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People would be surprised how identical "what the pros use," and "what's easiest for the equipment guy" are

been skating on fbv for a decade now and couldn’t imagine ever going back to a regular hollow. who cares what NHLers use. i’m a 40 year old beer league player

Snagged myself a pair of barely used CCM 852 gloves. I had the old 652s already, these are even more awesome.

I find your reasoning not so simple. Considering whether "young players should train on what the pros use" and using your Bedard example, I come to the opposite conclusion. If a young player finds something that elevates their play (as you say you think Bedard's boot and steel choices did for his skating) they're optimizing their performance, which is directly connected to their visibility and chances of making it to and beyond the next level. If instead they opt to stay inside the box of what's in the pro arsenal, they could be leaving performance on the table, diminishing both their chances of making it to higher levels, as well as their degree of excellence at those levels. Once they get to a level where they're professionally outfitted (team buys, EQM does the work, sponsorships could be available, etc.) then the element of "being a team player" with your equipment preferences could come in. Until that, I'd say it makes the most sense to do whatever you can that's legal to elevate your play. Not to mention that "what the pros use" isn't static, it evolves. Those pros who do use what pros used when they were kids are few and seen as curiosities--Sidney Crosby being the best example. Consider the clap skate as a counterexample. The technology was there collecting dust for around a decade before some elite skaters finally gave it a fair shake. Then everyone switched and all the world records fell, not necessarily in that order. Just because the pros don't use it doesn't mean it's not any good. There's a significant familiarity bias when the margins are razor thin.

Yup, 100% dad market cash grab. What sort of irks me about these things is trying to make it feel like the original, or hyping it like its some other worldly thing they are bring back for a limited time. Those TPS sticks were great at that point in time. I can't imagine they'd stand up to a modern composite. I think CCM got it right with the retro Tacks.

I'm using the dlc. They're very nice and jrz is essentially the same as step. Same factory. But if you've never used dlc before just stick with the jrz stainless. Still very good quality steel. The dlc coating is nice but not worth the extra price imo. I only get the dlc bc I've been using dlc coated since step black steel and when I don't use dlc everything doesn't feel like they bite enough or glide smooth enough 🤪 Keep your stock Bauer's as a backup just in case. And tbh Bauer steel isn't great but they're not TERRIBLE. Lots of pros actually use Bauer TI and stainless. But with that said, pros have sharpening at their disposal whenever and also multiple blades easily available so edge retention may not be as important to them in terms of saving time and money on frequent sharpenings.

Following what @Hills suggests, Graf still has the 735 lineage alive for now in the 755: https://grafhockey.com/skates/ice/player/g755-pro/ It might not be quite as stiff as your G35s, but the cut and fit should be the same. They're not cheap though, $730 at Ice Warehouse right now: https://www.icewarehouse.com/Graf_Classic_G755_Pro/descpage-GCLG755.html

I use jrz. I've used fly ti too and had no issues with durability. But with that said I'm using it on the edge holders so not sure if the combination of fly ti and fly holder causes more breakage for whatever reason.

Skip the rivet. Just use helmet hardware or the appropriate bolt, etc. Will stay connected much better and you don't even need access to a riveter.

Ok, again, I’m jaded and don’t like anything. But, this is just a brand name stamped on a mediocre stick, right? Like the “synergy” sticks that are a low tier Bauer with Easton graphics and a higher price point than they should have. No one under 40 actually cares if some ancient brand makes sticks again. If this were a new, modern build offering something unique, wouldn’t they use a new name to capture the youth market, who is far and away the biggest selling point? And if it’s the “classic” TPS, why does anyone care about people who have been out of the game for 20 years? And, outside of the XN10 (which, to be fair, people loved), TPS was never putting out GREAT sticks, right? They were fine, but it’s not like they were pushing boundaries and doing interesting stuff and suddenly stopped. Nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia. I’m happy to be proven wrong but, nothing about this strikes me as actually exciting.

I bought the yellow original not knowing they were two different quality sticks. I can weigh mine but it's very light, and a good value stick for the money

Was moving this week and came across these blasts from the past. Brought back a lot of memories.

My custom eagles. CP94s with Hossa cuff. Yellow Mustang Palms

Still rocking the original True SVH customs and still love them, but man, True skates still look ugly. You would think after all these years they would finally have a good looking custom boot. I get fit is paramount, but....

Im a (super) proud owner of a Blackstone X02. I think its a fantastic machine and it never failed me. I have both FBV and regular ROH. I think both are great (or maybe im just a good skater, who knows) but ive been skating with FBV 99% for the past 15 years. Just love the glide. i think 1/2 ROH is also great. You can use whatever you like.

If you want to stay with Graf’s i would suggest to look out for a pair of Graf mci 9035/7035 or a skate from the peakspeed series of skates, preferably a higher end model from Peakspeed 4900 and numbers above (5900, 7700 carbon etc) what iv’e been told, the mci and peakspeed series of skates, both share the old graf 35 fit, (narrower heel, wider forefoot) and if you go for a EE/wide fit, the heel doesn’t neccesary get that much wider, but still, the skate gets wider overall. Suitable for most duck feet per say.

What tools Crosby, Ovechkin, McDavid and McKinnon use is not our concern. Because we are not Crosby, Ovechkin, McDavid or McKinnon. To be more specific, we are different, especially in power, including weight. I weigh about 72-74 kg, which is light compared to most NHL players. Leg strength is clearly inferior. When such an amateur wants to enjoy playing ice hockey, sharpening by the RoH may cause inconvenience. This is because the groove depth and blade angle are inseparable and non-selectable. We little guys need a sharp angle that bites properly against the ice with poor weight, but we don't need a groove depth that bites deeply. If the latter is too deep, it will cause unpleasant vibrations and loss of control. The advantage of the flat bottom sharpening is that the blade angle and groove depth can be selected separately. It does not matter whether the blade is trapezoidal in shape or not. In this respect, flat bottom sharpening may outperform round groove grinding, but it is not inferior at all. I repeat. It can be compatible that people of good physique do not need the FBV and that we need FBV. I just choose not to mention it because I am not a big man, but even a big man may feel the need for FBV in some situations for his own reasons. You can choose the suitable method that you need. It is really great that you have no complaints at all about RoH. I am envious. I'm not, which is why I love FBV 100/50 .

I don't really give a shit.

Absolutely! I sharpen for about half of my son's high school team. So far all but one has switched to FBV and love it.