IPv6Freely

Do they not have sick time available?

This. Oh my god, this.

I have pro return CCM (Crawford) that are an XL and fit me well. Just loose enough to be comfortable. I was wearing them when I had a 38-40 jean size (and still wearing them now that I'm a 34). If you're wearing 44 jeans then you're definitely going to want to go XXL. Retail is unlikely to be much of an option for you for the most part unless you get lucky. I'd probably look for some pro stock/return stuff on sidelineswap, ebay, prostockhockey.com etc. The other option would be to go to somebody like Brown or Simmons who can get you set up with something custom. Honestly I'd probably just end up going that route if I were in your situation just to avoid the hassle of trying to find something that fits right since pro stock stuff can be a crapshoot (and not returnable if it doesn't fit right or doesnt feel right even if it fits).

@Hills has first-hand experience with JRZ and can probably help.

Stay positive man! We’re all thinking of you.

He’s trying all kinds of things right now. Regardless of what sticks, he’s definitely not with Bauer now.

Looks like shot blockers with a Bauer logo on it, to me.

What am I looking at?

Swiftwick is what I’ve been using for years, specifically the aspire line. Best skate sock I’ve ever used.

He didn’t specify cost was an issue. It sounded like he cared more about performance.

If I had a basement (they don’t exist here) I’d be putting in the tiles you can actually skate on.

What skate boots were made of prior to them using composites and/or carbon fiber. I think.

Yup. You should hear what it sounds like when I sharpen mine with all the post damage...

In tonight’s Detroit vs Toronto game the NHL is experimenting with all four officials wearing headsets to be able to communicate with each other. Supposedly it is just between the four of them and there is no communication with the off-ice officials or the NHL in any way. I could see that becoming a useful idea though. I wonder what the chances are of seeing this in the regular season. I’m guessing pretty slim or else they would have been trying this much earlier in the preseason, but maybe for next year.

Welcome to the no-pain club! I always compare my VH skates to well fitting hiking boots. Snug all over but in a good way.

Nah, just the uploading to the gallery compresses them. Uploading RAW or even uncompressed JPEG would take a massive amount of space.

Yeah they were talking about him trying all different stuff in the first game vs Buffalo last week. Switched to all CCM but was using a Warrior stick and was still trying to find what he was looking for. I'm surprised to see him using an STX but if Bauer, CCM and Warrior are all not what you're looking for he might as well.

Yep, way way looser than you're used to. Barely snug for most of the boot.

Wow, these pictures look really good! Thanks JR!

Let’s try to keep this thread on-topic, please. There’s no point in posting what shoulder pads you use here.

Where do you get them for $50?

I'm not a huge fan of Sportsnet hockey coverage in general, though Marek isn't too bad. Maybe I'll give it a listen. I'm an Overdrive listener though. I listen to all 3 hours every weekday, though that's obviously more Toronto specific.

Well, yes I should have been more specific. I quit my team. Though, without any specific plan for moving to another team or finding a pickup to play in, it's the same difference for now at least. I'll probably stick to pickups if anything at this point. At least people actually show up for those. We had a roster of 22 (to be fair, that includes 'current' players as well as 'spares' that used to be on the team but don't play often and occasionally want to join us for a game), and we had four check-in last night. One of them didn't bother showing up. 4 in, 10 out, 8 no response (again, to be fair, the spares don't usually respond one way or the other). We snagged a bunch of guys from the previous game and lost 10-2. Captain has the idea in his head that we're fine as long as we have 7-8 lower skilled bodies, meanwhile we get destroyed by the teams made up of all upper skill (but still in the correct division) guys who can just pass it around until they score. Last game, I finished the game with dry hair. I'm not sure I got in my stance the entire game. Same problem, we had 5 show up and had a couple subs. The other team was playing with us. They had three subs from the league above and they didn't hold back. At one point they had a guy who skated around everybody on the ice, get right in on net, and turn back away from the net to try to find a pass. Like, at that point just put the damn puck in. It's almost more irritating when they toy with you. I'd rather lose 15-0 then have the game be "close" only because the other team allowed it to be. Last night after goal #6 or so I was done, again. I made up my mind at that point that I was done. I absolutely dreaded going to my games by the end. Like, why even bother playing? We can't ice a team and I don't feel like continuing to drive an hour to get shelled every week. Forget it.

May not be able to on that team if I get replaced, but that’s kept me from doing it for too long.

Well, there it is. I quit hockey tonight. So I guess that’s it.