Leaderboard

Here is a photo looking down from the top. I mirrored it in photoshop to help visualize a RH version. It definitely looks different looking down from the top as opposed to looking down the shaft.

@badger_14 Glad you're feeling better! Keep up the good work! Yes, #20 is a very, very unique goalie number, as is #33. As far as doing the number and name justice, none of us who are posting in this thread (for the most part) can do that. I have an England national jersey on order, with #27 (Hextall) and the last name "Collander" (yes, a statement on my goal tending prowess). Since there isn't a known English national hockey goalie, some schmuck is going to think that Collander plays for England. And compared to the rest of the world hockey scene, Collander would be an accurate last name for their goaler. Of course someone asked I knew any other Dovers once (as I have that on a jersey). "Yeah, if my first name was Ben". It's funny what opposing shooters get motivated to shoot towards. When I used to wear my "Screw U" jersey, most people would laugh when they saw it. Of course I would snap my stick on the ice and point at my "crest" for one particular player (one whom I have had a few confrontations with when I skated out) and he would whiff the shot, then swear like a sailor ('cos he's just *that* good, lol). I always would figure that if they are purposely shooting at the body, then I am more than likely going to save the goal. I also have "Supwit U" and am debuting "Forget U" today. I guess I am crazy enough to wear a Tretiak olympic national sweater, complete with "CCCP" livery. I do have a red shell for my breezers, after all...

Great pics, Stephen. Such a unique and beautiful pattern. I'm looking forward to trying it! The extreme rocker and length should be interesting, to say the least. I was thrilled at how well the Shanahan project worked out, so hopefully we'll get the same level of success with this pattern (and many more in the future)! The more patterns we have available, the better.

The wonderful management did not notify anyone who called about stick and puck yesterday that it was cancelled in favour of a rental. I drove 40 minutes to find that out. I was not amused.

I've had a red CCCP tretiak jersey in my bookmarks for ages. I need to just say screw it and buy it. And heck, I'm Canadian yet I'd STILL wear it.

@badger_14 Yes- Boston tends to be quite angry from every visit I have ever had! Still a charming city, nonetheless... STFU will be the next sweater; thanks for the idea!!!!!

I like to think that as long as I am working hard and trying my best, not giving up, I am doing the number enough justice that Mr. Tretiak would be okay with it. (I mean, I suppose I could write him a letter and ask...but my Russian isn't really that good yet.) I specifically told Lutch not to put the name on, just the number. That way I only have to burden myself with a couple of digits, rather than putting on airs with a name. (hey, we're goalies, we all have weird obscure rituals and reasons.) I like Collander over Sieve, as Collander (or Colander) is an actual name. (hockeydb has no one actually named Collander/Colander, which is a damn shame. My university had a goalie named Hatch, poor bastard!) Tricky. Boston may be unusually (compared to other parts of the US) um - ... angry. About hockey. (actually sports in general. Let us not speak of the Red Sox/Yankees thing. Ever.) But I have seen actual physical violence erupt at North Station during Habs/Bruins games (not even in the arena yet!) and players deliberately go after folks wearing a wrong jersey on the ice, so I'd rather err on the side of caution. On the other hand if they're just going to furiously shoot at the logo all day that could be to my advantage. But do you have an STFU jersey, that's the question. ;)

I felt so much better today even than last time (two weeks ago, just after the cortisone shot). Hooray for physical therapy. Still uncomfortable in some ways, but a far cry from being in such untenable pain every time I played. I did let in more goals than I wanted, but I think so did the opposite goalie (whose leg - he is recovering from a broken ankle - is also f*cked! So we're even, except he's much better than I am to start with). A lot of them were simply not being fast enough to keep up with some very skilled players. This opposite goalie hadn't seen my CSKA/Tretiak jersey, and had nice things to say about it. Always good. Sometimes I worry I am not doing the number justice. But I try. He noted that at one point he'd had a Soviet (CCCP) Tretiak jersey and every game his opponents would just whale the puck at the letters as hard as they could. I said that's why I got the CSKA jersey rather than the Soviet national one - I don't want to have some butthead who thinks it's still 1978 take me out. (for some reason, no one - besides the Russians, of course - seems to immediately recognize the CSKA jerseys as Russian or even non-Anglophone. CCCP, though, everybody knows that and you'll take your life in your own hands.)

It's hard to nail down a lie since it's very rockered but here's a few photos next to a BC92 lie 6. I clamped 2 sticks together to try and keep consistency.

Excellent pic! The square tiles really help give perspective as well. That looks the same as the Perron heel kink pattern I had. It's only a slight heel kink and I liked the version a lot, second though to the big toe version.

Here are 4 photos of our actual Kovalev pro that we produced in a long hosel .620 blade. This was used by Kovalev during his last year in Florida. The last photo is next to our BC92 (P92 clone).

@badger_14 That's the spirit! Put your boot in it and you'll be fine!!!!!

Of course, consider that with tongue in cheek. :) I would like to win a game (to break my tournament track record of losing EVERY SINGLE GAME) but I will be happy to play.

Tournament news - it appears they've decided to go with a 5 team format, meaning there is a goalie space for me. Hooray. Again: it is appears this way from the missives sent out to everyone from the tournament organizer. The downside is that they were unable to form enough teams separate competitive and recreational divisions, meaning that it's five teams of mixed players. The guys that play for Boston I know are very good (*cough*sandbaggers*cough*) as are the Albany and Toronto players (at least, last time I played them, but that was a while ago). So that could mean goalies getting shelled and less-skilled players being miserable and possible jerks wanting to shorten the bench on them, or it could mean a friendly mix and - er - goalies still getting shelled. The Russian Embassy returns tomorrow.

I totally understand. It's hard not to feel like every goal is a personal insult. I think there's a difference, too, between "intense" and "tearing your teammates a new one every time they make a mistake". It's okay (and varying degrees of good) to be intense, it's not so much good to be the village lunatic. I am sure the puck sliding by while trying to take on a tangled mess of fallen player felt like the dumbest goal ever (well, maybe the dumbest goal that game), because let's face it, it is a pretty ludicrous situation and feels embarrassing. You seem to be doing alright, and it does sound like the skaters are happy to have you and not just as a warm body between the pipes either. :)

All kidding aside, the skate boxes can make great cat beds. I took a piece of carpet padding and cut it to the bottom dimensions and threw some fabric on it, put it in front of the window, and my cat sleeps in it half the day

Found this in storage at the LHS I work at. Manager gave it to me for free.