psulion22

All of them were the same, which was based on the calibration of the machine. I don't think any were off, but just the square was giving me a false reading because of the design. The Flare Square works on regular steel too, so I was using it on all 3 sets. Out of the holders, the readings were all consistent and pretty level, especially once I recalibrated the machine.

It's good now. No problems with it that make me feel like it hasn't recovered fully. The MCL, or LCL, isn't a major structure for most things. As long as the ACL/PCL and bone bruising healed correctly you should have stability and no pain. But you must be doing PT. It's either intense PT or surgery. Just sitting around waiting for it to feel better and slapping a brace on it is absolutely not going to work and will lead to further injury.

This is correct. Forget what happens deep in the zone. All the problems start in the neutral zone. The transition is a 2v2. #25 has good gap on the high forward. But he's skating with his stick in two hands, which then means he can't and doesn't make a play on the outlet pass. He should have stepped up and broken up the play there. Even just having his stick down and near the forward's blade may have been enough. So now he allows them to not only receive a pass clean when he was in good defensive position, also make a drop pass near the gray zone. As soon as a play like that is made so close to the blue line, you have to switch to the puckcarrier, because you would assume the other forward is going to have to stop or slow at the line. He won't have any speed entering the zone and you'd be able to catch him if he got the puck. Instead, #25 just backs off and gives them the line. If he had been active there, he probably forces an off sides. On the other side, #3 (I assume that's the partner) is in the wrong position from inside the offensive zone, and never comes even close to covering or engaging an opponent. He's late coming over when the puck switches sides in the offensive zone. #3 doesn't identify the forward on the breakout, so instead of coming across the ice to the guy he skates out of the zone. The guy who receives the drop pass, and eventually scores the goal, is who #3 should have been covering from the offensive zone. Instead he's actively skating away from his guy through the neutral zone for no reason. Also from the blue line back, #25 did not make one stride. No c-cuts, no crossovers, no change in direction to angle the forward, certainly no pivot to skate forwards. The entire defensive zone and all he did was swizzle backwards in a straight line. Then down near the hash marks, when the forward took the puck to the backhand, #25 should have pivoted and turned to seal the corner. Instead, he just reaches out with his stick and the guys skates right through it. Because he never strides, he gave the puck carrier way too much gap and took a bad angle. In fact, neither of your defensemen made one stride to generate speed from center ice all the way back until the goal was scored. They both just bleed space for no reason, with #3 pretty much doing nothing. It was a 2v2 most of the way, until the third forward joined the play high, and he's really not a threat. And not one of those players are anywhere near the good ice. #25 should have forced the play at some point from the neutral zone in - the outlet pass, the drop pass, the blue line, the whole way in. If he gets beat it's no big deal because he has a partner and it's still an even man situation. And #3 needs to get correct gap and cover someone. I don't think that #3 could have slid over in time to make a good play once the guy got around #25. Maybe if the goalie held the post at an angle to force the shooter back into the play he either would have saved it or #3 could have had a chance, but he risks being steamrolled by doing that. I'm guessing OP is #25 and is getting heat from his team for letting the guy get by him.

Buscuits are good because they give you the same feeling of contact with the blade. But pros are using balls because they do some different things. Most likely you're seeing the wooden balls. Those are very light and you have to develop quick hands to keep it from flying all over the room. There are balls that size that have the same weight as a puck. They're good because all the weight is concentrated in a smaller area so you have to be very sure of your contact. Those quick dekes where the guys are barely touching the puck don't work with a Smart ball. It won't move. And a golf ball is good also because it's unpredictable. It bounces, it pops off the blade, it rolls sideways. It helps you learn to adjust your hands quickly.

Thanks, guys. It was happening on three different sets of steel, both sides, two in two different holders, one not in a holder. So while I completely agree Holders can be bent or not aligned properly, that didn't seem to be the case here. It was more likely a combination of the way the Flare Square works and is designed and inconsistent sidewalls on all the steel

Thanks for the input, especially that last blog post. I went back and tried to remove as many variables as possible. I got the alignment ring back out and did that. I pulled out an old Step regular goalie runner - since we agree Step quality is probably the best - and sharpened it in the Sparx holder. And I ran 4 passes, per Sparx's recommendation, to adjust the edges. I tested in 3 places along the blade and it was all nearly perfect, maybe out by one click either way. So knowing that the machine was set to produce level edges, I took my Flare steel off the skate and sharpened it. Testing it out of the skate again produced pretty good edges, with a little more deviation. Lastly, I ran the other Flare runner in the skate, and tested it there. The results were all over the place. So it clearly seems that the problem was either with the sidewalls of the steel or the checker, or a combination of both. The Sparx is fine. The Flare Square is different than most others because it has a deeper channel and the top corner where the edge sits isn't square. I think the design was what was throwing it off because the Flare steel is worn down and may not have enough left to make good contact with the edge checker inside the skate. Either the set screw lands on the flared part, or the whole thing hits the holder.

Three different kinds, with three different characteristics, in three different holders. One is Flare regular steel that is in my player skates. One is Massive Blade DLC in my goalie skates. And one is a set of Tydan regulars that I sharpened in the Sparx blade holder. All three showed the same results.

Which boots were highest on that study, out of curiosity? It's also nowhere near the price. As with just about everything else, there is always a tradeoff between price and quality. When considering price and performance, the Sparx is an excellent product for most home users, particularly those who don't have access to quality, or even competent, local sharpeners. And before you argue - no, not everyone has an extra $1000 to buy a ProSharp. No, most people don't have the time - either in training or sharpening - or possibly even the skill to use a manual machine. No, not everyone has a nearby sharpener that can sharpen a skate without ruining the profile - not even themselves. Yes, there is a lot to be said for the convenience of sharpening a skate while you pack your bag, allowing you to have good edges every session. No, the end result is not as good as other machines or a good hand sharpener. Yes, there are limitations on what it can do. Yes, it's probably still a good idea to send the steel to a quality sharpener for a refresh periodically. Yes, that partially defeats the purpose of having the machine. Yes, despite that it's still worth the money for what it delivers.

I had a Grade 3 tear of my MCL last year - 90% torn. My Ortho used to work in the NBA. I was never given a serious surgical option. It was possible but completely unneccesary, even for my severe injury. I was given extensive rehab. Not even a brace. After I returned to skating, I tweaked it a little and the doc suggested a cheap compression brace with flexible supports, nothing with a hinge, until my body got used to the laxity. I still wear it but mostly because it feels weird to go without it. He was adamant about not using strong support for collateral ligament injuries because they will often lead to further, and possibly worse, injury. Cruciate ligaments need them because they're under constant stress and see more dynamic forces applied. But collateral ligaments see less frequent stressors. Typically the body can support itself from most forces better than a brace can. If you need the brace to keep you from injury, especially after the initial recovery, then the force is probably too strong for the brace anyway, and the brace and ligament will fail regardless. Just what I was told.

Has anyone else had a problem where the toe and heel of the steel are not in alignment? I finally got an edge checker. What I'm finding is that the toe and heel are not equal, as if the carraige isn't running straight along the blade. No matter how much I adjust the knob, the relation stays the same between them. The right edge of the toe was high, but the heel was level. When I adjusted the knob to make the toe level, the left edge of the heel was high. It was the same issue, off by the same amount on 3 sets of steel I tried (just to make sure it wasn't the runner being bent) leading me to assume it's the Sparx itself. It could absolutely be user error with either the machine or edge checker. But when the results are replicable and consistent every time, that is probably unlikely. Anyone else experience this?

An interesting question, and one I hadn't thought of. I was using a Quad 1 before the Flare, so I just stuck with it. Since I didn't skate on the Flare before the profile was put on, I can't say for sure. But I would guess that it might be overkill. The whole point of the Quad is to milk the most performance out of the blade. But the Flare does some of the things that the Quad is supposed to do on it's own, and from experience, does more than I use. For example, the edge stability goes beyond an attack angle I typically get to. I can get lower without blowing a tire than I normally go. And the turning radius is greatly improved because you're essentially getting 6* lower at any given point on each turn. That would mean the ultra short front radius, and section that eats away the most blade, on the Quad is probably unnecessary. And even if there is a benefit, it may not be enough to outweigh the amount of lost steel. A dual, or even triple, with a longer front radius would probably be all you need on the Flare. I will say that if you haven't Flare, do so. It's a very differet feeling, but once you get used to it, you really do see a pretty significant performance increase.

I have, and it's not the same. In fact, I have a Quad 1 on my Flare steel. The improvements/changes from Flare are more like those of FBV than a profile - more glide in flats and more bite at a given angle. But the feeling is much more pronounced on the Flare. FBV works by allowing a player to increase their edge sharpness by increasing glide through a change in the angle of the walls of the hollow. So you can go sharper and still get the same, or more, glide. Flare is different in that it is a mechanical alteration to the edge itself while keeping the hollow angle the same, allowing a player to decrease thier ROH, by sometimes up to 100%, while also increasing bite and edge stability. The runner profile maximizes the performance of different characteristics along the blade when combined with each individual's skating mechanics, personal attributes, and preferences. The Flare maximizes the performance of the bite angle with the ice across all blade characteristics and profiles.

Right now, only the Supreme is available retail. The Vapor was originally, but they have long sold out. To get Vapor or Nexus ADVs you need to find pro stocks with codes BGP2B and 1NXL, respectively.

ADV is a construction technique that cuts weight. It was first used on the Vapor line, but now they offer it on all 3 stick lines - Vapor ADV, 1NXL, Supreme ADV - maintaining the flex profile of those lines.

Mike Keenan used to treat his players so badly that he famously brought Mark Messier to tears asking him to stop. Herb Brooks treated his players so badly that it's become lore and almost revered. Bowman, Sutter, Tortorella. I'm sure you could add Hitchcock and Nielsen to that list. I'd bet you could add almost every professional coach to the list at one time or another. The reality is that these guys are there to get results. That mostly means motivating players and that usually means being an asshole to them. Overt racism and overly physical abuse (I'm ok with grabbing a jersey but not punching or kicking) is never acceptable. This is not ok with kids, or juniors, or college kids because those kids are still learning and developing. They are going to make mistakes, particularly when there is a talent discrepancy. But when we're talking about professional athletes, not even just professional hockey players, I don't think this behavior is out of the question. These are guys that are of a level when they are expected to do things a certain way. There isn't any hand holding or sugar coating with them. They're past that point in their development. Top league professional sports are more about execution and motivation than they are about development. Coaches behave differently to get those things out of players. It's interesting this is coming up now. Two weeks ago, I worked an event with a guy that recently retired from the NFL. He went to LSU while Nick Saban was the coach there. During downtime, we talked about his time in the league and it turned to talking about Saban because Bama had just lost to LSU. Nick Saban has the same reputation as Babcock. He's known as arrogant, abusive, and sometimes mean spirited. My cousin used to be the writer that covered the Dolphins while Saban was the coach. He'd tell us stories of tirades that Nick went on to just about everyone. One in particular was when he fired a secretary that had been with the team since it was founded, over 35 years, on the spot because she complimented his haircut. But this former player, who made it to the NFL, saw Saban as a father figure. He said Saban was mean and would get on you and yell every time you didn't do what you were supposed to because he expected you to do things right. He'd slap your helmet and grab your facemask. He'd send you to sit on the bench and curse at you if he looked over. But if he did put you back in the game and you made the play right the next time, he was the first person to be there when you got off the field to compliment you. This guy said that it was the best motivator and confidence builder that he knew his coach had such high expectations that he could deliver. It made him want to play better and harder. He said that he was able to handle it and as a result he made it to the NFL. But a lot of other guys who were talented enough couldn't handle it and didn't reach their full potential. He felt that Saban was focused on building men and life skills not just football skills because he was teaching these kids to do things the right way, handle adversity, take pride and have confidence in themselves, and to dig deep to achieve a goal. He felt Saban was his biggest defender and would go out of his way for the guy, even if he had been cursing him out on the sideline earlier that day. He was always honest, if even overly so, and wanted all of his players to be the best they could be at whatever they did. So it's interesting to so the contrast. With all the negative stories about Babcock, I'm wondering if there are guys that felt this way too.

I find that 99% of the guys that can blow pucks by me are using hockey sticks.

Yep, and NHL guys are so strong they don't need the true low kick to do the work for them. So they move the kick point up to get more velocity through energy transfer and less deflection.

Also keep in mind that most of the discussion about shot and release speed is considering the shot event in a vacuum - that being how release speed translates into the goalkeeper's ability to stop a clean shot on a static angle. But there are other variables that would affect the potential scoring ability of a shot where release speed would matter. The biggest one to me would be the presence of a shooting lane. A few milliseconds could be the difference between a shot getting through and going off a shin guard or stick blade. It may not affect the goalie's ability to stop the puck, but rather whether he has to. Another would be the total motion required to release a shot. A lower kick flex point allows the stick to load with less motion on it, meaning the puck doesn't have to travel as far in the player's stance to generate power. The difference in time it takes for the puck to leave the blade is nearly negligent, however the amount of movement and applicable time it takes to create the shot event is pretty large. A slap shot takes longer than a full wrist shot which takes longer than a quick toe snap shot. The low kick allows the player to shoot the puck with power from more hand and body positions which gives the goaltender less time to recognize the shot motion and anticipate the shot. The time the goalie has to see the shot coming off the blade is about the same. But the time the goalie has to anticipate having to look for it is much less with a low kick stick. Being able to deceive a goalie by releasing a full power shot with the hands more in front of the body, which can be used for a deke or pass as well, is more effective than just trying to blow it by him. As for why more NHL players aren't using low kicks if release speed is so important, I suspect that second part is exactly it. These guys are so strong that they can create the same release speed with a mid kick as a low kick, without the blade deflection that often accompanies low kicks as a result of the tapers used to transfer maximum energy.

Definitely. Goalie skates are an area where True skates get a pretty big benefit because the demands and performance are different. That asymmetrical ankle should be on both skates because it just lends to better performance for any modern goalie who would really want a cowlingless skate. I believe they should offer a "Nexus" goalie line of traditional skates with a cowling and symmetrical ankle for more traditional users and leave the modern stuff for those who want it. I hear you on the player skates too. My MX3s are nearing the end of their life. The outsole is getting soft and I can feel it flexing when I stride. Plus the foams have broken down so I can feel some wobble and slide inside the skates. Those two things combind have really lost me some speed and efficiency. I can feel that my stirdes aren't as powerful as they should be, especially on starts.

Yep. The Supreme line was originally the same anatomical fit when it was the One100/80/60 and then NXG line, matching the player skates. The other goalie line was the Reactor line, which was really no different. The skates pretty much fit the same way, Bauer tried to differentiate them by saying one was for "butterfly" goalies, and the other was for "reactive/hybrid" goalies. When they moved to the Curv quarter, they completely changed the fit to the Vapor player fit - narrow last, low volume, low wrap, tapered fit - for lateral agility. Then they created the cowlingless Supreme line, but kept the fit profile the same as the previous Pro/Elite skates, with an asymmetrical ankle. Now, it was even more like the Vapor player skate. When they moved the Reactor line to the Vapor name, I guess they wanted two different fit profiles, so they kept it the same anatomical fit that it was and that the Supreme player skate has - wider last, more volume, anatomical fit, narrow heel. I agree. The ankle and heel design is much more important to a goalie. But part of those is the shape of the ankle and how much volume it has which would be a big factor for someone who may want one ankle design over the other for the performance benefits it offers. For example, I fit better in a Supreme player profile but I prefer the asymmetrical ankle of the Supreme goalie skate. I wish they'd put that on both lines so I could switch to Vapor to get some more volume and width.

At least you got a lot of action, and it wasn't a bunch of ringers. Not a whole lot of defense, but it's pickup and no one was going all out either. Sometimes it's just nice to have these kinds of sessions to get the gear on and make some saves without having to worry about the score or the other team's johnny-try-hard. I actually played in my rink's beginner league this last season. The director needed goalies, I had pads that I wasn't using, so I figured it would help us both out. The level of play was well below my skill level (and the director put me on the worst team as a result). But, surprisingly, I had a lot of fun. In the whole season, I only allowed one goal from beyond the faceoff dots. But I saw a ton of shots from in close and at that distance it doesn't matter how skilled the player is, you still have to make an effort to save them. The team was fun and everyone tried their hardest. It's a league run by the rink that has a draft each season, so there are no ringers or the perpetual arms race that happens in other leagues. Plus, it was nice to be the reason we won any game and have to other teams talk about how good you were. I felt like Henrik Lundqvist. lol

Given what you're looking for, I think the P10 will be the best option for you. It's about the longest blade out there, with a square toe for puck control on the boards. It's a toe curve, so stickhandles are good with it, and the overall shape makes saucer passes effortless. It's a 5.5 lie, and the open face does make lifting the puck easy. The biggest issue is that the length makes it hard to get off quick toe shots because you have to get the puck so much further along the blade.

For some asinine reason, Bauer didn't flip the fit profiles of the goalie skates when they switched to the player line names. The goalie skates are backwards. So it would make sense you wear a Supreme goalie and Vapor player as they are the same fit profile.

Yes, true. I now use a 70 flex because it's offered as a Sr option. My comment was more in relation to the fact that he had been using an 87 flex successfully before cutting. So if it worked well before, changing the flex by a few points shouldn't be a problem at his weight, particularly with how how performance has completely changed. That's why I'm suggesting mechanics and leverage may be more in play than flex.

Depending on how much you cut, your hand positioning may be causing as much of the issue as the flex. If you cut the top, and keep your hands the same distance apart, your bottom hand isn't in the same place anymore. The fulcrum has changed and you're not getting the same leverage on the stick. At 215 lbs, you should be able to use an 87 flex stick. For example, I recently cut my sticks by about 1/2" but I left my bottom in the same place it was, moving my hands closer together (I marked it with tape just to see). My shot is much harder now because I'm getting more flex and lever action. I can actually feel it.