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Crazy last few days, impromptu trip to Indianapolis for the final 4 on Saturday, annual Detroit Tiger Baseball Opening Day craziness Monday, followed by Wings/ Canes last night in the upstairs club seats at the Joe. Can't rebound like I could when I was in my early 20's and I'm paying for it all today but it was worth it. There will be some serious sauna time at the gym today after I finish my physical therapy.

All this article tells me is that we're not far off from custom fitted helmets. I've been saying for years how ridiculous it is for teams to have one helmet for an entire roster. Never made sense to me

The occurrence of concussions will continue to increase as coaching deteriorates.

I agree with you, those who don't have LHS's nearby have a dillema. When I was in the military and stationed at god-forsaken places that had no LHS's, I had to rely on advice given by phone from a trusted LHS in another part of the country. We didn't have online and ebay stores. However for every one person like you who doesn't have a LHS nearby and is using the board for true need, there are 20 who are on these boards just to save a buck, no other reason. You don't have to believe me, on this board alone you will find many posts from folks, who admit scamming their LHS, trying stuff on and then buying from ebay or online. Perfect example is the post above. Until you've been scammed, you really don't know how it feels. Jimmy... I don't claim to understand your world view... but I am a little confused. To my eyes, the post you referred to supported and acknowkedged MSH for all of the useful product information that has helped them make good purchases, thus saving money. Here's the post: My business background suggests that the more informed my customer is... the easier it is to make the sale. Including up-selling, because they recognize the inherent value. Your stand seems to be, and I may be confused by this, that it is "much better to keep everyone UNINFORMED, so that I, the LHS, am the only source of product information and they are forced to come to me". Your second stand seems to be: "An informed person will rip me off/scam me by going and buying the product somewhere else." I am startled to hear wanting to save money is suddenly a bad thing. I spend between $5-7,000 a year on hockey and am very happy to save money along the way. I am also very happy to walk into the LHS armed with as much product information as possible - to be able to make informed decisions AND to balance mis-information, however well-meaning, from LHS staff. I am puzzled by your approach as it seems novel to the service business: your customers and potential customers are the enemy who are about to, at any moment, scam you. What is it that I'm not understanding here?

I probably have about 150 sticks left between G1's, TF1's and Evolutions.

All I'm saying is store workers should not be helping folks so they can bypass ther local LHS's. This has nothing to do with my store, but the "hockey world" as you say, in general. IIt's a macro thing, not micro. If there is no reason to go to the local LHS because you can get free fitting advice from MSH, then less folks will go to their LHS, they'll shop ebay. BTW, I don't believe I've ever mentioned the name of my store on this board. Explain this to me jimmy, how is someone who lives nowhere near a quality pro shop going to get good solid info on products? Am I suppose to take a plane ride for $300 to buy a $300 pair of skates or spend airfare to go pick up a few items of equipment? Or since I dont live in a "hockey hotbed" Im not suppose to get quality equipment or be able to play at all?...Is it my fault that there are no shops where I live and Im just suppose to find this info out on my own? Oh wait, finding out on my own would mean Id have to find a "helpful" hockey website with alot of great and knowledgeable people!!! But I cant do that cause then Id just have to take that knowledge and buy online...No I cant do that, Ill plop down my $300 for a plane ticket and head up to your shop to spend a couple hundred on equipment and then get home and not have any money to pay for a league to play in, but at least youll have that little profit to pay your light bill.....I think your view of the "macro" hockey world is a little more "micro" than you really understand....Just because you live and work somewhere with a hockey shop dosent mean its like that all over the country....I feel what your sayin about supporting LHS, we had a shop where I live here for a little while and I was there every week buying this and that sometimes just spending what little money I could on stuff I really didnt need cause I thought it might help the guy stay in business, he eventully closed and Im back to having to get stuff online(only because I have no other options), but at least this site helps me make informend purchases...Although I guess in your thinking maybe I should just take a up another sport that I can make my purchases that support that LHS?...So see jimmy you need to sit back and look at your "macro" view and maybe strecth it out a bit more before you start stepping on toes and pointing fingers....If you can think of a better option for me Im all ears....

Since many manufactures visit this site, I'd like them to give me the plans, materials and trade secrets on how they make their composite sticks. This is an "informative' site after all, isn't it? I'll wait for all this information to be posted, so I can start up my copycat factory and have some chinese guy make it for cheaper. It'll be a cold day in hell before I get it, I assure you. Why, you should be smart enough to figure it out. Once the word gets out that Chadd or JR will help fit you for skates so you can make the sweet ebay purchase or buy from Isellhockeyeeuipmenoutofmygarage.com, why on earth would anyone visit their LHS. Stop trying to be the "nice" guy. Either you have a business to run or you don't. Don't get so hung up on the holy-er than thou, we're just here to help the poor guy who doesn't have a LHS that knows what they are doing. Yo're being taken advantage of and you don't even realize it. "Bla , bla, bla, what size Kor do I fit into?" ....great ebay price on Kors. Suckers.

Well i work together with a seller and a wholeseller/distributor but i dont work in a store, guess that counts, huh ?