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DarkStar50

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Posts posted by DarkStar50


  1. Watch a vintage game from 20 years ago or more on NHL Network now and just look at all the brands that are gone. Each brand drove the others to innovate and punch through the envelope back then. Now ? Not so much. The access to Pro Stock is also another pipeline that has effected everyone in the chain.

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  2. 21 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

    I think you may have misunderstood the thread 😆 

    Given that there will be no new FFS from Bauer this season, I thought it was in the public interest to share the information for those thinking of moving from wire to a bubble. 

    I think you may have misunderstood my post. 🙂

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  3. Bauer pulled full face shields from Bauerbiz for dealers. I contacted my rep and all FFS are on allocation. I placed a few orders for fall delivery. I don't know if I will get all that I asked for. Word was that big box wanted all the inventory. I can't confirm that but wouldn't be surprised. 

    CCM also pulled FFS from their B2B.

    So if don't hesitate if you are thinking of going away from wire to a bubble. 

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  4. On ‎1‎/‎26‎/‎2020 at 12:18 AM, SkateWorksPNW said:

    So I had a chance to use one tonight since I was a sub on a team and one of the players is a Bauer rep.

    The only question that matters : With the $400 stick, did you at least score a goal ?? !!!

    JK, thanks for your info.


  5. At least five years ago Bauer started cutting corners on steel on skates. They would put LS2 Edge steel on the $210 price point skate and LS1 on the $325 price point skate. I remember the first time they did this when the rep was showing the new skate lineup. I asked about this immediately and there was no good answer. Obviously, Bauer was cutting corners on product cost for steel in order to squeeze some more $$ out of dealers/customers. LS1 was never offered in the catalog but there it was on product. Even given Bauer's change in management over the last few years, this LS1 steel is still used on their skates. While this info is a bit off topic, it is an example to me of how Bauer has dumbed down their own statement products. After all, Bauer earned their name as a skate company !!

    We sold LS5 in the shop the first few months it was available. As sharpeners, we were not impressed. Once we sold our intial inventory, we never reordered. The difference in sharpening Step vs Bauer steel is so noticeable on the wheel. It really is pleasurable to sharpen Step. I have it on my skates. I've been given Bauer steel but am not interested in using it.

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  6. I have been skating in FT1 for over a year. I have a narrow heel with wide forefoot. The fit has been perfect for me. I did switch out the CCM footbed for Superfeet as I have been using SF for years. I'm just curious if those guys using FT1 are still using the stock retail CCM footbed. I think the footbed will ultimately play into the fit and comfort of any skate.


  7. 17 hours ago, JR Boucicaut said:

     

    That's how the home machines should be used.  A refresh before every time you skate.

    In other words, the home machine is only worth a single skating use per sharpening ?

    Constantly sharpening your skates after single use would seem to directly effect the longevity/life of your steel ?

    Expense of using your ring constantly leading to quicker replacement ?


  8. I have seen so many Olympic gold medal figure skaters train and coach at my rink since 2001. The best skaters in the world can teach hockey players a lot about edge control, balance, power skating(figure skaters keep their skates on the ice through most of their program) and skating efficiency of motion. Elite figure skating coaches can recognize the tiniest flaw in their skater's technique. A friend of mine is a former NHL linesman that used to work with a figure skating coach every summer deep into his career just to maintain his edge control and remain at that top level. The best skaters in any rink are the figure skaters, not the hockey players.

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  9. You know your gear is old when your pants and shoulder pads are branded NikeBauer as mine are. No need to get anything new there. The old Reebok 7K elbows are fine and Nexus 600 shins are good enough. I did get new FT1 skates a year ago after the Supreme NXG died after 5 years. I used to rotate my gloves but now wear the same pair of 2015 CCM 4 rolls every game. As long as the palms are good, why bother switching.

    As a buyer for the shop, I think that innovation in gear upgrades peaked quite a while ago. So many items were just reskinned after every 2 year product life cycle, that it was just blah. I know the guys on the inside at Bauer and CCM will want to crosscheck me for that comment but I can speak softly and carry a big stick. I do believe that one thing to consider in terms of skate tech/improvements is that as Bauer was blowing up financially and at management levels, a lot of their key leaders in R D & D and skate design were let go. This downsizing in staff and financial resources had to have some impact. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't worry about it. However, I don't see the innovation that was happening 10-12 years ago in skate design by the leader in the category.      

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  10. After a little help from JR on dating the Tron movie, I don’t think that is a hockey shoulder pad epaulet/bicep pad set up. The black piping or any not white piping wasn’t added for awhile to hockey protective.  Also Koho and Vic(courtesy of Rennie on the Island) were the first to use color other than white on under protective. The material that the plastic caps are sewn to also doesn’t look like anything I recall from back then.  Canadian manufacturing was still completely traditional old school in product design in early 80s. The Cooperall girdle was the first product to move the needle. 


  11. On ‎9‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 2:19 PM, Thanos said:

    Hi All,

    Wanted to close the loop on this.

    After more prodding on my part and asking to have my scenario, I was passed on to a national manager who agreed to fulfill the warranty claim based on the stick and not the price i paid.  As a result i got a 2n Pro.  

    She did mention however that their policy of warranty replacements based on value paid is correct, but because the website warranty information stated stick for stick, she would honour this time however would be requesting to have the verbiage updated to better align with current practices.

    Thanks for all the help and suggestions folks.

    I'm glad for you that they finally did the right thing. I just hope that replacing this one stick at about $50 wholesale cost to them does not cause Bauer to go Chapter 11 again.

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  12. Rule # 1 Do not throw out your gear. Ever. The cost to get back into hockey and the thought of breaking in new skates will stop you before you even tape up a stick. 

    I think everyone’s advice has been excellent. Sooner or later you will find the right group of guys. I encourage the pick up game over the beer league. I’ve been playing pick up every Friday Night with the same guys(a core of 10 still remain) over 30 years. A lot of us are over 60 now but the exercise and the social benefits after the game are priceless.  Even though  I work in a hockey rink, I only play once a week in another rink (Don’t shit where you eat). But I look so forward to Friday to skate that it makes the wait worth it.  It’s literally a physical and mental vacation from life. 

    You don’t stop skating because you get old.  You get old because you stopped skating. 

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  13. CCM may not be a “white knight” but they can get credit for not burning down the house in this industry as Bauer did through their previous management’s business practices. 

    It will be a mess at the rink though on Saturday and Sunday when little Johnny Hockey shows up without an elbow pad or he left his stick at home and the Pro Shop is no longer in business. I see this all winter long. I don’t think Bauer.com or Amazon Prime will be able to drop that drone delivery in 10 minutes before his Peewee game. 

    Grow the game ! Own the moment!

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  14. Define “smaller retailers “. For Bauer that will be those purchasing less than $25k yearly. Their Bauer account will be closed. This is a current policy. For retailers that are not “Elite” Bauer dealers, they no longer have access to the top two price points in skates and protective. In fact those products are off their B2B page so any idea of stock to help inform an in store customer about availability is gone. I imagine this means little to nothing to Bauer corporate but as a retailer this information is part of the process of building a relationship with a customer. Sharing information earns trust. So those “Performance” Bauer dealers may not see a difference in sales initially but if they track month-to-month, year-to-year, the numbers might prove otherwise. Simply study the numbers over the last 10-12 years with internet and Big Box, if you doubt the validity. For the record, I’m not crying in my beer. As a retailer, the playing field changes every day. I’ve been adjusting on the fly since forever. It’s just two different perspectives depending on which side of the front register counter you’re standing at. 

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