Santos L Halper

In general, skate manufacturers do not have the best reputation for putting quality steel on their skates sold at retail. Since the vast, VAST majority of retail skate customers either (a) don't know good steel from bad; or (b) don't care, from a skate manufacturer's perspective, it's an obvious area for corner-cutting and cost reduction. If you really care about your steel, you'll buy whatever skates fit your feet best, then purchase a set or two of replacement runners from Tydan or Step* to use as your 'primary' blades. Presuming you have blade holders that allow for easy blade replacement, you can always keep the steel that came with your skates as a back-up set - thereby eliminating the possibility of a broken blade or a damaged edge ruining your day. _______________________ *Note: I am aware that there are other manufacturers of replacement steel (Massive, Bladetech, etc, etc, etc...). These are just the two I have 'on ice' experience with and would recommend wholeheartedly.

My thoughts exactly. I'm not sure those videos do them any favors.....

Honestly, despite my somewhat juvenile observations above, I've got to say that I love to see people/companies pushing the envelope when it comes to developing new technologies for the game. With the massive consolidation that the industry has seen of late (only 3 legitimate full-line manufacturers of protective equipment - only 3 major skate manufacturers), there is precious little impetus for game-changing innovation these days - particularly at the retail level. You see it in all mature industries that cater to a limited audience - once a point is reached where easy substitution and relatively consistent product offerings from each of the major players becomes the norm, manufacturers shift their focus from heavily investing in R&D in search of something truly revolutionary, to attempting to generate marketing hype surrounding fancy looking but, ultimately, incremental 'improvements' in their product lines. Partially because of the, 'what more can a shoulder pad really do?' phenomenon; but also because one miscalculation on what the customers are willing to pay for can have a dramatic impact on the bottom line - see Graf Canada when Michael J. (STICKS!!! COMPOSITE!!! COMPOSITE STICKS!!!) Hill took over and Don Caley passed away. Anyway. I hope these NICC guys can make it work. Not because I have a secret desire to rush out and spend $300 on the ugliest stick on the market; but because I like to think that, even though I'll surely have to gag my way through my next equipment purchase (....CCM, Bauer, or Warrior, anyone....), innovation is still, in a small way at least, part of the industry.

LOL even more at the $140 price tag for a youth stick...

Welp...whether or not that stick delivers on it's outlandish promises, they've certainly managed to create one of the ugliest and most unfortunately named sticks on the market. It's not even the 'Speedmaster' It's the 'Speed MASTER' Two words, please. Two. Someone over at Sher-Wood is breathing a sigh of relief now that REKKER is no longer the dumbest product name in hockey.

This. Be aggressive kicking your heel back. The first time I baked, I was pretty namby-pamby with my heel kicks and wound up with zero heel lock. Not good. On both subsequent bakes, I rammed them back pretty hard and was much happier with the result.

True skates are used by players on 26 of 31 NHL teams. Doesn't get much more 'high level' than those teams. 77 NHL players use True skates. The True pro custom is the third most popular individual skate model currently in use in the NHL. Again, doesn't get much more 'high level' than that. Look, I'm not discounting what your son says about the skates. If they're not for him, they're not for him. And that's completely fine. They are (relatively speaking) heavy and, when compared with the Mako, are a little 'clunky'. What's more, every player is entitled to his/her opinion. However, you seem to be insinuating that True skates aren't for 'high level' players, and that's just not true. Some of the 'highest level' players in the world use True skates and seem to be doing so without 'getting slower'....

Presuming your X90s fit you reasonably well (and it sounds like they do - save for the width issue), skates made by True/VH will be pretty much the same physical 'size' as your existing skates. They will be narrower inside the boot, simply because the scan and build process creates a skate that is specifically built to fit your feet. But they really shouldn't be any longer...or shorter. And, unless serious wonk is introduced into the manufacturing process, they will use the same size steel. Oh. And they will be heavier. Quite a lot heavier.

Bullshit 'suspension'. Domi's not even losing any money. If the NHL really wanted this stuff out of the game (and I'm not saying they do...or should...), they'd suspend him for the first 10 games of the regular season.

The Clarino in my skates doesn't get tacky or slimy. It just gets wet.

Stupid, gutless move by Domi. Ekblad didn't instigate the confrontation, obviously wanted nothing to do with it, and, even after getting punched in the face twice, was trying to disengage. Seems Les Canadiens traded Galchenyuk for a suspension.....

Correct me if I'm wrong, here.... None of these suggested leather treatments prevent your feet from sweating - they just prevent the Clarino from absorbing a bunch of sweat. Can anyone speak to the benefit of adding the waterproofing, aside from protecting/extending the life of the leather?

Same. Reasons given were for durability and comfort. For what it's worth, however, I'm kinda wishing I'd gone for the wick liner - I'd never thought I had 'abnormally sweaty feet', but in my True skates, I sweat way more than I did in my TotalOnes....

Or when the stragglers come sliding into the group at the board and take your legs out from behind. You can tell groups of 6U and 8U kids 6,382,728 times "NO SLIDING" and, mark my words, whether on purpose or not, at least ONE kid will always come sliding into the group like s/he's playing baseball. It's gotten to the point where, if I'm not actively writing on the board, I make sure I'm well away from the mob until ALL of the kids are in.

Got it. Then I would say that the top of the line skates aren't necessarily out of the ball park for him! Once a kid's feet stop growing and they start putting on mass, then higher end skates start to make sense - especially if they are continuing into the elite levels of competitive hockey. Depending on size need, you may try the Tacks 9090s...or last year's Super Tacks - HockeyMonkey has a great selection of 2017-18 Super Tacks for a damn reasonable price...

...Emphasis added... So, you're obviously not asking for yourself...but, out of curiosity, are you asking for a youth player? As in 13 or younger? If so, then, from a skating coach's perspective, yes. The AS1 is (almost) definitely too stiff. All other things being equal, youth players should never be in a skate that stiff. It will hamper the development of proper skating mechanics and teach bad habits that are virtually impossible to break. Think 'middle of the line' skates for youth players....they need no more stiffness than is offered in a Tacks 9080 (maaaaaaaaybe 9090 - for a stronger/heavier player) or Jetspeed FT 380 (wouldn't go 390s - they're VERY stiff). (Incidentally, the same holds true for an adult recreational/beer-league player that isn't routinely pushing themselves to their limits. Pro level stiff skates are just not needed by the vast, VAST majority of adults. But, then again, adult players don't generally ask me what skates to buy - youth parents do....😉)

Ugh. My specialty is skating backwards into an unseen tire or border patrol/foam pad and then tumbling over backwards. Usually right in front of the kids. Of course. Definitely be careful out there...

.....I know you're not equating what I do as a coach with 'public skates with [your] GF'. 🤨

So...as promised, here's my detailed assessment after about a month of having True skates... (Sorry it took a little longer than expected - practice, back to school night, and a concert in LA all conspired to keep me away from my computer!!!) Anyway. First off, let's get the background demographic information out of the way, as it will affect how I perceive these skates vs. how someone else might. I'm a 43 year old guy - about 6'1", 225 lbs. This is my first pair of custom skates - my previous skates were Bauer TotalOne NXGs. FWIW, I've never worn the Easton Mako. I'm on the ice 2+ hours a day, 6 days a week as a full time hockey coach, both coaching teams and doing private lessons. Though I played NCAA hockey, I rarely play these days - beer league has no real appeal for me and, quite frankly, I spend enough time at the rink as it is. My feet (size 9.5, running shoe) are a little wonky, in that I have a wide forefoot, but a narrow heel and relatively high arches - I also supinate (walk on the lateral side of my feet) slightly. The Bauer scan voodoo machine recommends a Vapor in 8 EE for me. Whatever. The thought of my heels in a EE skate is nothing short of hilarious. I underwent the True scan process while I was working at a hockey camp in Canada over the summer - the scan was performed by an employee of True, NOT at a Fit Center or by an LHS employee. Overall Impressions (TL/DR version): Overall, I'm very happy. They really are the perfect skates for me. They're extremely comfortable while, at the same time, allowing me to perform at a high level when demonstrating both team drills and complicated edgework. It did, however, take three 'bakes' to get them where I wanted them - but now that they're dialed in....awesome. The skates are DESIGNED to put your body into the correct position, which means you don't have to think about it - as long as you don't fight the skates, your body 'just goes there'....which, for a coach that demonstrates stuff all the time, is awesome. That said, it cannot be disputed that True skates are HEAVY. They weigh almost 21% more per skate than my Bauers and I'm not sure I would like them as much if I were still playing. But for coaching, I can't imagine a better fitting, more comfortable, better performing skate. The Fitting/Ordering Process: As mentioned above, I was scanned in Canada by an ACTUAL TRUE EMPLOYEE, not a LHS employee. Does this matter? Maybe. I don't know. However, I presume that, as a representative of his company, he actually knows what he's doing. When scanning, he also took pictures of my feet and noted some areas where I have had discomfort in the past. Additionally, I filled out a form where I noted my height, weight, current skate size and model, blade holder size, etc...etc...etc... Now then, there has been much consternation as to whether or not True offers different models of their skate - while I can't definitively answer that; I CAN tell you that, as part of the process, I was asked if I wanted the 'pro' fit or the 'retail' fit. I asked what the difference was and was told that they're "basically the same skate", but the pro fit is designed to eliminate as much negative space as possible in the boot; while the retail fit leaves some room for thicker socks, etc...since I HATE negative space in my skates, I asked for the pro fit. Now, as mentioned earlier in the thread, I do have an acquaintance that works at a big box LHS, but since I didn't order my skates from him, I've tried to avoid talking in too many specifics about the actual process of ordering True skates from them. Put differently, I do not know if you can walk into an LHS or a True fit center and ask for a 'pro fit' skate. However, it was an option offered to me and I bring it up because it's possible that my experience may differ from that of another skater as a result of my being offered that option. Anyway. Moving on. The Delivery/Sharpening/Baking Process: My skates were delivered to my door about 2.5 weeks after I ordered them. First impressions were, "WOW, these are HEAVY!" And, "Oh look! The vent holes in the bottom of the boots were drilled by my 3rd grader!" I know it's tough to drill into carbon fiber, but good Christ, True - invest in some high quality drill bits, put a stainless grommet around the holes, and try to space them evenly. Other than that, fit and finish were fine. The stitching in the liner and on the tongue is exemplary and the blade holders (Step) are mounted securely and appear to be straight. Yes, there is some excess epoxy in a few places where the upper is joined to the carbon fiber, but you can't tell unless you're looking for it and, honestly, I chalk that up to the fact that they are a hand-made item. Anyway. The day after receiving them, I took them up to an LHS and had the blades cross-ground and got a 'preliminary' edge put on them. I then parked them in my Sparx and sharpened them up to my usual 1/2" FBV/Fire spec. That night, I baked them in my home convection oven at 180 degrees F for 15 minutes, shoe-horned them onto my feet, laced 'em up, and rested there for 20 minutes. Per the instructions that came with the skates and the videos out there on the internet, I had my wife crimp behind my ankles for the first few minutes of resting. I then pried them off my feet, cooled them, put them away, and prepared to skate on them the next night. The First Skate: The first skate was...weird. And, initially, frustrating. Not realizing it, during the baking process, I had allowed the eyelets at the top of the boot to fold over too far, so getting them laced up in the coaches' room was an unmitigated disaster. I finally had to pull them off, lace them up OFF my feet, then shoe-horn them back on. Ugh. Not a good start to the evening. And then I stepped on the ice.... ...and STOPPED. DEAD. IN. MY. TRACKS. It was like I'd skated into a patch of sand or superglue or play-dough. I had NO glide at all. I was completely non-plussed and didn't know what to think...so, in classic hockey player fashion, I put my head down and plowed through it. But, everything was weird. I wasn't gliding. I felt like I was falling forward. I couldn't feel my edges, so I could barely turn - forget about stopping or transitions. I felt like my right toes were jammed into the front of the boot. And my heels were skyrocketing off the footbeds with every stride. Honestly, after about 5 minutes, I thought I'd made a giant (and very expensive) mistake. But I kept going. Once I finally RELAXED into the boots, a semblance of glide returned and I could start to feel my edges again. I tentatively tried hockey stops, transitions, and cross-overs...no falling, no disasters. I then tried single foot pivots and Mohawks and came to the startling realization that, biomechanically speaking, these skates are designed like they are for a reason. If I simply relax and 'go with the skates', my body will naturally settle into a 'good skating position'. I don't have to think, "bend ankles...bend ankles...bend ankles" when doing a single-foot inside to outside edge pivot, because if I'm not fighting the skates, my ankles are already properly bent. Same with my knees and hips. Encouraged, I kept them on for my second of two back-to-back practices and, by the end of it, I was less worried that I'd made a mistake....but my heels were still shooting off into the stratosphere with every stride. Also, my feet were SOAKED. Like, REALLY SOAKED. Like, wetter than I've ever seen them, coming out of a hockey skate. If I'd wanted to be gross, I probably could have wrung sweat out of my socks onto the floor of the coaches' room. But it was late and I didn't want to piss off my buddies, so I shoved them back into my bag, went home, and vowed to rebake in the morning and see if there was anything I could do about the heel-lock problem. Rebaking...and rebaking again: So, I did a rebake and REALLY jammed my heels back into the boots. I also tied the mid-foot curve tighter to try to lock my ankles back further. Additionally, I slid some wooden dowels in-between the upper eyelets and the tongue, so that I could keep them from folding over so far. The next time on the ice was better on the heel lock front and WAY better on the lacing up front, but the overall fit was still not where I wanted it, so I hopped on MSH and read almost all 150-odd pages of the True/VH forum, figuring I'd find some insight. MSH (of course) did not disappoint and, I discovered that a combination of tensor (Ace) bandages and small ratchet clamps could be used to press the areas of negative space out of the boots and really emphasize that heel lock. Equally helpful were posts recommending against baking with the skates laced to the top eyelet, as it can actually CREATE heel-lock problems. So, I fired up the oven and baked again. Hoping the third time was the proverbial charm, I wrapped, clamped, left the top eyelet undone...and crossed my fingers. Oh, and I also sharpened them at a 5/8" FBV/Fire ring because there was NO WAY I needed that deep of a hollow anymore! On the ice that night, it was honestly like skating in really well fitting slippers - no heel lock issues and zero negative space left in my skates! I had finally found the perfect coaching skate!!! Final Thoughts: Now, I'm willing to stipulate that at least some of my positive feelings about the skate may be due to the improvement of the StepSteel runners over the stock Bauer runners; and that an additional portion may be because of the placebo effect - i.e. I did SOMETHING (spent money on skates), so my brain is telling me that there was a correlating positive effect. Whatever. I'll take a placebo, because, for me, the best thing about the True/VH skates is that they make it easier for me to do my job. I find that in my Trues, my 43 year old body effortlessly slides into proper ankle, knee, and hip alignment with very little in the way of conscious thought on my part. When I demonstrate drills and complicated edgework, I'm far more confident and I've found that I have to think WAY less about what I'm doing than when I'm in my Bauers. Now, please don't misunderstand - they won't take a crappy skater and miraculously make him/her a good skater; but if you allow them to do what they're designed to do, they will get out of your way and allow you to 'just skate'. But it takes some work to get there. You have to be willing to bake several times and MacGyver with the fit until you're happy. Yeah, yeah, I know - You True haters are foaming at the mouth as you prepare to frantically bash at your keyboards in order to regurgitate everything you keep saying in these threads. Let me save you the effort. "Shouldn't they just fit out of the box?!?!?!" "Why bother with a foot scan if the end product doesn't fit your foot?" "WHAT'S THE POINT OF PAYING FOR CUSTOM IF YOU HAVE TO TINKER??!??" And, quite frankly, maybe you have a point. In most cases, if you buy a 'custom' product, you don't have to attack it with a hacksaw and blowtorch to get it to work. In this case, however, I'm happy to do all the customizing in the world because I'm able to tweak the fit to what *I* like. You undoubtedly have a different idea of how a skate should feel than I do...so the fact that we each CAN take a pair of True skates and tweak them to work with our ideas of how a skate should fit is...well, it's pretty damn cool. Now then, it's not all roses with True, because there is no denying that they are heavy. True apologists are great at throwing about platitudes -- "a hundred grams per skate isn't much...and if it is, don't skip leg day!" Yeah. Okay. That's funny and all, but it doesn't change the fact that, over the course of a game or a hard practice you have to multiply that "100 grams per skate" by however many strides a player takes. And it adds up! Your muscles still have to lift that extra hundred grams and, though I don't notice it while coaching, if I were still playing at a high level, I'm pretty sure I WOULD notice it over the course of three periods. Anyway. Once again, it's off to the rink for me (and let's face it, this is long enough as it is...😉) In the end, I suppose it all comes down to one simple question: "Would you buy True skates again?" For me, the answer is, "Absolutely....."

I'll write a much more detailed post tomorrow morning about this (gotta get to the rink, now); but overall I'm very happy. But, to your specific points, I can say the following: Though I don't notice it while I'm skating, I can confidently say that they absolutely do not 'breathe'. However, do they retain moisture? I dunno. Maybe? I can tell you that my feet are definitely much 'sweatier' after wearing my Trues than they ever were after wearing my TotalOnes. A phenomenon which has, in turn, led me to be much more conscious about drying my skates out than I ever was with my Bauers (which probably isn't a bad thing, as I'd like to make these things last a while). That said, they dry out just fine overnight and I haven't had any issues with putting on wet/sweaty skates unless I'm doing something like an hour on the ice - hour off - back on the ice. But, in that instance, my Bauers would have been wet, too.... I have seen absolutely NO signs of wear. And I'm on the ice a lot (2+ hours a day - 6 days a week). Granted, I'm coaching, not playing, so your mileage absolutely may vary...but I've not had any issues with durability. Anyway. Off to the rink! More tomorrow!

I doubt that it's 'a majority'. Perhaps a 'statistically significant minority'. Who knows, though - people do seem to be sharply divided on the Step holder/runner combo. Personally, after about a month with my True skates, I don't have any specific issues with the holder. Yes, the runner attachment mechanism is a little wonky and I definitely admit that I wouldn't want to have to change steel in a hurry; but I do like the runners and I can confidently say that Step both sharpens and holds an edge MUCH better than both Bauer and CCM stock steel. I've heard something like this, too. Only, I didn't hear the words 'cut off supplies'. Instead, I heard 'significantly raise the cost'....

A dad from our in-house program is a manager at a local big box store (...rhymes with hunkey jorts...) and he told me last night that, at least on the Bauer side of things, the production team doesn't seem to be prepared for the opening of the custom fit program to retail customers. He indicated that, while the vast majority of people have been happy with the end result from Bauer, lead times have been wildly misquoted and frequently delayed and those that have had issues have had a hell of a time getting them sorted out. (He didn't have much to say about CCM - apparently they've had WAY more Bauer and True custom orders than CCM....) Anyway. Obviously, anecdotal evidence from ONE person at ONE store...and it's certain that any issues experienced by ANY equipment manufacturer at this time of year are, in no small part, due to the fact that the season is just ramping up and the pro, NCAA, AND junior teams are all scrambling to get their equipment sorted out. However, I'd wager there's at least a nugget of truth to what CigarScott said about Bauer and CCM....

Yeah, there are definitely some hoops you have to jump through before you can coach, but none are particularly arduous... From a USA Hockey perspective, you'll have to register with USA Hockey and attend a Level 1 Coaching Clinic - it's a 3/4 day deal where you'll get fed the basic USA Hockey royal jelly about the ADM coaching philosophy and perhaps get on the ice to participate in a pre-designed practice. Then, you'll have to complete your 'age group modules', which are simply on-line training courses that focus specifically on an individual age group - i.e., if you're coaching 8U, you'll have to do the 8U online module. Additionally, you'll have to complete SafeSport training, which is also an online course focusing on recognizing, reporting, and (hopefully) preventing instances of abuse. Information on the national requirements can be found here. There are also some state requirements - you're in LA, so any association you might get hooked up with would be part of CAHA and SCAHA. CAHA requires that you get SafeSport certified and pass a background check (info here) and SCAHA requires that you register for what they call a 'Season Pass' on their site here (fair warning - SCAHA's website both sucks and blows...). Finally, whichever club you wind up getting hooked up with may have some additional education requirements. For instance, our club requires that all coaches be 'Heads Up' certified, which is a concussion awareness and recognition program. As far as how I got into it, when I was in graduate school, a friend of the family was involved in youth hockey in the city where I went to school. He got me hooked up with the coach of one of the AAA teams, who just so happened to be looking for a defensive specialist for their 14U team. Being a defenseman it was a natural fit, so I joined that club as an assistant. I did that for a couple of years, then life and circumstance conspired to take me out of the coaching game until after my son was born. A relocation to California combined with a massive level of dissatisfaction with the quality of coaching we initially had out here....and, boom, now I'm a hockey coach! For you, your best bet is probably to figure out which of the clubs uses your local rink as their 'home base'; then get in there and make yourself known. You'll kind of have to play it by ear and navigate as you go...but with your experience with higher level hockey, I'm sure that if you're willing, they'll find a place for you! Good luck!

Looking at this slightly askance, you may consider the following possibility: You could always coach.... I don't know what part of LA you live in, but if you're close to any of the local youth rinks and have the time, you may find your love for the game is rekindled when you step on the ice as a coach. It happened for me (former NCAA player, disenchanted with beer leagues, introvert, etc....)

In the end, this is USA Hockey's attempt to put 10U youth hockey in the proper perspective and attempt to promote DEVELOPMENT; as opposed to winning. You hit on a lot of the reasons why (accommodate multi-sport athletes, promote retention, develop organic talent). However, underpinning all of those is the fact that it's not lost on anyone in Colorado Springs how hypocritical it sounds for USA Hockey to expend a giant amount of time and energy promoting long term athlete development - while at the same time hyping their Tier system, national championships, and elite level teams. Those teams and events are SO elite that you simply can't be a part of them if you're not a single sport athlete, devoting multiple hours a week towards on-ice training...AND multiple MORE hours a week to hockey-specific off-ice training. USA hockey knows this...and they know how much it costs to make anything approaching this level of commitment. And, what's more, they know that, in the end, it is ABSOLUTELY BATSHIT CRAZY for ANYONE to be making that level of commitment as a 10U (or younger) player. It is an incontrovertible truth that NOTHING a player does (or doesn't do) at the 10U level really matters when it comes to his/her chances of 'going somewhere with hockey'...unless s/he gets so fed up with the game that s/he quits, of course. As a coach, I see coaches of 10U 'elite' and 'travel' teams doing absolutely horrifying things like teaching 1-2-2 or 1-3-1 trap style forechecks to kids that don't have the mental capacity to understand either the tactical or strategic implications of a specific forecheck system - instead of letting them develop the actual SKILLS that will translate to their games as they get older. "But, knowing where the weak-side wing goes in a 1-2-2 is a skill," you say. No. It isn't. You know what you call the 14 year old that 'knows where to go in a 1-2-2'? A Bantam B player. The player that has developed the individual playmaking ability to step outside that 1-2-2 box and create magic is the AAA player. You simply can't develop as a scorer...as a puck moving defenseman...as a weapon for your team...AS A HOCKEY PLAYER if all you're doing from 10U on is chasing team letters ('A', 'AA', 'AAA', 'Elite') as a result of pressure to 'be on the best team'. USA Hockey is throwing down their gauntlet and telling organizations/clubs that they need to forget about comparing themselves against the teams from the next town, remove the pressure to 'letter chase', and start developing their kids - ESPECIALLY at the 8U and 10U levels. Kids quit because they (and their parents) feel all this pressure (both time and financial) to start chasing letters at a young age, instead of allowing development to happen organically. The mindset of "10 year old Johnny isn't going to get better if he doesn't spend 8 hours a week on the ice" simply needs to go the fuck away. BenBreeg is absolutely right when he says, NONE! THERE IS NO BENEFIT TO 'TRAVEL' AT THE 10U LEVEL! Personally, as a coach, I freaking LOVE this. I wish all state level associations would ban all 8U and 10U participation in all post-season tournaments, there-by removing the vast majority of the incentive to engage in this stupid nonsense. I wish club hockey didn't start until 12U, there-by allowing the good hockey players to continue being good ATHLETES, instead of gradually turning into robots that only play hockey. And most of all, I wish that the damn parents would look at 10U hockey less like 'the first step to a college scholarship' and more like 'something my son/daughter does to get some exercise, learn life lessons, and have a Zamboni room full of fun while doing.' Just my $0.02....😉 ______________________ N.B. Speaking of pressure - the worst, most despicable things that coaches and associations do are reserved for these ridiculous birth-year Brick tournament teams that become all-encompassing, psychosis inducing all-star teams that turn ordinary, normal hockey people into raving, salivating lunatics. It takes about a picosecond for these teams to become 'pay to play' entities. "Want to be on my Brick team? Well, that means committing to two private lessons a week and at least three extra sessions of ice time. Oh, you can't afford that? Sorry..." Kids quit EVERYTHING to be on these Brick teams - they quit school and start home-schooling, they quit all other sports, they quit being kids. All for what? A $15,000 trip to Edmonton the summer after their Squirt Minor year? What. The. Ever-loving. Hell? "Oh, but Connor McDavid played in the Brick Tournament..." "News flash. Your kid isn't Connor Fucking McDavid...and if he was, you'd already know it." If you told a parent of ANY other youth sport what happens with the Brick teams, they'd laugh in your face at the absurdity of it all. There is a special place in hell for the organizers of the Brick Tournament...and for the coaches/organizations that have perpetuated it and allowed it to get to this level of insanity.