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Reviewed the tapes last night, OMG did we laugh our asses off. Your buddy went in the booth first, then you went in and we see you disappear and a stick and legs in the air. Next time, read the signs we have posted - only one person in the booth, mmkay?

Recent pick up for my old man. He was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's, won't let that keep him off the ice. love ya Dad! Brand New CCM 652 custom tacks. Going to put some Tuuk customs on these very soon.

Parent told his kid not to bother passing or trying to pass because "no one's going to be there anyway" and then asked me to confirm that, "it doesn't matter because no one else can pass at this level, right?" Man, it's called Learn to Play for a reason (in this case, 4 - 6ish). I tried to play it neutral and said "Well, everyone's learning. It's a process." I am not sure that went over well... (The thing of it is, the kid and a couple of others were actually passing pretty well with each other. I mean no one here is making Stanley-Cup-winning tic-tac-toe plays here, but the puck is getting from Player A to Player B with reasonable consistency.)

Nice to see this topic! Just got mine on Saturday..baked em and played in them that night. No pain whatsovever, perfect fit. LS2 Holder, LS3 steel. Love these skates! My old steel was pretty warn down so I had a lot more blade on the ice than I have been use to, so that was a little different but I'm acutally going to continue with the steel as is without profiling. Skates feel really solid...My previous skate was a Supreme One95 which I never baked because I thought (right or wrong) it would take away from the stiffness of the boot . Comparing the two the VH is as stiff or stiffer. I tried a pair of Nexus 1000 earlier in the year, but didn't like them, felt great in the store but kind of 'clunky' to skate in. I live in Winnipeg so I had Scott fit me himself. He used the exact same form and did the same measurements he asks for online. As everyone else has stated...Just a super guy to deal with! Looks like there are about 8-10 jets in these. Wheeler must be on his second pair, because they sell game used gear at the Jet games and there was pair of his on sale at Friday's game. They didn't have the white hightlights like the ones he is in now. just 'Wheels' on the tendon guard. Looks like Buff has either had his modified or is on his second pair as well. I could be wrong but looked like he had some blue accents on his that weren't there before. Baking was easy, Scott basically talked me into doing them myslef. I could have easily got them baked for free at a number of places in town but he assured me there was no need. 180 degrees, 1 skate at a time, 10 mins/side in my conventional gas oven. put them on barefoot for about 25 mins each (until they cooled). Couldn't be happier with these...Hoping they are as durable as they seem/feel!

I cancelled a "guy's trip" vacation for this interview, too. Silver lining is that I'll still get to watch my daughters' squirt games this weekend that I'd have missed if I went on the trip.

Thought this was cool, pulled out the plug on one of the sticks and there's vibration dampening foam glued onto the end, never seen that before.

They're the best option I've used as far as replicating an ice like feeling. As previously mentioned I've used the old Tuuk Rocker and I've also tried rockering the wheels on a flat chassis and prefer the Sprungs. As for durability, I used my original A6 chassis for about 4 years before I retired it, but probably went through at least one complete set of rocker arms during that time. There were a few reasons for this: The knuckles on the A6 arms were a weak point on the original version. The new version has beefed up knuckles with tighter tolerances.When I first started using them I didn't realize you had to condition them or clean them every once in a while (about once a month is good) and when the plastic gets dry it's more likely to break.I'm bigger/heavier than the average player and was jumping over the boards on changes like I do on ice, but now I just go through the door to avoid putting extra stress on the knuckles.Also, if you don't take apart and clean the chassis on a regular basis the dirt that gets inside will cause friction and wear down the part of the chassis that holds the arms as well as the outside of arms themselves. This isn't as big of a problem where the rear arms are connected as the connection point is deeper. It's more of a problem in the front where the connection point is shallower - if you don't clean them regularly then they'll loosen up quite a bit after a few years. You'll still be able to use them, but they won't be as responsive as when they were new. If you're using them outside you should clean them even more often as the dirt you'll find outside is generally more abrasive than the dirt and dust on indoor courts. With all of that said, I still wouldn't move to a flat chassis unless I had no other options. None of the new beefed up rocker arms have broken on me in the few months I've been using them. They're wearing well, but I also clean and condition them about once a month and haven't jumped over the boards with them. The tolerances are tighter and the springs are stiffer so they also feel faster and more responsive. As far as Justin's comments, I have to respect them as he has years of experience designing roller hockey specific products. I too felt a bit unbalanced on one set I had (I've had a few on a few different boots over the years) as they were mounted too far forward. Once I was on a pair that was properly mounted the balance wasn't an issue. They have to be mounted just right - you or the shop you take them to has to mount them exactly like the instructions state - 1/4" back of center. I doubt this was Justin's issue since he'd be able to mount skates very well with all his experience, but a mount that is off will certainly cause issues. A well worn chassis that hasn't been cleaned will also provide more play - the older models in general will provide more play as the springs aren't as stiff. If you use wheels that are too soft with Sprungs they will feel slow. Sprungs need harder wheels for the suspension to work effectively. I first tested out the Sprungs with outdoor wheels and was happy with them, but when I first used them indoors I was a bit disappointed as it did feel slower. This was corrected when I put on harder wheels. So I still recommend them, but for best results: Buy the newest model. The knuckles are beefed up, the plastic is supposed to be of higher quality and the springs are stiffer.Clean them and soak the plastic parts regularlyDon't hop the boardsGo with harder wheels than you'd use for a traditional chassis. I always use the hardest indoor wheels I can find and even use an outdoor wheel on the back as that wheel always wears fastest.Make sure they're mounted 1/4" back from centerThe Marsblade Wicked3Aussie mentioned is also supposed to replicate an ice feel. I'd be curious to try that as well, but it's even more than the Sprungs at the moment, but do come with wheels and bearings. I noticed on their Facebook page they indicate they're launching in Canada in the summer of 2014 (they even had some ads at the MasterCard Center in Toronto). Perhaps the price will come down a bit and there will be a chassis only option at that point. Since I'm already comfortable with Sprungs I don't know if I'd shell out the coin to try Marsblades though unless I heard from other Sprung users that they were significantly better or if Sprungs were no longer available. So I can see why people who are already comfortable with whatever chassis they're currently using wouldn't switch to Sprungs. In a case where you're looking to replicate an ice like feel then the Sprungs and Marsblades are two options to consider.

Most sharpeners see steel and hone it. Kind of like fat kids getting drawn into a candy machine, just happens. I don't think too many people don't know you aren't supposed to hone it? I made sure my guys don't but it just takes one guy...

Not too bad actually. The month of December was the best I have felt in a long time. I had a liver biopsy in December of 2012 and another one a couple weeks ago. Last year the biopsy showed very little in terms of anything wrong with the cells of the liver. This latest one showed significant scarring. That is there biggest concern on how fast the disease seems to progressing this time. I plan on getting back on the ice soon and trying to get myself in the best shape that I can be. That seemed to help last time. I barely lasted long enough last time to get a transplant. The told my wife to be prepared because I could have died at any time. They thing I can get a liver before I get that sick this time. Thanks for any and all support. It really helps.