flip12

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.

Interesting. Thanks for the detailed reply. Is there any chance of seeing this work in more detail?

@JD17 I personally like the Graf ones, but I that's the brand I liked the best before trying Scott Van Horne's boots. The other suggestions, like Elite's insole by @Buzz_LightBeer, and SpeedPlates by @Sniper9 are good ones too. The Graf ones are a bit basic, where some of the more recent innovations in insoles are big hits with some users. Plus, @mtn noticed a downgrade in later Graf footbeds... ... so the basic foam ones you might find now might have the same problem, right off the bat. To begin with, to test if the insoles are the main culprit, bring any old insoles you might have to your next skate and swap them in and out with the stock ones you've been using. If you have something else that eliminates most of the play in your heel lock, you're good to go with a solid alternative until you find something ideal. I don't have experience with aftermarket outsoles, and just happen to have a massive stash from collecting a crazy amount of skates over the last few years. I hope this is the right direction to fix your problem. It just sounds similar to what I experienced with the MLX outsoles, and I was amazed at how much of an effect it had on my skating. The same with the stock MLX tongue. Those elements have changed iteratively over the last 10 years, but they still seem to resemble the ones I have in their basic properties and they're properties that don't align with my preferences: insoles too spongey and tongues too stiff. Luckily, they're rather easily changed and the problems solved, if one knows where to look.

Most of the greatest skaters since the 90's have worn the "7K" style shin, and McD's one of them. It's the classic Jofa shin without the Hyper-X feature. It looks like it dates back to '81 or '82, with some tweaks coming in the following years. It's been a relatively stable piece since 1990, with minor variations. I'm not sure which version McDavid's got, but it's easy to see it's that lineage from the profile of the shin just below the knee cap. It's a little old (2018) but this picture shows that at that point he might have still been using 7Ks, but you can just see how they have that hd foam upper shin strip where the Hyper-X piece would be. CCM's been tinkering with that area the last few years, but it used to just be 7K or 8K style.