Vet88

Sadly I think this is the future of skates, and customs where you can put your own graphics on them. I asked junior players at a practice I run and they were all "those look sick". The Finnish skate in particular got the most favourable comments. I'm sure Bauer are aware of this, for us older guys we'll have to get customs just to have a traditional looking skate, lol. So saying, I do think the Swiss skate looks ok.

Yikes, you are really busting out of that lower mid section. I can't believe a fitter recommended you try a thicker felt tongue, ffs. One look at that and I agree customs would be your best bet, just make sure that whomever you go to knows their stuff because you need a custom facing and a narrower boot so the measurements need to be spot on. I'd recommend you take manual measurements and then compare them with the scan and measurement data before it gets sent off to True. If you aren't happy with what they have produced, make them start again and don't let them send it until YOU think it is right.

If the volume is marginal, a thick tongue makes it worse. You have to get the pressure OFF the tendons, not keep pressure on them. Possibly a thinner tongue (to give you space in the forefoot area) and eyelet extenders at the top (to remove any lace bite issues) would be a mix I would consider. The reason why I try to get skaters to go this way versus custom means once they find the right mix, they can apply it to any retail skate in the market. this means their options for skates, fit and price point are much greater.

I'm not trying to talk you out of customs but have you considered fixing your volume issues with eyelet extenders? If the boot fits you ok everywhere else then extenders cure your volume issues. I have a similar shaped foot, high arch and too much volume for any boot that fit me ok everywhere else. When I was lacing up, extenders fixed the volume issue.

Most adult league players don't have the best shooting technique (so the blade breaks down really fast on slap shots) and play in games where wood chopping is part of the game. I'd rather take a used pro stock over a used beer leaguer any day.

Every game in the tournament will air on NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada. If I recall correctly the TSN stream is live only, use a stream recorder? And whilst it's not in the right thread, I got to say Group B is nasty, one of the big 3 won't make it out. Could be the US won't medal again. Other than the teams and format that make up the NHL divisions, no draw is out yet. Edit - draw is now out. Some dates for the NHL - Start of the season: January 13 Trade deadline: April 12 End of regular season: May 8 Last possible day of playoffs: July 15 Expansion draft: July 21 NHL Draft: July 23-24 Start of free agency: July 28

Measure them across the forefoot. If you don't have any calipers use something like a wire coat hanger. If the forefoot is smaller (C versus D) in width you have your answer, it's not the tongue but the width and when you crank down on the laces it's putting pressure on your foot. I'd say tie really loose or not at all as a fix but if you like your laces tight then you should get the skates stretched in that area, that will help a lot.

There is no guarantee that anyone you speak to has a lot of experience in shimming. What you need to do is ask them if they have any experience in dealing with hockey players and if the skate needs adjustment, who would they use. However a professional that deals with feet should be aware of the basics and be able to apply this to ice skates but I'd still be trying to find someone who has that experience. As to the link (and re my comment above) I suspect the page lands there because that particular person is paying for the privilege. As I said above, I'd start at the top of the list and ring every single one. Tell them you are a hockey player who is looking for help and what experience do they have in dealing with feet in skates. If they don't have any experience they might refer you to someone they know who does.

Pronation effects your stride, balance, power you get into the ice, technique etc. In fact everything you do on the ice is impacted by pronation. If you are not aligned correctly over the top of the skate blade you will never EVER skate to your full potential. I don't care how much you train, your fundamental technique will always be flawed. There are lots of articles you will find on the web re pronation in skates, this is a good one http://bladesbytodd.com/2015/08/09/mounts/ or this for what a trained person can do to correct foot issues and pronation https://www.aapsm.org/pdf/humble-skatinga.pdf If you can't put the time in to train laces untied (which I find surprising if you are playing AA?, I am sure I read this in one of your posts) then you are left with a physical process (shims etc). imho a LHS is the last place you want to go to see someone about pronation (no disrespect intended for those knowledgeable owners on this forum) because it's a crap shoot, 99.9% will not have a clue about what you want. If you want to work with a skate related person I think you are better off finding a very good figure skate coach or figure skate fitter, they have dealt with this all the time whereas hockey just pretends it doesn't exist. Or go and see a professional, I'd suggest you find one of these people in your area and go and see them - http://www.aapsm.org/members-midwest.html#mn At least you recognise pronation has an impact on your skating and you want to do something about it. Training more, without fixing the problem, ISN'T the solution.

Shifting him to D for a while could be a big help, getting him to continually practice playing the body and give hits may help his confidence and awareness to manage them when he is in a position to be on the receving end.

Big or small in physical size? Whats his drive for playing (coming from him or other outside influences)? Could be he is feeling burnt out but can't say it, enjoys playing with his friends but hates the game side (I have seen this a number of times). Any history of receiving a big hit/s and it's now playing with his mind (or even lingering concussion issues that he doesn't want to talk about because he thinks there is an associated stigma with it)? Or a fear of getting hit and the potential damage that could result (fear of concussion is a big thing for some kids)? Whatever it is it is mental so getting him in front of a psychologist may be the best option to understand the cause but that comes with a lot of inherent blocks (parents, peer pressure, self impressions etc). Also whatever his training is / has been, it isn't working, at least for the mental side of his game. As caveman27 suggested, maybe change it up for him but I would also be trying to really simplify his game. Eg if he is a great skater, turn him into a shut down player, easy to sell when it requires the best skater in your team to look after the best skater in the opposition team. Make his role really simple and defined and work with this in practice and drills, if he does well at it then hopefully his confidence would grow and he can then continue to develop. Or a stay at home D. There are a number of roles he can perform that uses the skills he has without placing the pressure on him to be the best 200 yard, puck handling shot screaming beast you think he should be. The other thing I'd take another look at is the tapes. Is he getting puck locked? I've seen this before, players in practice with all the time in the world but in games their focus narrows to the puck, they don't get their head up in time, time and space now narrows for them and they make poor, panicky plays as a result. Fixing this can be done but it requires specific training and him understanding what is going on. Whatever it is I wish you all the best, getting inside the head of a 13 year old isn't an easy task.....

I've used both and have a Potent on the way for my own. imho the potent is a more rounded training aid, it's like an Extreme or Sweethands trainer (both very good tools) but with the electronic option to force different skills. As well as individual puck handling, add a rebounder (for single use passing) or you can have 2 people practising passing with it, one on each side of the Potent. I also like the fact that you have to lift your stick over it when puck handling versus the Superdeker's flat puck handling work. I'm not knocking the Superdeker, for learning fast hands it's an amazing tool, I just think the Potent has more options. Also I've seen the Potent used on ice and inline rinks with players in skates practising game scenarios, something that the Superdeker can't really do.

If they have been baked then there should be very little break in period. I was talking to someone yesterday at my local rink who had just purchased TF9's, he was on the ice for 6 hours on his first skate in them, to quote what he said - "most comfortable skate I have ever worn". If you are finding them that uncomfortable you should go back to the store and get then rebaked.

Will a custom fitting address pronation? Short answer is no. Long answer is yes but... Will a custom fitting address the bony protusion? Yes but only if they get the measurements right. As to your foot pain, I suspect it's because of the shape of the foot in the boot and its loading up on the forefoot pad, this is very common with pronation. I have dealt with it and helped other players with it. pm me (or start a new thread) if you want more info as this isn't the thread to discuss this. The sad reality is that there isn't a quick or easy fix.

Fit is realtive to how his bio mechanics are. If he aligns naturally over the skate blade he can basically get away with skating in anything, but with performance degradation as the fit gets worse. However if he does not align naturally over the skate blade, eg pronation or supination and or other issue/s, then even the best fitting boot only hides the problem. Every Haglunds I've seen in skating comes with associated foot rotation in the skate because of bio mechanical issues. A good fitting boot will help but I'd also be looking at his overall bio mechanics: gait. posture, balance, leg alignment etc and then getting the skate adjusted to suit eg shimming, holder alignement, foot support. A good fitter, typically from the figure skating side, should be able to help here or at least guide you to someone who can help. For his long term skating health you want to be trying to address the cause. And since he has a haglunds bump, whatever skates he gets you want to make sure you get the boot punched to accomodate it. I wish you the best finding someone who can help, unfortunately I can't provide any names but if you want him to see someone outside of skating who has experience with foot issues / skating then have a read of this: https://www.aapsm.org/pdf/humble-skatinga.pdf and maybe find someone near your location from here: http://www.aapsm.org/members-south.html Or he can correct any bio mechanical issues himself if he has the opportunity to put the time into training AND has the dedication to do so. pm me if you want more info.

Looking at the orthotic I'd shim inner front and rear and have the rear shimmed around 1mm-2mm extra in thickness. All the work I have done (and from others who have worked at this and AREN'T selling orthotics) shows that adding foam / whatever to the insole doesn't work, there is nothing for the support to lever off to correct the pronation / supination, all it does is cause the outside of the skate to collapse further. A while ago in a thread somewhere in the forum, I posted a link to an article from the APMA (I think), it detailed how they dealt with various foot issues in ice hockey skates and how their members were trained in ice hockey skating management. I'll have a hunt for it and post it, from that you might be able to find a member of the association in your area. edit: found it, aapsm. Here's the article and here is a link to their main page that has a members directory, https://www.aapsm.org/pdf/humble-skatinga.pdf http://www.aapsm.org/members-south.html

I've seen this before and still see it today in players at a top level. Spend enough time training / skating and the body does adapt and they learn to balance over the skate blade. It doesn't mean the pronation / supination has gone, it's just nullified enough so they can skate. The sad part about this is that it isn't identified early enough and hence the skater never reaches their full potential. As the skater gets better they don't want to do anything that might interfere with their skating ability, even if this might mean they skate better in the long term. It's the short term view that rules, I'm on the team and I'm not going to do anything that might put this at risk. Ultra stiff, well fitted skates do help as they help to lock the ankle straight and reduce any deviation in the subtalar joint. Given the level he skated at, I'd leave it alone. You could suggest that he might want to try a small shim and see if it made any difference but I suspect it will be very hard to get him to change given his history and possible mind set. Which goes back to my earlier point, it's a shame to see these players never reach their full potential but for a someone who knew what to look for during their formative years.

I can understand this for 1/2 sizes but in some cases we are talking 2 or 3 sizes out. Given a size is around 1cm, I've yet to come across anyone who has a toe 3cm's longer than any others! My personal experience with this (fitting skates for many years) is a misguided belief around comfort, to quote - "I chose that size because the skates didn't hurt when I laced them up". This is because they are so long and wide there are no pressure points on those little foot bits that don't quite fit within a retail skate profile. As to comparing shoe size to skate size, one of my great bug bears in life. Everyone wears shoes differently and shoe manufacturers still don't follow consistent sizings, I just don't get why this keeps getting repeated verbatim instead of - your feet measure 26cms long so you start with a size 6.

Drew Doughty is an example of how this isn't true. Drafted as an elite skater with very good stick handling skills, at his Kings first camp he was last in just about every metric possible wrt strength. For example he could only do 2 chin ups. Further examples of this are found all throughout pro sport, players who bulk up on strength in the off season and come back slower than before (very relevant in rugby league and rugby union). Yes, strength is a component in the overall picture but it isn't the reason you are fast at something, your fast twitch muscles are. And in full agreement with @YesLanges, as someone who has spent the last 3 years training every day with laces untied, I can guarantee you that at the ripe age of pushing towards 60, I ain't ever going to get any stronger yet I'm skating better now than I was in my younger days (when I ironically thought I was a good skater lol). Yes, you will get a small % edge as your strength increases (eg power in stride) but your base speed, technique and muscle coordination are not driven by strength.

I put sand into some old sticks, as long as they are hollow down to the hossel it adds a nice balance to the weight. I have also taped pucks to the bottom of the shaft, doesn't work that well when you shoot but it's good for puck handling and passing. Recently I got hold of some 2kg ankle weights and wrapped those around the bottom of the shaft, they worked really well.

If you don't want to go custom you can go with a retail skate but you need to work at it and you would have to look at the upper tier range as you need the stretch capability. Buy whatever you can that fits your heel (this is the hardest part to fix if the fit is wrong). Then if it is too narrow across the forefoot get it stretched and punch the toe box if needed. Where your volume fails consider either a thinner tongue and or eyelet extenders, either of these or a combination will fix your volume issues. I have done this for a number of skaters over the last few years (customs aren't available as there are no in country scanners) and whilst it can take a bit of fiddling to get everything sorted you essentially end up with a custom fit skate.

I agree with @flip12, by going custom and targeting top end players, their exposure is becoming significant thru NHL games. In these playoffs, it seems every play I see has someone in True skates. And whilst it may not be your favorite NHL player in them, there are enough now that it generates exposure and brand awareness. Now it comes down to the LHS experience and this may be where they fail, the customer facing side still only wears Bauer or CCM and even though True is in store, they don't really get pushed. Now if every shop employee wore True skates then I suspect the in store experience would be very different.

Supremes, Vapours, Jetspeeeds, grafs - 254. AS1 speedblade 255. For Euro sizing - Supreme 40, Jetspeed 39, AS1 40.5 So the AS1, on paper, is the larger holder and Euro size yet it's the smallest fit of every size 6 (or equivalent) skate I have ever tried. And it's not just me, my son is in size 6D mx3's, he can't wear them. 2 other people who can wear a 5.5 Jetspeed and 6 Supreme tried them and found them to short for length.

Anyone want to comment on the sizing, especially in relation to an AS1? For length I fit a Jetspeed 5.5, a Supreme 6. I have an AS1 6 and it is definitely 1/2 a size too small, my toes aren't just brushing but pressing hard against the toe cap. I have an opportunity to get some AS3 pros in a 6 but am reluctant to given how the AS1 was sized.

As someone who sharpens skates, I often see an issue with the edge holder over time. The blade starts to get loose in the holder, when I put it in the jig to sharpen the blade, the boot flops downward. This isn't a regular occurence and certainly not as bad as it was a few year ago but I am still seeing newish Bauer skates with this problem. The fix, other than replacing the holder, is to take the blade out and put teflon tape down the sides of the blade and then press fit it back into the holder. As your blade needs to move in the holder, a teflon tape repair job most likely would impact on the performance of the blade. What are your suggestions for dealing with a loose blade in a holder (other than a holder replacement)?