NYRSinceBirth

Needed longer shins (13" N/B Pro -> 14" 7K). Loved the RBKs I previously had, hated the strap system so I used a stove top, flat head screw driver, and: Purely fit/preference, but couldn't be happier.

Picked up the skates and had the TUUKs put on at a local shop (West Side Skate) a couple weeks ago.

Same guy on the phone earlier: "Hi I need Easton hockey sticks." OK, which one, we have a decent stock of the top of the line stuff. "Synergy" Yea we have the SE16, what flex/patter/etc. "Is that the black one? I want the black one" That's the S19. "So Synergy?" No Stealth. "I want the Synergy." That's the SE16. "Oh ok and that's the black one right?" The black on is the Stealth, S19. The Synergy or SE16 is blue and chrome. "The Synergy, that's the yellow one?" Back to the one skate guy, I had a different guy tonight needing 4 rivets per skate on the front of each. No way he'd be able to skate on it. We were just getting busy, about 25 minutes before we close and this guy really needed the work. I knew a rush was coming, but I still did the rivets for him and got the sharpens and other repairs done. "Hey I need these sharpened, but I need to ask you, I need rivets, I can't skate on this can I?" Nah man, that's too much. "Crap, anyway you can help me out?" If all customers were like that, life would be good. Did you ever get a call about a red shell last night? I had a guy call me up needing a pair and we didn't have any so I suggested he find the number for you and give you a call.

Traded these for a repalming. Sent my buddy's Blue XXX to Mark at Peaches Pro Repair (MSH2), he gave me these. His gloves will be back this week.

Add Vapor XXXX's to the list. Literally doesn't feel like the break in period. They're perfect. I might buy another pair to just have for when these are up.

I don't care if you live in the city, you're a grown man, CARRY YOUR OWN ***** BAG!! Every time a man, gown ass man, asks to see a wheel bag my hope for humanity dies a little inside. I see you are in Brooklyn, my gf and I might be looking to move to NYC, or just outside. Do you see a lot of or know of any guys bringing their equipment to the rink via taxi/subway? would that be frowned upon? Cabs are super easy: My huge Sherwood bag and both sticks fit in the back seat with plenty of room. Car, SUV, or van, all easy to use. However, they're expensive. The subway is a pain, especially the turnstiles. I usually have to toss the bag over them, grab the sticks, swipe, and walk through and pick up the bag. I try to get the 5th car in, the conductor that watches the doors sits there, so the doors are locked and no one can walk between cars. Just put the bag in front of that door, take a seat and hold your sticks. I try to leave room so people can at least sit, if it's super packed, oh well, a hockey bag takes up no more room than a bicycle or luggage. Buses are much easier. Now, I'd never use a wheeled bag, but I don't hate them. What's the difference in wheeling your bag 5 blocks and carrying it on a bus for 5 blocks? I guess the real men carry their bags but skip the bus eh Vakar? (Still resentful of both Brodeurs beating Hank this week). EDIT: Profanity edit. Damn VL with no edit button, or mute button for that matter haha.

LAst week I had a guy come in with a cage and a helmet. He was all dressed for the game, had his sticks and gloves in one hand, and the cage/bucket in the other. As I'm helping a customer he raises the helmet/cage. I look at him. He raises the combo higher. I keep looking. Finally I broke the silence with a polite, "What's up?" He paused for at least 5 seconds now sort of dangling the combo as to get my attention to it. I ask him if he needs it put on, he says yes, so I do it. Since when did people stop speaking and just expect people to know what they want? I mean, I got it as soon as he walked in that's what he needed, but you can't say, "Hey could you attach this for me?" Really? People do it with sharpens all the time.

Haha that used to annoy me. Now I just sharpen them together. One thing that bothers me if I'm all ready annoyed is skates with a lot of snow on them. It's nothing to me to just wipe them off, but I see it as a courtesy to not hand skates over dripping wet. My favorite when sharpening before a game: "Can you sharpen mine next? I have a game." So do the four people in front of you. Or if there's a bunch of pairs to get done in 10 minutes before a game and a customer walks in, "What do you mean you might not get to them, you have 10 minutes?" One time we were short one employee, so with 2 guys in the shop one does sharpens/repairs the other watches the register/helps customers out front. My co-worker is fixing goalie pads and a guy comes in 10, maybe 15 minutes before a game and asks for a sharpen. I tell him he might not get them in time for the game since the goalie pads are being worked on. Dude flips. The only comment he had that wasn't berating or cursing me was, "Half the time you guys are closed, half the time you can't do it, and half the time you do shitty work." That's three halves idiot. My responce, "Not my problem have a good game." What would you rather, goalie pads fixed and actually be able to play a game, or you with a fresh cut and the game a wash because the goalie can't play? The funny thing is, if I'm remembering correctly, the skates weren't that bad, at all. Easily could have been skated on. If they were totally shot I would have at least stoned or left the shop empty for a minute or so to sharpen them. EDIT: Removed profanity.

Adam, that's totally different and understandable. It's the customers that spend $60 on skates and expect 10% off with free lifetime sharpens and free soakers that annoy the employees.

New stuff: HS22 put on the 5100 '08 Dolomite 85 flex grip Smyth.

"No we need the padded hockey shorts, not pants"

"Hi do you need help with anything?" " Yis I need skates. I git discount right?" "Discount for what? Do you work at the pier?" "No, no, discount for buying zee skates." "No, you don't get a discount for buying a pair of skates."

Koho C21 in a 100 Flex Z-Bubble grip (3' plug) Tapered toed Sakic woodie in a OPS 87 flex One95 shaft Warrior Saprykin pro stock in a 70 flex Synergy II Koho C21 tapered in a Pro (102) Flex Bauer XV grip shaft (Needs to be cut about an inch) Toed P88 Vapor XVI woodie Another view of the Saprykin I also have a Malkin pro stock in a 100 flex Dolo shaft grip, SE6 Gaborik 85 flex grip, and a huge toed Sakic in a flipped U+. Sorry for picture quality, they were uploaded from my iPhone/BlackBerry.

About a month, maybe like 2 months ago, when I was home doing work on my parents house my neighbor let me drive his cousin's '04 Terminator (Mustang Cobra). The only ( ) had a solid 8.8, drag radials, and a pulley/chip waiting on a a second tune. It's easily one of the funnest cars I've ever driven, and for a car with 3.73's and running high 11s, unbelievably smooth. The car was a monster, hence, it is the next car I have set my eyes on.

Hey don't get my wrong, I'm not complaining at all. At least if I play crap I still look like a good player haha Yeah, thats a pretty freaky resemblance in those photos! The eyes look like Prucha but the 5 O'clock screams Jags. Weird.

Not to mention it freakin' hurts. My 6k shins were a little long, so I gave them to a buddy. I use cheepo S1's now and you feel everything. Even congratulatory taps to the shins sting sometimes. I really don't see how difficult it is to just bring equipment, or why some people think it's ok for them to be different. But who am I, I don't own shoulder pads anymore.

Don't trip a guy in front of the net when a guy at the point is shooting. Today at pick up (I'm sure it was a mistake) a guy on my team wound up nice and high, and I was in front of the net. Just before I made a move to get out of the way the guy behind put his stick between my legs (Again, I'm sure it was accidental). Long story short a trip/thrown off balance makes you very vulnerable.

Please go out and look at the design and construction of any modern bridge. The general shape (i.e. arch or suspension) is based upon it's design, look, qualities (how cheaply it needs to be be) etc. But one unavoidable commonality is triangulation. Why? Because it's incredibly strong and stable. Triangulation offers support at any angle, while an arch typically works best in a specific loading point. A round (traditional) hollow is designed to support the weight of the skater, but on a much larger scale (forces no skater could but on the steel anyway) it would bend or roll as us hockey people call it. But, those failure forces are so extreme, that either a FBV or ROH will be perfectly suited for any skater, no matter how hard they are on their edges. Of course you can roll both a hollow or FBV, as quality of steel, sharpen, wear, etc all are taken into account, and all ice/conditions are perfectly the same. Point being: coming from a completely physics and forces standpoint, and the degree of which a skater puts on his steel, there aren't any real advantages with both designs, they both are perfectly suited for the job. And oh, the strongest 3D geometric shape is the sphere :D.

Update: Helmet: Bauer 5100 w/ cage Gloves: NBH 4 Rolls (black), TPS R8 (Black and Red) Skates: Vapor XIX (One95's soon hopefully) Sticks: Synergy II w/ pro stock Saprykin (70 flex), Synergy II w/ pro stock O'Sullivan (70 flex) Dolo grip w/ Pro stock Malkin (100 flex), Broken One95 OPS with a tapered woodie Sakic (87 flex), 5030 Coffee, SE16 w/ Ovechkin V10 (100 flex) Flipped XXXX with a woodie Sakic (100 flex), Flipped U+ with a Lidstrom ST (87 flex), Montreal 8825. Shoulders: none Shins: Easton S1 Elbows: RBK 6K Pants NBH One70

If I broke a stick in a sotre, I'd simply take the receipt and send the stick back to the company for the replacement. Hopefully I broke the right curve/flex.

Reaching the minimum on a Black Card can be from a business (Big or small), they could have used the card to cover that expense assuming the company can more readily absorb it than themselves. But like Blackstar said, the customers I've dealt with, the Black Card ones are more personal than for business. And a company like Easton isn't worried about their reputation from one isolated incident. We know their products, the public knows their products, it's no surprise they're not in a rush to give you a free stick, they're a known company. And yes, the AEC is available to companies, but it has a user on it, not a company name.

Water damage to my digital camera means I need to buy a new one, so pictures will have to wait. But I picked up a Sulivan Pro Stock (Warrior) blade. Just FYI: It is NOT an open toe as HM says. It's basically a milder Lidstrom with a round toe and the same openess. I also got a Dolomite 100 flex shaft (Cut 3 inches, so over a 110 flex now) and some black red and white TPS R8 gloves. Pics eventually, just need a camera.

The Malkin Pro Stock I got i very comparable to the retail Warrior Kovalchuk. I ordered a Sullivan Warrior pro stock, what should I expect? I'm looking into some PPF's, and some TPS R8 gloves.

I turned 21 Monday. Same day as the Messier promise, and this time Memorial day.

Dude that looks sweet. I'm actually going to copy this, it looks fantastic. Sidebar: I love the Synergy II/Warrior pro stock combo. On another note, the Malkin blade came in, I'll have pics this week. I might trade it if I could find a second Saprykin to trade for.