Whats happened to hockey?

[hockeymom 2]

You can apply that statement to anything; it's a universal truth.

Hmmm... old school is the Earth is flat...new school is the Earth is round?

[mack 44]

There was also no moon landing.

[bulletproof_funk 0]

In general, my point was that there are too many people who think that its not a GAME and more of a SCIENCE (thank you Mack). There are people who live to play hockey and there are those who spend so much time trying to enhance their game, that its no longer a game. They live for the next THING to get them one step closer to playing what "hockey" is in their crosbeyovechkinsacic'ed-up heads.

Hockey is a GAME! When did people lose sight of that?

It's modern consumer culture and values. There's so many more products to choose from nowadays compared to the mostly Bauer or CCM from when I was a kid. I can see how people can get caught up in the specs and science and pretty marketing ads. We're surrounded by them daily when we see a TV commercial, flip through flyers, or shop online; it's hard to ignore. And when you get into that pattern of looking for the latest and greatest product, hockey related or not, it becomes a way of life. Then there's the whole self-image and social status thing...

So what's this about hockey being a game you were talking about?... ;)

[DarkStar50 679]

Old School circa 1972

CCM Tacks skates- full leather upper boot with leather sole, tubular steel carbon blades.

New School circa 2006

NBH One90 skates- 3D thermoformable boot with Tuuk LS2 Power holder/stainless steel blades.

OS

Cooper DG3 Shin pads- plastic with full 1/2" felt padding, no wrap around calf protection.

NS

RBK 8K Shin pads- plastic with lightweight foams, doubled on inside knee and shin, outside calf protection, anatomically shaped left and right pad.

OS

CCM Pants- loose fitting, heavy weight padding, minimal kidney protection.

NS

RBK 8K Pants- girdle style custom fitted protection inside a pant shell, snug fit to keep pads close to your body for ultimate protection.

OS

Cooper EK-46 Elbow pads- donut style foam pad with leather covered elbow.

NS

Nike V-14 Elbow pads- anatomically shaped left/right pad with grip print feature to stay in place, bake oven molded forearm slash pad, neoprene bicep strap.

OS

Cooper SB-95 Shoulder Pads- 2 leather covered shoulder caps attached to suspenders, minimal bicep protection.

NS

Easton S9 Shoulder pads- ultra lightweight sized pad with full wrap around protection, reinforced sternum pad and back spinal pad.

OS

Cooper BDP Pro gloves- full leather 15" gloves with leather palms, average weight of pair = 3 lbs., getting heavier as sweat soaks in during game.

NS

NBH One90 glove- ultra lightweight glove with pre-shaped hand/glove.

OS

Cooper SK-20 Helmet- leather helmet with rubatex foam interior.

NS

Mission Intake Helmet-fully vented helmet with EPP foam for lightweight and maximum protection.

OS

Northland Custom Pro Stick- Ash wood stick with fibreglass blade wrap.

NS

Easton Stealth OPS stick- Composite stick, weight 410 grams.

Old School beats New School every time?

I have saved equipment catalogs since the 80s so I could easily substitute those years for the 70s when it comes to comparing equipment. I know '72 was the Stone Age for most of you. It was also the year of the Summit Series when New School Russian hockey spanked Old School Canadian hockey methods. Team Canada won the series but CCCP won the minds of hockey.

[hockeymom 2]

I'm still not getting this argument, and I suppose it is likely because it is a matter of degree...

if you take anything out to an extreme, it will become bad. Now THAT would actually be a universal law, Mack!

I don't get that science or research based stuff is counter to "the game" or incompatible with the "love of the game". It is faulty logic to write off all innovations as just gimmicks, and logically, some gimmicks masquerade as innovations.

Dark Star's list gives brilliant examples!

The reverse is also true....

In a search for performance "edge", people use things they simply don't need. I see a majority of hockey players quaffing Gatorade type drinks - even though science tells us you don't need electrolyte replacement with physical activity under 90 minutes and that the high level of sugar can actually hurt your performance. And most people aren't cutting it at least 50% with water. Which, I'd imagine anyone would have figured out if they were really into figuring out the science to use in improving their performance.

Ahh, but then again... a number of years ago I said there was no way people would ever pay $1 for a bottle of water when they could get it out of their tap for free.

[mack 44]

I can't argue anything about old school v. new school with DarkStar involved because he's seen hockey since its inception back when God-knows-when till now. I suppose I should be glad he's so forward in his thinking and not reminiscing about when he could get a phosphate back at the Choklit Shoppe for a nickel.

[BK 0]

Ahh, but then again... a number of years ago I said there was no way people would ever pay $1 for a bottle of water when they could get it out of their tap for free.

I prefered the back yard hose. :)

[DarkStar50 679]

Sometimes Luke MackSkywalker, its sucks to hear a jedi master speak. Sometimes it doesn't. Don't be glad I am so forward in my thinking as you. Be glad I can add some historical perspective to the thread that makes it relevant to past and present.

And why do you use the word "argue?" This is a forum, not a court room.

[mack 44]

Well, old school to a point. I'm still using Easton shafts that haven't been made in 10+ years and shoulder/elbow pads discontinued for at least the same amount of time.

[DarkStar50 679]

I know you know this but this info is for the guys who don't: aluminum has life and then it dies. When I worked in a full-line sporting goods store we used to sell Easton aluminum bats. This is long before composites. I asked the Easton rep why guys complain that there is no pop in their bat. He simply explained that once the life of aluminum is gone from time and game play, the bat, like the shaft, will go dead. As for your elbows/shoulders, remind not to sit next to you on the bench. I'm sure the aroma will precede you.

As far as I'm concerned, I didn't change gear for a long time. Same CCM EP-1 leather covered donut style elbows forever, same Koho Revolution shins forever, same Vic pants with embroidered Coors Light logo forever. I am a glove whore so that was constantly being changed. Finally, I just decided to get some new gear and have been very satisfied with fit and performance.

[mack 44]

Oh I can't use aluminum, these are the A/Cs but they can still warp out but not to the extent aluminum would.

As for the shoulders, they're not made but the actual ones I use aren't 10 years old as I've actually grown in that time. I just pick them up when I can, usually in the museum bins at any LHS.

[Chadd 916]

Sometimes Luke MackSkywalker, its sucks to hear a jedi master speak.

Oh man, talk about a setup. Must fight urge to comment.....

[yvan12 0]

The game of hockey hasn't changed much over the 100+ years it has been around...we have! The days of the 'pick up' game on an outdoor rink are going the way of the Dodo...extinct. Why? Because we have 'evolved' into a society that makes Hallowe'en a life threatening activity. It is not safe to have your kids walk to school without being accosted by bullies, drug dealers or pedophiles. I have no problem with the advancements in technology making the game faster, lighter, and safer. We all want the best for our kids so I don't have a problem with parents buying the top of the line equipment (even though in many cases it doesn't help because the player hasn't developed enough to warrant the costs). Pro hockey has gotten to be such a business that the 'fun' aspect has pretty much been driven out. Parents and kids lose sight of reality when all they can see are the big bucks paid to the 'chosen few' who are good enough to play at the Pro level. Our heroes are high-priced, over-paid (most of them) athletes who are more into themselves than anything else, instead of the real heroes such as Policemen, Firemen, Paramedics, Doctors, Nurses...the list goes on and on. Have we forgotten the sacrifices made in the line of duty by these great man and women during 9.11? I don't know about you, but these are the real heroes in my book. I started playing hockey in the late 50's and early 60's when we did freeze our feet on the outdoor rink, but when the tears dried and the feet went numb, we played for hours on end without referees, coaches, or parents to impart their wills and rules. We didn't have a big selection of sticks and we couldn't afford to replace them every week if we broke it or didn't like the 'pattern'( there were no patterns). Our choice of skates were Bauer or CCM and there were only a few models of them. We used what we had or our parents could afford. If you get the opportunity to watch kids play 'shinny' on the pond, river, canal, or back yard you will see that the game hasn't changed. It is still a game.

[Dante2004 0]

Kids are also so sheltered from failure that they don't know how to lose anymore.

Many life lessons can be learned through your athletic experiences when you are a kid. Losing is a valuable lesson because throughout the course of your life, you will lose more than you win. Think of all things you lose; money, girlfriend, loved one dies, kids grow up and move out of the house, you don't make a team you try out for, etc. On the flip side, if you 'win' all the time and get everything you want, then what do you do for fun? Where do you get your "thrill of victory" if there is no longer a thrill in your victories because they come to you as common as the morning sunrise. :( Drugs? Alcohol?

[Chadd 916]

Kids are also so sheltered from failure that they don't know how to lose anymore.

Many life lessons can be learned through your athletic experiences when you are a kid. Losing is a valuable lesson because throughout the course of your life, you will lose more than you win. Think of all things you lose; money, girlfriend, loved one dies, kids grow up and move out of the house, you don't make a team you try out for, etc. On the flip side, if you 'win' all the time and get everything you want, then what do you do for fun? Where do you get your "thrill of victory" if there is no longer a thrill in your victories because they come to you as common as the morning sunrise. :( Drugs? Alcohol?

Without having tasted the bitterness of defeat, you never know how sweet victory is.

[BK 0]

Kids are also so sheltered from failure that they don't know how to lose anymore.

Many life lessons can be learned through your athletic experiences when you are a kid.  Losing is a valuable lesson because throughout the course of your life, you will lose more than you win.  Think of all things you lose; money, girlfriend, loved one dies, kids grow up and move out of the house, you don't make a team you try out for, etc.  On the flip side, if you 'win' all the time and get everything you want, then what do you do for fun?  Where do you get your "thrill of victory" if there is no longer a thrill in your victories because they come to you as common as the morning sunrise.  :(    Drugs?  Alcohol?

Without having tasted the bitterness of defeat, you never know how sweet victory is.

and yet a lot of people still take victory for granted.

[hockeymom 2]

Kids are also so sheltered from failure that they don't know how to lose anymore.

Many life lessons can be learned through your athletic experiences when you are a kid.  Losing is a valuable lesson because throughout the course of your life, you will lose more than you win.  Think of all things you lose; money, girlfriend, loved one dies, kids grow up and move out of the house, you don't make a team you try out for, etc.  On the flip side, if you 'win' all the time and get everything you want, then what do you do for fun?  Where do you get your "thrill of victory" if there is no longer a thrill in your victories because they come to you as common as the morning sunrise.   :(    Drugs?  Alcohol?

Without having tasted the bitterness of defeat, you never know how sweet victory is.

and yet a lot of people still take victory for granted.

Whether you get everything handed to you, or go from win-to-win, or have to crawl through the muck to achieve your goals, it really is what you do with the hand you are dealt, isn’t it?

Going back to what I said earlier: take anything to an extreme and it becomes bad.

The trick in life is getting that darn balance right.

[--notorious 0]

But also, I do agree. I've seen a lot of kids with a ton of top end gear and they do not have the skills to back it up (the proverbial guy who cannot skate to save his life but has One90 Gloves and a Stealth). I don't think there's anything you can do about them and only worry about yourself.

.

Ye I totally agree ^^^^. I play houseleague and im the 1 out of 10 guys in my leauge that is using a woody.Half my leauge buys top of the line equipment and most of them cant even skate backwards. lol :lol:

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

my dad played youth hockey and intramural hockey in college. i was sitting there telling him how it was a pain in the ass to find the curve i liked, how no LHS around here carried it, and in woodie. He just looked at me and said, "back when i played, it was either 'right' or 'left' " (which i think may be an exaggeration, but i wasnt around then so i cant say for sure :P).

however, i did catch him being a slight gear whore when i picked up his old skates and he said, "those were the first bauer models to feature the tuuk holders" BUSTED!

[BK 0]

my dad played youth hockey and intramural hockey in college. i was sitting there telling him how it was a pain in the ass to find the curve i liked, how no LHS around here carried it, and in woodie. He just looked at me and said, "back when i played, it was either 'right' or 'left' " (which i think may be an exaggeration, but i wasnt around then so i cant say for sure :P).

however, i did catch him being a slight gear whore when i picked up his old skates and he said, "those were the first bauer models to feature the tuuk holders" BUSTED!

One of the guys in my league still wears tube skates :)

He loves um..

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

nah they arent tube skates... they're the first plastic holder tuuk had on bauers

[BK 0]

nah they arent tube skates... they're the first plastic holder tuuk had on bauers

I wasn't talking about the first ones with tuuks..

I was talking about tubeskates.. the kind that have the old school metal holders. They were nicknamed "tubeskates".

the post I was responding to was talking about old equipment and how back then it was

"left handed or right handed". I was referring to the OLD skates that a teammate of mine wears.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

yeah, i know what tube skates are...

i got confused, i swear im not drunk.