Do all pros wear top of the line gear?

[hunterh17 0]

even lower level players like sphl, uhl, echl. sphl guys dont make much . these guys dont have endorsements and teams arent dishing out new pads, sticks, skates...so im wondering if any are using mid level equipment? like some rbk 7k skates or mid level sticks? just wondered this

[Chappie 0]

Maybe pads, but I doubt they are wearing 7k skates, they put way too much time on their skates not to use a proline skate.

[Stryker 37]

I could see the protective being mid level, or lower depending on preference, but as Chappie mentioned skates i would assume to be top of the line and IMO sticks as well, as they have the most noticeable difference from high to mid level.

[muddy 2]

I don't know if they do or not. But it seems like I have seen some pro's who have very old pads that have been rebuilt with more "current" padding from another manufacturer. This has mostly been on shoulder pads.

[hunterh17 0]

so guys in the sphl that breaks sticks..i wonder if it comes out of their pocket to replacde them? most sphl and low level leagues like the new nphl league has a $8,000 a week budget to spend on players salaries. so im guessing their not providing much equipment other than helmets, pant shells and socks and bags

[shooter27 116]

I can't speak for the SPHL specifically, but the general trend is that while all pro levels get high level gear, amount of the gear differs. For instance, NHLers can get new skates/sticks pretty much whenever they want, AHLers are probably about the same, with some limits. ECHLers generally have a limit on the number of pairs of skates per year (2-3 is what I've heard, but that could be wrong), UHLers have tighter limits than the ECHL, etc.

[B-Nads 0]

The endorsements themselves are the reason you don't see many of the NHL'rs in old gear. Anything outwardly visible is gonna be new. I seem to recall many pics and interviews where guys had old shoulder pads and elbow pads, but everything else was spankin' new.

[GinoSnipes 0]

The SPHL is sponsored by SBK (not sherwood) It's sherbrook, they supply them with sticks, gloves and pants/pant covers. As for skates you can see lots of guys using brand new Total Ones, X:60's and some Easton's and not many using APX`s. It seems like they don't have many of the top of the line skates from this year like APX or EQ50's and looks like they have the top of the line previous models such as se16's and X:60 with the exception of Total Ones and a couple APX`s. My guess is they either have a certain amount payed for when it comes to something like skates and if they want the top model this year they have to pay the difference, or the older guys get the newer models and the rookies use the older top end models, or they have a certain budget per player and they can choose what they would like to be top end this year or top end last years to stay within budget. Sherbrook also makes protective equipment like shin pads and shoulder pads and for helmets I see bauer 4500 and some Reebok`s 8k or 7k as well as some old easton buckets such as the S17.

[Tyler Roy 86]

This is pretty well answered. Most guys dont wear top end pads because of the bulk. I do see tons of guys wear the CCM u+ pads but I see just as many wear old sher-woods. But even AA or A leagues will have sponsors. My buddy played in the Central CHL and they got all Easton stuff for either free or cheap. But skates and sticks are high end. Skates and sticks would not hold up to pro hockey unless they were pro quality sticks and skates.

The endorsements themselves are the reason you don't see many of the NHL'rs in old gear. Anything outwardly visible is gonna be new. I seem to recall many pics and interviews where guys had old shoulder pads and elbow pads, but everything else was spankin' new.

Thats why you see the old 8090 boots dressed as s95s or classic ones. But yeah you said it, if its outwardly visible the manufactures will make an attempt to dress it up. Same thing with old 5000 helmets that guys still wear and sticks that guys dont want to give up.

[B-Nads 0]

Ohhhh how I miss my 8090's.

[hunterh17 0]

oh ok thats cool, ive just mostly always wondered about the lower levels and how that works. thanks

[HockeySavants 5]

I go to many SPHL games and I've seen guys with One95s, XXX, 8K, S17s, even Flexlites.

It's rather sad when I have better gear than the entire team, however their deal is with SBK and most wear their gloves and pads and use their sticks.

SBK from my understanding does very good deals for these lower income teams so it isn't all that bad.

I have seen players buy/trade gear with others online and it's very common for players to use skates for an entire season. Then again their schedule is shorter.

[MarsB 33]

Helmets are also often an exception, seems like plenty of pros at all levels wear 4500s and V08s opposed to the higher end models. Simple, light enough, do the job.

[MattKingDelToro 2]

Some pros use Reebok 9K sticks which are a step below the 11K, although this is probably because the 9K is a fused stick and not inferior in terms of materials.

[the iceman 132]

Reebok 6K Elbow pads

[sdougherty 0]

Some pros use Reebok 9K sticks which are a step below the 11K, although this is probably because the 9K is a fused stick and not inferior in terms of materials.

Yeah I noticed this a few times at the pro level. Mostly in AHL players that are making a one night stand in the NHL.

oh ok thats cool, ive just mostly always wondered about the lower levels and how that works. thanks

I feel like underneath the jersey the pros use whatever is most comfortable to them. Most of the time its older JOFA or early Reebok, sometimes even frankenpads. From knowing hockey players my whole life, guys usually just wear what feels best to them, this includes pros too. Most of the sticks in the NHL are re-painted anyway.

[theGhost 0]

I've never seen an ECHLer that didn't have top of the line skates. This year it's either Totalone's U+CL's or 11K's at least on the team I'm around...

[AIREAYE 248]

Some pros use Reebok 9K sticks which are a step below the 11K, although this is probably because the 9K is a fused stick and not inferior in terms of materials.

Maybe they are repaints? There was a time either last or 2 seasons ago where a few NHLers used sticks painted to look like the pricepoint 7K Sickick II's (I remember Bergeron as one of them I tihnk)

[VakarLajos 5]

I know players in A leagues and some that have earned call-ups to AA that were in mid range and low end gear. Definitely mid range sticks. Swd s9, Eason S11. Skates, Vapor XXV, x40, and even one crazy bastard in x20s. Gloves and pants were all provided via the leagues equipment deals. Lots of SWD 5030 shoulder and elbow pads.

For the mot part if guys could have had top of the line gear they would though.

[DigDug 5]

But what happens if you happen to really like a specific piece of gear? Are you forced to upgrade to remain sponsored, even though you don't want to? Sounds like that would be a little slave-like.

The endorsements themselves are the reason you don't see many of the NHL'rs in old gear. Anything outwardly visible is gonna be new. I seem to recall many pics and interviews where guys had old shoulder pads and elbow pads, but everything else was spankin' new.

[steelnation248 101]

But what happens if you happen to really like a specific piece of gear? Are you forced to upgrade to remain sponsored, even though you don't want to? Sounds like that would be a little slave-like.

You have to remember that it's just marketing the product. Why do you think you see so many sticks that are repaints? It's not like they're forcing people daily to change the specs of the stuff they use. They'll just provide the same product but with a different appearance. I'd imagine some players don't like it but I'm sure they'll take free gear over buying 120 sticks, etc... per year even with the money they make.

Plus it's not like pros are going to just stop because the company asks them to. How often do we see Easton guys using another company's product for some piece of equipment. Ex: Phanuef is a Reebok guy but uses an Easton stick.

[tonguesOUT4life 17]

I've been around the sphl (training camps) those guys can make a low end stick look like a high end. Most are just playin for the love of the game

[dsjunior1388 81]

I've been around the sphl (training camps) those guys can make a low end stick look like a high end. Most are just playin for the love of the game

Its not a question of talent, its a question of attitude. I don't know specifically of a hockey equivelant analogy, but I do know of a baseball one. Manny Ramirez was the type of guy who would grab any old bat off the rack, didn't know whos it was, and go to the plate. It really didn't matter, he simply didn't care and he is a Hall of Fame caliber hitter. On the other side of the coin, Edgar Martinez was so finicky about his bats, he'd weigh them on a specially build scale to a tenth of an ounce, and reject the ones that weren't within his minute specifications. Could Hossa pot 30 goals with a 5030? Probably. Would he ever take one on the ice instead of his ultra fine tuned U+CL? Doubtful.

[the iceman 132]

If players (in the NHL) use equipment like a 2 piece stick, Jofa pads, older model Synergy sticks, and helmets like the old CCM or a Bauer 4500, would that be classified as using equipment that is not "top of the line" by what today's equipment manufacturers offer?

[Furyan 1]

BTW, look at Ryan Smith. He's looking as moving equip museum...