steve66

If you haven't already listened, there is a good interview with Andy Sutton on the '31 thoughts' Podcast hosted by Jeff Marek & Elliotte Friedman. You can find it on your usual podcast service, look for the 'How to Create an NHL Bubble' episode, and scrub through to 1:20:20 Direct link to episode: https://podcast.sportsnet.ca/31-thoughts/how-to-best-set-up-an-nhl-bubble/ Andy outlines how he acquired Verbero, the direction he wants to take it, some of the custom offerings and IPs they want to go after, and some of the people now involved in the product R&D.

I've only just got around to this episode, too many podcasts on the go... but I thought it was a really interesting discussion with some interesting insight into the direction he's looking to take the brand. It will be interesting to see how the custom strategy and IPs work out. If you've not yet given it a listen, something interesting to fill your time with...

Still see the CCM iteration of it around every now and again

I guess it depends how seriously people still take covid when they return to sports. If you want to protect yourself, or help prevent any possible spread by reducing the spread of droplets from sweat, coughing, sneezes might be a simple addition to the bag. The Schutt splash shield has an interesting simulation model

It's the same image as posted further up in this thread as part of the Bauer press release... The blue is just to highlight the shape of the 'splash guard' add on to the concept 3 visor

I think the blue is just to highlight the shape, I may be wrong, but i don't expect that to be the colour of the product. And yes, i'm sure they;'ll have tested for fogging

I saw that Canlan Ice in Canada is preparing to re-open and is advising that full shields are advisable. Nowhere has stated they are mandatory yet... https://www.icesports.com/itsplaytime/?j=7284599&sfmc_sub=26739722”&l=7835_HTML&u=86868485&mid=7209267&jb=318

The Labeda Asphalt 85A are still one of the best outdoor wheels, and will be one of the fastest on the list. If you did want a bit more grip, try the Labeda Asphalts 83a. Another wheel to consider if available is the Revision Clinger, enjoyed using that and heard lots of others enjoy playing on it.

For sure, they've been flying out of stores since the lockdown. Great to see so many people playing and skating outside again, it feels like 25 years ago. If you're happy with the speed over durability, the best option without having to try many wheels for that secret sauce is to keep with the 85A options... like you say many are sold out. But there are still some Labeda Asphalts and Revision Asphalt Pro 2s in stores.

It sounds counter-intuitive, but soft wheels grip better on rough surfaces, and hard wheels grip better on smooth surfaces, as the soft wheel will compress over all the tiny bumps in the skating surface whereas a hard wheel won’t. Despite being grippier and faster, the reason hard wheels aren't recommended for use on smooth rinks is that once they do slide, it’ll be a sudden snap and they’ll go forever, whereas soft wheels will be much more gradual. After the initial outer compound of the wheel wears off, the grip does seem to drop off outdoors. With you skating on a smoother concrete rink there's going to be a fine tuning line to find that balance of durability in a harder wheel, and also counter balance that sudden loss of grip. It might be that dropping down a notch on the hardness might give a little more grip once that beautiful new wheel feeling has worn away? Perhaps the Revision Clinger outdoor wheel at 82A is worth a shot?

I'm impressed you remembered your first post on CoreBeam!!

Ha, just saw this from the recent quote. True in a lot of places but thankfully not all. Find the right places and you can get your preferred hollow, FBV and proper profiling. A lot of the guys on the IIHF team are certainly not all on traditional hollows and profiles. There's been a lot more education recently, the advent of the EDGE and XS holder makes it easier for them to learn, swap and try new hollows and profiles. Given the lack of ice time, it's not as easy for players who don't have the same ice time access. In the past a lot of the Swedish imports that came to the Elite League would ship their steels back to their skate techs in Sweden to let them do their profiles as they didn't trust it over here. Even heard of some that would fly home just for that, but a sign that things have improved is i don't hear those stories now. This is for sure an option no matter which country you're in...

Yeah that makes perfect sense. Neither are bad pucks. There have been some over the years. I used to hate it when people would voluntarily fish out a Mach1 puck from the net or puck bucket, I never liked those.

Great job on the video review, always good to see people striving to create. I've always preferred the feel of the IDS pucks. The combination of weight and depth for feel on the stick, shooting and passing just felt nicest to me.

I think in terms of getting reactions to the latest gear, people have migrated to different places on the interwebs.... Reddit, facebook groups, Instagram. I've noticed that whilst not always the first with the latest breaking announcements, MSH still remains somewhere for reasoned thoughts and opinions, not just a string of emojis, knee jerk reactions and a list of their favourite colour. With regards to buzz around equipment, I still for one am as excited as ever for new gear. Those most recent products announced are awesome, and knowing what is coming, Hockey gear has never been better. Granted you could say that top end is too expensive, and not durable enough, but that's what it is, it's performance gear. High end performance cars are expensive and not particularly durable, but they're the best at what they offer in terms of performance. Moving back to Hockey gear, the second and mid price points are also better than ever in terms of performance, durability and feel. I think it's easy to look at the top price point, criticise the industry and overlook these awesome products.