hellaavangard

5'7 ~130lbs Right wing D-league Size: Jr. XL Background: I play in a non-checking D level adult league. My stature seems to make me a target for guys living out their body check fantasies and I usually draw a tripping or roughing call every other game or so. Combine that with repetitive strain in one of my shoulders and the fact that pucks and sticks to ribs are painful; and I try to avoid going out on the ice without shoulder pads on Fit/comfort: 9/10 I went with the Jr. XL size for two reasons mainly, that I have a slender build, and for the smaller shoulder caps. My previous shoulder pads were Jofa 6500's, I had to have the straps shortened by someone at Perani's so that I didn't have to overlap the straps to get a snug fit. No such issues with the Projekts. Their 2-timer strap system is very nice, I do have it at basically it's smallest setting but nonetheless, I'm able to wear the pads nice and snug around my upper body, they do tend to slip a little bit, I wear an Under Armour long sleeve shirt with grip print on the arms, and I've found myself wishing that it had more grip over the sternum and once a game goes on for a bit and the undershirt gets wet, the pads tend to shift up a little bit. The liner itself is very comfortable and breathes much better than my old Jofas however. Another fit aspect that I really enjoy is the 2 piece biceps guard, the lower, skinnier one fits perfectly underneath the biceps guard on my Jofa 9144 elbow pads. These parts are also adjustable with a velcro strap which really enables you to fine tune the fit Protection: 9.5/10 Among the protective aspects that drew my interest in this pad were the spine, clavicle, and in particular rib protection. The pad wraps around your ribs very nicely and covers up a spot where I was taking cross checks especially when I would go to the front of the net. It also has removable extensions on the front and back to provide a little abdominal and lower spine protection. They aren't going to make a puck or a spear from a stick feel like a pillow hitting you, but it's a nice touch. The foams used throughout the pad and in particular the Zote foam used in the sections of the pad feels very protective without feeling while being lightweight and mobile. The spinal and sternum protection utilize the "bones" technology and are very protective as well. The times I've landed on my back or chest haven't been painful at all. The shoulder caps are solid as well, non bulky and while they're smaller and offer less coverage than my previous pads, I haven't noticed diminished protection. The main front and back sections of the pad are narrower than what I was used to so the outer parts of your chest and back aren't as protected but this is a small sacrifice for the sake of mobility. Mobility: 9.5/10 This is another big step up from the Jofas I wore. As I mentioned above, the narrow front section enables much better mobility, I've noticed it in shooting and in pulling the puck from one side to the other. The shoulder caps and segmented biceps guards yield a very nice range of motion comfortably. The spine and sternum guards are separate from the main sections of the back and front are connected with elastic, also increasing the mobility. Weight: 10/10 Very light weight. You almost don't notice them on. They seem to resist getting heavier toward the end of a skate as well, nice low occurrence of moisture retention. The use of hi-tech foams over plastic inserts really keep the weight low. Durability: 9/10 I've been using these since December with no issues, the stitching is solid and while there are a few snags in some of the fabric from contact with velcro, I haven't spotted anything that concerns me. The fit has broken in but the foams still feel as protective as the first time I wore then and the elastic straps still going strong, no signs of stretching. Intangibles: 10/10 One of the things that caught my eye about this pad was I'd seen that many pros had switched over to it upon it's introduction. While it's never the greatest idea to use the same piece of gear just because you see them using it (especially disregarding difference in fit, etc) I figured that if guys liked enough to change to it over the normal Jofa gear that you'd see, then there was something to it. The pad dries nice and quickly, and I haven't noticed any odor after several months of use (I lay the pad inside out after every game as well, others may have different results depending on how you handle them after an ice time) The various features of the pad that piqued my interest: rib protection, fit customization, mobility; have all exceeded my expectations. Though appearance should be a non issue with gear, especially what goes under your jersey, I really like the appearance of the pad and admit that it's shelf appeal helped draw my attention, the appearance, predominantly white with grey accents, has a very classy look with a modern edge in the cut of the sections. Overall: 9.5/10 Definitely the best shoulder pad I've used and one of the best pieces of gear that I own. It has a truly great balance of protection, mobility, comfort and light weight.

That curve looks a lot like the Gionta

Hellacopters are rad, their frontman Nicke Andersson (aka Nicke Royale) was the original drummer for Swedish death metal legends Entombed, who pioneered the sound and style that bands like Converge bite the hell out of these days. He currently drums in the thrash band Death Breath and has a blue-eyed soul band called the Solution. Nicke is a monster musical talent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-jcKBSbm2o

It's the same lie as a Sakic, so Easton 5.5... Bauer's P14 and Warrior's Gionta curves are in the same ballpark but milder and lower lies

Are you from Ireland? My band is close with Adebisi Shank and most of the Richter Collective guys; we played with Cast of Cheers at the Forbidden Fruit festival this past summer, rad dudes

Their sticks are a mid-low kickpoint, as they put it "not as low as an SE16 and not as high a One95" which could contribute to them feeling a little softer. Interested to hear your thoughts on it Krev, I've been really impressed with the Base sticks/shafts that I've used

What's the flex on it?

I know there's a lot of people from Minnesota on here, my good friend Astronautalis just moved to the Twin Cities, check him out when he plays a show up there http://www.facebook.com/Astronautalis http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2011/06/astronautalis_andy_bothwell_interview.php

what chadd is referring to, more specifically, is the "grid" in which the drummer is not only playing to a click but the engineer (or whoever is behind the board) places each hit so that it's lined up perfectly on the recording program's grid. this not only makes it easier to crank out hit songs as a section that occurs multiple times in one song is just played once then pasted as necessary, but leaves you you with tracks that are in "perfect time" (and usually bereft of feel) that are as easily digestible as possible. that's how they crank out the nickelback/three doors down etc. garbage

I wonder if they're for real on the 55 flex intermediates

I would imagine if it does well enough in sales it may come out in a tapered blade as well. It's such a great pattern for shooting and handling, nice and unique profile as well. As a side note while it's billed as a 6 lie, it's definitely lower than that

I'm a pretty huge Primus fan, especially of the albums Frizzle Fry and Sailing the Seas of Cheese. Amazing band overall and Tim Alexander's drumming in particular is so incredible. Awesome seeing his influence really show over the past 5 or so years

So incredibly stoked to see the P14 will be available in the TotalOne blade

Dayum those are killer

Goal less than 30 seconds into the game after being called out by his coach in the press, nice work (against the sharks no less)

Missed the redneck shenanigans, they offended by your jersey? Anyone know if David will get to rock "uncensored" white skates this season?

Agghhh I thought that's who it had to be, I was sitting a few rows behind him and was going to come introduce myself after the game but he left undetected towards the end. Maybe next time.

I was at the game tonight, it was awesome to get to see him in action, made a few really nice plays throughout the game; his third period goal brought them within a goal of the stars and you could see after that how bad David wanted to tie it up. Total pleasure to watch. Was that an MSHer in the Perron 07 jersey in section 105 tonight? On a separate note, James Neal's goal tonight was pretty awesome as well.

Congrats on the great work David