best lhs in or around Dallas, TX

[jason37 2]

Yup, that's Jody...thx

:D Pay per hollow

[Marrick66 0]

So, you'd go to him for fittings as well? I'm actually having similar issues as hurricane as far as foot pain. I've got a visit to the podiatrist scheduled for Wednesday, hopefully he can let me know how jacked up my feet are. Just trying to avoid the "here's a pair, see how it fits, I don't know what size it is" service.

[Chadd 916]

I would like to let everyone know that Players Bench in Colleyville, where I have been getting skates sharpened for at least 4 years, is now refusing to sharpen skates at a 5/8" hollow or shallower. 

The guys in the store stated that the new manager won't allow any sharpenings shallower than 1/2" because dressing the grinding wheel for shallow cuts wears it down too quickly. Give me a freakin' break!

This little "cost saving" measure pretty much says it all on what I can expect from them for my hockey needs.  I have bought gear from this shop over the years: high-end skates, gloves, sticks, blades, socks, tape. Now I won't set foot in the store again for anything.

I hope their 20% off "under new management" sale went well for them.

That is the worst excuse i have ever heard for being lazy. You may as well tell people your sharpener isnt working.

there was a shop around here who used to charge $2 extra for anything other than 1/2". They went out of business a year ago.

[jason37 2]

So, you'd go to him for fittings as well?  I'm actually having similar issues as hurricane as far as foot pain.  I've got a visit to the podiatrist scheduled for Wednesday,  hopefully he can let me know how jacked up my feet are.  Just trying to avoid the "here's a pair, see how it fits, I don't know what size it is" service.

Yeah...Jody will take care of you

[donkey87 0]

is he (jody) the big bald guy? if so he was back there the other day when I was getting some sticks..pretty sure he was sharpening..

Yeah, I believe that he had surgery and now he's sharpening again. Good thing too, because he is the best sharpener at that shop.

[Jim A 4]

of course until the pain subsides, and you heal you won't know what fits well..

that will be $3.35

ciao

[BGM 0]

Jody is probably one of the better ones around but I went in last year to get my XXX skates and asked about Graf. All he said was Graf is for high arches--that was it. He didn't really get into depth or even look at my feet. I think protocol for most LHS around here is just stay with the skate manufacturer you are in. They don't want you coming back saying they put you in the wrong skate.

[Jim A 4]

everyone has different realities with stores, but I've watched them (Perani's/Jody)just put people into skates without even a measurement (people I brought there), sold them the complete wrong size gear to finish a sale after I had to jet.(ie. s/m shoulder pads for a 185 lb adult)

I'm ok with them when I know what I want (blades, helmet, etc) ....Van from The Hockey Shop has given the people I've brought in to be fitted, etc the best service (ie. gained customers but lost a little on the sale)

[awall 0]

I always goto Powerplay Hockey Shop first and only hit the others if they don't have what I need or can't get it quickly enough. I bought my first pair of skates from them and most of my equipment. The owner of the shop took time to help me find a pair of skates that would fit right and not be horribly expensive, when I went to Players Bench they handed me a pair of bauers without saying much.

http://www.powerplayhockeyshop.com/

[BGM 0]

That Powerplay hockey is very new and run by a lady or she is the manager--she is very nice but I wouldn't classify her as an expert in skate fitting. The problem here in DFW is that hockey has become so popular since the Stars won it in '99 and parents will just throw money around on the latest greatest skate because Jimmy's teammate has it. They don't have to worry about actually selling. I grew up in Chicago and like more traditional cities that have hockey, customers there want the service/knowledge. I would still say Hockey Shop and Perani's. The Player's Bench at the Grapevine (don't go to the other ones) rink has a good manager and is knowledgable, too.

[GLUhipfan 0]

The lady at PPHS isn't the one who runs it. She's pretty much the only one I won't listen to or let touch my skates there. The owner is a guy named Mark, and he knows his stuff. He has some sort of tangential tie to the Stars as well as evidenced by his ability to get some prostock stuff from them. They were in the proshop at the Rink at Addison previously.

I personally like The Hockey Shop in Addison the best, but in a lot of things, their selection is very thin, so I don't go out there much. PPHS is pretty much the only store I go to right now, but I'll occasionally stop in the Richardson Player's Bench to look around. I wouldn't buy skates there though. They put me in the wrong skates before.

[jason37 2]

The Player's Bench at the Grapevine (don't go to the other ones) rink has a good manager and is knowledgable, too.

I think his name is Bob...good guy

[Jim A 4]

is he still based out of there? I haven't seen him in a while..

[Drewhunz 3]

I would like to let everyone know that Players Bench in Colleyville, where I have been getting skates sharpened for at least 4 years, is now refusing to sharpen skates at a 5/8" hollow or shallower.

The guys in the store stated that the new manager won't allow any sharpenings shallower than 1/2" because dressing the grinding wheel for shallow cuts wears it down too quickly. Give me a freakin' break!

This little "cost saving" measure pretty much says it all on what I can expect from them for my hockey needs. I have bought gear from this shop over the years: high-end skates, gloves, sticks, blades, socks, tape. Now I won't set foot in the store again for anything.

I hope their 20% off "under new management" sale went well for them.

I just called their corporate office- They WILL now sharpen to ANY hollow, however they WILL NOT recieve any more of my business. It will now go to Power Play Hockey Shop as well as The Hockey Shop. Pretty pathertic that they sold me a custom pair of Graf G3's, but it is not cost effective enough for them to sharpen them.

[awall 0]

The lady at PPHS isn't the one who runs it. She's pretty much the only one I won't listen to or let touch my skates there. The owner is a guy named Mark, and he knows his stuff. He has some sort of tangential tie to the Stars as well as evidenced by his ability to get some prostock stuff from them. They were in the proshop at the Rink at Addison previously.

The lady you're talking about is Cindy and she is fairly knowledgable as far as I can tell. She's a hockey mom who has a couple of kids who've gone though and are going thorugh the various leagues, plus essentially being Mark's right hand I've never had any reason to doubt her hockey knowledge.

[BGM 0]

She is knowledgable about general info but not to the extent of actually playing hockey, knowing the product because she has tried it, played on it, etc. Everybody knows Bauer fits more narrow than CCM, etc. A good skate fitter will look at your feet, watch how you walk, etc. But she does put more effort into it than some LHS.

[Marrick66 0]

is he still based out of there? I haven't seen him in a while..

Yeah, he's still there. He reffed one of my games Sunday.

[majg65 0]

Sorry in advance for the excess chatter...

PB Grapevine - Formerly "Inside Edge". Many of the same guys stayed there after the ownership change a few years back. B/4 the change, I bought my first pair of skates there. One of the young guys sold me a pair that was at least 1.5 sizes too big. Same kid still works there and does a bad job at sharpening. Not to discriminate by age, but it seems like the older guys at that shop tend to do a better job with sharpening.

PB Colleyville - took a pair of ice skates to convert to roller. They cracked my Tuuk Rocker composite frames. The manager (thin guy with Popeye forearms; name escapes me right now; I'm gathering that he's no longer there) looked it over and made some acceptable fixes. I liked how he handled things and he's never tried to sell me anything I didn't need (and often gave me better alternatives at better prices), so I still bought from him, but was wary about certain svcs. Years ago, the previous manager sold me on the consistency and quality of the DupliSkate machine (I know, I know, I've since learned the error of my ways).

Powerplay Hockey - aroung the time I was regular customer of the DupliSkate machine, I needed to get my skates sharpened in a hurry. Not having time to get over to PB, I went to the shop at the rink where I was playing (Rink in Addison). A soft-spoken guy named Jeff took care of my skates (he's no longer there, and may not be working in any hockey shop anymore). He showed me the chatter marks and uneven edges. He took his time to fix up my blades, and for the first time, I was actually able to feel a difference in the way my skates felt on the ice. After that, I'd go out of my way for his services. At some point, PPH took its turn at The Stink in Addison, and Jeff was still there. Unfortunately, their new location in Plano made it really difficult (I live in the Mid-Cities, and work in Dallas). When I called the new shop, the nice lady told me that Jeff only worked on Sundays--which made it even harder for me. She also told me that they extensively train all of their employees how to sharpen skates and would put up anyone's skills up against Jeff's. I took a chance and made the long trek up there after work one evening. Boy, did I get a lemon. A guy took them to the back, I heard the grinding wheel a little bit, then he brought them back. Tried them out a few days later and my right skate kept sliding to the side--I couldn't catch an edge. I made the long drive out there again to see what was wrong. Another guy took a look and said it doesn't even look like the skate was sharpened at all. He was loaded with other skates to do, but he felt bad and did a quick sharpening. I think he did a good job with the limited time he had, but it still wasn't as good as I had hoped.

Star Center (Plano) - A girl (guessing mid-20's), did a great job on my first sharpening there. Second time there, an older guy immediately tried to sell a radius job on the Bauer blades. He claimed that Bauer blades had too much steel in the front and back. I didn't bite, since they felt fine as they were (until he a hold of them), but I did have him sharpen the skates. First time out, my right inner edge and left outer edge were biting far too much. The right outer edge and left inner edge were not biting near enough. I took them back, and a third guy took a look and showed me the uneven edges. He sharpened them again, then started to charge me for it, then decided to comp it. Slightly better, but one side felt like it bit more than the other.

Peranis - I go there because they generally have the best prices and biggest selection in town. Service is hit or miss. Corby was good way back when. No doubt that Jody knows his stuff, but sometimes his attitude bugs me. When an expensively dressed/accessorized hockey mom comes through the door, he's all smiles and super helpful. He's also pretty attentive to the kids of the power-dressed gentlemen on his cell phone who knows relatively little about hockey gear. If some unathletic goofball like me wants some help, forget about it. He acts like all my questions are dumb. Gosh, I guess I should be blessed that he even listened in the first place.

Whew! In a nutshell, I live in the Mid-Cities and work in the Dallas. Took me years to find out, but now I know a sharpening isn't just a sharpening. What do I do? If the right people are working at PB-Grapevine, I'll go there. If I can get to the Star Center in Plano around lunch time and if the right person is working, they get my business. I don't know, if it gets too difficult, maybe it's time to start thinking about T-blades.

[Marrick66 0]

You sound like me. I originally wend to PB in Richardson a few years ago, and was sized into a pair of Supreme 5000s by a guy from Minnesota(he doesn't work there anymore as far as I can tell). Lengthwise, they're great, but I didn't know about boot depth at the time, and I realized later that they weren't nearly deep enough for me, plus arch pain is always present. Anyway, a year or so later, I was sized at Perani's and bought a pair of Vectors, and when I went to skate on them, they weren't even sharpened. Anyway, I have ridiculous feet(size 8.5-9 in sneakers, 5.5EE in Bauers, 5.5E in CCMs) and am headed to the podiatrist tomorrow to see what he says. I was scoping around trying to find someone who knew their stuff in case I need some type of holder/skate adjustment. Anyway, it's frustrating getting bad service. Which is why I take some of the "buy from your LHS, no matter what" attitudes with a grain of salt

[jason37 2]

PB Colleyville - took a pair of ice skates to convert to roller. They cracked my Tuuk Rocker composite frames. The manager (thin guy with Popeye forearms; name escapes me right now; I'm gathering that he's no longer there)

New manager is named Nick

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

That Powerplay hockey is very new and run by a lady or she is the manager--she is very nice but I wouldn't classify her as an expert in skate fitting. The problem here in DFW is that hockey has become so popular since the Stars won it in '99 and parents will just throw money around on the latest greatest skate because Jimmy's teammate has it. They don't have to worry about actually selling. I grew up in Chicago and like more traditional cities that have hockey, customers there want the service/knowledge. I would still say Hockey Shop and Perani's. The Player's Bench at the Grapevine (don't go to the other ones) rink has a good manager and is knowledgable, too.

That's Bob Pulley. I agree - he's a good guy and is trust worthy. He used to be a ref, so many people will recognize him. He also helps with local high school/kids hockey programs.

[Marrick66 0]

That's Bob Pulley. I agree - he's a good guy and is trust worthy. He used to be a ref, so many people will recognize him. He also helps with local high school/kids hockey programs.

Just a side note, Grapevine kicked out MHOA, so you get rink employees as refs now.

[Jim A 4]

the refs down here are atrocious..won't name names..but in the beer leagues..just brutal..

had a game over the weekend..we had a long home run pass..missed it...it went directly on net...the goalie then stopped it..pushed into the corner..his dman touches it..they blow icing...

now i give people the benefit of the doubt..but both officials were acting like the goalie didn't even touch it...I truly hope that USAHockey spends some time down here with clinics..paying $700 for a league and getting that from the rink is a joke

[Chadd 916]

the refs down here are atrocious..won't name names..but in the beer leagues..just brutal..

had a game over the weekend..we had a long home run pass..missed it...it went directly on net...the goalie then stopped it..pushed into the corner..his dman touches it..they blow icing...

now i give people the benefit of the doubt..but both officials were acting like the goalie didn't even touch it...I truly hope that USAHockey spends some time down here with clinics..paying $700 for a league and getting that from the rink is a joke

USAH has no authority over local assignments. No matter how bad local officials are, there is nothing they can do.

[Jim A 4]

I know that..as a former official myself..however as someone who's played pretty much coast to coast, no place is in more dire need of on-ice clinics and coaching that this area..