marka

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

Howdy, I have a bunch of girdle shells for sale, since I'm now fat and I finally got sick of squeezing in to them. All in very good to excellent condition. Warrior Dynasty / whatever. All $45 shipped to continental US. Minnesota Wild - sold Calgary Flames - sold Edmonton Oilers - sold CCM PP90. $45 shipped Pittsburgh Penguins (vegas gold) Buffalo Sabres - sold Reebok MPP9KC.SP. $45 shipped Winnipeg Jets - sold Also have a black retail Bauer Supreme S190 shell. $35 shipped. - sold Again, all size Medium and all in good condition. You can see pics on Sideline at: https://sidelineswap.com/locker/marka123 Happy to discount if buying multiple. PM me an offer. Mark

Howdy, I wish there was a specific category for gloves, because I'm all about Warrior gloves, but like CCM for other protective. For sticks, some of it is curve driven. CCM gets the nod from me there right now, but I've been equally all about True and Warrior both in my short time playing. Mark

Howdy, I've got a lightly used (2 or 3 games) Warrior Novium Pro for sale. 75 flex, M03, Left. Its been cut a couple inches, Just under 63" against the wall / 56.5 inches from the butt end to the heel. Nothing wrong with it, I just didn't like the way it felt compared to the Jetspeed FT3 I'd been using. I'd like to get $225 shipped to the continental US, if I can sell it through this forum. Pictures are in my sidelineswap ad. https://sidelineswap.com/gear/hockey/sticks/5984392-warrior-novium-pro-hockey-stick-m03-w03-max-75-flex-left Mark

Howdy, Dang dude, that sounds pretty intense. I've got a 'clean up' shoulder surgery scheduled in a couple weeks to address some tearing in the rotator cuff and a bicep tendon issue, but your procedure sounds WAY worse. Reffing is definitely a nice way to stay involved and skate and such. And while its still hockey and very occasionally you'll get run into, have a puck dumped into you, or just manage to fall on your own it for sure happens way less than playing. For my procedure they're saying that I'll be in a sling for 4 to 6 weeks, then 2 to 4 months of rehab after that. I'm hoping that I can at least get back out there reffing once I'm out of the sling! Good luck with your recovery! Mark

Howdy, So, did my first games as a linesman this past weekend. Some kinda U18 showcase thing* here in Youngstown, OH. Full four man system. 17 minute periods, ice cut between each, etc. Pretty neat. Took me a while to reprogram all my "automatic" moves... I'm so used to leading the play (ideally) or trailing the play (because I'm old and slow) into the zone to establish position in the Golden Triangle. I'd catch myself unconsciously doing that and then stop and get back to the line where I was supposed to be. Also had issues after an in zone faceoff, where I would naturally back towards the corner and just watch. Again, I'd catch myself doing that, and have to get back out up to the line. The other weird thing was being at the line calling icings, vs. being deeper in the zone. Lots of times I would have to remind myself that I was still the "low guy" even though I was even with or even ahead of where the pass / dump was originating. Also different with a referee controlling the line change. I've done that once or twice in a 2 man game, but never twigged to "blow the whistle to start the faceoff procedure when the ref drops his arm". Anyway, it was fun. Nice to have four folks out there instead of two. I was quite happy to be lining and have secondary responsibility for penalties / goal & assist rewards, given how fast it was. Also nice to have time between periods to talk, though it makes the games take longer. And that was another interesting thing... These games actually paid a little worse per hour than the lower level stuff does. Sure, it was $75 to $100 (depending on which game I was lining for), but with 17 minute periods and two ice cuts I could almost do two full lower level games at $60 per or whatever. The only other really surprising thing was that with all the $$ they were spending to get there, have lots of ice time, etc. etc. they saved money in really stupid ways... There wasn't an EMT there and they didn't have enough off ice officials / team personal for at least one of the games to run the penalty box. The EMT thing is just ridiculously stupid... This is a showcase deal with kids trying to impress actual scouts going 100 miles an hour. Stuff happens. At one point a coach asked us to see if there was an EMT in the building because a kid that had been involved in a collision was having head pain. None to be found. At least you don't die quickly from a concussion, but who knows about skate cuts, etc. etc. The "nobody to run the box" thing bit me in a funny (after the fact) way. I'm doing the right thing, covering my line, helping my partner cover his, etc. etc. I'm on the side of the ice with the timekeeper and penalty boxes. Team benches are on the other side. Suddenly everyone is yelling. I look around for something wrong. Don't see anything. People still yelling. Eventually I figure out they're yelling "Door". Sure enough, penalty box door is open behind me from when a kid came out of the box. As I realize what's happening and turn to get the door, one of the refs has waited enough and blows it dead. I'm pretty sure that I was literally the only person in the damn arena that didn't realize the door was open. 🙂 Mark * This was the first time that there were legitimately scouts in the stands when I was on the ice. They were not looking at me, however. 🙂

Howdy, Does anyone know Bauer's Re-Akt helmet lineage / changes? For playing, I currently wear a Bauer re-akt 200, Size M, opened all the way up. That fits basically perfectly. My ref helmet is pretty out of date at this point (CCM Resistance 300). I'm thinking about replacing it. Bauer has lots of different # Re-Akt helmets at this point and I don't know which is the replacement for the 200, if the head shape they use changed, etc. etc. etc. Anyone know how all the different Re-Akt versions are setup? Thanks! Mark

Howdy, I think I'm giving up on this Novium stick. M03 75 flex Left. Combination of it just not feeling like I can load it "right", plus it being a max height Sakic curve vs. the P90TM. I've found I miss the 'more toe curve' of the P90TM more than I like the Sakic being a little more closed. I still think the old P30 curve is the best combo for me. In terms of the loading stuff... I loved the way the AS3 Pro felt with the FT3 non-pro close behind. I was hoping that the Novium would be another very light weight mid kick like the AS3 Pro, but something just isn't feeling right there. I used my old FT3 non pro last night and it seemed like I both had better control of the puck and could get non-muffin shots off better. So, looks like its back to the non pro FT3 for me (I broke the AS3 Pro). I wonder if there's a market for a "used for a handful of games" Novium? I like the idea and such of the super light sticks. I'm tempted to try an Ag5nt just because of that, even though I'd have to go with a P92M unless I went full idiot++ and did a custom order. The 'smart' thing is probably to get an FT5 Pro or maybe an ASV Pro, but the 60 extra grams annoy me and I'm not sure how those sticks will feel in comparison to the FT3 / AS3 I have experience with. Mark (ps: Its kinda shitty that the Novium is marketed as a ~360g stick and mine actually weighed ~390g) (pps: It should be noted that I'm a pretty horrible hockey player.)

Howdy, Guys around here move around on beer league teams sometimes. As long as you aren't a dick about it, I would think you should be fine. The fact that you have friends on that other team that you'd like to play with is a reason anyone would understand for wanting to change. We do this to have fun. If you're not having fun, change something. Mark