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I like to think so. I'm quiet and generally noncombative. But people also want to win, so you see folks asking for B goalies to play in D leagues. I want to win, too, I mean it's nice to feel successful and we all like a bit of swag to show off. But I'm not good enough to give a team a halfway successful season or even tournament. So, pickup.

I actually found out that the play it again here shut down. I've looked in the past and most of it is really ragged old men's sizes. That's how the rental stuff is at the rink too. I'm 5'4 and 130 lbs aka tiny. I have to find intermediate sizes and the hockey pop isn't big here. I scored a good deal on ebay for some leg pads that were pretty much brand new and I just picked up a matching glove and blocker for the same brand and style on goalie monkey I guess the line was discontinued and I was lucky enough to grab a set in the colors I wanted.

Yes, Yellow was merely a color change (and perforation in the insole) from Grey.

Folks do get strangely uptight when a T-shirt is on the line. (or a medal. At least medals look like you accomplished something.) And I understanding wanting to have some tangible symbol that you have made a progression or done well in something. I'm nowhere close to swimming at a meet with a team, but I still like to mark down an improvement in my times. It's harder to do that, I think, in hockey, or even in softball, where there's no obvious progression beyond "I can stand up/I can skate forwards/I can stop/I can skate backwards". My basic anxiety about other people, coupled with perfectionism, (couple with my disinterest in alcohol), makes me a poor candidate for most leagues and tournaments around here, with how intense people get. I cannot begin to express how difficult it is for me to not think that the Saturday group is trying to get rid of me, and even then, it's like "well, do you really know they're not trying to get rid of you? Even if you asked, they might be lying." Can you imagine me trying to play in a league? I would throw myself under the zamboni by the third game. There is a tournament coming up in August that I would like to play in for specific reasons, but I'm waffling about it for the above reasons.

I have no delusions of grandeur. I don't get being uber competitive after there is no freakin' chance of being a pro. Nobody is going to be homeless if they don't perform. Nobody is going to be forced to move to some unknown city that is hundreds of miles from an airport if they lose. I just don't get it. Maybe it's 'cos I am totally done being competitive, having tried to break into one professional league or another from the ages of 17-34 (hockey was early; cycling, duathlon was later) is where my lack of competitive nature comes from. When I came to the grim realisation that my talent ATM was overdrawn, I just wanted to have fun. It was a great relief to know that a bad performance wasn't costing me anything other than a bit of pride. I don't miss hearing "through the grapevine" that my sponsors were getting impatient with my lack of top placings, even though I was being a good ambassador for the brand, for example. Don't get me wrong- I don't like to suck, but I don't get upset when I do. If that means pickup and no men's league for me, then so be it. In the end, a win or loss means NOTHING if you're not a pro.

From what I surmise, you would be a good teammate no matter your skill.

Worked out to be an ez fix for me and no sacrifice in comfort; no more blister and found a use for my powerfoots! I'll keep this thread updated as I continue to test this setup, we'll only know it works for certain after a handful of games.

Pics for those curious as to how the powerfoots were used.

I FOUND THE SOLUTION TO THE MAKO BUMPS! It was right under our noses too.. POWERFOOT! I had a pair of powerfoot that I bought but couldn't use in my Mako2's due to them making the toe box too tight. Whilst removing them from my boot, I realized the shape would fit the contour that's been eating at my ankles... So what I did was stick those powerfoots laterally in the inside of the boot; hence, giving me a soft and comfortable pad for my ankle to rest on. Believe it or not, it feels as though it adds no volume whatsoever with the added bonus of removing the cause for the mako bumps! Anyways, shoutout to Powerfoot, these things feel nice and cozy no matter where you decide to stick'em!

First time back playing since my second liver transplant. My post in Sweet spot.

After using Mako skates I fell in love with not having all the excess space above my toes in the toe box area. I like a skate to feel connected to my foot and snug from heel to toe. After using Makos I switched to VH Footwear which provided the same great feeling as they two designed their tongue to start at front of the skate. Then I left the monocoque 1 piece skates and went back to more traditional skates using Bauer MX3's and CCM Jetspeeds. The fit of those was very good but not great due to my toes feeling like they were in a huge cave. I stumbled upon the Powerfoot inserts on YouTube one day and thought the idea was brilliant. Nothing amazing about it (I had though of concocting my own type of toe box padding before) but someone had perfected it and made it available via retail. I took the plunge and spent $20 to order a pair. At that time you had to order them direct. You still can order direct if you prefer or many local and online retailers sell them now. Some might think $20 is too much to pay for something like this but with dropping $250 on 1 stick, $800 on skates, etc., this $20 is well spent for how it makes your skate feel. To that feel: the Powerfoot comes with pair of inserts and pair of shims. The shims are for if you want to have a thicker insert to take up a bit more volume in the toe box. Some brands like Bauer tend to have more vertically spacious toe boxes and the shim uses more frequently by Bauer wearers. They come with instructions on how to insert them and how to remove the paper covering the adhesive to affix them to the top of the toe box. They recommend you place them in your skates first without affixing them to get a feel if you prefer with or without the shim being used. Put them in without the shim, tie up your skates and hang out for 5 minutes. Then repeat that "try on" process with the shim to see which way you prefer. Once you picked your way follow the directions for affixing them, let them sit a day and then hit the ice. I used with the shim in my Bauer's ( I like real snug fit) and just the insert in my CCM Jetspeeds. (If you are really unsure which way you prefer after the "try on" process you can always do that same process on the ice to get better feel while skating. That's the great thing about the Powerfoot, you don't have to affix them ever if you don't want to. They don't move around when just carefully place in the toe box.) I affixed them in my Bauer's and they stayed adhered strongly. I take them in and out in my Jetspeeds and have not fit issues with them doing it that way. On the ice they say you will have stronger crossovers, edges, power. I'm not sure I notice a measurable performance difference with them in but what I do notice is that my feet are more comfortable and therefore my skating confidence is higher and I pay less attention to my skates. I think that feeling is what helps me and others to skate a bit better. If you physically and mentally feel better I believe you will perform better. Just don't expect to go from a D level to A level from it. LOL. I think less when crossing over, especially on my weak side, and that along is worth the improvement I feel I have noticed. Even if you try them and feel zero performance benefits, I think the comfort factor is very high and worth every penny of the $20 cost. I have since bought 4 more pairs to have backups and highly recommend investing in a pair for yourself or your child. (On a side note they have a slightly thinner model available via direct purchase geared toward Mako skate users that really want to snug up that skate's already snug toe box.)

I'm gonna make another quick suggestion...make sure you buy goalie knee pads and make sure they're on snug so they don't slide down your leg...because the one time your kneecap is exposed, you are going to get hit with a puck there and it's not going to be pleasant. ow.