and it was slightly too small for my face so that sucked), I also used half and half shields when I was a kid (think Team Iceland in the Mighty Ducks, the Itech combo) and they just seemed like more work (cleaning/de-fog spray, being careful not to scratch it, etc). I also wore a half shield for a bit but the benefits weren't worth the risk of getting sticks/pucks to the face imho.

This thread is making me feel so old... back in my day (the early/mid 90's) you had retail jerseys or authentic pro jerseys that were the same as the teams wore and were much harder to purchase (only a few stores sold those, I got mine from Gerry Cosbys who were affiliated with the Rangers). The pro ones had the embroidered NHL crest next to the CCM logo on the back and had the fighting strap, I had a Messier one and it was awesome. I'm glad I don't collect or wear jerseys anymore, this is way too confusing lol

He has also been testing a Super Novium lately so I bet he's just trying anything new at this point.

if you do the wrap method the laces don't even get tightened so they're not even necessary at all, the wrapping will tighten the boot to the foot and you won't run the slight risk of damaging eyelets.

I don't have the exact temp/time for the skates but I did my FT4 Pros at home a couple years back and the CCM directions you posted sound more like what I did, I remember it only being a couple of minutes definitely not 5-7 minutes. I used a baking sheet to lay the skate down on and did one at a time. I followed these steps below aside from the temp/time, also if you haven't read about the wrap technique I suggest you read into it as it provides some great results (you can get the wrapping stuff on Amazon or from Staples or any hardware store). https://www.icewarehouse.com/lc/skates/how-to-bake-a-hockey-skate-at-home.html

iirc, the far toe/heel are not part of the profile, I know I had my toe/heel blended a bit after getting mine done on new steel since I felt like they were too boxy. I'm no expert but that's what my friend who does the profiling told me she did for me.

There were a bunch of guys using them last season and I'm almost positive even more using them in the pre-season, on the Rangers I know Fox and Laffy had them last season and I'm almost positive I saw some training camp photos with them still using them.

Usually the "dressed as" sticks are noted as being what they are in the description. Also any Warrior or SherWood overstock gloves are not pro stock, just gloves in team colors that that PSH had made to sell. With that said, they do have a lot of actual pro stock gloves but the good stuff usually sells within hours of them being added to the site. The stick curves you need to watch out for, they'll list things as whatever they want and the curve may be pretty different when you get it so look at the photos closely (many pro curves are custom so they're just guessing). I bought 2 Tyson Jost sticks, first one they listed as a W71, second as a P92, both are the same curve and are a P90TM, they have another one of his listed now as a P28 so yea their descriptions might not be spot on lol. With all that though they're still a very reputable and reliable retailer, often times offering some great deals.

I feel like the Howies case could possibly hold 4 sets but you'd have to double them up in each slot, so you'd need to make sure they're totally dry before squeezing them in. Other than that I don't recall seeing anything retail. https://howieshockeytape.com/products/skate-blade-case

Selling a couple of shells I no longer wear: Medium PP9KC Toronto Maple Leafs shell, pre Lou era with CCM logo on front left thigh, blue shell with white stripe on sides. Overall good shape, some puck/stick/board marks but no holes/bad burns. Asking $45 shipped in US Medium St. Louis Blues Warrior girdle shell, size medium (not as small as the newer Warrior shells from the last year or so that tend to fit slimmer). Overall in great shape, no rips/tears/stains on the outside (only worn maybe 7 or 8 times) but the velcro tab started t tear away like they always do, I made a quick repair but it tore away from that too (I've yet to have a Warrior shell that this doesn't happen to). Asking $45 shipped in US Pics: Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr