beerleaguecaptain

You can a have a stiff blade that isn't pingy tho.... the Easton Stealth was a pretty pingy stiff blade and the puck used to bounce off for me. My Tacks and True blades are stiff but receive a pass nicely. I find the advantage to a stiffer blade is obviously accuracy in shooting but in all honestly I get more feedback from the puck and thus feel and receipt of passes has improved. Just try some out in warmups from other guys...

Hey, thanks for making yourself available to us. Here's my question... I play in a division that is really a notch or two above my ability levels. I'm the captain and the guys are my best friends but the truth is I often feel overmatched and I head into the game feeling nervous and that does not help me at all. Do you have any tips on mental game prep when you are "playing up?" Thanks a ton!!

Yea took a bit but HM finally restocked the Bauer shell so I jumped on it. Thanks!

Cool to see this thread come back... I find myself in an interesting spot... I keep looking at EBay and Sideline swap but I never buy.... I looked for shoulder pads for a bit but couldn't find anything else I liked more. Repacked a whole bunch of sticks this year tho. The mot fun I had was when one of my teams git new jerseys so I went all out on new shel, gloves and helmet. Oh, the joy!!! I guess in terms of protective I am just satisfied. Sad. Ironic isn't it....

I have exactly the same problem. My solution - after 10 years of trying every pad on the market - was a frankenpad! I took the silver Sher-Wood 9950s and had Farrell like pad cubes sewn onto the back. I think they were Farrell... maybe some padded pants and shorts and shirts, I don't actually remember.. I also attached a belly pad from some other pads I had because they ran a tad short. The caps drop nice ands low and the Farrell padding does a nice job absorbing impact. When these wear out I retire!

The toe box is plastic and is malleable. I have had it compress from blocking a shot just like you did and the toe box was fine afterward. I don't know if higher end toeboxews are better than lower end skates but my gut tells me they are the same. That's a plastic part that is interchangeable and easily mass produced.

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Good to hear the success stories. I worry about the long term future....

Pretty much. Good thing i was proactive. they tell me i can return to hockey.

Followed up with a cardiologist due to family history. Two bad tests led to an angiogram that picked up blocked arteries. I am now the proud owner of three stents and a Lipitor prescription. Oh joy.

In

Restricted or not, at age 52 my toe isn't flicking anywhere!!

you keep saying you fail the pencil test. I have to think you need a different cut skate - nexus?? Thats why you are hurting I'd think. I'm not a fan of pads and extenders... I prefer the right fit.

I went Tacks, Ultra Tacks, SuperTacks 2.0,. JetSpeed, Tacks AS1 and then moved to the True A6.0 SBP and I think I have settled there. I loved the Tacks and especially the Ultra Tacks but then they went downhill. I sold off most of my CCM stock and filled up on True.

I have never had an issue.

All I can say is.... damn glad I stocked up on STEP Edge when the lawsuit was settled!!

Bauer might have shot themselves in the foot with their lawsuit.

Howdy, Not sure why you thought I'd be ok with that by the way. -DM

Player Background: Beer leaguer. I play on two teams. One is C division as a forward and the other is in E division where I get to play defense. As a forward I look to move the puck to the more skilled players as quickly as I can. Puck feel and being able to shoot and load the puck quickly are critically important to me. I have been playing with the CCM Tacks line since it debuted. I fell in love with the P46 curve as it had enough curve for me to cradle and handle the puck but the lie was flatter than the P92 I had been using for years. The last few Tack’s variants however have changed a lot and I was less and less happy with them. I had always loved True sticks back when I was using a P92 and then I saw this stick on Sideline Swap…. A True A6.0 P46 pro stock (Cody Glass). I hemmed and hawed not being sure it was exact and then took the plunge and bought it. It is an exact clone! I am now using this as my go to stick and have sold off part of my stock of CCMs! P46 75 Flex Grip Blade/Feel: For me being able to feel the piuck on my stick and pick head up with confidence is critically important. This stick does the job as good or better as anything I have tried before. Puck feel on the blade is quickly transmitted up to your hands and you really know where on the blade the puck is. This provides me with more confidence than ever. The blade is also really stiff and the puck flys off and arrives on target. Receiving passes is also great. The foam core in the blade softens impact nicely. I have read some reviews that were concerned about blade durability, but I have a lot of play on this stick and the blade has neither chipped, split or deadened. The only caveat here is that because this is pro-stock I am not sure I have the standard blade. Comparing it to retail sticks I have seen and played with it appears to be, but I cannot be 100% sure. Score: 10/10 Shaft/Flex: We all know that this is True’s bread and butter and this is no different. The design aesthetics are pleasing. Subtle blues, greys and black on blacks. Really nice. This is a grip stick as all seem to be these days but it is not very grippy. Feels nice. The shaft loads up quickly and easily and fires pucks cleanly at the net. Its not the very best shaft I have ever used – that’s reserved for my dear, departed Miken. That said, energy transfer is superb and I really love the way this shoots. Wrist shots and slappers are all on par with some of the best I have shot. Release is just as quick as many low kicks too. A lot of my shots are off balance (because I am often off balance!!) and this stick allows me to shoot well from every situations. Score: 9/10 Weight: This stick weighs in at 415g and that’s fairly light to begin with. But when you compare it side by side to other sticks in the same weight class it feels MUCH lighter. The answer, of course, is balance and True has totally nailed it! Score: 10/10 Shooting: Shots fly off the stick. Accurate and hard is something I would struggle with and this stick really provides me with improvements in bit categories. The stiff blade and responsive and the mid kick shaft flexes where your lower hand is. I find the release quick and the loaded shaft transferring power well leading to accurate, hard shots. Score: 9/10 Durability: Again, I read some reviews with complaints but my blade has held up really well. I have some white scrape lines on the lower shaft near the blade but that’s it. The shaft is beast mode strong and while the weight of the stick and blade make me feel that it might snap it never has. I’ve got lots of play on this stick and it’s still going real strong. Score: 10/10 Verdict: This stick is up there with one of my favorite sticks of all time. I am so happy with the A6.0 SBP that I am selling off my CCM stock. Never thought that would happen. Final Score: 9.5/10

STEP 1 - Listen and learn!! STEP 2 - Listen more! OK.... now that this is established, the head coach will set the parameters. Look for his lead and follow. Hopefully he will review the practice plan with you before. If he asks for input feel free. If not be prepared to execute. Get the cones ready. Help position the players. During practice, if there is something you can help a player with then do so. As far as changing the perceptions of other players, that happens over time and it is earned. Be serious but approachable. Don't push the envelope but you are not their friend anymore either. Be patient. Be a teacher. Enjoy the experience, work hard. Get the cones out. Be prepared to demo all the drills and run them to perfection.

Thinking of you Steve.

we know the truth!

Couple of decent shots from a game a couple of weeks ago...

And mats, and toiletry bags, and helmets bags.... but I digress.. that's really swag. yawn

Same here... I am comfortable and wasting that money to replace what working seems like a waste. When I see something innovative - like when I bought my Warrior Alpha gloves - that was fun. I agree. I've got plenty of joy for the game though at my talent level goals and sauce passes are few and far between!