Karly14

Looks like Bauer is now offering a version at retail: https://www.hockeymonkey.com/bauer-hockey-stick-vapor-hyperlite-2-sr.html

They do. I've seen them. Funny enough, on one of their lines, it's an exact Bauer Benn version of the curve (but still max height), on another line, it's the ccm p90tm. I'm also very particular, so am very aware of all the nuances of the pattern. By my eye, it looks like this: Bauer Benn: highest lie, deepest kink which doesn't begin until the tip of the toe. It seems this was created from a p19 (not off a 92). Bauer also has a p90tm version, a clone of the ccm version. CCM p90tm: lower lie, more gradual curve with a longer, but moderate toe pocket, very slight kink at the very end. True TC6: closer to a p28/p92 hybrid. lowest lie, narrower heel. I believe True now offers an exact Benn replica as well (at the pro/sponsor level). Warrior p90T: the closest thing to Benn pro stock, but the kink is not as sharp as Bauer. Sherwood: As discussed. I have a lot of trouble switching between these versions. For me, the Benn plays much differently than a 90tm. Again, I'm super picky.

Thanks, Hills. Appreciate you sharing your experience. That's exactly what I was worried about it. Too bad, a wider, but still quite round shaft would be fun to try. Looks like I'm sticking with the 77 flex/85 flex. I've used the red line and the third lines. they're both great sticks. I agree that the third lines are the best bang for buck stick on the market. Possibly ever for a OPS.

JCon - How's the super round shape? Does it feel smaller in your hands, similar to an intermediate? Or does the width feel like a senior, just with more rounded corners? Thanks in advance!

Thanks, all! Very helpful. think the gymnast chalk sounds promising. I'm going to give it a go. I was able to track some of the old formula in my city's Chinatown, so I should be good for a couple more seasons. Howie's (or whoever) should make a hockey specific handle powder. It would get them dozens of extra customers.

I’ve used baby powder on my handle forever, but now the original formula is illegal in Canada. All brands have switched to a cornstarch base which kind of has the opposite impact of taking the stickiness out of tape. Any creative ideas for products that might replace baby powder? Thanks!

Older: 100 flex ultra lite (butterscotch) with ccm wood ronald petrovicky pro blades. I don't quite remember how i acquired the blades, but i had 6 of them. They were short, skinny with a toe kink. The stiffest wood blades i had ever felt. Grey 85 z bubble with a sakic focus flex blade was a game changer for me. I couldn't believe how light it was. I had an original synergy (the dark grey) at the same time, and I much preferred the bubble. I also had eagle gloves in the heatley design, but instead of blue with a yellow strip, they were black with a white stripe. I believe they originally had floating wrist protection which i cut it off. They were a real statement piece haha. Newer: True skates. They feel like no other skate I've worn. It's like skating in a sorel winter boot but in the best possible way. I've had life changing ankle injuries, and these have made skating way more enjoyable and sustainable. Previously, I had to tightly tape my ankle before every skate in bauers. I didn't think i'd be able to play much longer at one point. With my true customs, i dont have to tape, and i aggravate my ankles way less frequently than i did before. They're tough to get on and off your feet, but worth it. Easton v9 and bauer nexus 1n are my two favourite sticks of semi-recent years. They felt different from another, but both were really balanced and not overly light or hollow. For some reason, I switched from kreps to p90t, and now my stick options are way less diverse. Dumb. I'd really like to use those sticks again. Is it just me, or do many of the really recent, mega light sticks feel like kid's toys? For protective, I'll echo others and say the ccm CL pads. And of course my bauer 4500. I think if they stopped making them, i'd stop playing. But hey, I dont think i've ever tried on another helmet, so maybe they aren't as great as i think.

As a 15 or 16 year old, my very first post on corebeam asked "which NHLer has the best style?" Although I stick by my selections at the time -- theo fleury (easton 4-roll era)/simon gagne (nike quest shaft era) -- i deserved the heat i took for posting such a vapid topic as my inaugural post. As I learned then, Modsquadhockey has always been about the honest discussion of equipment performance and innovation. If I have a tough gear related question, this is still the place I come. I agree with Cavs and others that the industry or culture (imo hockey is becoming field lacrosse) isn't what it's used to be, but Modsquad is still most dependable resource on the world wide web.

I've been using the p90T for a years now, and unless i'm mistaken it has the same lie as a p92, right? Odd that this has a lower lie! Maybe they were really trying to hit the middle ground between p28 (5) and p92 (6)?

I've been using the Benn/p90T for a few years now. Could be wrong, but it looks to me as though it is an H11/P19 (pre p92 more moderate heel/mid version of Sakic. Slightly more square toe) with a late toe kink. Aside from the toe kink, it is definitely very different from CCM's retail p30 offering and quite different from p28. Very easy to use pattern. Happy to elaborate if people are interested!

Although I'd still consider myself a gear guy, my interest has definitely wained. This might be Grandpa Simpson yelling at cloud territory, but for the most part, hockey and hockey equipment have become so 'clinical' for lack of a better term. Again, just my opinion, but I don't see a lot of brand distinctiveness between the two dominant players Bauer and CCM. I've used most of the top end of both (save skates), and overall they seem to perform on equal levels and have really similar product offerings. Warrior has a bit more personality to their brand and I like they've gotten away from the 'edgy' narrative, but still, walking into a giant hockey shop is just way less interesting to me than walking into a smaller shop even ten or fifteen years ago. To be completely honest, although I love the game of hockey as it's given so much to me (played pro in Eur, I still teach at a high-performance hockey school twice a week, so many lifelong friends etc), the game overall seems to me to have lost some its nuance and quirkiness and whether through my own biases or not, I feel like I see that in the gear. Kid's skillsets are so practised and refined, everyone is so good, for me it feels like it's diminished the different roles and personalities that made up a hockey team. Similar to this, I loved seeing someone express their game through their gear, and the dominance of Bauer and CCM gear seems less conducive to that, although there are still players who pull it off (our boy DP57 for example, Ovi, Pasternak, O Reilley). To become good enough to play aaa or junior, you basically require a certain degree of wealth or access and a lot of parents consider their kid playing hockey as an investment for a future pro or full ride payoff. It's really becoming almost explicitly a rich person's sport and it feels more 'corporate' and straight-faced to me than it ever has (maybe I'm naive?). This bums me out, and the increasing exclusivity of formulaic looking and performing gear (it's like 360$ for a custom Bauer stick -- many of the kids I teach have already had their parents put an order in) reminds of this truth I don't particularly like. This is probably a long-winded way of saying that the sport and the equipment are getting better, more expensive, more formulaic (because companies know what works), and overall simply more serious and money focused and that makes this ageing dude uncomfortable. "Back in my day..." Please disagree with me. I really want to be less cynical.

I have no horse in this race (I'm set in my current pattern), but as someone who has followed gear for a long time and has played and taught in NA and EUR, there seems to be some folklore and demand attached to the Kovalev pro -- both his most recent, much deeper version (perron) and his older version, pre 05 lockout version, which is still used by a lot of euro pros today (Leino and Brunnstrom come to mind); and the Kovalchuck pro. I realize they're both toe patterns, but people seem to want them. I'd also mention that there are A LOT of guys using a standard p92 with a toe kink nowadays (Benn, E.Kane, Ladd, Legwand, Forsberg...). Most times, trends at the pro level find their way down to amateur... Maybe you could get ahead of the pack! To be totally unbiased as I've mentioned only toe curves, I'll give a shout out to the Darby. It's a great moderate heel curve that you see lots of requests for online. This toe curve fad has to run its course soon. right?? ;) Just my two cents... Anyways, good luck! You seem to be on the right track w/ kovy and asking customers! Cool stuff. I've used your sticks before, and they're top notch. Keep doing what you're doing.

Sorry, I had this video up, but then it was taken down (on YT). Anyways, here it is:

sorry, video hasn't been working...

Kovalev looks to be using a bigger curve this year as well. Coincidence? Nasty goal btw.