Leaderboard

I remember having a pair of Douglas as a kid and then later a pair of Flak shoulder pads. I hated both of them so much but my parents made me wear them since they were worried I was going to get hurt since I was smaller than most kids on my team and played in much higher levels for my age. My favorite shoulder pads were the Cooper Technifelx but it took a lot of convincing for me to get my parents to allow me to buy them. I still think those are some of the best should pads ever made for weight and mobility.

No I don't think you can have solid plastic on shoulder or elbows anymore. Here's the Cooper Defender ones I was talking about. Lots of these around the bantam/midget hockey world in the late 80's: And these... the chest plate on these below look more familiar, but I remember the shoulder caps being huge like in the top pic... I didn't remember there being two different versions of these but maybe so.

Reviving an older topic to ask if there's some sort of definitive guide to the pro stock shin models out there. Does this exist? Does a pro catalog exist?

The pair I had we used to call 'Defenders' - I thought they were Cooper branded? You couldn't lift your arms over your head without them riding up and pinching your ears. Everyone looked huge in them though. No, they shouldn't come back.

Almost all steel has a bend to it of some type. I think when Sparx was first developing their machines they determined 90% of steel, even brand new, is not entirely within spec and has some type of curvature. This could be the steel itself or the holder exerting force on the steel to slightly bend.

To the OP: IMHO, I would suggest not helping on the ice until your skill level is high enough to play with kids around 1.5X their age. Most parents wouldn't have a problem with a less skilled parent helping out, but there are a few (and they are always the loudest) who do have a problem with it. So it's just best to avoid it. Plus, like many said, if you can't keep yourself safe, then it's really hard to aid in the safety of a large group of little kids. With that said, you certainly can do things off the ice to help. I know some parents who assistant coach on the bench, who can't play very well at all, but know the game and study the game. It's Mites, so it's not like it's high strategy or anything (usually), and if you have a good understanding of the game, even if you didn't play, you can certainly help at that level. You can also be team manager (under appreciated role, but very valuable), or you can even simply be the parent that helps your kids and other kids gear up in the locker room. And while you're doing that, take lessons, skate with your kids, practice yourself, and in time...you'll be on the ice with them. It's a joy that you're giving something to your kids, that you yourself didn't have a chance to experience at their age. And it's even better that you want to be very involved with them while they're doing it.

Measuring sticks against the wall isn't accurate as some blade patterns are shorter/longer than others. Measure from the actual base of the blade where it contacts the ice I use a p28 and I measure it from the top to the base in the exact same spot on ally sticks and when standing up against the wall they differ slightly in height between brands.

Are the tongues moving towards the outsides (lateral) of your ankles? This is likely happening because of overpronation and/or a poor fit. It's pretty common actually. Not much you can do about it other than strenghten your foot muscles.

As someone it has worked for in the past, I notice three differences: (1) The way the pressure feels distributed at the top eyelet (where most people get bite) changes outside in, inside out, or with a lace lock loop. I'm confident I could tell the difference blindfolded if someone else tied my skates. (2) When you pull the each row tight inside out the pressure goes into compressing the tongue first. Outside in it goes into folding the eyelets over first. The same amount of "pull" leaves the skates a bit looser because there is more friction at each eyelet. It's also a little more awkward to grab / really reef on them once they are snugged up. (3) Outside in, especially with waxed laces, seems to keep tightness from moving down the boot, if that makes sense. That's usually my big issue as someone with a high instep. At the end of the day I think 90% is just the increased friction of outside in tricking you into lacing a little looser. It obviously doesn't create more physical volume in the skate. But if the placebo works for tons of people is it still a placebo?

As a guy in a similar spot (never played growing up, not a great skater), I have to agree with the last few posters. It is one thing to be out there at an open skate and be responsible for yourself, it is another to be out there and responsible for yourself and 15-20 kids. I've started the process of getting my Level 1 USA Hockey coaching cert last month. And that is really just so I can be in the locker room and help run a door when needed. I ran the clock and scored a few times this year as well. All of that is fun, appreciated and helpful to the coaches. At some point I'd love to be in a position to help out on ice, but need to really work on my skating before I'd truly be comfortable in that spot. Nor do I hold any delusions about being on ice with my son in that context. I could skate 5 hours a day, every day, and maybe catch up to their level of proficiency. He and his team has a serious head start that will be tough to overcome (he's 9, but has been skating since 2.5 and playing since barely 4). And I've taken skate lessons, was getting pretty decent for a bit, before life took over and I wasn't able to make the time to keep working on the skills. In that time off, a lot of what I gained left me. I am in the process of trying to build that back up. Point is, this sport is about skating. If you aren't comfortable with that skill, work on it. OP - don't be discouraged, but find a way you can help that everyone is comfortable with and start there. If there is more you want to do, start the process of getting those skills together while you help out another way short term.

In addition to the above - hockey isn’t golf in that you have your hands in the exact same position for different shots and have time to approach the ball. Ideally you want to be able to get your shots off from a variety of hand/body positions as the play unfolds dynamically. TLDR: Whoever fed you the hold at the balance point idea, fed you nonsense.

The real question is, why are you using so many different curves? Maybe I'm old school, but if I pick a curve, I stick with it for an extended period of time. I just did this going from a 92 to a 28. I don't want to be changing back and forth between the two because I feel like I maximize learning and perfecting the curve I'm using. I won't change curves, usually, for an entire season or more if it's working. Just seems like you're spending time readjusting to the stick each time your switch. To each their own, but I am curious to as why you switch between so many.

Not to be a downer but it is harder than it looks and if you have only skated a few times and have zero hockey experience you would be more help off the ice. You need to have some skating abilities just to get around the ice and you can't really help with drills if you don't know how to play. You need to be pretty stable on your skates with little kids. If one takes you out by accident it might not only be you that gets hurt. If you have some skating abilities you would be more stable on your skates and less likely to go down. As a coach I wouldn't want you in the locker room because of the liabilities. If you haven't gone through the system with background checks then being in the locker room can be sketchy. All it takes is one parent to make a comment because the misunderstood what a kid said. You also have to think about what the other kids might say to your kids about your abilities. Even at that age they can be rough. And last, you have to think about the other parents, they are worse than the kids. My suggestion, enjoy learning the game and being able to watch and focus on your kids. Start taking lessons and go to stick & puck with your kids. You might even consider taking lessons and try playing.

He's right about just slapping it on; it will overpitch the steel. What has to be done is to trick the machine by marking a new line 20 mm from the original . Then putting the steel in normally (but not clamping), but moving the sled manually to meet the new line, then clamping it there.