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This, an also I think it's partly an illusion with how he's pulling his chin back and down, sort of pushing the bubble outwards. I bought that bubble once and it's definitely not big lol, the larger size fits like a medium CCM cage which is generally smaller than the Bauer medium cage, I had to return mine because it was just way too small (I wear a medium Bauer cage normally and am between a medium and large CCM cage). As for the gold... I love it, it's gaudy and obnoxious just like Las Vegas, it wouldn't work for any other team.

I remember those early Eastons, the gold with green writing and the silver (and one kid I knew even had the chrome Gretzky one)... they looked awesome but were so stiff and would hurt my hands when shooting from the shock of the shaft (and forget about getting any flex out of them being I was in maybe 10th grade when they came out). I loved the look and the style points of the Eastons but my old Vic 4050's had some awesome flex and worked so much better for me (honestly my favorite wooden stick ever).

Just picked up a couple of CCM masks for my kid's helmets for roller hockey since we just started back up the other week. My daughter wears glasses and was having fog issues with a regular mask so I'm hoping this will help her out, so far it seems to sit nicely on her face and appears that it will allow air out the sides towards the back better as to not fog the glasses as much. My son's cage doesn't play well with the mask... he has a CCM FM40 mask with the attached chin cup (like the old Jofa style, non floating) and the mask doesn't wrap around it well... my solution was to just order a new cage for him that has a floating chin cup so now I'm waiting on that. I bought one for myself too so whenever I can get back on the ice I'll be all set.

That's the one. The ear loops are much more comfortable than most masks and don't irritate the ears as much (I've worn mine for hours at a time on a few occasions), but as Dave mentioned, it's a thicker puffier mask so that would affect how it fits under a chin cup (I've seen others say it's like wearing a padded bra on their face 🤣).

Love the comparison Dave. Question... the CCM mask, wouldn't it be just as easy, and maybe a better fit to the face, to just wear a regular mask underneath the cage? I know they make some that breathe really well now while still passing the candle test (I have a couple of the UnderArmour ones that I've worn to photograph weddings that I find are amazing with how breathable they are and how they keep my face cooler than others I've tried, and this is wearing them for 6-8hrs with minimal mask breaks). Again, thanks for the comparison, really really hope to see you and the rest of the guys out on the ice in the near future (so I can get photos of us learning how to skate again 🤣).

I believe the Trigger 2 and older models had some blade durability issues where they had a tendency to split at the toe (I had a couple Trigger 2's and had one start to split from normal use but this was after a season or so). The Trigger 3D seems to have a much better blade (construction wise), I have a couple of those and haven't had any issues like I did with the older model after quite a while (knock on wood). I have no experience with the Jetspeed but it's on my list of sticks I'd like to try.

And I thought it was just my OCD needing to check the tightness before each skate.

My first thought was Innovative (or was it "Inno" at first?). I remember in the mid 90's that was so far ahead of anything else out there, the rounded shaft was so comfortable and it looked awesome (I remember a black shaft with blue/white graphics and a light sandpaper texture). They were def smaller than most companies and you hardly saw them anywhere.

That whole Techniflex line was so far ahead of its time. The elbows and shoulder pads were awesome. I had a few 3pc elbowpads over the past 10 years (V08, RBZ, jetspeed) but none were as good as those techniflex ones. As for the helmet... I must have gotten my first one just after they changed to Bauer, I remember the guy at the store (Syosset Sports, the Islanders old supplier) explaining the difference between the 2 models he had and the one I went with (the 4500 I'm guessing) had thinner VN foam and a thin piece of a denser black foam closer to the shell. I remember him saying "the shells are the same and the overall thickness of padding is the same but this one the pros think looks smaller on their heads since there's not as much of the thick foam", I was sold and that may have been the first time I learned what the mirror test was 🤣

I've never noticed any of the adjustment tabs/straps while wearing the girdle. As for sizing, it runs small in the waist and thigh wrap/width so you might want to size up if you're between sizes... I'm 5'9" 170lbs with a 32/33 waist and wear a medium in every other girdle with no issues, the Super Tacks girdle is the snuggest I've ever had and the velcro straps just make it around my thighs which are on the skinnier side (my 9K girdle straps are maxed out and are barely snug in comparison), length wise there are no issues as it has a ton of adjustability to shorten or lengthen.

You're right Staal does still use it, I always thought his looked a little goofy but now seeing it on Grabner I think it's just the helmet that looks goofy because it looks a lot better on the V08.

As someone above mentioned, try on the Ribcor line, the 80k or even the 78k, they're designed to give a little bit more flex than most of today's skates and also have some great padding inside that conforms to a wide variety of feet. Might as well at least try them out while you're at the shop.

I've had retail 4R Pro's (not the "2") and they def ran smaller, my 14" was closer to a 13.5 (fit similar to a pro stock CL I had in 13" as far as height, CL had narrower tighter fingers though). I have a couple of pairs of HG12's and they fit as advertised, but with their floating cuff it feels different (better imo) than other gloves. HG97's tend to be true to size, I've had a pair of those, and as I said earlier the pro stock CL's (aka HG50, the HG41 is the same glove I believe but with different materials) ran maybe a touch larger than advertised as far as I could tell... I used a 13" pair for a season and they were always a touch too tight in the fingers/knuckles and a touch shorter than I preferred but the 14" (my normal glove size) felt way too large and loose around the top (I'm pretty sure it's a "tapered" fit which might be the reason for that). I would def read through the thread on sports2k, there's a lot of good info in there.

found this gem while in a youtube rabbit hole yesterday... I knew the logistics of a team on the road and how much work the trainers and crew put in, but I'm amazed at how much more extreme it is in the bubble, literally shuffling them back/forth multiple times a day, pretty nuts. These guys behind the scenes deserve a ton of credit for making this happen.

Flex frame allows more flex and is found in the Ribcor boots, it's aimed at (from what I understand) players that prefer the older style boots before they became so rigid by providing the benefits of the more modern lateral stiffness while also providing a bit more forward flex . Rocket frame is more ergonomic and stiffer all around, less foam I'm guessing to minimize any give/movement between the foot and the structure of the boot. This is my take on it from what I've read and seen... I looked into this stuff a bunch about a year ago before falling in love with the Ribcors... I wasn't a big fan of how stuff and tall feeling modern boots had become, I miss my old Graf 705 feel (didn't miss the weight of them though), I found the Ribcors to be the best of both worlds.

Possibly why PSH got their hands on them in the first place I'm guessing. I too have, and love, a pair of 5090's but have been curious about these for a while and wanted to try something a little lighter (and I'm not going to lie, I'm the type that can never be fully happy with gear, I always want to try other stuff haha).

They're brand new but pro stock so no manufacturer's warranty, also the place I got them (PSH) only had 2 in stock at the time and now none in stock (their shinguard inventory comes and goes quickly in small numbers). Of course I feel like I like these better than my others (8K pros and Jofa 5090's, basically both the same pad) because they're lighter and slightly less bulky. I sent PSH an email seeing what my options are, maybe they have another pair they didn't list on their site or maybe they'll be getting more in soon, wishful thinking lol.

Just picked up a new pair of 19k's because I definitely didn't need them (since I have 2 other pairs of shinguard's and also prob won't hit the ice 'til at least next year the way this pandemic is going) but couldn't pass them up anyways 🤦‍♂️ I opened them up and found a small crack at the top of the shin portion right at the little hole... how big of a deal is this? My first thought was it's not a big deal right now but will eventually spread so it will be a big deal. I know they don't have any more in stock so my options are return them, use as-is, or reinforce somehow? Anyone have any insight? Anyways, here's the crack: Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr

Try "Sport Wash" from Amazon, it works wonders and is relatively cheap for how much you get/how long it will last. It doesn't have any fragrance like regular detergents and doesn't have any fabric softeners and is UV free so it really cleans out any moisture wicking materials and makes them smell fresh again (regular detergents and anything with fabric softener will clog the pores of moisture wicking materials and lock smell in). I wash my gear (everything except helmet, skates, and gloves) in the stuff and it's awesome, been using it for years now.... I also wash any used gear I get right away in it to get rid of whatever smell might be there.

Try a bunch on and make your own decisions... they all fit differently and will protect in different ways depending how they sit on your particular arm. I used to swear by the 3 pc models (RBZ, CL, Jetspeed) but then tried out Super Tacks (more traditional style elbow pad) and found they fit my arm better and even stay in place better (after I modded the straps to be shorter since I have skinny arms which I've pretty much done to any elbow pads I've owned). If you're looking for something nice to try that's on sale you can look at the STX HPR's, they have a 50% off sale going now.

I've had RBZ, CL, and Jetspeed (and actually have ST now which is very different)... all (aside from the ST) are basically the same design just slight variations in straps and materials but overall no major differences from what I could tell owning and wearing them all. I actually preferred the older RBZ style straps the most compared to the others but did find them all to run on the short side if that makes a difference. If I were you I'd go for whichever looks to be cleaner and in better shape.

The Shock Doctor is great, works really well and overall is a great shirt (very breathable and well made). I had the same issue with elbow pads never staying in place but, after trying a handful of models and sizes I got a pair that fits me great and I no longer need the shirt to help me out (my issue is I have skinny arms, the pads that fit length wise never fit snugly enough until I started sewing the straps to be shorter to give me a more snug fit, also I just found a style that fits my arms well which happened to be a traditional one piece JDP cap style instead of the 3 piece floating style I used to prefer).

I bought a set of these a while back after reading about them and being sold on the benefits (mainly the stuff about being easier on the knees/joints since I've had a few knee surgeries). I tried them one time and ditched them, I honestly didn't give them much of a chance and wish I did. Right off the bat I had them profiled and sharpened the same as my existing skates (at that time it was a standard Bauer profile so 9' or whatever it was). First skate I def felt the slight flex but it made me feel like I had a shorter profile, I felt like I was tipping over the front at times and didn't like that (knowing what I know now I should have tried a different profile to maybe compensate or even used a quad profile which most likely would've been great with these). I switched skates not long after this (went to CCM) so I never really had a chance to give them any more of a chance. I do still think it's a great idea so I'm looking fwd to what JR thinks about them when he finds some ice to try them on.

They're Shot Blocker XT's, they attach to the laces and protect the laced area and have a thick flap that sits in front of the tongue to protect that area. I tried them because I had a spurt when I got hit, in both feet, in that exact same area multiple times (3x in one game at one point), unfortunately they didn't work well since I put my shins over the tongue and they kept coming out or pushing the shins up, if we ever play again I may try them upside down attached to the bottom of the shin instead (I think I've seen a handful of payers wear them like that, or something similar).

I picked up the Surgeon RX3 shoulder pads right at the beginning of Covid lockdown since they had a really nice sale going on (I think I paid about $80 shipped). I have yet to use them (and prob won't til 2021 the earliest 😷) but they feel nice. They're light and comfortable and seem to be a pretty low profile which is what I was going for (my old CCM RBZ 130's were starting to fall apart and I wanted something a little more streamlined). For the price they seem really nice.