m3thods

Speaking from experience using the Super Tacks girdle, your 2 problems (waist and leg length/opening sizing) are potentially solved with the Tacks girdle's ability to adjust both. That said, as I mentioned above I'm currently in a M girdle (from a S Bauer pant) and I'm maxing out the leg opening adjustment (as in, I can't make them looser). The waist is fine, and I could go looser (I'm usually a 32/33in in Levis if that helps) but I didn't want to expose the "scratchy" side of the velcro near my stomach and rip up my undergarments. I have somewhat big legs (5'6 185lb) so that might not help, If I had skinnier thighs, I'd be able to make use of the leg opening adjustment more. In case you're wondering, I couldn't move to a L girdle because I'm also maxing out the leg length adjustment (as in, it's at its shortest).

I'm assuming the program only applies to US residents?

I moved to a Tacks girdle for this beer-league season after almost a decade in One80 pants. I also looked at the Warrior but as much as I loved the mobility, I was looking for extra protection (plastics and the works) since my One80s weren't good enough for my liking. As its my first girdle, it took me a while to figure out how to put on gear again (I usually lace skates before putting on pants because my gut gets in the way). Once I figured it out, I loved the feeling and protection compared to my outgoing pant. I can't see myself getting away from a girdle going forward. That said, I do have a few complaints: No where to attach socks. I've had to buy a garter It does fit small. I'm in a M Tacks coming from a S One80, and I'm almost at a L Tacks waist-wise (I'm a stocky-ish 5'6 185). The L length is what kept me in a M. What's the point of the step in portion? I haven't cut it out yet, but I might soon enough. As I need to take the girdle apart every single time, I'm not sure how long the velcro will last Thinking back, I wouldn't pay full price for a Tacks girdle, and even a modest discount (<20%) would still sway me away towards the 7092. At the time I bought, the Tacks was close enough to the 7092 price that I chose to go with the extra protection/adjustability.

Thanks so much guys I've learned a ton in just a few hours and a few replied posts. Now off to my LHS to check if they do the work.

Wow I had no idea. I figured the new Edge holders were just taller/lighter than the Tuuks on my Vapors and that the boots between the two lines would just be identical in pitch because of that. I've never had shims put in a skate before, but I'm thinking I'd go with that instead of messing more with steel for now. Naturally I have a few questions: 1. How thick of a shim would you suggest? Right now I feel more on my heels, so something that puts me closer to a "+1" would be great 2. How much should they cost? (I trust my LHS, but since I've never done this before I'm just looking to see if what they charge is in the right ballpark) 3. How does the pitch of the skate affect the profile? Does having the shims in make it seem like my entire foot is being tilted forward but the profile is left mainly intact? Or does one's profile need to be adjusted along with the pitch to get the current feeling. Thanks for being patient with the questions. As you can tell, I'm not that committed to finding the absolute perfect skate setup, but anything that gets me closer to that ideal situation would make my skates that much more enjoyable since I do like a lot of things about the new boot/profile. The things I'm not liking are minor annoyances, and nothing I'd replace the skates with new ones for.

Bauer Supreme 190 (not the S190, though they're almost identical). Thanks guys for the input it's greatly appreciated! I chose Quad 0 because it was supposedly close to a 9' + 1 but it's possible I was skating on something less than that since I wasn't religiously profiling my x:60s. With that, I do love the increased stability and the cornering compared to my old profile. I just seem to be caught up on the pivots and forward/back transitions as I feel like I need to work/think harder about them. It is only the second profile I've tried (other than stock blades), but I'm not sure I'm in the market to try multiple profiles due to cost and the fact I'm only on the ice about once a week for a lower-level league. I figured that there might be an easy fix to my annoyances, but it doesn't seem that way. The positives seem to outweigh the negatives going to Quad 0 from 9+1 so I'll stick with it and see if I can get used to it eventually.

Tried it on when shopping for new girdles recently. The fit was the best out of the 3 I tried (QRE, 9k, Super Tacks), but I had some issues with the protection offered by the Warrior girdle. Add to the fact that I needed to add the cost of a shell, and the decision to go with the Super Tacks option was much easier. Full disclosure- I'm more interested in protection than mobility, and the Super Tacks offered a more protective solution (imo) to the Warrior. That said, the Warrior girdle felt really light and mobile.

Looking for some advice from you experts: I'm not a bad skater, but I like to think I skate well enough to know what I'm feeling and whether I like it or not. On my previous skate (x:60) I skated on a 9' +1 profile. When I finally got around to replacing my skates this year, I decided to give the stock LS3 profile a shot but it felt like I was skating on skis. After reading up on some profile options I decided to give Quad 0 a shot. To my surprise, it felt pretty good initially but as I got more ice time on it I think I know what is bugging me about the profile. It currently feels like I'm on my heels, and I don't feel quite as agile as I felt on a simple 9'. I feel like I have to pick my feet off the ice a bit more instead of being able to pivot with the blade on the ice. My questions are following: 1. With a Quad 0 are you able to add a "+1"-like adjustment? I skate on 254 runners and wasn't sure if moving the profile would be feasible. 2. If 1. is possible, would that fix my issue with feeling like there's a bit too much blade on the ice? Thanks in advance!

Same goes for helmets. That's why you don't see Vaughn on guys like Craig Anderson, Matt Murray and whoever else that use a Pro's Choice mask.

Perfect thanks for clarifying!

Sorry for the bump but I did a site-wide search and couldn't find the exact answer. From I understand that Superfeet Carbon Pro Hockey shouldn't be baked. Does that mean that I simply put them in after the skates are baked and while they're on my feet? Or are they not allowed to be in a heated boot as well?

I just received my new mask in the mail today. Can't wait to get it on the ice tomorrow!

Hah I though the exact same thing with mine! (opted for +2, in retrospect I should've just stuck with +1 or even +1.5). Now that I've worked on my hip flexibiilty the "benefit" of having a longer thigh-rise is negligible if not negative, as it definitely affects my skating. I've found myself leaning on my thigh-rises in-game to bend them more into an S-shape so they don't interfere so much. That said, I don't even think about them when playing as they don't bother me then. The above statements were more of a "post-mortem" of my pads after the fact, and what would make them more "perfect". I'm sure if I ever get around to getting a 3rd pair of pads, I'll still find something to be unhappy about lol

It's all personal preference. I'm on my second pair (CCM EFlex Pros from Vaughn V2s). I knew I didn't want a very stiff pad (Reebok/CCM Premier, Warrior G2). Trying on the pads I did in store, I found the CCMs to be the most comfortable when in butterfly, and were lighter than the Vaughns, Brians and Bauers I tried (at least they felt lighter). On top of that, the CCMs sealed the ground better than any pad I had tried. After reading a few in-depth reviews and thinking about my perceived "style", I settled on what I have today. They're not perfect (I wish I opted for a smaller thigh rise and single external break), but unless I can get a one-to-one swap with no money out of my pocket, I'll be using my pads for the foreseeable future. I think if you have complaints about your pads, you see if you can remedy it by going to another brand, or another size. Other than that, there's no real way to "know" if the pad you're wearing is right for you.

I should've mentioned- putting them on takes all but 0.1 seconds. I'm also still on my first set of hardware after 2 years. The only thing that seems to break is the ziptie, but I can't seem to find the same size locally in Vancouver.

Have you thought to give ToeHooks a try? I personally love them as they keep the pads snug to my toes but allow for my feet to rotate more than if I had just used traditional toe-ties. I don't even notice them at all. The best part is how the pads return to center when you get up into your stance with no effort. Gear update: My skates felt much better this time around, I put my wax laces back in and they felt snug. At one point I did have a little discomfort, I could feel the forward lean of the Bauer cowlings putting pressure on my arches, that eventually went away though. This was also my second time using the Brians Smart Toe Straps, I'm kind of on the fence to be honest. Maybe it will take more usage but they honestly don't save me much time in the getting ready department, as I use a piece of sock tape around the fastening area to insure they don't come apart, I swear that velcro connection just doesn't look trustworthy. (i know people say they haven't had it come undone, but many have...so i play it safe with the tape). They do help keep the pads centered, however since I'm not used to that it feels like my pads are always kind of pointed inward at the top of the thigh rise area, and it bugs me. I might go back to traditional toe ties with 2.5" of slack...

What a beautiful mask. Great work!

I also used a dangler, but when I upgraded my c/a it actually hindered my head movement. When I took it off, I noticed that my floaters overlap with the mask margin when I tuck my neck in. I wear a neck protector usually, so there's about 1/4" of area for a puck to squeak through if I don't tuck my helmet. It's a small enough risk for me to ditch the dangler. If I ever change masks, I may go back to one if there is too much open space.

I thought I'd chime in on your butterfly question: I found that stretching and working on flexibility made going into a butterfly easier. As another fellow goalie with a narrow butterfly, it didn't give me "width/flare" with my butterfly, but rather it made it much more comfortable (and easier on the joints). You'll get some width, but unfortunately it won't make you into Luongo. I actually ditched toe ties for a long while. I found that they added too much stress to my ankles (especially), knees, and hips. I just tied my skate strap extra tight, and it worked out just fine. A few times I had to nudge my pads back to square, but it's not as crazy as some people may describe. Since then, I've moved to ToeHooks, which while stiff at the beginning have eased nicely so that it's like using a sliding toe bridge but without the extra laces to tie. Looking at your video, you're a good candidate for the "Giggy-fly". More important than a wide butterfly flare is the fact that nothing can pass through your legs. Here's an example of the Giggy-fly: (source: http://ingoalmag.com/news/nhl-goalies-finally-get-to-try-out-new-smaller-pads/ , halfway down the page) With that butterfly, you can see why JS paid almost $1000 for knee pads. I noticed that you didn't list any, so I'd strongly suggest you invest in a pair. Your future self will thank you a million times. As for your technique: you don't want to feel like you're "falling" onto the ice. Rather, you want to feel like you're "driving" your knees into the ice. From your stance, it'll feel more familiar as you work on your butterfly. But judging from your video, it looks as though you're just falling into your butterfly and letting the pads roll forward then down. The pads should just go straight down. Does the last part make any sense? If you watch some videos on butterfly technique, the goalies are driving those knees into the ice so the pads go straight down.

I may be in the minority but I find skating easier with all my equipment on (this includes my player equipment when using player skates). For some reason, I find it really awkward having to skate without any equipment on.

I have the Vaughn garter which works quite well. You basically have to set it at the shortest length since the straps are elastic, but after buying it I've had no such issues with sliding knee pads.

Not all intermediate pads are 10". When shopping for my current set, I was set on buying the CCM E-Flex Custom in intermediate. The only difference between a 32 INT and 32 Sr was the available custom options. Otherwise, they were the same pad inside and out. Same for the 18k intermediates that I was eyeballing. Vaughn 1100's are also another example of intermediate pads being the full 11" width. I believe manufacturers are seeing that either kids are getting stronger, or smaller adults want to play the position more often, so (for leg pads at least) they're closing the gap in manufacturing between the two sizes. As for your comments on gloves- you're spot on. If one has smaller hands, I'd look into the GNetik catcher and blocker (which are excellent btw, if the break fits you). And Optimus- nice skates! I love the new Reactor series, and they fit me better than the outgoing models. But I can't justify the swap for a minor change in fit :(

Getting in the habit of blocking isn't a bad thing- it teaches you to get anything in front of the puck for a save. Add some fundamental goaltending and you'll be set! Ice hockey goaltending is the best kind. But it's also the most expensive. Try to score some ice pads to borrow if you're really interested before you go committing funds, because it will add up VERY fast.

One thing I had to get away from was trying to catch everything everywhere. As a kid I used to play a lot of catch and baseball/softball with the family, so naturally I would continue that reflex onto goaltending. It took me a while to realize that I needed to use my blocker side for saves and not reach over to catch the puck.

Even if GoalieMonkey is close by, you probably get a better deal ordering online with their coupon codes anyways ;) That amount would be plenty for goalie skates. I picked Bauer One80s for just under $250 CAD, and they're awesome. I only hear better things about the Reactor series (assuming they fit). You might want to try on a bunch, but pay attention to the stiffness. Unlike my player skates, I prefer a softer boot for goaltending as it's more comfortable moving around the crease in. I find the upper-end skates with the composite boots to be too stiff, but that's just my personal opinion. Perhaps you'll find it otherwise.