JR Boucicaut

Dude, I didn't bust out a tape measure and measure them. They are smaller.

Saw the stuff today. The Hex-1 is REAL NICE. That Ribeiro curve is beautiful. Feels like a lie 5, smaller curve than Modano, slight mid. The final L7 also is really nice, the tongue is very nice as well.

no

Sorry, that was RBK 8k.

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/pics/JR/2005/rbk/rbk.pdf I must admit, the protective looks good. REALLY GOOD. I was skeptical coming into the meeting, but I was actually pleasantly surprised afterwards. A few things to know - RBK is top-end, Reebok is low-end. RBK and Reebok is being designed by THC - they are running the show. Skates The 8k skate is a totally new skate. The skate is deeper than CCM skates, and wider in the mid-foot area. It has the Pro Armour quarter package like the Pro Tacks and the same outsole as well. It also has the same anti-microbial liner from last year's Pro Tacks as well as the skate-lock, and it comes with a grip liner. The 7k is not as wide in the midfoot as the 8k, and the skate is slightly down spec'd. The 4k has a different liner and a nylon outer package. Sticks The 7k is their top-end stick at 395g. It looks similar construction-wise to a V130. The curves are Amonte (old Koho crossover), Pronger (heel), Modano (looks like Modano, LOL) and Datsyuk (mid-toe). The 5k has Snake grip, which is basically a bunch of little ridges. Doesn't feel half-bad. A grip tapered shaft and the Snakegrip standard shaft are also available, as well as blades. Helmets Interesting lid. Very light. The adjustment system is easy to work and it has a dial on the back that makes the helmet narrower. Comes in 10 different combinations and there is also a custom program in which you can swap out the subshell colors to match your team. But at $150 w/o a cage? Gloves The 8k glove incorporates many of the Jofa glove features. Add a Pittards palm to it and EPP foam in the glove and split fingers and a floating cuff. Not bad but I think the Vector felt better. The 6k is essentially the same glove, BUT pro-spec. YES...pro nylon and a nash palm. VERY NICE. Protective This is where it is at. This was supposed to be 2005 Jofa gear, but they branded it RBK by Jofa after the sale. The 8k is based off the x800, however, the shoulders have been drastically reduced in size. They are rounded and shorter (don't look like footballs [not football pads, but FOOTBALLS]. Add a Playdry moisture-wicking liner to it and more protection in the back and kidneys. 7k is based off the x700, but with a removable stomach and back protection and smaller caps. Also with the liner. The 6k is based off the x500, but with the new caps and the belly/back pad. All of the elbow pads are soft-capped. Same as last year, but with the moisture-wicking liner. Shin pads are awesome. The 8k replaces the xx90 shinpad. They have now added two straps to the shinpad (which are removable if you want it to fit like a traditional Jofa pad) and has the Playdry liner. The 7k is comparable to the xx60. Same pad, add the straps and the liner. The 6k is a totally new design, however. Same features, however, the pad is vented. The thigh tongue is short, and it has a suspension system that allows the pad to sit closer to the leg. Very nice. THe 8k pants are just sick. You need to see it to fully comprehend it to understand it. It is a pant, however, it is a girdle. The thighs are split and are fully adjustable, along with leg zippers. Very tough shell as well. VERY NICE. Questions?

Just sat down with my THC rep. FINALLY - scans! http://www.modsquadhockey.com/pics/JR/2005/ccm/ccm.pdf Let's go in the order of the catalogue. Skates CCM has retooled the Tacks line. Their top-end skate is still the Pro Tacks, but it has been changed completely. They have added the SkateLock from the Vector skates, and also have added support straps along the sides of the skates for more support. They have gone with a plastic (smooth) toecap and also added the E-blade system (no more PL3!) The tongue has been changed as well - and the liner is now tan Clarino. The outsole is composite, however, they have added plastic to the edge (kinda like what Bauer used to offer on their older skates.) The main feature is their Pro Armour quarter package, which is actually EPP (the same stuff in the top-end helmets). It's pretty solid stuff. The new Tacks line runs as such - Pro/992/892 (stainless and t'blade)/692/492/292/192/92. Skate lock is available from Pro to 292. Vector - unchanged Sticks Unchanged Gloves Pro Tacks glove now has Pro Armour EPP protection with inserts, and a Pittards digital goatskin palm with a black reinforced strip on top of the palm. The Vector glove is pretty nice. Adjustable cuff system which fastens in the back of the cuff. It also comes with the digital goatskin plam, however, the reinforced strip has small silicone-like dots to increase grip. Pants CCM has spruced up the pant line. They've added a new look to it, a bigger spine protector, and wear panels on the side of the pant. The look is also different coming from the Pro Tacks, which was a traditional pant. For you girdle guys, they've added an adjustable velcro girdle to their lineup. Protective Unchanged I don't know when I will be getting the catalogue scanned. I will try my best to get it soon. Sorry.

The 4000 came in XL, not 5000

I see CCM tomorrow. I went to the Super Show today - Reebok had their apparel at the show. They had a mannequin with a pro RBK Blackhawks jersey (which is awesome, the front logo is different - the face details are raised, very nice) along with a RBK helmet and 8k gloves.

I haven't seen them.

Open

Same here.

Blue is the stiffest, not red. Blue and Red run together til size 9. 9.5 and up are only available in blue. White is jr.

I don't think those gloves are available custom. The Air and Z-air and last year's SyNergy is. As far as helmets go, they almost had one when they tried to buy Itech.

I don't think so. It's a different shaft construction.

...read my sig

Pics of the SmartCuff -

It is not removable. The back cuff and the wrist wrap is integrated.

Just got my hands on Itech. This is a lot of work! Matt keeps on putting the ball on the tee and I keep on crankin' it out of the park! http://www.modsquadhockey.com/pics/JR/Itech/itech_2005.pdf IceAir is Itech's moisture-wicking technology. Pay attention, because you'll be seeing it mentioned a lot in this post. Helmets - nothing new to report. HC100 has EPP, the HC95 has vinyl nitrile foam. Shields - Itech is offering an Oakley-style Aviator cut to its HS22 family. Other than that, nothing new to report. Cages - unchanged Protective - Looks like Itech is going buckwild with their IceAir technology...they're expanded it to their protective line. They've redone their whole protective line with it. However, where's the love for Li'l Rookie? The anklebiters need moisture wicking too! Gloves - IceAir didn't escape them either! The Techlite glove has a three-finger construction throughout with tack patches on the tips. Very nice. Pants - unchanged. Where's the IceAir? I'm IceAir'd out. I'll stop now.

It is what it says, Bubble Gum. It's a pale pink...not as bright as Eagle's.

$159/$169 Grip

I did not list prices for a reason. Probably why we won't go with Easton. Dan - the Z-Bubble Complete is just a shaft/blade combo. Eazy - yes, it's just a spiffed-up GL (with the newer grip)

Min 6, gotta wait a bit.

Thanks, Chadd I'm guessing it's a 5.5 lie version of the Yzerman then, right? Yes. Forgot about that. I updated it.

Just had a meeting with the Easton rep in my area. Meeting went well - we'll see what happens. Thanks again to black296tuuk for scanning the catalogue. Next time...SAVE! Anyway, let's jump to the stuff... http://www.modsquadhockey.com/pics/JR/2005...Easton_2005.pdf Skates Much has been made of the new SyNergy skate line. The high-end skate in the line is the SyNergy 1300 - the core of the skate is composite. The skate cannot be baked due to this. Very light, however, this is the first time I have actually seen the skate. It is not as stiff as I thought it would be. The 2005 model has been shortened a tad from the one that came out in the fall. One thing that I found interesting is that the sole has two holes in them...about 3/4" big...perfect for accessing Tuuk bolts... The SyNergy 1100 has replaced the Z-Air Fusion Comp. New additions to the line include the 900, 700, 500 and 300. Sticks The Stealth, which was released in the fall once again is the top dog in this category. However, Easton has added a grip version to it, which fades from black to red. Available in all lengths (sr/int/jr) SyNergy SL - The SL is clocking in at 430 g. Based off the original SyNergy, it is coming in a stunning chrome finish with a fade to blue on the regular version, and a fade to red on the grip version. The blade is what is different than their sticks in the past. They have introduced carbon nanotubes to the blade. CNT, which is a polymer, combined with the resin, fills in the gaps in the carbon fiber, strengthening it. It comes in all lengths. SyNergy ST - This is the stick that is directly replacing the SyNergy. The difference? They have added three I-beams (the support structure in the blade) instead of 1, which the original SyNergy had. The grip version is lime green (eww!) The One - this will be Easton's new attempt at a value-priced stick. It will most likely fall in the $99 price point. My rep did not have a sample yet, nor it is in the catalogue. Shafts are the same as last year, however, the Grip Lite is now the Ultra Lite Grip and is red. Blades are the same as last year, however, they have added a wood SyNthesis blade. That should make some people happy. Patterns are the same, however, the Modano has now become the Forsberg. Gaborik has replaced the Yzerman, however, with a 5.5 lie. Gloves The entire glove line is named SyNergy now. The 1300 is a totally new glove. They have a composite thumb and Flex-Grip fingers, but the main feature of this glove is the SmartCuff wrist wrap. It is actually pretty nice and not as restrictive as wrist wraps in the past. The ONLY problem I foresee is that it is NOT removable, and some people just won't want to buy a glove that has a wrist wrap. We'll see how that goes. The 1100 is last year's SyNergy. The 900 has replaced the Air glove and is their "traditional" glove, however, it does come with the SmartCuff. The 700 is the non-SmartCuff version of the 1300. The line rounds out with the 500 (scaled-down version of the 900) and the 300 (scaled-down version of the 1100) And YES, there is a PINK glove. The 500 comes in a "bubble-gum" color. Protective Easton has tweaked the protective line a bit. The 900 is the top-end, followed by the 700, 500 and 300.

My God... I give up. FOR THE FINAL TIME... Everything comes out in the spring. Every company.