VegasHockey

Anyone who is passing through Scottsdale AZ is always welcome to stay. We have plenty of space, extra bedrooms and such.

BladeTech has been around for quite a long time. The idea is similar in a way but not exactly the same. Marsblade is basically building a suspension into the holder allowing the steel to shift with the weight of the player. They control the movement with a carbon fibre torsion bar that's installed into the holder. The stiffness of it and the range of motion are all adjustable. BladeTech is instead introducing steel that allows movement, the steel runner can "flex up" into the holder and which can provide a bit of leverage, decrease impact force, and in theory it will "spring back" releasing stored energy. IMO, these are both very much version 1.0 products. They both have good ideas on paper, but there is design flaws in both currently when you are playing at a very high level of hockey. I imagine Marsblade will be releasing a new version in the next 12 months that will be significantly lighter and more simple in design, and it will allow for greater movement. Currently only the heel of the holders technically have "motion."

I am doing a survey on Reddit, currently have 100 responses. I think the data is very interesting. Lots of players using low and mid kick sticks and very few using variable and high kick sticks. https://netorgft3775772-my.sharepoint.com/:x:/g/personal/nicholas_skateworksproshop_com/EdT_YsfCxRpLqMHBDZFlGloBnJVT6SM6jtcU_xemDPH3gg?e=khgSm0

You could ruin the profile if the grinding ring engages the steel too early as its then removing material from areas that should not be sharpened.

Skated with some AHL guys today and one of them had a Warrior QRE10 stick. I have seen them in the product catalogs but previously had not seen them in person. I was surprised they ditched the Edge Taper and are only using the Sabre Taper now for both the QRE and Alpha lines of sticks. I personally think the Sabre Taper is much better than the Edge taper, but with the two lines of sicks now being so similar I wonder what's the point in even having a QRE and an Alpha line....?

Even if it's not ideal, I would rather have synthetic ice so I can shoot while wearing skates instead of shooting on dryland tiles.

TRUE skates

The toe cap design of the new Vapor is actual more roomy in width than the previous models. The depth is less though.

I have a foot that fits between a E/A Vapor and a D/A Supreme, hence why I can fit into both decently. I would say the Supreme gives me a tighter and more responsive fit but the Vapor overall has a better feel. Its more flexible and I like the new toe cap design as it gives me a little more room than the standard toe cap in the Supreme. The Supreme while having the better overall fit of the two is more stiff and rigid and I prefer the flexible fit of the Vapor. Does that make sense?

Some of the first steel released by many aftermarket steel companies were based on a template that was slightly incorrect in sizing. This led to the steel shifting in the holder, very slightly, and was corrected by many of the aftermarket companies upon general release of the new holders. Just use a small piece of tape behind the front "tooth" tp lock it in place or contact STEP and they will send you replacement steel.

Trigger 4 Pro shaft design.

Yes. Skated in both. Like the fit of the 2S but prefer the performance of the 2X.

I dig the helmet but unfortunately I am in between a small and a medium. The small with even the smallest pads is too tight and the medium with the biggest pads is too loose. This seems to always be the case though with helmets, I must have a strange shaped head or something as finding a helmet that fits me perfectly, other than an E700, seems nearly impossible. Every helmet I have ever owned I either had to cut padding out of or add padding to. Its beyond annoying.

I am looking at finishing my backyard shooting rink. I will be building a small sitting area for storing pucks, hockey sticks, training aids, incorporated with a bench so players can sit when putting on their skates and for storing their person items when using the shooting rink. I will also be installing 5ft tall boards with metal poles and netting , these boards will help keep the pucks from flying into the pool all the time. The last thing I want is to get hit by a puck when hanging out in the pool or having to fish pucks out of the pool all the time. lol As I look at all of the options for synthetic ice I am quickly becoming overwhelmed and other than reading that I want to select oil infused uhmwpe I cannot really find any decent information on who makes good products. I figured I would ask if anyone currently own synthetic ice or if anyone training on synthetic ice and if there are certain brands that are better than others in regards to performance, durability, and price. The surface is roughly 12ft x 38ft.

That's really tough to say, Unless you know the very specifications they have selected it would basically be guessing. I know this much, many of the pros using the Supreme 2S aren't using the blade with the "renew core" technology. Usually pro stock sticks are a hodgepodge of different specifications and the entire stick is made of bits and pieces of various stick technologies. With retail, the manufacturer has assembled what they feel is best for the average player vs the player dictating what they feel works best for themselves.

They decided to go with a more flexible facing to enhance the forward range of motion. Apparently they found the injected eyelets were better at promoting side-to-side movements due to the enhance lateral support. This would obviously be better on a Vapor than a Supreme skate. Agreed.

This is correct. The customer should not have to be doing all of the leg work. The retailer should be talking to TRUE, specifically their rep and the TRUE skate support group, to get this resolved. Who at TRUE have you been talking to?

Most players do not prefer super stiff blades. In fact, with Bauer, the 2N Pro blade , which has a lightweight, stiff foam core with a thick dampening layer is the #1 Bauer blade in the NHL. Apparently they claim its for versatile players that like to handle the puck and be able to shoot in any situation. This makes sense considering how hard NHL players passses are. You wouldn't want a ridiculously stuff blade as it would make it difficult to catch passes and also take one-time shots as well.

Yes, he uses an actual Tacks.

FWIW the 2020 Bauer line of Supreme skates no longer is using injected eyelets....

Get the TRUE girdle or the Warrior QRE girdle. Those have better protection than the others and after having a girdle with a cup pocket I don't think I could ever go back to wearing a cup inside my jock pants.

They only report what the graphic is, not what the actual stick is. For example, they list Kane as using a Flylite and he uses a Supreme.

I really like these helmets but I am in between a small and a medium. Regardless of the padding options the helmet is either too small or too loose for me. I was really bummed about this as I am currently stuck wearing a Re-Akt 95, which fits me decent but is a bit hot. I loved the E700 and when my very last one failed I was quite sad. Soon as I saw these I figured they would be a solid replacement for the E700. The only other helmet that kind of fits me is the Warrior Alpha, but it sits high on my head and feels goofy.

As I am watching all of the highlights from yesterday's games I noticed many forwards, most recognized for getting off quick shots, fast release, are all seemingly using sticks that are not in fact low kick. For example, Barzal and McDavid use Tacks. We all know Kane uses a Supreme wrapped as a Vapor, but many others such as Kucherov, Pasta, Marner, and such all use a medium/variable kick stick. I know Crosby and Mackinnon use a low kick, RIbcor, but it seems many players are moving away from low kick point sticks to either a mid/hybrid kick point (Nexus/Alpha/JetSpeed) or a higher kick point, such as Nylander, Barzal and such. So, that makes me wonder. How many players are using low kick sticks when they really should be using a mid, variable, or stick with a higher kick point?

There are significant upgrades this year. I personally would wait. I wish I could share more info... but can't 😞