Leaderboard

No one had the ice after us this morning, so we ended up playing for somewhere around two and a half hours. Lots of guys commenting on how much better I've gotten since starting. I felt like I was on a roll today (up until the last 15 minutes or so, at which point I would've preferred to tend goal by lying there like a slug and tripping anyone who came near me), felt extra-aggressive covering the puck. I was still pretty nervous when people came speeding by my crease, once burned twice shy and all that, but after a couple of good saves I felt much better. The new pads feel great. I decided I hate toe-ties/laces. These pads actual stay in place on the skate much better than the old ones did (less thumping the pads back into alignment), but at the same time rotate better. They're stiffer and a little heavier (by virtue of being senior vs. junior) and felt awkward for about 10 or 15 minutes but that cleared up. Also, they slide a lot better, which took some getting used to (flexibility to the rescue). It is very pleasant to have pads that fit, and I was a lot less worried about pucks hitting the inside or the top of my knee. My knee is definitely squarely on the landing gear. The very top strap may be extraneous for me, but I'll consider it. I didn't use it this time, but I might try next time just to see how it feels. I had to finagle the leather straps a bit to get the excess to stay out of the way, which I think is because they're new and still stiff. About a half-hour into the skate, one of the players fired a shot that hit my skate and ended up breaking the holder. I didn't actually realize it was broken until I was getting undressed two hours later. I had had the vague impression that the skate felt funny, like maybe my laces had come undone or something, but I was busy not getting completely shellacked and the skate was still functional. Fortunately, they were under warranty and when I took them to the shop, they outright replaced the whole pair. Fine with me, and certainly took less time than a repair might've. In case you are wondering yes that shot was a goal, it ended up ricocheting into the net.

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I got mine a few weeks ago (old toe cap / design). I got them because I have terrible arch pain all the time. I've gone through several other skates and finally decided that if anything was going to fix my issue, it was these. They have not been magic, but they have significantly reduced the pain I experience to at least bearable. In fairness, we have been tweaking and trying different things and are still working on it and the latest round of suggestions had a positive impact. I have to say both before and after the sale, Rob from VH has been great. The fit is amazing. My last skates were Bauers and I always felt like my feet inside the skates were set funny. No matter what I tried they always felt like they were sitting part of the way on one side. Also, if I tied them tight enough to keep my foot from feeling like it moved a little, the arch pain was excruciating. With the wrap of the VHs, I don't really have to have them that tight at all and my foot feels like it is in the right spot and perfectly connected to the ice when I turn, etc. The fit alone improved my skating and turning. The skates are very comfortable. In fact, just before they arrived I banged my ankle on something that took a good chunk of skin. I hadn't skated since it happened and it scabbed over, so when the skates arrived I figured I was in for some pain there. Nope. Didn't even notice it at all. I have the clarino liner. It is what they recommended when I asked about the two different ones also. I have nothing to compare it to, but I like it. My feet probably sweat above average but I feel like the clarino does a good job. As for accuracy of the measurements, I think close is good enough. I found it hard to get the drawing perfect. I did also send a number of pictures of both feet like they tell you to do. I also did a couple where my foot was on the tape measure lengthwise and width for extra information. Took some pictures with the tape measure next to my very high arches, etc. Like I said, the fit has been perfect. I did the middleweight felt tongue. It gives a little extra padding to guard against the lacebite. It's been great. Very happy with it. I think the thick one would have been too much. Hope all of this helps.

One of the few who could honestly be called a legend.

Just got these in, and they feel awesome.

Sir Christopher Lee, one of the most legendary badass.

Anyone else go to the Ontario Reign gear sale this past Sunday? Here is my haul, all for $33! $25 for goalie cut practice jersey w/ socks $.50 per roll of tape, x6 $1 per compression item (2 pants, 3 shirts), all brand new Warrior brand $1 Ontario Reign puck: