Hollow used by Connor McDavid

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

35 minutes ago, colins said:

I think McDavid would be an elite player on any ROH, with any flex stick and any curve. But I don't think any of the top of the top of the elite players in the league fit into the category you describe w.r.t not knowing what hollow they are staking on. Maybe 3rd & 4th line players in the AHL, but you don't become elite by not having attention to detail.

I'd have to disagree.  It's slowly changing as more education is out there.

[colins 246]

35 minutes ago, DarkStar50 said:

Write him a fan letter ! That's what we did when we were kids.

 

lol! I'll try the next best thing - let's see if the Oilers twitter account will reply if I ask them. I can't find any of their EQM's on twitter - Jeff Lang, Brad Harrison and Shane Olmstead.

 

colins

[chippa13 1844]

Just like almost any other piece of equipment, there are great skaters who can skate on anything and there are great skaters who need everything an exact certain way otherwise they can feel it and notice the difference. I have no idea which camp McDavid falls into with his skates and really don't care.

[jesaku 1]

4 hours ago, stick9 said:

Having spoken to an EQM at the AHL level. He tells me there are a good number of players who have no idea what they are skating on. They simply hand their skates to the guy who does the sharpening. He did say there are some guys who are fanatic about it, but nothing like you see at the retail level.

Again, I don't think it's an major factor. If you believe that, then you have to believe that he wouldn't be the same player on a different ROH, and that's just crazy.

The only reason that players don't know their skate specs is because they have the equivalent of personal assistants in their EQMs that take care of every detail for them. So yeah you can be picky without necessarily knowing the exact specs that you skate.

I doubt that EQMs decide on hollow, radius, profile, steel, holder etc like on that chart without significant input from the player.

You would have a lot (high majority) of unhappy players if you just handed their skates to a random sharpener before gameday and say do whatever you feel is appropriate.

[Cavs019 702]

Are you speaking from experience or just speculating? There have been plenty of guys on the board over the years who have worked with NHL players that would disagree with you. 

Edited December 31, 2016 by Cavs019

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

4 hours ago, jesaku said:

The only reason that players don't know their skate specs is because they have the equivalent of personal assistants in their EQMs that take care of every detail for them. So yeah you can be picky without necessarily knowing the exact specs that you skate.

I doubt that EQMs decide on hollow, radius, profile, steel, holder etc like on that chart without significant input from the player.

You would have a lot (high majority) of unhappy players if you just handed their skates to a random sharpener before gameday and say do whatever you feel is appropriate.

 

Actually Stick9 is correct. there are many guys have no clue of profile and or hollow. Some like to learn and some just say not to sharp or sharper. 

 

I worked with McDavid at the OHL cup and earlier on in that season and he was at 5/8ths. If he changed later in the OHL not sure? 

[boo10 323]

I suspect McDavid is one of those guys that is very particular about every little detail, and here's why...My friend's daughter was dating Josh Ho-Sang when he was McDavid's teammate on the Marlies.  I was told that at tournaments, while the rest of the team was having fun between games, Connor was in the hotel room with his dad drinking protein shakes, etc.  I'm not knocking the kid, it's just clear that he's been groomed from a very young age to be an elite athlete.  He's clearly looking for any advantage he can get, so probably has a preferred hollow. 

If I had to guess, I'd bet he's somewhere between 5/8" and 1".

As for Grabner, his speed is mostly just an extremely powerful push.  The man's quads are huge and he's a workout beast!

Edit: Just saw OTG's post about him being on 5/8". 

Edited January 1, 2017 by boo10

[colins 246]

On 12/28/2016 at 4:24 PM, DarkStar50 said:

 

Only the goalies and Kessel  below 1/2". An older chart from a few years ago had Crosby at 7/16", now 9/16". I wouldn't be surprised if McDavid is above 1/2" for more glide.

From an older post in another thread:

 

Interesting that back in 2009/2010, 13 players (leaving out goalies) were on 1/2 or deeper. Fast forward to this year, and only 4 remain with that much bite or more. It's seems like the EQM default shifted from 1/2 to 5/8ths for the players that 'don't care'.

What's the 'SS' mean on the current year chart after 'LS3' on Kunitz and Coles blades? Step Steel maybe? Or do they have a Stainless Steel coating on their LS3?

 

colins

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

There is a pro variant of LS3 steel - has a different profile than regular LS3 - it's more game ready than the stock. 

Also, they don't have the same players as they did. While he may have moved some guys shallower, it all comes back to how there was less education back then. Hell, Guerin was still using ICMs. 

4 hours ago, colins said:

What's the 'SS' mean on the current year chart after 'LS3' on Kunitz and Coles blades? Step Steel maybe? Or do they have a Stainless Steel coating on their LS3?

 

colins

 

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

Cole is on Step Steel. 

As for that Marlies team with Hosang and McDavid its funny about the story because it's so true. However in the final game of tge OHL cup McDavid was told he was falling because his blades were so low. I offered to switch them and match the profile.  Josh said he should. But the captain said it would be bad luck. So he left them just sharpened. He fell on a break away to tie the game and his team lost in the finals. Since then he has always had fresh steel. Profiled and sharp. 

[flip12 699]

@colins I definitely agree, lots of great discussion in this thread. I think it's a matter of combining both skating and stickhandling that being comfortable with taking anything as the next stride isn't taught. It's tough enough to learn to skate very well and it's also tough enough to learn to handle the puck very well, then doing the two in tandem on top of it all.

I agree with @boo10 regarding Grabner. It looks like his speed is just a matter incredible power and perfect technique. It's a shame he's slumped again otherwise he may have gotten a place in the All-Star Game and we could have seen him race again. I wonder how he would do in the preliminary format used to pick Larkin for the lap timing. It would also be interesting to see if he could also have broken Gartner's record on the shorter track with the nets at the top of the crease and Larkin's head start from the blue line.

What was it with those ICM's @JR Boucicaut? Fedorov seemed to stay on them as long as he could as well, at least in his one90's in Columbus. In Washington he was on Custom+ again.

My gripe with the linear crossover message is it's confusing the way it's presented makes it sound like it's the key to skating the best rather than creating space on the attack and I think it leads to its overuse. I was at a Wild game in October and I saw Charlie Coyle use one in trying to get to a loose puck in the defensive zone. I can't remember his exact stride sequence, but he took a starting stride from a stop or a standstill, another forward stride, then a linear crossover, then another forward stride. I just thought, "that's odd," as it looked like he simply wasn't comfortable skating forward. I think Coyle works with Belfry, who's associated with teaching the linear crossover, so it could be there are others who misunderstand when to use linear crossovers based on how it's presented.

Edited January 1, 2017 by flip12

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

8 hours ago, JR Boucicaut said:

There is a pro variant of LS3 steel - has a different profile than regular LS3 - it's more game ready than the stock. 

It is very similar to Step in regards to heel/toe profile.

[stick9 881]

JR, any chance that LS3 SS steel is available as replacement steel?

Then again I suppose you could just get the LS3 and have the heels and toes shaved.

[mojo122 529]

Just go LS4...

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

My store has gotten LS3 Pro steel in LS2 configuration (non-EDGE) but not this. 

I had noticed it on the custom order form and so I asked what it was. That's how I got the graphic. 

[Haggerty 142]

On 12/28/2016 at 2:54 PM, DarkStar50 said:

 

Only the goalies and Kessel  below 1/2". An older chart from a few years ago had Crosby at 7/16", now 9/16". I wouldn't be surprised if McDavid is above 1/2" for more glide.

Interesting a big guy like Kessel would use 3/8ths, I use 5/8's and that seems really deep for me and the Ice I play on is a lot harder than NHL ice from the pro rinks I have skated on.

[darkhors 88]

2 hours ago, Haggerty said:

Interesting a big guy like Kessel would use 3/8ths, I use 5/8's and that seems really deep for me and the Ice I play on is a lot harder than NHL ice from the pro rinks I have skated on.

I just skated at the Joe in December and the ice is definitely softer than what most people are used too, I think. Plus it was way hotter than I was used to and there were only about 100 people in the seats compared to a regular NHL game. So if you're skating on softer ice and hotter conditions, I can see why many of these players are going shallower. I felt a bit slower at the Joe than normal and I have a good feeling that it was due mostly to the conditions.

[markush 12]

What would be the best way we could find out what hollow he uses?

[IPv6Freely 2082]

1 hour ago, markush said:

What would be the best way we could find out what hollow he uses?

Call his equipment manager. 

[flip12 699]

Stealing his skates would work too.

[markush 12]

Any suggestions that are easier to achieve? ;)

[markush 12]

Any suggestions that are easier to achieve? ;)

[Monty22 821]

Email the EQM? 

[DarkStar50 679]

Write his mom and dad. Ask his linemate to ask him. Hang out in the hotel lobby where the Oilers stay on the road.

[Kgbeast 195]

4 minutes ago, DarkStar50 said:

Write his mom and dad. Ask his linemate to ask him. Hang out in the hotel lobby where the Oilers stay on the road.

Send a Facebook message.