hamstercaster

For those of you who are interested, David will now be contributing regularly on RDS (French TSN) via a blog. Here is his first blog entry. Sorry, it's in French http://www.rds.ca/hockey/chroniques/306310.html

While we're discussing recording process, something else that pisses me off is that loudness war going on where many producers record albums so loud and overcompressed that the albums clip like a bitch making some albums unlistenable... it's even worst once you transfer it to your Ipod/MP3 player.

I hear ya! Started playing 2 weeks ago after missing 10 weeks with a freak accident and I missed the boys quite a bit too and it was fun to reunite with them no matter how bad I played that game

lol.. people call me Craig Ludwig. I'm big, I'm slow and I block a huge amount of shots per game... and when my line's in the attacking zone, I'm usely patrolling the neutral zone to have a head start on faster skaters lol... unless my team really has good puck control, then I'll come in and sometimes even cut down the middle where no one's expecting me and occasionnally get a pass and score... actually, make that rarely lol. But it's good feeling!

Yes it is even though I'm really not a big fan of DT or even Mike Portnoy. I saw him twice this summer when they opened for Iron Maiden and that band just doesn't do anything for me, nor his drumming. Don't get me wrong, they are very good musicians technically and that seems to be their problem actually. To me at least, they don't convey any emotions through their playing.

ozric tentacles

I've had a few changes since the last time I posted and I now have: Bauer One95 skates CCM V10 Shin pads RBK 9K Shoulder pads Jofa 9177 Elbow Pads CCM V06 Pants Easton S11 gloves Mission Intake lid Reebok 6K stick (shark skin)

That D man is definitly not playing your shot too well! He's asking for trouble by turning sideway like that.

I'm close to return to the ice. If all goes well with some "home made" tests tonight, I should hit the ice on Friday. Be off the ice for about 10 weeks now. First was a shoulder injury that sidelined me for a couple of weeks then a freak accident with a mitter saw that has sidelined me for 8 weeks now due to some complications along the way. I'm still going to be slow but hope that my hockey sense, shot and passing will also show up at the rink when I'm there lol

Tomorrow will be the sixth week since I cut my finger on a miter saw and it hasn't healed compeletly yet. It's doing much better and it should be fully healed by the end of the week or early next week (hopefully) but that injury coupled with another shoulder injury means that I'm now on my eight week away from hockey..

The finger I have almost cut completly with a miter saw 3 weeks ago is still not healed. Got the stitches out last Monday and the wound opened up about halfway. It's not pretty much shut off again after putting some steri strips on it to keep it shut. I'm in for at least another week before I can safely say that it's shut and has healed completely.

Well I had a dumbass moment this weekend as I cut the tip of my middle finger on the left hand with a miter saw. 13 hours at the ER and a few stitches later I find myself taking 20 minutes to type a two line email on top of not being able to play hockey for two weeks.. and it hurts like a bitch. Luckily the tip of my finger was still attached so I haven't lost anything...

That's just sad. Clean hit IMO but it was to be expected that the next solid hit would knock him out again. Look at Simon Gagné when he came back from his concussion (or one of his concussions), he got hit pretty midly into the boards and was concussed so imagine that hit on Booth now. For his own sake it could be wise to look at other career options so not to do anymore damage than what has already been done.

Price is good and has the potential to be really good but he has quite the attitude problem for sure. Many things are bing tossed around on that story. Price was supposedly looking for a scapegoat which ended up being Markov who missed two good scoring chances and was partly responsible for the goal defense wise and supposedly he let Markov havit to which Markov basically told him to shut up and stop the puck. That's a transcription of what was just said on RDS on the news.

lol you guys are funny. Honnestly, I think that they decided to use those terms as most people probably don't have a clue what 3/8, 1/2, 100/75 mean. Hell if it wasn't for this website educating me, I wouldn't know what the hell those numbers mean either. I play non competitive hockey with more or less the same bunch of guys every week and I'd say about 8 or 9 of them play competitve hockey at the beer league level, tourneys and what not and I'm about 100% sure that I would be hard pressed to find anyone knowing what sharpening job they are getting. Most would say that they have no clue, they just get their skates sharpened. The others would just say I ask for them to be very sharp. I know I was getting it done at 1/2 because I asked what Sharp meant in terms of the shapening job I was getting and the guys at my LHS seemed surprised that someone even know that you could get 1/4, 1/2 or whatever. Actually, Friday after my game I told the guys in my room that they should go try FBV and everyone looked at me as if I was some kind of alien or something...

I went to get my skates sharpenned last week and noticed that my LHS (Marc Sports Source for Sports) was now offering FBV. I gave it a try and loved it. It's a bit pricy though at 8$ but I think it's worth it. I'll buy a sharpening card they offer and it should end up costing me about 6$ a pop which isn't too bad I guess. I'm not sure what sharpening I got though as this LHS doesn't go by numbers but by names like: Regular Sharp Very Sharp Speaking with the guy a while back I was able to know that Sharp is 1/2 so when I got my FBV done I picked Sharp which is presumably 100/50 which is my deduction and I think it makes sense. I loved the glide and the bite. I really saw a difference over regular sharpening. Next time I go I'll ask what Sharp is in the FBV so to know if it's 100/50 like I think or not. Bottom line is that I don't really care what the numbers are as I now know that I like FBV in the sharp cut and seeing that this is the only place I get my skates shapenned, I don't really need to know what specific sharpening I got but I'll still ask out of curiosity.

Don't get me started on Sportchek lol... Lets just say that I'm not very happy about the way they work. First of all, as it's been said in another thread, I'm looking for a new Bauer stick to use for when my Bauer XXV breaks. I got it of the classifieds for 90$ when it was still worth 200$ plus taxes around here. Now shopping around on the net from work, which is in Ontario, I find the Bauer XXV for 100$ on their website. Since I like my XXV Malkin but would prefer a P88 Kane, I figure I'll buy a couple at that price and be set for a while. I get home after work and my home is on the Quebec side in Gatineau. Try to access their website and find out that it's not accessible for Quebec residents... WTF?? They direct me to Sportsexperts which is actually worst then Sportchek. So I give the stores in Ottawa a call and they have next to no stock. They have one left in pretty much all of Ottawa and it's not a P88 and not my flex. So back to work the following day, I get online and figure I'll just order the sticks and have them delivered at work in Ontario and take the sticks home on the bus. No big deal. I go through the order process. Click on the Bauer XXV with 87 flex link and proceed to choose LH. It says they have assorted patterns. Cool, I should be able to get the P88 which is very popular or so it seems. Nowhere can I choose the curve pattern. I hit them up with an email, the 3rd one actually. One was a question and they weren't too helpful, the second was a complaint and the third was a question about how to choose curver patterns... The answer: You can't choose a curve pattern, you get what we send you. That sucks ass. I guess I could order like 5 and hope to get two P88 in the lot and just bring the 3 others back for a refund but that's another problem. You can send them back to the company for a refund minus shipping or bring them back to the store for a store credit... not too conveniant. So needless to say, my search for an affordable, good stick continues. I love my Bauer XXV. Best stick I ever had even though it's not top of the line, it performs well for me and my limited talent lol... Now I got to research the X:40 as I believe JR said that they were replacing the XXV and if so, then that would mean that they should perform as well or at least similar to the XXV and they are $99.99 at Pro Hockey Life

Indeed it is much different and there are certainly do's and don'ts when you're a complete stranger.

It's funny how we break so many of these unbroken rule at my stick and puck hockey. Mind you, we are always pretty much the same bunch so we know one another inside out. I'm just back playing out after a two year hiatus as a goalie and I used to get screened and I do the same given my thick body and height. We show boat sometimes just to piss our friends off that play on the other team. Loads of fun!! well except when we get pummelled 24-6 in a hour and a half game but aside from that...

What's up with all those disgruntled rookies.. SK74 asks to be traded because he got sent down and now Ilya Zubov from the Sens is also asking for a trade for having been sent down to the minors.

Yes and yesterday was the "Behind the Scene or Making of" so he will be there again at some point during the season where he will be on for a whole half hour or hour show.. can't remember how long that show is on for.

Nike 0002 Combo - Helmet and cage. Like the fit and the grey cage and price 70$ RBK 5K - really nice and confy pants. Light and decent padding. Zippers DR Classic Fit gloves - Nice and light, love the fit and feel. RBK XK OPS - Bought cheap at Can. Tire. Works well for me. Could be lighter Nike Ignite Skates - Like them a lot. Bit heavy but well padded Bauer Elbow pads H1000 I think - One of the only elbow pads that fit me right Itech shin guards - Adjustable straps, solid, good protection Powertek OPS - Utter crap, mediocre backup at best Koho gear bag - roomy and tough

DR 4500 Classic Fit About me: 6'1'' 263 pounds and counting (down lol). Fit Given my size and the size of my hands, I can't wear anything comfortably under 15 inches although some 14.5 inches I tried were close to be confortable. This glove is a lose fit and if my memory serves me right, it's close to be the loosest fit amongst the many gloves I tried. Especially the cuffs, they are loose and long and allow for good movement 9.5/10 Protection No inserts on these gloves. Just foam but so far can't complain. Been hit on the hands a couple of times and felt nothing. The cuffs are long and give good forearm protection. It is also equipped with a lock thumb which is in my mind well calibrated. Not too stiff to limit grip or movement but stiff enough to help prevent thumb injuries in the event that your thumb would do an unexpected movement/extention during a fall or any other accident that may happen on ice. Inserts could possibly make that glove even more protective so I will rate it a 9/10 Weight These gloves are very light for the size. They 15 inches and a pretty big 15 inches I might add and they weight next to nothing. They are lighter than my old Nike Quest 3 that were much smaller in size. But I guess they could still have made them lighter although glove weight is not something that matters that much to me. For that I'll give them a 9/10 Feel/comfort level This glove is very comfortable. It is light enough and fits me very well. The feel on the stick is in my mind quite good. The palms are thicker than many more expensive gloves out there but for the price it offers good stick/puck feel and is much better than my old pair of Nike Quest 3. It is worth a 9/10 Durability I've owned the gloves for two weeks now and have played 7 1 and 1/2 games with them. So far they show no wear whatsoever. The plams are reinforced with an extra layer black suede like leather. Not one single mark on it yet, no discoloration. Top of gloves is made leather imitation and doesn't show any wear either. There's a very tiny piece of that reinforced palm that isn't sewn in the glove but have yet to find out if it's just un-sewned or was just never sewned. This I guess could require more attention down the road and will thus make the rating drop a bit to a 8/10 Intangibles The palms are sweet and give a good grip on the stick. I have a Reebok XT stick with no grip whatsover and this gloves manages to hold that stick right in place with no slippage whatsoever but yet lets your stick slide free when you need to glide your hands up and down the shaft for different shots or defensive situation. It is also fairly easy to pick the stick up from the ice if you happen to drop it. 9/10 Conclusion I spent over an hour trying out gloves the first time. I had tried pretty much every glove in the store except CCM's, RBK's and DR's. Then I went back a second time to the store to try them all again and was decided to leave with a brand new pair of gloves. I tried all the same gloves again and was hesitating between Bauer XV, XX, XXX, Supreme 70's and One90's. Was also considering sor RBK 8 and Eagles. Then I saw the DR's at the top right corner of the display and decided to give them a try. I had not looked at the price before trying them on but was expecting them to be cheap as in my mind DR was not a company I considered to put out quality products. To me they were a company making products appealing to the masses, the people who are looking for cheap stuff, buy cheap and get what you pay for, a product low in quality. When I put the gloves on I was pleasently surprised by how they felt on my hands, the feel of the palms and all the material that touches your skin. They felt really comfy and light. Then I looked at the price tag... 97$ Cnd on sale from 170$ Cnd... now these gloves could sell at their regular price for 10-15$ less elsewhere as my two LHS in my town have next to no competition and thus hike their prices a bit but at 97$ that made my day. It was 40$ cheaper than the Bauer XV and in my mind the DR 4500 is a superior product to the XV and is close to the XX. They are not XXX or One90's as the palms don't offer as good of a feel as very thin plams but they are way up there with some of the best intermediate/top of the line gloves and I am happy I gave them a try.. I give them an overall rating of 9/10

This is why I don't believe that a "fitting fee" is unfair. As a store, you will IMMEDIATELY see who is there to buy and who is there to size and buy from eBay or the Internet stores. Exactly and honnestly, I wouldn't mind the store charging me a fee if I went there to try out skates as long as he would take it off the skate's price when I'd make the purchase. If I decide to go elsewhere, tough banana, I lost my money. It's only fair. At some point in time people will wake up and see that you have to encourage your LHS or any other department/grocery store for that matter. These people hire others to work for them which in turn go out and buy some stuff at the grocery store who employs people etc. Online stores usually sell for less because there is next to no staff... and no service and they take sales away from your LHS which in turn my have to slack some staff or cut hours etc. Buying online is not evil but buying in a store that actually has employees to help you and all is what's best for the economy in my mind... but I digress :D

I've got friends who recently bought skates of E-bay but used their LHS to try the skates on first to see if they liked them or not. Turns out that they saved about 400$ Cnd for XXX's. Now I personally think that it is not fair for the LHS owner as he provided a service but did not get any rewards. I think it sucks for the LHS. However, you can't blame the customer much either as he's saving a lot of money. It's almost as if he would have went to his favorite LHS and tried to skates on, liked them but saw the 800$ and said.. Let me think about and I'll also keep shopping around. Then he gets to his favorite LHS competitor a few miles away and gets in the store, spots the skates and to his suprise, the LHS is having a 50% off sale. He picks them up there and wammo he got his skates half price and visited a LHS. Often, for a customer, service is next to no value when you can get the same product cheaper elsewhere.. before the sale anyway. But once the sale is done and that customer ends up having all sorts of problems with his product, for some reason customer service now becomes very important and often the LHS down the road has good prices but not service. If you buy your gear off E-bay, it's even worse. If you bought your skates brand new and they break in the first month, tough luck buddy, pay another 400$ to buy a new pair of skates or pay to have them fixed. I deal pretty much with the same LHS all the time and he usually gives me a tax break or a deal of some sort when I buy equipment. I still end up paying more at his store than off E-Bay or all of the hockey monkeys of the world but I get first class service when I need something or have a problem. The LHS have much more overhead than an online store may have has they have to run a store, pay rent, utilities etc., pay staff and often need to carry at least so many items of a line of product from any given company.. and they have to make a profit if they want to stay in business. If you want to use E-bay and all the online stores, go ahead but at least you should be man/woman enough not take advantage of your LHS by trying and fitting your gear at his store, using his staff and then end up double crossing him by buying online to save a few bucks or more. IMO if you want to buy online, buy at your own risk and hope that the gear will fit you like you expected. It's only common courtesy IMO.