althoma1

How did you get your hands (no pun intented) on those Projekts? I saw them in the Holiday catalogue which lead me to believe they wouldn't be out for several more months.

Great effort all around against the Pens this afternoon. Trotter and Desharnais had a hell of a game and were impressive call ups. I saw Trotter play in the AHL vs. the Marlies when he was first signed and he was one of the players that stood out (another was Mitchell who was playing for the Marlies at the time and is now on the Leafs full time). It's taken him some time to crack the lineup, but he didn't look out of place at all - the between the legs backhand pass he made to Desharnais just after he tipped the puck off the post was phenomenal. Hopefully the team effort carries over into tomorrow's game.

Well, I think the intent there was to not run up the score further. I don't think you would've appreciated them continuing to push for goals, pulling michigan moves, putting the toe of their blade on the puck or over celebrating goals when they were already up by 5 late in the game either. At the same time I can see how the team playing keep away would come off as disrepectful. I can definitely see how that situation would've been frustrating. Perhaps saying to them at a faceoff or after a game that while you appreciated them trying to not run up the score or trying show boat moves, you'd all rather just play out the game than have them play keep away if they're up.

I also skated on 3/4 and 7/8 before going to the 90/75 FBV. It initially felt a little strange, but I got used to it after a session or two and really appreciated the extra glide while having better grip. I tried the 90/50 FBV for the first time at a pickup game on Monday night and love that cut. I felt more comfortable on that right away and it will now be sticking with that cut going forward. I'd recommend trying both the 90/75 and 90/50 cut for a few skates before deciding if its right for you or you want to stick with a regular hollow. I now prefer the FBV and my new favourite cut is 90/50, but I could still skate comfortably with the 90/75 cut.

If you're going to drop that amount of money on skates (the X60s are a new model so I'm assuming you're going to be spending quite a bit) then it may be worth it to plan a trip around it...maybe plan a family vacation for a week/weekend somewhere that happens to have a good hockey shop in the general area. With that said, if that's out of the question I think your on the right track with your estimate of 9. I've worn an 8.5 Mission before and have tried on a friends NBH One90 skates and while they were a bit narrow for me the length of them was correct (from trying them on and standing on the foot beds) - they were 7.5. So it seems to me that from a length only perspective you need to go one size down when going from Mission to Bauer...but the overall fit of the skates is likely different and sizing can vary by model. If you're going to order online then just order from a site where it's easy to exchange sizes if you guess wrong.

The pass to MacDonald was one of the best passes I've seen in a while and the spin move before that wasn't too shabby either. It's too bad for the Blues they lost the game, but it certainly wasn't Perron's fault. He played very well especially since they mentioned he was battling the flu and was questionable for tonights game.

oldtrainerguy, Is there a possibility the FBV could be available at the Sport Check location on Eglinton East near Warden Ave in Scarborough in the future? My friend had his skates sharpened there on Saturday and I noticed that they use a Blackstone machine...I know the store isn't that old so assume it's a fairly new machine. That's the closest Foranzi group store to me so I was hoping that perhaps they'd have the ability to sharpen that way in the future. For now I'll drive up to Markham.

I've worn mostly Nike or Nike Bauer protective for the past several years, but I must say I was impressed by the new Reebok 10K gloves at the MSH skate and VERY impressed by the new 10K shoulders. The shoulders were light, mobile and also seemed quite protective. I felt the mobility was better than the Supreme 70 shoulders I wear now and similar to the Nike V10s I used to wear, but more protective. They do have some good product on the way, but whether people will buy it is another story.

The McCowan location would be the most convenient for me followed by Yonge and Sheppard. As far as the FBV in general my impression was the glide was fantastic, but I'll need to get used to the edges for turning with the 5/8" that was put on since I usually skate on 7/8. I found that when I went to make sharp cuts and turns where I usually have to dig in a little my edges grabbed the ice a lot more...once I make the adjustment and don't dig in as much I think it'll be great. And if I do head up to Markham for my next sharpening what's the equivalent to 5/8" with the FBV system again? (I believe that's the shallowest that can be done with the system).

I also used the rocker for years and while it felt more like ice then the old flat chassis I used before that I have to agree that the alloy chassis used on the high end Vapor was pretty heavy. The composite (plastic) version was lighter, but once I tried the A6 sprungs I couldn't go back to the Tuuk Rockers. I was planning on using my old conversions for outdoor games, but had to get another pair with Sprungs since they spoiled me and am trying to sell the old rocker conversions. In my opinion the rockers were a good chassis, but the Sprungs are just much better.

I like them a lot. They're comfortable and give me no pain, there's no heal lift and slopiness, they're stiff for good power transfer and low cut so there's good mobility and forward flex. I also like the pitch holders as it makes it easy to not only try different pitches, but also to swap steel. I like them so much I picked up a back up pair.

Helmet - Mission Carbster/Itech 908 Ti Shoulder - Supreme 70 Elbow - Nike V14 Gloves - RBK 9KN Pants - Nike Quest 1 Jock - Shock Doctor Power Jock Base Layer - Nike Bauer Grip Print Shirt and Long Pants Shins - Nike V14 Skates - KOR Shift 1 Sticks - 6K tapered shaft with Warrior Smyth Blade, backup Nike Apollo Legwand pattern. I have a bunch of other sticks and shafts in the closet, but those are the two I've been taking with me to games most of the time.

Double split fingers, cable knit, vented back roll...they do look like great gloves. How is the fit? Is it a tigher fitting glove, loose or in between?

Thanks for the reassurance. I emailed Kieth/Sprungster - he said if it was way too far forward then I should consider remounting, but if the difference between front and back was minimal it shouldn't matter. Since it's only about 5mm or 1/4 of an inch difference (a bit more wheel out the front then the back) they should be fine and I'll leave them as is.

My Mission L7s pictured above have the chassis mounted closer to the front than the back (the chassis is about one finger width away from the back and half a finger width away from the front edge). If you look at the pics closely you can also see that the front wheel sticks out a bit further than the back wheel. Since the mount is straight left to right and is solid I wasn't too worried about this at first, but now it's just making me wonder a bit. In most of the other pics I see here the frames are actually closer to the back than the front or somewhere in the middle. Will having the chassis mounted a little further forward have any significant negative performance effects or should it be fine?

Thanks...I like that too. They'd look even better with some all silver or black wheels. That way the white chassis would match with the white accents in the boot and the wheels would compliment the silver or black...the silver would also make it similar to a steel ice blade. However, I do like the Rink Rats for Sport Court after trying them last year (started out with a durometer that was too soft for my size and had a couple wheels crack off the hub, however Rink Rat customer service was great and warrantied those wheels with a harder set)so unless Rink Rat changes there colour scheme or I find something equally good it's probably going to be all Yellow and Silver 80a MB816s or Yellow and Silver Hot Shots (I do have 4 80a 76mm Hot Shots, but don't have a full set of 76mm indoor wheels in any one colour..only outdoor wheels).

Mission L7s with Sprung Chassis. I haven't really used these yet as I just got them mounted (picked them up from the LHS today), the roller season here doesn't start until May and the weather really isn't suitable for skating outside right now, but I'm looking forward to using them. I'm going to pick up a few more 80a Rink Rat wheels for them...I was using the Tuuk Rocker last year (mounted on a pair of Nike VForce boots..they'll now be a backup pair unless I don't like the new setup for some reason) and have some 72mm 80a's that I was mixing with the 76mm 80a's, but the Sprung uses all 76mm wheels so I'm short a couple which is why I've used the 76a red wheels at the front for now.

Kovalev is an outstanding player with loads of talent, but isn't consistent and can look like the best player in the world one night and be invisible the next. Based on the article it seems like David is not only talented, but consistently produces based on those numbers...it's good to read that they admire Kovy, but don't copy all of his behaviours. It's great to read about a guy who worked hard to get a shot and is making the best of it and I do hope his success continues.

Update: Helmet: Mission Carbster Cage: Itech I2 Shoulder Pads: Nike V10 Elbow Pads: Nike V14 Pants: Nike Quest 1 Jock: UA and Itech Compression shorts (alternate) Shin: Nike V14 Skates: KOR Shift 1 Socks: Salming Undershirt: Nike Loose Fit and Itech Pro loose fit (alternate) Sticks: Nike Apollo, Samling G1, Salming TF1 Tapered shaft with Christain comp tapered blade, RBK 6K Tapered shaft and Christian comp tapered blade (mainly use the shafts for pickup and the OPS for games). Gloves: DR 1455 and Ferland (forget the model number)

KOR Shift 1 and mid-90s CCM Pump Hybrid - lower half fully moldable KOR with the pump in the tongue and the ankle area.

The KOR fitting document they sent me says KOR skates are generally 1 size down from US Shoe size, .5 size up from Bauer and a size up from CCM. I've tried on Bauer Vapors and am a 8EE in those. I'm currently wearing 8.5 Kors...so if your Bauers are properly fitted then you'll likely take a 9.5 Kor as Chadd stated.

If possible go somewhere you can try on some Bauer Vapor skates..determine your size in those and then order a half size larger in the KORs. Alternatively you could try on some Reebok or CCM skates and then go one size larger in the KORs (that's what it says in the KOR fit guide document as well). For example if your correct size in CCM is 8 and in Bauer is 8.5 you'd usually take a size 9 KOR skate. I've never tried on a Synergy so I'm not sure what the sizing is like on those although I have read in another thread that someone was a 9 or 9.5 in Bauers and wore size 10 Synergies...so you may in fact need a 10 KOR if that sizing is correct. I'd try to determine your Bauer/CCM size and go from there if I were you though and then you should have a pretty good idea what size you'll need in the KORs.

Skates: Kor Shift 1, backup CCM Vector Pros (but may sell these soon as they're a size too long for me anyway) Socks: Salming Shin Pads: Nike V14, backup DR F75 Jock Shorts: UA compression Pants: Nike Quest 2 Undershift: Salomon Wicking shirt with silver (designed for biking/running I think, but also works well for hockey) Elbow Pads: Nike V14, backup Mission Warp Zero Shoulder Pads: Nike V10 Gloves: DR 1455 rotated with an older Ferland model that look and feel almost exactly the same. Helmet: Black L Mission Carbster, backup Nike 004 Cage: Itech III i2, backup grey Itech III Sticks: Nike Apollo PT3, Salming G1 mid-toe curve and a few others, but those are the main ones I'm using right now. For rollerhockey I pretty well use the same stuff, but skip the shoulder pads, and wear Force SF21 rollerhocky pants instead of the icehockey pants. Oh, and I use shafts and blades and not an OPS for roller - Nike Apollo shaft and this other Vic Titalic shaft. Last year I wore Nike Quest 1 skates, but these are really the only thing I'm thinking of upgrading for the upcoming season. I'm thinking of buying a pair of closeout Ice boots or rollerhockey boots and having the comp rocker mounted on those. I haven't found a boot I like as much as the KORs, but I don't want to spend as much on the roller boots as I did for the KORs, plus having the rockers mounted on the KORs isn't something I'd imagine would be easy to do.

They work for me.

That's what I thought when looking at the pics of the shoulder pads - that they look VERY similar to the Nike V-10s I have.