FlyChicaga

Regarding the ST girdle and shell, I found either using a PP90 or the PPTK one size larger was best. I just ordered the Jetspeed girdle and a PPTK shell one size up, both of which should be here next week. I never liked the PP10 shell over the girdle. The pants shells are way too big and too long in my opinion. If you have the PPTK shell with a matching size (large shell on large girdle) it's very slim and restrictive.

To start, I have not had my feet evaluated for supination/pronation, but I am planning to do it. Even so, I have a question about possible supination and outside edges. I was skating in the Vapor series of Bauer skates for years, up until a few years ago when I had my feet evaluated at my LHS. The Bauer analysis said 100% across the board I should be in Supreme skates. I went from 1X to 1S skates and my feet felt much more comfortable. I had one skate punched out a bit due to a toe issue I have. I've had these 1S skates for maybe three years now or so. I have been skating since I was 13, and at 40 I'm a high-level C player (depending on how my back feels that week, lol). My major achilles heel is my outside edges. I cannot stop on my outside edges to save my life. When I'm walking, I find I sometimes am walking on my outside edges, with my ankles bending outward. When I do one-foot slalom drills, I get very uneasy on my outside edge, feeling like I am going to tip over. It's just a very uncomfortable feeling, so it's affecting my agility, since we know the outside edge of the inner foot really helps drive a sharp turn. I am trying to decide if I am in the wrong skates, or if there is something that can be done to my current skates to alleviate this problem. I am thin and have a thin foot with a moderately high arch. Would a different type of skate compared to the Bauer 1S possibly be a solution? Or is this likely a foot problem and not an equipment problem per se? Looking to get pointed in the right direction here so I can get my confidence back on the outside edges.

Bauer Nexus pro stock pants for me. They're semi hard to find, particularly in a few teams. When I saw them available, I said MUST HAVE. Played in them a few times, and was totally underwhelmed. Sold.... only to try it again at least two more times. I keep going back to the HP45, and finally I think I've learned my lesson. They look really nice on PSH and SLS though when I see them pop up...

I'm coming into this discussion late, but maybe I can offer an opinion based on my own experiences in hockey for the last 25 years. What you described in the first post seems to fit me well. I've always had decent skill in hockey, but it really only comes out in low-pressure situations (drop-in games with buddies) or practices. Now approaching 40 in men's league, I still suffer from the same issues I had when I was playing in high school. In a game situation I panic with the puck and play the entire time with tense muscles. I can be firing great shots in warm ups, making escape maneuvers in the corner, stickhandling through a bunch of pucks, but when pressure is on I fall apart. For me it all comes down to anxiety. I'm afraid of looking stupid. I mentally feel like I'm inadequate, so it forces me to be inadequate. I can be coming down on a 1 v 1 with a mediocre defender on the other team, and I get so much in my own head about what move to make, I fail to really make any move, then lose the puck. As a defender, I can move laterally on the blue line with the puck great in warmup. In a game, I flub the puck just seeing someone coming my way, and then it's a 2 v 1 or breakaway the other direction. Somehow you need to help this player overcome his anxiety and fear of screwing up in front of others. I have a strong feeling that is what this is. It's hard to identify because the player doesn't want to admit to the anxiety. It's taken me 25-plus years to finally admit my anxiety and work to overcome it. Which isn't easy to do when you're about to turn 40 and play against a bunch of 20-somethings.

Anyone here who was big into pro stock make the jump back to retail? I’ve made several purchases of pro stock gear, and didn’t like the fit or feel due to some of the player customizations. Whenever I am getting a sharpening at my LHS, I find myself tinkering in the retail gloves and helmets, and often ask myself why I don’t just grab that really nice feeling pair instead of scouring the online sites. I’m thinking about just giving up the “cool factor” and sty of the pro stock gear and getting some of the newer model gloves/pants that I’m able to try on at my LHS. Anyone else given up on their pro stock hobby?

I have the medium ST girdle. I have been wearing pro stock PPPTK large shells over it. I had a PP90 in medium, but it was baggy. I haven't tried a medium PPPTK shell over it yet, since I haven't found one in black. In my opinion, the PPPTK shells are the best for this girdle. The velcro tabs and belt keep it aligned perfectly. My only complaint is that the zippers seem to work themselves up through a game. But I also wear the leg pads a bit loose, so that may play a part in it. Not a huge deal, I just pull the zippers back down on the bench, but it can get annoying over time.

What is the difference in fit between the current model Supreme pro stock pants and the Nexus pants? I did a search and most results were from 4+ years ago. Thanks.

I absolutely loved my 9K girdle. The only reason I switched to pants was because my legs would get ridiculously hot. The pants breathe more since they aren't fastened so close to the leg. Protection-wise I felt the 9K was above my HP45.

I have been in a visor for the past 12-15 years. I'd occasionally throw on a cage for a came after a close call, but then I'd hate it and revert back to the visor. I had some cuts and fat lips, but thankfully no lost teeth. I just love the vision with the visor. That said, I just recently went back to a cage. I play defense in C leagues, and I found I was getting less and less aggressive on D, for fear of having a puck ride up and get me right in the mouth. Also, I was less interested in board battles after several errant sticks and elbows caught me in the face. I finally decided enough was enough, I'm going with the cage, so I can focus on the game and stop worrying about protecting my mouth. Since I did, I've been more relaxed and enjoying my games a lot more. I just can't trust guys won't sail a puck high on a shot, or swing their stick around like a madman. When I was playing with a bunch of skilled guys in drop-ins, I was much less concerned, since guys shots were controlled and the great majority wore visors, so they controlled their sticks. I'd say wear whatever the heck you want. Just understand the consequences of wearing one thing versus another.

Surprisingly, the 272 fit in the 280 holder. It's just that the curved ends of the blade aren't as close to the ends of the holder (4mm per side basically). So I'm unsure if I'll trip and fall in a tight turn due to that difference.

I have a feeling I'm going to get blasted asking this question, but I have to anyways. I picked up a pair of CCM skates with Tuuk LS Edge holders, coming from Bauer 1S skates with the same. I have been running two sets of Step Blacksteel in my 1S skates, with a size 272 runner. The new CCM skates have a 280 holder. I have size 280 Blacksteel on order, but it will not be here in time for my game this weekend. Can I get away with the 272 in the 280 holder for just one C-level men's league game? Or should I grab a set of non-Blacksteel steel for this one game and just use as backup steel down the line?

I don't particularly care about goals/assists, even though our league keeps them and posts them online. I will say though that I appreciate as a defenseman when we're recognized for assists on nice breakout passes. Earlier this season I made a breakout pass from in front of our goal line, off the boards and right on to the tape of our leading scorer at the opposing blue line. The ref actually skated down to our bench and asked who made that pass, because he wanted to make sure we got the assist for such a nice play. I really appreciated that. Playing D, we don't get much "glory," so you take what you can get. That's also why I silently keep track of my plus/minus each game, just as a small way to know what kind of game I'm having that night. If we win 7-2, and I'm a +6, I leave the game feeling pretty good that our D pairing contributed to the win even if we had no recorded points.

As Asian Tomatoe said, I had to order Powerfeet because as the skates break in I feel like there is too much room in the toe box. However I still have good heel lock. These still are the most comfortable skates I've ever owned.

Yeah, I was 8.5D in both.

I went to 70k from 1X (2015 and 2017). I was using the 66k for a couple months until I could find the 70k a bit cheaper. I love these skates. My feet and toes do not hurt after games now. Very good heel lock and I get no issues with pressure or lace bite anywhere on the skate. I have thin ankles and heel with a wider forefoot and large toes. These skates have done wonders for me. I play D, and I have great balance and maneuverability skating backward, and feel more balanced in front of the net. If you can fit into these I highly recommend them. Caveat is I'm 36 years old now and my tolerance for foot pain skating is low, so I really dig the comfort level of these skates.

After a lot of tweaking, buying and reselling gear, here is what I've settled upon: Helmet: CCM Tacks 310 (blue home, white away with Leafs decals) Shoulders: CCM Super Tacks Pants: CCM HP45X in Leafs old style colors royal Elbow: CCM Super Tacks Shins: CCM Ultra Tacks Pro Gloves: CCM 852s Leafs (also have Leafs Centennial) Skates: CCM Ribcor 66K with Nash Pro Stock blockers Stick: CCM Ribcor PMT Pro, Trigger2 PMT, RBZ 380 CCM LS undergear shirt with the little grippys on it for my elbows, CCM Pro jock, Bauer performance shorts Reebok 3.0 Leafs jersey in black with black Edge socks, or Adidas royal Leafs praccy with CCM Edge socks

I figured I would give a small review on this helmet, since I just played my first game with it tonight. I went to my LHS and tried on a few different sizes of both the 710 and 310, and was able to find the right one for me. In the store, this thing felt great. I decided to order the 310 (LHS didn't have the color I wanted), mainly due to the price. I knew either one would be an upgrade over my 4500 or V08. In the last year or so, I've had the following helmets: CCM Resistance, CCM Res 300, CCM Res 100, and Bauer 4500. I've tried on the Re-Akt, but it just didn't "wow" me enough to drop over $200 on it. When I tried the Tacks 310 on, I couldn't believe the helmet only cost $120. It's light, and extremely comfortable. As in, I wore it the entire game tonight and never felt pressure once on my head, and I have it cranked down tight to keep it from shifting. With the 4500 or V08, neither one fit perfectly, and after a game I always had pressure marks either on my forehead or temples. I had NOTHING after wearing this helmet. In terms of protection, I'm not Virginia Tech. However, I put on my 4500 and whacked myself pretty hard in the front and sides of the helmet with my open palm. I then did the same with the 310. I'll just say there was a very, very noticeable difference. Most importantly of all, it passes the mirror test. It looks basically the same as the Resistance but feels a bit smaller. If you go try on this helmet and it fits your head shape, I highly, highly recommend it. For years I was a Bauer guy, but in the past year or two I've slowly gone to almost all CCM gear, because they have done some amazing stuff with their gloves and protective gear. I still wear Bauer skates, and my 4500 was my other Bauer holdout. No longer.

Personal opinion, but I wasn't a fan of the speed plates. I felt like they were uncomfortable. I went with SF Carbon and my skates feel much better. I've been using SF for years now, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it I guess. But seeing how many people are having their SPs crack, I'm happy I got the SF again. This is in 1X skates.

I have Bauer Apx2 skates and went to my LHS to get the Superfeet Yellows. They weren't in stock, so I got the Carbon's instead. I'm very pleased. First game in them, I had much better balance and edge control. The biggest thing for me was my backward skating... I had a noticeable improvement in my balance and ability to move laterally while going backwards, which is something that had suffered when I got my new Apx2s (just bought them 6 months ago). Very happy with these insoles.

How about a DON'T: Don't start taking cheap shots (butt-end to the ribs, cross-checking, trying to trip someone, going knee-to-knee) and not expect the person you are going after to retaliate. This is overly true if you are the head coach of a PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY TEAM. I understand you'd like to get out and play some rat hockey, but don't come out hacking and not expect someone to call you out on it because you're a coach in the AHL. I have never felt the need to drop the gloves in a pick-up game, but I certainly did today. All of it started because I was tying him up in front of our goalie.

Go watch the All-Star game, and try to emulate that. No hitting, lots of passing, no slappers in traffic. Just talent and fun.

Yes, got them from e-bay. They do say "Chicago Blackhawks." They were $150, which I was told by my LHS is about what it would cost to order them custom. Might have been a bad deal but I love these things... it's like wearing slippers on your hands.

Here is my gear... Nike Bauer 4500 Helmet, Nike Bauer 4-Roll Pro gloves, Vapor XXXX skates, Easton Synergy S17 Iginla 85, Easton ST Iginla 85, game-worn RBK EDGE Blackhawks socks, authentic RBK EDGE personalized Blackhawks jersey.

If you don't mind me asking, how much do you guys bring home working at a LHS? I'm looking for a "backup career" of sorts in case I end up getting laid off at my job come the end of this year. I work in the airline industry, this is something we are always worried about. I've been thinking about going back to school for Sports Medicine to try and work as a hockey trainer somewhere, or trying to work as an Equipment Manager, or just working at a large LHS like some of the places here.

I don't buy into that lie detector stuff much. When I went to the store, I brought my skates. Call me crazy, but I shelled out $200 for a stick and wanted it to be just right. So I put on my skates, and would take the sticks I was interested in off the shelf and stand perfectly erect, measure the length (I have my stick lengths between the chin and collarbone), and hold the stick at this point. Then I would rest my hands at my sides, and see if the stick blade was laying on the floor properly. If it wasn't, I would go with a different lie. Going through this, and adjusting my blade to my play style (I was using a Gaborik Easton, now a Weight Warrior McD), I have noticed a MAJOR improvement in my game. Less missed passes, better shot control post on the wrist and slapshot, and easier stickhandling. Helped to have the proper lie, plus the proper stick height. I think too many people have wild low lies because their sticks are too long for them, which is going to really hurt your stickhandling, passing and shooting.