krisdrum

You've overstepped. I don't think anyone brought into question your profession or academic ability. Don't fight dirty just because you aren't getting the result you want from the case you are laying out. Instead, look at the case and adjust. You obviously haven't laid out a compelling enough case. As for the video - the dude is a resident. Since you seem to like to explain things that don't need explaining, let me explain. He is still in training. Has graduated medical school (good for him) and is now working as a physician under the supervision of more experienced personnel while he continues to gain knowledge and experience. He also talks a lot in maybes (like you have). Maybe the puck hit the neck and severed the artery. Maybe it fractured the temporal bone. maybe, maybe, maybe. He has no data, no evidence, no facts to hang his argument on. And like you, even hypothesized that a full cage might have mitigated the injury, but probably not. To his benefit he makes the obvious statement that 100s of thousands if not millions of folks have likely been hit with a puck in a similar area of the head, with very few (if any) of them seeing the catastrophic outcome this young man did. I think the point has been made before, we can't eliminate risk, only hope to mitigate it. Maybe a better helmet design could further mitigate the risk of this case, but the question is "is it worth the effort considering how prevalent serious injury is?" That is the question CCM and Bauer and Warrior are all asking themselves right now. What is the Return on Investment if we explore designing a safer helmet to mitigate these types of injuries? Considering the amount of merger and acquisition we've seen in the hockey equipment world over the last 20 years, I have to imagine margins for most equipment is razor thin. Throwing a ton of money into a new helmet design would make those margins even thinner and could potentially sink a company if they aren't careful with how they approach it. Hate to break it to you, but at the end of the day, staying in business is their top priority, your safety is further down on their list.

Yep, that was my (and your) point, that if @Deker thinks the market is crying for this protection feature, that they should test those waters.

@Deker you keep asking these "what if" questions. They are impossible to answer unless you are a forensic scientist with access to ALL the data from that event. I get it, it is tragic and it has you (and many others) shook. But to play "what if" on something we don't have any real data on is just grasping around in the dark. Your hypothesis is better ear protection would have mitigated the damage. Maybe my hypothesis is if he had eaten peanut butter and jelly that morning instead of just peanut butter, it would have mitigated the damage. Obviously that is a ridiculous example, to prove my point, without facts and data there is no way to pinpoint a solution to mitigate the event in the future. Now you say you don't care if CCM and Bauer go off and spend their money on R&D to create a better helmet. I'm going to disagree there. That investment will ultimately get passed along to you and me, and the rest of us as consumers. Whether it is pricing on whatever new technology they do create ($300? $400 for the new helmet?) or by spreading the extra costs into increased prices for all their gear. As the saying goes, "there is no free lunch". To @Miller55 point, if you think there is a big enough market, go to the drawing board and create some prototypes. Test them out, prove they work, and test the market.

Update: Pulled the trigger on a pair of used Supreme 190 pads on SLS. Didn't even get yelled at by my wife for it. 😉 Haven't skated in them, but I think they are a much better fit than what I have. They actually cover my collarbones (I noticed after trying both on back to back that the Mediums really didn't). I didn't have to crank any of the straps down to make them fit snugly. Caps sit dead center over my shoulder joints. My only minor nit is the bicep pads are about as long as I can make them and leave about a 1-2 inch gap open before my elbows start. I'm not going to be playing in any checking situations, so I feel ok with that gap in protection and if I don't, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out how to make the straps longer. I'm sure some of you are playing with way bigger gaps. Hope to get back on the ice in the next few weeks, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they feel. I think they are going to work well.

Third. Grafs are definitely shorter. Maybe only a mm or 2, but noticeable. I like the tighter fit.

Bauer Fit3 is supposed to be very similar to Nexus in depth but a tighter heel. I have a similar foot to your son, and the old Nexus heel is a bit too wide on me. I've made it work for a pair of roller conversions, but not sure I would be happy on ice. If you can get your hands on the newer Fit3, that might do the trick.

Believe that only counts for their elite gear. So if you are looking at the RX3, you are good. If you are looking at the next level down RX3.1, I don't think the trial period is valid.

I was going to suggest something similar. Not as tech heavy. Most places call them "balance disks". Basically a squashed ball you inflate. Do one foot balance exercises on it. Once you are comfortable, you can stickhandle and do other things to make it more challenging. https://www.amazon.com/Body-Sport-ZZRVDBL-BodySport-Balance/dp/B00CV4X6PY/ref=asc_df_B00CV4X6PY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=194945998049&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14018454177132143299&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003519&hvtargid=pla-316259129675&psc=1

Yeah, the TC2.5s don't show up that often at a price I am willing to pay. Maybe one day.

The ProStockSticks McDavid curve looks like a nice combination of P88 and P92 attributes. In my limited experience I like the P88 most. I think it is a combo of the lie and rocker shape. I'm short, so the lie allows me to use a slightly longer stick and the more subtle/gradual rocker puts more blade on the ground at all times for me. The P92 (I have Easton E3s, which I believe are the same), makes it difficult to keep the full blade down due to the lie and aggressive rocker. I love how easy it is to lift the puck, but I tend to miss the puck a lot more while handling. I like it better with a shorter stick length, so have toyed with going in that direction, but not sure I want to look like I am using a junior stick that comes up to mid-chest. I think I would like a P92 5 lie better than the 5.5 or 6 most are. But as mentioned, nearly impossible to find retail and I'm not convinced it would "solve my problem", so I've been sticking with the P88 for the most part.

Now you've been talking to my wife... I am an overthinker, so... exactly what I am doing. Been off the ice since the summer. Hope to get back on by mid-March after I get my 2nd shot. Once I can get a few skates in, I'll re-assess, but probably just stick with what I have unless there is a clear issue.

Dude... get OUT of my head. I was watching a few pair on SLS, but I'm sure my wife would be displeased if I pulled the trigger just to try them on. Maybe I'll try to sneak off to a shop to give some stuff a try on.

I think they fit pretty well. No obvious gaps, no shifting, except maybe a bit up near my collarbones, but everything else is nicely covered and the pads fit pretty snug/contour around my body. I guess this is what I get for being old and getting into a contact sport... Paranoid.

I'm 5-6, 180lbs, approx. 40" chest. Right now have a pair of second hand Supreme NXG shoulders, size medium, that I got after I found some stupid flaw on an old pair of Vapor pads in a small (shoulder caps popped up on me). Bauer size chart puts me in a small (up to 5-9, and 40" chest). And in the middle of the chest size for a size medium, but outside the height range. Pads are comfortable, don't bind or shift around too much. Not as low profile as I might like, but I have no frame of reference, since growing up never played a sport that required shoulder pads. I like the pads and know they were top of the line for the time they came out. Should I look for a size small instead? Or keep the mediums? What is more important? Chest size, height range, weight, something else? Can post some pictures if that helps. Want to make sure they are keeping me protected and not holding me back.

Rollergard also sells them without the wheels. Believe they call them "Supergards". Just picked up the spring-loaded ones. The standard catepillar plastic guards were slipping off too often for my son. If he stepped too hard on his heel, they would pop off.

I think with the soaker type, blade size is a factor. My son is on the lower side of the junior size range. He has a lot more wiggle room in the Treks than I do (I wear a 5 skate). I definitely feel like a tighter fit is key to those performing their best. With the more rigid plastic type guards they can be more accurately adjusted for a tight fit so they don't move around on you while walking.

The Treks are pretty good, but my son had some trouble with his, so I tried to rig up some extra velcro to help keep them on, which kinda worked. I liked the idea, but they could use a closure upgrade. He ended up walking on the cloth and I could see he was starting to wear through the sides. We've gone back to the harder plastic "catepillar" guards with the rubber heel strap. If you position the strap far enough forward on the guard, they are pretty secure.

P92 is slightly shallower than a P88. Not sure the newer curve charts have depth on them, but some of the older ones do. P92 is usually a 1/2" depth. P88 is slightly deeper (1/16) at 9/16".

Agree. They seem pretty consistent. My X88 matches up perfectly to my Sherwood PP88.

Not sure about thicker, but I bet will elevate your arch, which could help provide the sensation of reduced volume in that area and help hold your heel back.

Completely agree and one of the reasons it never crossed my mind to add as a factor. No fun = not the right team/organization/sport/whatever for you.

Re-heat and mold them again. Paying particular attention to the mid-foot to heel section. If you are comfortable baking them yourself, get them pretty pliable. Lace them up and get someone to help you massage the mid-foot rearward of the boot, pressing it into your foot. Or if you have to do it solo, try either plastic wrap or an ace bandage to compress the boot to try to get a better mold. Might also be worth looking into insole with a bit of arch and a good heel cup to lock your foot in even better in the boot once things start to get sweaty.

Ok, thanks. So even broader. Wouldn't in most/many cases culture be dependent on specific coaches? At least in my experience the coaches tend to captain their own ship. Maybe there are organizations that have more influence over that than others.

Trying to settle a debate with a buddy on what is most critical in deciding what the priorities of youth athletes are. I think we can all agree all of the factors are important, but I'm sure some bubble up to the top more than others. Figured the hive mind would shine a light on different factors. To add a bit of color to the poll choices: Development - better to have a coach focused on development vs. one focused on recruiting talent? Performance - AAA, AA, A, Tier 1, Tier 2 - does it make a difference? if so, is age a factor? Is it better to be a smaller fish in a very competitive pond or a bigger fish is a less competitive pond? Organization - does street cred/name recognition matter? Do you take support the club offers in addition to practices/games into account? Clinics, off-ice, etc. Cost - balancing value vs. experience? If you can afford it, do you automatically go with the most expensive program? Or do you look at other factors to determine value?

Fair. And I do think we are agreeing more than disagreeing. And I've come to my current state of being after some past mistakes. I didn't grow up in this sport, or organized team sports in general and I've now had the benefit of 6 or so years of watching others, stumbling in my own right a few times and realizing the error of my ways to get me to a better place. The parent in question with the OP may still be early in that journey. Agree - discussing playing time or similar subjects with a coach shouldn't happen. That is definitely stepping over the line, especially to your point if you are only complaining and not offering potential solutions. OP - I say stand your ground. I see a response where you are considering a change to your approach. I've had the privilege of opening the door for our team a number of times, so can understand in some small part, trying to manage an entire game. Assess the validity of the complaint, but if you end us coming to the conclusion that your current way is better for the overall effectiveness of the team and yourself, don't feel pressured to change.