psulion22

If your budget allows, I'd look into attending a camp from one of the following compaines (in order of advancement) https://weekendwarriorshockey.com/ http://nolimithockey.com/ https://hammerhockeydevelopment.com/ It's not just individual skills. They focus a lot on positioning and team play, both on and off the ice. They even video tape a camp scrimmage and break down the video. The dot lane concept is a good, effective one that can work without a lot of practice. Center lane drive - that is attacking and backchecking through the middle of the ice - works also because it's simple. The second forward always skates as hard as possible through the middle of the ice to the net, without doing it to get a pass. Just put your head down and skate as hard as you can to the net with your stick on the ice. This creates space for the rest of the team, and puts a forward in front of the net for rebounds. You won't believe how effective that is. On the other side, the high forward backchecks through the middle of the ice instead of at the opponent with the puck. If you think about it, you want to keep the other team to the outside. So if the forward skates up the middle, you take away that area, use a better defensive angle, and keep the puck and puck carrier from getting back inside. If he instead follows up behind the opponent skating out, he's then outside in a bad position not really covering anyone with the defenseman still having to come outside to get in front and leaving a gap in the middle. What's nice about the center lane drive concept is it's fluid, it doesn't apply to any one position. If you're the second forward into the zone, you skate to the net. If you're the first forward back, you skate through the middle back to the zone. In the defensive zone, you want to stress taking away passing and shooting lanes. The concept of the "house" was presented in other threads. The idea is easy - take away the middle of the ice and don't worry as much about the outside, and you can still cover the outside by being in the middle. So rather than trying to get everyone to stick to a guy which really just ends up in guys getting lost, you want them to stay somewhere on the line between the puck and the net. It doesn't matter where along that line as long as you're in it. Erring to the middle is better than to the edges. And the idea of blade mirroring or stick-on-puck is highly effective. Getting your blade near the puckcariier's blade and moving it to match is often more effective than being in the right place.

And "hey, you don't have to be right up on those points. They aren't going to hurt us from there if you just stay in the lane between them and the net. Come a little deeper so their forwards can't get through the circles and you'll be able to get to pucks on the boards for the breakout easier." (this also has the added benefit of getting the forwards lower so they don't fly the zone and end up at the far blue line before you can make the breakout pass) It's incredible how trying to include a few smart, effective concepts will improve a beer league team. We don't need full out systems because the other team ins't playing them either. But a concept like center lane drive in all three zones will get players on the same page and make the team better, without worrying about forcing some strict plan that won't be consistent.

Yep, they've mostly gone from a Box+1 passive system, like Tortorella used, to a sagging zone active pressure system that Quenville and Vigneault like. The "Torts" system limited high danger chances at the expense of conceding low percentage shots and zone time. But with the progression of advanced metrics, teams now play to Corsi/Fenwick and pressure the puck to get it out quickly and limit all shot attempts, at the expense of sometimes allowing higher percentage chances. The game has become about a defenseman's ability to quickly retrieve a puck, make a good decision, and either pass or skate the puck out of the zone. Look at how Vegas drafted and the success they are having. They over loaded on productive defensemen, and are one of the best teams because of it. Nashville, San Jose, Tampa, Winnipeg, Boston - all teams with efficient defensemen that score points. Pittsburgh (and Ottawa last year) is the exception because of the number of elite forwards they have that can change the Corsi, they play a more passive "Torts" type system. Sullivan was Torts defensive assistant and adheres to that passive structure more than most other coaches.

Assuming it vacates the point and leaves it empty, the pinch side wing should cut the corner off the box and come down towards the middle. Box+1 is a zone defense so that wing doesn't necessarily have to stay on that point guy. You want to squeeze out more of the middle passing lanes. An extra guy down low isn't a big problem if you are still taking away those lanes. The wing can't go too far from his area because he needs to be there in case the point gets replaced and to be in the right spot for the breakout.

In beer league, I think it's easiest to play a system by stressing concepts rather than strict adherence to a plan. Get your players thinking about why you'd play the system instead of what to do in each situation. Adults don't typically want to be told what to do, but they will try to try if you explain to them why they're doing it. For example, instead of telling a wing, especially a weaker one, all of the things he would need to do in a box+1, get him to understand shooting lanes and the high danger areas of the ice. Then just tell him to not let the defender get the puck through those areas, but he doesn't have to be right up on the guy or all the way down in the circle either. He likely going to be out of position in relation to the overall system, but he may still be effective in keeping pucks from the point from getting through. If you can get everyone on the ice to do their individual job at some level, even if it's not a fully functioning system, you'll have a lot more success.

Was the Tydan steel coated? I have heard of instances where there are variations in the thickness of the coating and it affects how edge checkers sit on the steel.

I don't think I know anyone with a Sparx. But even then, if he only used the alignment tool (if he even did that), the level could definitely be off. I'd love to be able to ship mine up to someone every time, but that's just not reasonable. So a properly configured Sparx is the best I can get in my area. I check for level on old steel with an old ring first, then sharpen my steel out of the skate for 2 passes, check for level, then do 2 more passes.

I have a friend that's a dentist (2 actually, one is my dentist). Don't know if either has True skates. Why?

Yep, exactly. If I had a real quality sharpener nearby, I wouldn't need a Sparx. I don't. There's not one guy that can maintain a profile, and even if there was there would be no guarantee that he'd be working when I need them cut. No joke, that profile would be gone in two sharpenings, max.

3. You don't sharpen my skates, and the guy that does can't do that.

The height of the wheel is set by the user to touch at the point where the curve of the heel begins, and will match that height on the toe end. But the system has a pressure regulating mechanism that keeps it from shaving off more of the toe and heel (like most pro shop employees will do) and altering the curve. The Sparx sharpens the curve, but doesn't alter it.

So does anyone know if Tydan blends the toe when they put a Quad on at the factory?

This was one of the big reasons I got one. What's the point of paying $50+ to have a profile put on when the kid at the proshop is going to ruin it after two sharpenings? Consistently sharp and profiled skates was the main draw for me.

The most recent profile I had was 9' with a 60/35 CAG on it to get a little forward pitch and some speed from the flat. I like the shorter 9' radius, but feel I'm losing a lot of speed and acceleration, and have to keep my edges super sharp to get good performance (not even the depth of hollow, but rather they always have to be fresh or I don't get good bite). What's the best for that? Quad 1? I'm a defenseman that skates more in straight lines up the ice than weaving through guys, so speed and stability are important. On No Icing's website, I'd probably be classified under their Quad 1. But I don't know if thers is the same as the ProSharp ones.

Sorry, man. Lung cancer is tough. But we were able to fight metastatic lung cancer well for 6 months. CCNU actually showed good progress until we had to discontinue it because it was affecting his liver. It may be worth a shot. It was a pretty mild treatment with no real side effects and only once every three weeks administration The cancer is likely not “treatable” but you may be able to manage it for a little while. Just a thought. Keep him happy and importantly eating as well as he can (that was always an issue for mine, he was picky) and you may still have some time. No, definitely not a good animal week. I feel for you. I lost my dog and then my parent’s dog (who I lived at home with for about a year when she was a puppy, I was her favorite person) 6 days later. That wasn’t a good week either. It sucks. But try to spend as much time as you can and take as many pictures and videos too. Some of the best pictures and video I have we took after we found out he was sick. The offer is still there. I know what you’re going through. Hit me up if you need advice or just to talk.

I'm sorry, man. We lost ours to cancer in June. It's a terrible thing. But with a tremendous amount of care from his oncologist, we were able to keep him alive for over a year and a half with a pretty good quality of life for most of it. So don't give up hope. They can treat canine cancer very well nowadays, and can prescribe a lot of drugs, even ones like Marinol, to keep him happy and comfortable for a while. Feel free to reach out if you need advice or support.

What is the point of having supplemental insurance through USA Hockey if they won't cover anything? I've progressed to the point in my knee injury that I'm ready to begin physical therapy. I've also accumulated about the $1000 deductible for the USA Hockey insurance that we're mandated to have to kick in. So from here out, I thought my treatment would be covered. My PT is having billing issues, so I just called the insurance company to figure out the best way to proceed. They informed me that they only cover PT after a surgery. The doctor said he didn't want to do surgery if he didn't have to, so we immobilized the knee to see if it would heal without the surgery. it did. So this insurance company would rather pay for surgery costs, plus 25-30 PT sessions rather than the 10 or so PTs I'll need. And I'm going to end up paying double to NOT have surgery than I would have if I did. What a load of horse shit.

I assume that if I had received the ring with the unit that I would have just centered it with that and not known any difference. So the only reason I know it's not perfect is because I had to reverse engineer a solution. The nice thing is that I can fine tune the machine, like a manual sharpener. But then leave it right there and it should be perfect as long as the machine isn't moved, unlike a manual sharpener. Either way, I'm sure that the near perfect alignment from the tool is still better than what many would receive with a sharpening from their LHS.

Just for clarification, it's not way out. I'd say it's off by maybe 2 clicks. Using a square on the actual steel is more accurate than using a visual line on the carriage. I don't know that the small variance would make any difference. So the tool may be good in a "close enough" sense to get a very near area for fine tuning. But an edge checker is still going to be more accurate and may not be in line with dead center on the tool. If the tool was perfect every time, then why the need for an edge checker? I'm not actually suggesting people throw the tool away, it's hyperbole. But I wouldn't rely completely on it either, and you could still get very (or even more) accurate edges without it, albeit with a lot more work.

2 passes will work. When I first got mine, I didn't have the alignment ring. So I had to use a carpenter's square on the counter to check the edges. Running 2 passes after each adjustment was enough to see how it was changed. After I got them square, I ran the machine to do the sharpening. So what I would suggest is running a few passes to check and adjust the level before running the full cycle. The alignment tool sucks. Throw it in the garbage. When I finally got the ring, it didn't line up to what I knew as square.

I seriously can't take it anymore. It's not the 80's. Stop posting input and advice based on what happened in the 80s. Just stop. You have absolutely no idea what the hell you're talking about. The game has changed. And it is painfully clear that you have not changed with it. I don't think I've seen you post one piece of information that is relevant in today's game. I can't tell if you're serious or just being a troll. I suspect the latter. Because of the ability to slide laterally on the pad, goaltending has become about getting wide and creating depth as soon as possible. The width of the stance covers the bottom of the net and allows lateral movement, the depth eliminates the aerial angle. There's no moving a leg out or bringing it in anymore. Now the pads stay in place because of the wide stance and the knees drive to the ice, That's faster than anything because the length of travel is short, and the stick covers some of the vulnerable area. If anything, Chris isn't wide enough. Don't reply or argue. Just learn.

Yay for tearing the MCL in my other knee last night. That's both knees in just over 3 months.

I'll agree with that. Fire 1/2 has similar glide, but far less bite than FBV 95/75 or 100/50. The FBV may have more bite than the typical 1/2 ROH, so it may not be an exact comparison. I think I'll need Fire 3/8" to get the bite I'm used to.

I won a Sparx sharpener on EBay at the beginning of November. It took the seller almost a week to ship, and another 5 days to get. Totaling 11 days from purchase to receipt. That’s not horrible, but not great either. When I opened the box, I found that they hadn’t installed the travel support, nor included the alignment ring. That made the machine pretty much useless. I contacted the seller about the alignment ring the day I got the machine. They said they found it and would send it the next day. I waited another 10 days and no ring. I contacted them again, they said they sent it earlier in the week. Another week and the envelope finally shows up today. I say envelope because it was empty. There had been an alignment ring in it, you can see marks on it. But since the seller only used a plain regular envelope (also meaning they didn’t send it until earlier this week), the ring had torn through the paper and is since long gone. So now I have to order one from a Sparx, which is fine. But my skates need a cut and I’ll either have to pay $10 for a sharpening while I have a machine sitting here, or wing it the best I can to get it aligned.

Awesome. Thanks. I slid the carrier all the way over to the adjustment tool (it won’t let you run the alignment function with a grinding ring in) and the indicator on the tool lines up pretty much exactly at the crease between the stone and hub. I also used the alignment tool to magnify the hollow of the steel and it looked pretty even. The grinding marks went all the way to both edges. But after sharpening, I stood the steel up on the granite counter and put a speed square against it. The steel is definitely off by maybe 1/32” or less. It has a slight gap at the top. I tried adjusting the carriage as much as 4 clicks on the knob and it didn’t seem to make much difference. I gave up after that because it’s a waste of steel and ring at 4 passes each test. ill just have to wait for the alignment ring to be sure.