mtn

USAH doesn't have any requirements for Adult classifications on a certified helmet or facial protection. For adults, the only requirement is "hockey helmet (including non-HECC approved) with chin strap properly fastened". Gretzky Jofa helmets are, last I checked, still a hockey helmet, so I can't really throw you off the ice because of it.

Might want to grab an extra set of holders or three that work with them in that situation - when you get around to using them, you may well be in different skates and even if it is the "same" skate, the holder may have changed, years down the road.

The fact that they're taking legal action has me think otherwise... If it was a small enough threat, why would they really care?

How so? Bauer is telling Bridgestone and Michelin you can't make tires for our cars. CCM is just buying Bridgestone and then not making tires for other cars anymore. Apt analogy? I haven't been following close enough.

At what point do Bauer, CCM, and True just start manufacturing Step/Tydan/Byonic quality or better themselves and put them in every skate from the $200 price point up? Take away the benefit of going to aftermarket steel, and nobody will do it. Obviously CCM has already done this with their purchase of Step. But this isn't some special magic, it is just better quality steel. It cannot be that hard, or that much of an incremental increase in price to implement, can it? No dog in this fight. I've been happy in stock Graf for 16+ years (and CCM for 1 year); never saw the point to changing, especially as I don't sharpen my skates more than 2-3 times a season.

I apparently do not own a metric ruler and despite having about 37 tape measures, don't know where any of them are. So measurements are in Freedom Units. This is not at all scientific, and there was nearly no quality control involved. As noted above, both skates are size 8. Jetspeed Peakspeed From footbed to top of skate - back of skate (ankle guard) 5.75" 5.63" From footbed to top of skate - above eyelet 6.25" 5.75" From footbed to center of top eyelet 5.5" 5.38"

I'll get the pictures and measurements requested either tomorrow or Monday. I'll be honest, I don't really look at the size of the skate all that much; I look first for the holder. I have typically been on the smaller end of the 272mm holder. This held true for both the Peakspeed and the Jetspeed (271mm - I believe that is for the 8 and the 8.5). With both the CCM and the Grafs, before baking, my right big toe hit the cap. With the Grafs, my left big toe hit as well. So the Grafs do appear to be smaller, but it is pretty miniscule. For sizing, Graf seems to have changed at some point, as I've been in a size 7.5 (270mm Tuuks, these are OLD) 707 and size 8 707 with 272 Cobras. I was also size 8 in the G75s (also 272). EDIT: The struck out part was incorrect: I had 707s made in Switzerland size 8 skates with 270mm Tuuks I had 707s made in Canada, size 8.5 with 272mm Cobras. Both of these felt exactly the same size. I've been in size 8 G75 and now Peakspeeds, and the sizing feels pretty close to identical; the Peakspeeds maybe slightly smaller.

For anyone reading this in the future, as there seems to be very little information out there on the Peakspeed lineup: I went with the 7700s, and after a couple of small, resolved issues, am quite happy with them. The fit, to me, is extremely similar to the G75 XI (blue piping, not green). Coming out of Jetspeeds that I was in last season, they feel quite similar, but with more forward flex and a slightly lower ankle (I drop an eyelet in the Jetspeed, not in the Peakspeed), and are roomier in the forefoot - slightly wider, slightly more volume from bottom to top. Now, something that should be said - I referee. I am often in my skates for long periods of time. Using this week as an example: On Monday I was in them for 3 hours; all but 15 minutes of that was skating/standing on ice, I'll be in them 5 hours on Saturday and 3 hours on Sunday as well as 90 minutes each Tuesday through Friday. The perfect fit for me reffing is different than the perfect fit for me playing. If I was only playing, I'd definitely still be in the jetspeeds. But they weren't going to cut it long term reffing, they just pinched my feet too much after the first game. So I like the slighty roomier feel. Somewhat similar to the Tacks I tried on in the store, but the tacks felt like being in cement; wayyyyy too stiff with no flex available. The Peakspeeds are definitely stiff, but I'm still able to roll my ankle all around. I did have the Peakspeeds profiled to 11', like the old Grafs have always been. I had two issues with the skates, both have been resolved. Footbed and Heel lock. The stock, foam footbed in my previous Graf Skates - going back to those made in Switzerland - was phenomenal. Really, I loved them. I even used them in my CCM skates. The ones that came with the Peakspeeds, and this may have been a mistake as it was prior to Vaughn buying them and QC wasn't all that great from what I understand, looked the same but were nothing but rivet covers. The foam was not rigid whatsoever; I may as well have used a cotton rag instead of them. I reached out to Graf (Vaughn), asking about it. They sent me this footbed. This solved the Heel Lock problem that I had. This footbed was much more substantial than even my old footbeds, I'm thrilled with it. There was a small piece of molded plastic/fake leather that was sticking up above the ankle pad on the top of the boot. It was rubbing a very small part of my ankle raw; you could tell it was from a mold and just went a little bit too far. I just cut it with a scissors - we're talking about 1/2 mm here - and the problem was solved My only complaint left about them is that they weren't using the green logo at this time. That has been resolved. One other thing: I had an issue. I emailed Graf (Vaughn). Their reply was so over-the-top, out of their way to make me happy. If I ever win the lottery, I'm heading to their HQ and dropping a boatload of money on a custom skate and custom Eagles, based on this experience alone. Definitely happy to support a small business here.

Should my foot be in the boot when doing that?

Hold on, let me go buy the hardware out of duct tape.

Long version that is likely relevant background information: I had been looking for new skates for a while; I was extremely happy in my Graf G75s. I'd be in them for 8 hours a day with no issue whatsoever. When they wore out I got a tremendous deal on some Jetspeeds - 80% off of a brand new skate; obviously I took a gamble. I used those for a season. They fit good enough, but were never quite right - a little too tight everywhere except the heel, and they didn't quite pass the pencil test. After 2 hours in them, the dogs were barking. I considered getting them punched, but after talking it out with a few knowledgeable folks, I came to the conclusion that they weren't the right fit and I needed something new. If they'd passed the pencil test I'd have given it a shot. So, I tried on skates. Tacks sort of felt like they fit right, slightly too wide, but were too stiff/tall so were a non-starter. Ribcores were just not right, they never felt comfortable for whatever reason. Nexus had too much volume. Vapor too narrow. Supremes were the closest, but similar to the Ribcore, just not right. Trues were too ugly and too expensive, so I didn't even look at them. Customs are cost prohibitive. Having always been happy in Grafs, I searched hard for them. A bunch are available online, but too much money for me to buy without trying them on. I ended up finding some at a very reputable independent LHS near enough to me, and put them on in the store. They fit extremely well. Had the owner there confirm it. I walked around in them, they were great. Fit was just about perfect to the point that I maybe shouldn't even have baked them. I baked them. Obviously I did not walk around in them for 24 hours after baking, so I did not realize that there was an issue until later. I Skated on them last night, and I had a lot of heel slippage in my right foot. And so here I am, trying to solve that.

Got some new skates - Graf Peakspeed 7700s. My heel is slipping (lifting up, not moving forward) in the right skate. Left foot was perfect. This was very, very strange to me, as 1: my right foot, including my heel is slightly larger than my left (confirmed with a caliper in the past). Definitely not enough to move me into different sized/width/fits between the two. 2: and I have NEVER had this issue in any of my past skates. I've always bought retail skates too. What can I try to attempt to fix this? Here is what I am planning, in this order: 1: Replace the insoles with those from my old skates. That is 3 different pairs of stock insoles - 2 Grafs, and 1 CCM. The new Graf insoles seem to be half as rigid and thick as my old ones. 2: Rebake the skates 3: Thicker socks 4: Superfeet (hesitant on this one, because of (a) the cost and (b)I don't really understand how they'd actually do anything to help me solve the issue) 5: Add memory foam, either on the sides of my heel or on the bend of my ankle to reduce volume. I would not attach it in any way, at least at first. 6: Give up and call it fine, or find new skates. Again. Is there anything else I should try here?

The problem is, you can’t define “in the manner for which it is defined”. Acha, I wouldn’t call it. Probably ever. They’re 18, and the level is at least high enough that I’m not all that worried. But high school? You’ll get some that don’t know where their sticks are going. I have called it once in HS. I told this kid that he needed to fix his helmet. He told me it was the way it was supposed to be. I told him, with his coach listening, that if it came off he was getting a misconduct without any chance of discussion. Sure enough, it went flying halfway through and he sat for 10.

Sorry, I laughed

At this level, where most of the players probably played 1-2 years in juniors with only a visor... They're probably going to do what is requested for feel. As a referee who officiates a lot of high school where players are going to go on to beer league or ACHA D2 at best, I really wish that this wasn't the case. EDIT: What I mean is that the highschoolers want to look like the college players. But the high schoolers are not former junior players. Even though some of them are, the vast majority are not, which makes it pretty dangerous. And USAH doesn't define what "as designed" is very well. I've had this complaint before, but I really wish that they'd add "the facemask should be flush with the J-Hooks" into the rules.

It isn't being worn correctly - it should be flush with the J-Hooks. It is likely slightly too large, but it would be much better if it was tighter.

I’m hoping that it is not the case, but would rather be prepared for it than either be told to go home or make a headline.

Check out lacrosse pads. https://www.sportstop.com/products/epoch-id-x-box-lacrosse-kidney-pads?variant=34340372971658&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp8LPxNPi7gIVwtXACh2M-g_uEAQYAiABEgKHZPD_BwE https://www.sportstop.com/products/under-armour-spectre-box-lacrosse-kidney-pads?variant=34339665510538&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp8LPxNPi7gIVwtXACh2M-g_uEAQYASABEgJfd_D_BwE Alternatively, maybe some of those padded shirts? I've thought about those for reffing. https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/adidas-youth-techfit-padded-football-shirt-19adibdythtchftshftc/19adibdythtchftshftc

TL;DR: Recommend some skate guards for walking on concrete. Cobra holders and SpeedBlade +4.0 holders, if it makes a difference. Getting back to hockey around here. Or at least I will be in a few weeks. Without getting into a discussion about the "why", it looks like at least one rink that I'll be at will result in me walking into the rink with my skates already on - and I'm just trying to follow the rules here. I'd been considering getting some for years anyways - as a referee, there are often times that they would come in handy. I don't have a strict budget here, but want something that is good value. If that is $30 for something that is flawless and makes my farts smell like funnel cakes, perfect, I'm in. If they all work basically the same, then the $5 option is where I'll go. I've searched here and on other forums that shall not be named, and haven't been able to find a consensus. I will not be storing my skates in these, I have soakers for that. The options as I see them (availability may be an issue for some): The standard plasticky-rubber skate guards. I remember as a kid these kinda worked, but they seemed to fall off often enough that you had to look at your feet with ever single step. The spring-loaded figure skating standard. I'm not sure that I've ever seen these used on hockey skates. I'm considering grabbing these first, as if they don't work my wife can use them. Step-in Skate guard. I've never seen one of these outside of a google search. I've found 1 review, and it wasn't a good one. Blue Sports Trek skate guard/soaker. These look to me to be a good combo of both soaker and skate guard, but I don't need a combo. If it is the best walking guard, I'm interested Elite Hockey Pro-Skate Walkable Soakers Look like the above, arguably they look a little better/higher quality. SkaBoots. These look really good, though maybe slightly cumbersome to put on? Also, expensive and they don't actually seem to be available anywhere which may actually be a nod to their quality. So... Did I miss any options? What is recommended? Something else I didn't think about?

Reading this, I have one thing to add to it - When I say that the best programs have coaches that are quiet during the game, what I meant isn't what I wrote. I've seen some stellar coaches that are have yelled themselves horse by the end of every game, but they're yelling instruction to their players. They'll see things develop, and yell out their code word for a cycle or to regroup; yell out for their players to switch from an umbrella to an overload on the powerplay, or similar. I absolutely do not have a problem with that. When I say "quiet", I mean the coaches are coaching their team, and not worried about the things they can't control. They're not angry. They can be as loud as they want, but anger and complaining - whether it is about their players, their opponents, or the refs, very rarely accomplishes anything.

I referee. I see a lot of orgs, I know a lot of coaches and directors, and I've learned a lot. My dad also served on the board of 2 different organizations throughout the years. First, who are the directors? How do they run practices? How do they manage their coaching staff? For anything other than AAA, is there a strong house league program? How do the coaches interact with their players? Referees? How do they comport themselves on and off the ice? If I see a coach yelling and screaming at his players or the refs, and that coach is around for more than 1 season, there is a problem. I don't want to be involved with that organization. If I see an organization that isn't valuing equal ice time for a middling team at the AA level, I don't want to be involved with that organization. Obviously this one is most certainly not a hard and fast rule at almost any travel level, but a general guideline. If I see players that are rude to the referees, and get a lot of penalties, I don't want to be involved with that organization. If I see teams that only succeed because of the strength of their top line, there may be a problem. I want to see development. The best, most successful teams that I see have coaches that are quiet during the game. A kid comes off the ice after making the mistake, the coach will grab the board and try to teach, not berate. Their kids may joke with you, but they're not insulting you. They're having fun, even when they're losing. And cost is of course a huge deal. I'm not made of money.

I suppose if I was playing at a high level I'd care. But I've never noticed an issue.

I should have said, "I" and "my" rather than "you" "your". I referee, and can last for far too long on a sharpening. Like, over 100 hours was not uncommon and people wonder how I'm skating on what seems to be no edge. This habit was formed when I was a broke college student reffing all of my free time, when there were only 2 people in the town who could sharpen a pair of skates halfway decently - one of whom was a garage warrior, and your schedules had to sync up; the other was... well, lets just say I wasn't a fan of giving him my business that often. The Sparx and Prosharp do not make sense for me whatsoever right now, it only would if my dad got it and had multiple people over (extended family). I am curious how the profile would change significantly using one of the home machines. If they're working as designed, I can't imagine the profiling would be anything more than a mild tuneup.