marka

Howdy, CCM has (had?) a referee girdle that sounds like it would work, but with a quick look I'm not finding it in stock anywhere. https://www.thehockeyshop.com/en-us/products/ccm-pg9-referee-girdle Mark

Howdy, I used to wear (regular) glasses and found that diluted dish soap worked best. As someone above said, when you're cleaning it off, use a light touch. if you get it all off, there's no film there to stop the fog. I wear contacts now when playing. I want to say that it took me maybe a couple weeks to get used to prodding at my eyeball and its for sure super frustrating. But after that "get used to it" time period, its a non-event. And contacts are roughly 900 million times better than playing in glasses, even if the fogging is under control. My only remaining vision issue is that I'm old enough now to need progressive lenses, but since I only wear contacts when playing I cheap out and get away with single vision contacts. That means that I can't see well within my arm's length or so. I mitigate that with a pair of cheaters in the rare cases when I need to see my phone with the contacts in. It also means that when I ref I'm back to wearing glasses, because you sometimes need to sign forms, run a clock, etc. That's not quite as bad though, since you're rarely going all out as a ref. Mark

Howdy, Don't overwhelm me with details... 🙂 Mark

Howdy, Does True have a customization program? For instance, I think I'd like a 9x3, 75 flex, T92.5 w/max height blade. At least, I would if I went crazy for long enough to actually click "buy" on a $350 stick... Mark

Howdy, So, how big of a PITA is flying with hockey gear? Considering flying to Boston for SummerJam vs. driving. Driving is 10 hours / 600 miles one way. Generally speaking, I'm fine with driving places. I spent a long time with motorsports as a hobby, so I'm used to windshield time. But still, flying should be a shorter total time plus I can read a book / watch a movie... 🙂 I looked at JetBlue and Delta baggage policies as they're coming up with non-stops between Pittsburgh and Boston. I'm not entirely sure I understand them. Sounds like sticks + gear bag count as one item, but that the overweight fees still apply. I haven't weighed my stuff, but I'd imagine its over 50 lbs? Particularly if I don't have a carry on item allowance with the ticket and need to shove my clothes for the weekend in the bag too. It also looks like there's no damage protection unless everything is in a hardsided case, which could be an expensive proposition. Just in fees alone, if I'm reading it right the normal checked bag fee would be ~$60, an oversized fee would be $150, etc. So, who's done this / how much does it suck / what do I need to know? Mark

Howdy, I'm pretty sure plenty of spouses have had disagreements over hobbies that take a lot of time away, yes. If this is happening to you, my suggestion would be counseling if its a relationship you want to keep having. Mark

Howdy, Do you have a little brother? Tie a rope around him. Mark

Howdy, My only possibly useful advice is that my wife loves her Stark gloves. They very much do what they say, in that they have the 14-ish length fingers with a 12 or 13 width hand (compared to typical glove sizes) that she needs. If they're making other gear, I would definitely recommend giving them a look. My wife has also struggled to find other appropriate gear, but I expect her problems won't match yours... We're both a little older and a little wider than the typical teenage hockey player. 🙂 There's enough variety in mens gear that I can find stuff, but womens gear seems to only be made for extremely in shape people. My only other suggestion would be to reach out to any d1 womens hockey programs in your area and ask to speak to their equipment manager for suggestions. Mark

Howdy, I have the TF7's vs. the TF9's, so its not 1:1, but maybe this will help you... I've been in them since I started skating again after Covid... So maybe 1.5 years at this point? Playing and reffing both. No issues with the holders or cracking on the boot or anything like that at all. I have had rusting rivets, but I've had that with literally every skate I've ever used. I think I sweat acid or something. Definitely getting wear on the inside of the skates... The tongues wear against the sides of the boot (shins over tongues) and the inside lining at the top of the boot has worn away some on the sides as well. Nothing there effects comfort of the skate. Overall, I would say the durability has been decent. Not amazingly bad or good either way. Mark

Howdy, Holy shit! I've been having some issues too, but nothing like that. I've been recovering from rotator cuff surgery and have been back on the ice in a limited capacity (reffing and practice) for a few weeks, but this past Sunday started having some pretty bad vertigo. That seems to maybe be getting a little better, but still not going to be able to skate a tournament this weekend I really wanted to do at a minimum. I hope your shoulder stuff goes well and you get good news from the next colonoscopy! Mark

Howdy, Curious how they do size adjustment. I'd definitely be willing to give it a go if I can try one on and confirm fit. Mark

Howdy, Had rotator cuff surgery & bicep tendon repair in February. Doc cleared me to start skating & practicing again this past week, but no hard shots / significant contact. I'd like to upgrade the protection for my shoulders regardless. Recommendations for shoulders that have good shoulder protection? I don't care about bulk / mobility / weight. Leaning toward the AS-V Pro since they have d3o but ?? Mark

Howdy, So nobody actually makes an XL sized helmet for size 8+ heads? That just seems crazy. Mark

Howdy, He's supposed to get that for me, but said he's a size 8+1/8 hat size. Apparently that's 64 - 65 cm. Mark

Howdy, A buddy is having a hell of a time finding an XL sized helmet for his huge melon. Anyone know where he should look? Mark

Howdy, For me, I would want a pant shell for sure if I were going over pants vs. a Girdle. I wear a girdle and really like the Warrior girdle shells, in part because they've got a little heft / padding to them. I feel like if I had actual pants, I wouldn't want that and would want just the super thin fabric shell. My recollection though is that the CCM girdle shell I had didn't have quite the same heft/padding as the Warrior girdle shell though, so maybe you'll be good (or maybe you won't care about it like I do). Mark

Howdy, Congrats on finding the game and getting started! I'm a little older than you (LOL... I'm 53) and started as an adult so I'm not going to be able to tell you a ton about starting as a young adult in house league. What I can say is that playing hockey should be all about having fun learning about, getting better at, and playing the game, particularly in house league. If you're 14 and have just discovered hockey, one of the things you're going to run into is players that have been playing since they were 5 and are crazy good, etc. etc. Don't let it get you down when you can't do the stuff on the ice that those people can do. Just keep working at it, keep having fun, and before you know it you'll be pretty good too. 🙂 Welcome! I'm jealous of you starting playing before your knees are worn out, while you're still flexible, etc. 🙂 Mark

Howdy, I don't want a super thin shell pant, basically. The water/snow repellant is just a way to try and describe the fabric I'm after... Not cotton / whatever. More like canvas? I dunno. I'm not much on clothes. Like I said, I like the Bauer ones fine, I just figured there must be options out there that don't say Bauer and CCM and therefore don't cost $70/pair. Mark

Howdy, Favorite coaching pants? I like the Bauer ones, except I don't like the $70 price. What else are people using? I'd prefer something with a little insulation and a little water/snow repellent. Mark

Howdy, He's local-ish to me and I've used him for profiling. Seemed fine. Lots of guys around here swear by him and I haven't heard of anyone that's had a problem. If you're local he does a drop box type thing. My assumption is that this is a side business for him, but it may be that he's just a one man band enough that he doesn't want to deal with much face to face stuff. I'd recommend him based on my experience. YMMV. Mark

Howdy, I recently had rotator cuff / bicep tendon surgery, so I'm off the ice for a while. Figured I'd get into the gym some for some leg strength / aerobic workouts since I can't skate, etc. Half is just to have something to do, half is to not lose what little conditioning I have / maybe even get my leg strength improved. I'm 53, in average to maybe slightly below average "old beer league guy" shape (5'10", ~200 lbs), and I've never really spent much time in the gym. Until the surgery I was skating in games 2 or 3 times a week and reffing a couple nights/days a week. So far I've just been using the old people sit down stepper machine for 45 minutes or so. Steady state, heart rate around 115-ish to start and 130-ish by the end. This has been more comfortable with a sling and easier than either a recumbent bike (knees get up into my sling) or standard bike (harder to get onto / adjust with one useful arm). I'm thinking of putting in some actual strengthening exercises, and I'm wondering on recommendations for maybe two or three simple things for a novice that won't involve the upper body or any significant risk of falling. There's a couple leg press machines there... One that's 'upright' with a seat and you push the seat up with your legs. Seems very low risk, but its a little awkward in use even with low (I think it said 84 lbs?) weight. The other one is more like what I see when I google leg press machines, where there's a weight sled above you and you lie on your back and push it up. I didn't try that one, so no real idea how it will work with me in a shoulder sling. There's also just a wooden step / box thing. I'm considering doing step ups or whatever with that, but I won't be able to hold weights and I'm a little nervous about falling if I'm doing it to exhaustion or whatever. There's also a couple sit down "splits" machines where you can either drive your legs together or apart. Anyway, I imagine some of you have done this and maybe even gone through surgery like this before. Curious what you all think. Mark

Howdy, And then they'll sell dozens of them. 🙂 Mark

Howdy, Speaking of stuff like that... What the hell is Marchand doing with his gloves for the winter classic uniforms? It looks like he spray painted them with shitty tan paint from home depot. Mark

Howdy, Took a while to find the rule reference... Its the first one. John and a buddy go to the box. John's buddy comes out after 2 minutes (or if a PP goal is scored). Dave come out after 2 minutes and a whistle. John comes out after 4 minutes and a whistle (assuming a goal isn't scored by Dave's team). See Situations 15,17, 20 in the casebook here: https://www.usahockeyrulebook.com/page/show/1084491-minor-penalties Not sure what rulebook you're under, of course. But this should be consistent across all of them I believe. Mark

Howdy, I have a pair of new 14" ProStock Warrior Coverts. Edler/Canucks. These have slightly extended cuffs as well as extended fingers. Fingers are also reduced in height, making for a snug fit. They also have shot blockers. These would be perfect for someone with "piano hands" / slim & long hands. They're a little too tight for me in new condition and I figured I'd see if someone else wanted them before wearing them for a while to see if they'd break into a looser fit. Pics are in the SLS ad. Price for folks here is $145 shippped to the continental US. https://sidelineswap.com/gear/hockey/gloves/6002797-warrior-edler-14-pro-stock-qrl-gloves-w-shot-blockers Mark