flip12

Hyperlight’s jewel next to the eyelets is an alarming rip off of True’s Chrome Tornado. In general, they look like Yeezys.

Last I saw he was in VH, True and Mako. Haven’t seen a shot of him with MLX in some time. As @the_game said, those are prototype MLX skates. Gonchar’s the only other one I’ve seen wear a similar looking MLX prototype, prior to the stock look they settled on.

Purely a crazy conjecture. I wonder if a significant degree of oversized holders at the elite level is rather an artifact of pro players getting smaller sized boots as they graduate into a proper custom fit. If they were used to wearing skates that were a bit too big overall to compensate for a bad fit in width, for example, they'd be used to skating on an oversized holder compared to the size that would come with the skates that are tailored to their feet. In order to maintain the blade-ice feel they're used to, it would be easiest to just install the bigger holder and call it a day. That would be interesting because it would mean instead of using an oversized holder to improve performance, it would rather be about maintaining a system (blade-ice feel) that evolved on a faulty basis (oversized boots).

I wonder if there's a characteristic that makes some players more adaptable and others more particular in what works. Some people just don't care, so when they hear there are different options available, where a different setup might be more suitable for them, they get a little tired looking having to consider something other than what they already don't know. It's not even that all of the don't care group are good players. For me, I started playing at 13, so it didn't seem realistic for me to go far with my abilities, but I was hooked on the equipment from day 1. Eventually I found things that worked, without understanding why they worked. It has taken a lot of trial and error, but I think I have narrowed down what the most influential elements of my equipment are, and some of them are really surprising. What's also surprising is the difference it can make. When I narrow in on a good setup, things just happen and it's almost like I'm a spectator enjoying the feeling of being able to skate and move the puck without focusing on it. It's one of the most enjoyable activities I can think of. That it has the personal history of the equipment search and development process involved is only a bonus, as it makes it intellectually stimulating as well.

I think @Bladoww may be referring to his old boots having toe spring and the new ones lacking it. https://theshoesnobblog.com/toe-spring-whats-it-all-about/

One piece boots tend to be stronger where the quarters turn into the sole of the boot, but they are not automatically stiffer overall. FT1s had a nice give to them in the quarters, much more than 2S Pros. TF7s also have a notable suppleness compared to Tacks say.

@marka I think it was the tongues throwing some people off? The thicker TF7 tongue gave the impression of less forefoot volume and overall length compared to the thinner TF9 tongue. Between the TF9 and TF7 the shell form is the same, foam type and thickness aren’t noticeably different, liner is of course slightly sleeker on the TF9, but the major differentiator is the tongue.

Maybe sneak the idea in there so he has a chance to see what the difference is. It can be a good idea to have a backup pair of skates for someone skating that much and if you present that angle to him, maybe he’s be up for trying them out at a stick and puck or a practice where he has his usual pair on the bench. It just takes a minute to change skates, and then he can get a sense of how game ready his boots are, both pairs. Maybe he doesn’t notice the increased give at the top of the quarters because he already laces lower to have more range of motion there. He may just be lacing a little more snug as the boot has softened up, achieving a similar level of support as he would in a fresh pair. In that case, it might be a possibility to get the new pair in on a rotation, so he doesn’t go through a full break-in and break-down cycle in one pair and then have to start all over again. If you can show him some upsides of giving the new pair a try, he may see a benefit in switching to the new pair himself and decide to retire the current pair. On the other hand, if he tries them and doesn’t see any benefit from the increased stiffness you’ll have as good an answer to you lingering question of whether he’s leaving performance on the table or not as I think you can get. I disagree with the notion that any give in a boot means it should be replaced. There is a broad range of ankle support required to skate one’s best. Some players need a new pair of skates as soon as they open up a bit, others lace in ways to ensure their ankle range of motion is unhindered. Just look at Kirill Semyonov, who just signed with Toronto out of Omsk. He skips two eyelets in Vapors and his career doesn’t appear to be suffering at all due to his skating style.

At least you can shoot the runners straight into the recycling!

Yet they're mounted with RMS, adding to the mystery.

Only in the Praux Custom option, from what I could see, but they had it there. It’s the Kane I’m looking at, and looking again, it looks like it might have some of his mods to the stock Shanahan. PSHS’ Kane looks like a stock Shanny. I have nothing against Base. I just got a Hossa Pro blade from them.

MyBauer, Prostockhockeysticks, also Base, yeah.

But you can order a brand new Shanny if you want, as opposed to a 1st gen. Synergy.

You're right, maybe "simple" wasn't the right adjective. I agree with your insistence that it involves more than setting a price on a single tier. It seems it didn't come through in my last post, but in an effort to be brief, I didn't elaborate on how that not-so-simple calculation would necessarily involve a reevaluation of the entire line underneath the custom tier, as the mapping between previous top tier skate sales and new custom skate sales wouldn't be 1:1. That's why I was envisioning the calculation would have a volume range estimate, hinting at the indirect translation between current and imagined skate lineup schemes.

Just like True is doing. Wouldn’t the manufacturers just pass additional cost on? It’s a simple pricing calculation for them. They probably already have a decent estimate of what the volume range would be at the start.

I think stiffness is still a variable that can be set within a range even if it’s the same material. Otherwise stiffness wouldn’t be a pro custom option within the same material palette.

Incredible @Buzz_LightBeer. The OG Synergy is one of my favorite all-time sticks.

Have you thought about putting an elastic band around the tongue to keep it from flopping too much?

You could also put a toe lift in. That way your steel stays the same and you adjust the pitch in a way that’s less invasive and cheaper to correct or adjust.

Sergei Fedorov is one of the more prominent opponents of that view.

That looks like a 17” then maybe: https://www.ebay.com/itm/114158447686 See pic 4.

Looks like this image supports your 16" theory: From this listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/184270884716?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338722076&toolid=10001

Napoleon was actually of average or slightly above average height for his day. 5’2” is his commonly cited height. But that’s in French units, which converts to about 5’6” in Imperial. What about this?

Have you tried any of the more recent iterations of the Scott Van Horne boot: Mako (kind of counts), VH, or True? Curious what you might think of those compared to the Kors.