bunnyman666

Trotz’s value has gone way up since winning a Cup; why not test the market?

I don’t know if you can still get them, but Eagle made or possibly still makes a very nice shoulder pad that nods to the old Sherwood shoulder pad with upgraded materials. They were popular in the NHL with players that liked a lower profile shoulder pad at one point. You may be able to snag a pair new pretty cheaply. Custom version of this has a choice of small or large caps: https://eaglehockey.com/products/shoulder-pads/talon-200-custom-pro-shouder-pad/ I have the older Talon Pro and the caps are not huge.

Me, too! I miss A-trap; when I had pot luck getting that edge done correctly, the Sparx machine was the answer. Just wish the Sparx machine could do an asymmetrical hollow, which I know is utterly impossible with how the machine is set up. Heck- I had a HUGE learning curve with Step Extreme steel on the Sparx and nearly sent the machine back over my difficulties getting it right. But obviously, I DID get it right!

I did not change my ostomy bag early this morning; HUGE mistake!!!! My bloody bag had a blow out (adhesive gave way and shit was leaking) and I got shit everywhere!!!! First blow out with the bag and I am pissed off!!!! I will have a lot more stories like this one, I’m afraid...

I get it. I may have to try tucking again...

I like Fire compared to FBV ‘cos I can do that myself...

Got my ostomy protector. Feels nice and secure. The hernia belt definitely makes coughing more comfortable. Coughing and sneezing is what makes me know I had major abdominal surgery. My only question is how to wear my ostomy bag. Two companies claim they have sold these units to hockey goalies, yet none of them are members here, it seems...

I use the ol’ Hespeler onesie. Centre zip, pulls all the fat in. Haven’t tried it on since losing 30+ pounds from the colitis. The Bauer stuff looks interesting, but I gotta have a onesie set up. Of course the ostomy bag could play a role in how I wear stuff...

Thanks for your kind words. This is actually rated for “extreme sports, fire fighters and police”, but I grilled the company owner about this protector (www.stomaplex.com) and he says he has a couple of goalies in this protector. I figure it like this: I don’t have to like what is going on, but I had bloody well better embrace this and figure out how to keep doing the things I love. It will still be awhile, but I will stink up the rink once again!

Update: It looks like it may be longer with the bag than anticipated. I ordered an ostomy protector rated for hockey. It looks like if I don’t end up with my J-pouch in August, I may as well play some hockey whilst waiting. Thanks for reading and stay tuned...

Exactly. When I was still skating out, this option was a bit tougher to do if you did not know where to look, but now there is no excuse as there are a few outlets to buy the pro stocks.

I will reiterate my point: profiles need to be maintained. The Sparx claims to maintain a profile, but I think that a profile should be tweaked during its lifetime. Eventually, it will not be the same as it was when it was first done, no matter what method you use to sharpen. The blade height will change, the toe and heel will change. Metal gets removed, so it will eventually change, even if a small amount. The only way to know whether or not the profile has changed is to have a trained technician to check.

This goes back to what you have said earlier- a profile needs to be adjusted and reset during the life of the blade. I am a proud Sparx user, but I realise that if I had some crazy profile done that whilst it would not alter the profile like hand sharpening, I still need to get my profile tweaked on occasion. The Sparx is a great machine, but it is no Prosharp.

When I was skating out, there were occasions that I could get formerly top-tier sticks at 30-50 and sometimes 75% off retail. The sticks were older (as in 2-5 years old); big whoop! Note that it was usually Warrior, Easton, or something else that was not Bauer; however- I was able to get an MX3 shaft at a very good price. I ended up rocking an NOS Easton aluminium shaft in the end, which I bought for a princely $50. But my Warrior and Easton shafts were equallyprincely in their cheapness. You have to look even when you don’t need a stick and stock up if you end up liking the stick.

Yep- That’s what I am actually doing. I ended up grinding down those ribs a bit further before getting out the palm sander. Thanks for the suggestion.

I appreciate that.

You bring up a very good point about Vegas. This is where the men are separated from the boys.

Half of the cowling is nearly flat from where the runner was cut off. This is a painstaking process getting the cowling nice and flat with a palm sander. The great thing is that there will still be a centre line on the cowling for reference to mount the Sprung chassis. https://imgur.com/gallery/Kop56Bw

Cutting the blade off of an old school cowling so I will have a proper cowling on a goalie boot. This will go between the Sprung chassis and the boot. It takes a bit to get the cowling flat, but it is better to cut less than dig into the cowling. I ordered goalie wheels. I am also going to reveal a couple of twists in the cosmetics of this inline goalie skate.

I appreciate that.

Make certain your sharpener does not use a honing stone on your Black Steel. First of all- the blades do not burr like un-polished and coated blades, but secondly- it will destroy the black DLC coating. All that is needed is a bit of smoothing with a leather strop. I think you will love Blacksteel.

As a person who sharpens skates, I can attest that the DLC coated blades stay sharper and get fewer nicks on the blades. I am only familiar with Step’s Black Steel admittedly, as I regularly sharpen a skate with Step Black Steel. On these blades, the sides of the runner are polished, which in my limited knowledge of metallurgy, would harden the sides more than a raw surface. Couple that with the DLC, and you have a great combination for durability. When he used stock Bauer steel, I sharpened his runners once every other week (four ice times per week); now that he uses Step Black steel, I touch up his blades once per month.

That is the most dangerous attitude to have as the “convenient store at the rink”. As I say- bad reputations as a result of poor customer service is the hardest thing to overcome.

Certainly I know where you’re coming from, which is why I did not suggest he sell anything beyond consumables, and that would include convenience items. For my own examples of why my hair shoppe does not carry consumables, Beauty Brands has been eating every independent shoppe owner’s lunch for YEARS. Because of the $5 hair spray deals, they buy other items at BB because: a) it is assumed the item will be cheaper b) because BB has the buying power a teeny Mum and Pop shoppe will NEVER have, having every conceivable brand under the sun. In the case of a small pro shoppe, if it were me, I would not even touch items like gloves, breezers, skates, etc., at least not at first. Because of your lack of buying power, you will most likely not get the best wholesale price or access to special deals that the bigs/online can get. You’re right- customer service does not matter when you’re selling a helmet at $150 and Gigantic Partial Hockey/Lacrosse/Cage Fighting Ape sells it at $125 and has four more colours you don’t/can’t carry with a free cage. I say Customer Service is key ESPECIALLY when it comes to being the rink shoppe. I have seen so much where the rink shoppe has employees with a poor attitude, with slow and inconsistent sharpenings and the merchandise is marked up 25% higher than anywhere else because they are the only game for 30 miles. I have several sharpening customers who have complained bitterly about the poor customer service in the rink shoppe that is literally five minutes from my house.

Everyone has great suggestions thus far. I will add my two cents worth: Centre your business around skate service and consumables. The suggestion of a gear cleaning machine is excellent. My biggest suggest as a man who has run his own business for nearly 20 years can give you: focus on customer service. That will separate you from the others.