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Although I'd still consider myself a gear guy, my interest has definitely wained. This might be Grandpa Simpson yelling at cloud territory, but for the most part, hockey and hockey equipment have become so 'clinical' for lack of a better term. Again, just my opinion, but I don't see a lot of brand distinctiveness between the two dominant players Bauer and CCM. I've used most of the top end of both (save skates), and overall they seem to perform on equal levels and have really similar product offerings. Warrior has a bit more personality to their brand and I like they've gotten away from the 'edgy' narrative, but still, walking into a giant hockey shop is just way less interesting to me than walking into a smaller shop even ten or fifteen years ago. To be completely honest, although I love the game of hockey as it's given so much to me (played pro in Eur, I still teach at a high-performance hockey school twice a week, so many lifelong friends etc), the game overall seems to me to have lost some its nuance and quirkiness and whether through my own biases or not, I feel like I see that in the gear. Kid's skillsets are so practised and refined, everyone is so good, for me it feels like it's diminished the different roles and personalities that made up a hockey team. Similar to this, I loved seeing someone express their game through their gear, and the dominance of Bauer and CCM gear seems less conducive to that, although there are still players who pull it off (our boy DP57 for example, Ovi, Pasternak, O Reilley). To become good enough to play aaa or junior, you basically require a certain degree of wealth or access and a lot of parents consider their kid playing hockey as an investment for a future pro or full ride payoff. It's really becoming almost explicitly a rich person's sport and it feels more 'corporate' and straight-faced to me than it ever has (maybe I'm naive?). This bums me out, and the increasing exclusivity of formulaic looking and performing gear (it's like 360$ for a custom Bauer stick -- many of the kids I teach have already had their parents put an order in) reminds of this truth I don't particularly like. This is probably a long-winded way of saying that the sport and the equipment are getting better, more expensive, more formulaic (because companies know what works), and overall simply more serious and money focused and that makes this ageing dude uncomfortable. "Back in my day..." Please disagree with me. I really want to be less cynical.

I never would have thought about it if someone else handnt pointed it out, but light colored bags are better for finding stuff. Black and navy bag interiors are great at hiding stray socks and jocks. I’ll never buy a bag with a dark interior again. That being said, that silver Easton bag is...noticeable. If you ever get a flat tire on the way home, you can definitely put that out and people will see you in the dark.

First look and initial impressions.

No. Because your cynicism is spot on.

The Toronto market is #1 priority for Bauer. No way they want to lose him. From experience, it's not a lack of service. The Toronto Bauer rep is in room on a weekly basis. There always is the possibility of relationship issues but in this case it looks like a product issue. If Bonny (Bauer factory) couldn't deliver new spec sticks or had an issue with a batch then this could have caused player frustrations. Warrior can deliver samples very fast and all it takes is a small opening and hence the current situation. After servicing NHL teams for 20 years I can say with certainty that it happens to the best of them. Crosby used Dupuis Bauer's, Forsberg used Bauer for 2 weeks, Ovie first switch to Bauer while under contract. I could go on and on.... It will always happen to every company and usually there is never any legal pursuit. Payments are made or not made and it is worked out between agents and sports marketing execs. Gun to my head, this runs its course for the playoffs and then he's back into Bauer once the product is squared away. Warrior can always match and up the contract dollars once his Bauer deal has expired.

I've just been introduced to using bidet hoses.... next level shit.. literally

You can always buy a mat from Ikea and use toiletry bags to keep smaller items together. The corners ripping and zippers failing are the most common issues for replacing a bag.

I had issues with step black going in vs stock Bauer steel on my edge holders. The edge holders were a nightmare for me in general. Only ever user them for about five skates and ditched them for ls2s which are still my favorite holders. I prefer a bolt system to hold runners, personally.

If I recall correctly, Hespeler released black and NYR color scheme gloves patterned after Wayne's specs. I believe this was soon after he became involved in the company financially. The retail NYR ones had a white stripe across one of the lower two backrolls.

Got out of the hospital on Saturday. Still a little sore but happy to be out Just in time for Easter. Plus the Bruins won today.

Bidet seats are the bomb, ESPECIALLY if you just had a J-pouch/loop ileostomy closure surgery. Life is good 😄

I dont judge anybody by their equipment. You want custom skates and that makes you happy, go for it. You just like to play and still use wooden sticks go for it. It’s a game. I have always been a gear guy, wearing out Great Skate, Ocean, and Kemps catalogs when they showed up in the mail. I still like researching stuff I need but once on the ice I don’t pay attention to it (my bad play keeps me distracted...)