Returning to the ice after 25 years. Equipment recommendations?

[glasdriver 1]

Our town (finally) built a regulation-sized rink and after a 25 year absence from the game, I'm lacing up my old Bauer Supremes beginning Monday. Newbie to ModSquadHockey, but not to the game.

Most of my equipment is sorely in need of replacement. I come from a world of Bauer and Cooper as being the top brands, along with Christian Brothers being my preferred stick (L, 5). But, wondering if the past 25 years has brought evolutions in brands and equipment.

Any recommendations for pants, shin guards? My Cooper gloves are ancient, but, uh, fit like a glove for me, so good there. Might need shoulder protection as well. Prefer playing left wing or center.

When I left the sport, there were some composite sticks just coming onto the scene, but I stuck with wood. What are the preferred sticks these days?

My skates still fit, but I'll know more after the first week on how that goes.

Many thanks for replies and recommendations, they are very much appreciated. Very excited to finally be returning to the ice.

[jimmy 194]

Welcome back. So many things have changed. Dump all your old stuff, including skates. The weight savings and new comfort level is well worth it. We can't pick a brand or style for you, best to try stuff on. It's all made in the orient now, not much difference between what manufacturers put out in either function or quality, so go with what feels best. A lot of features are the decision makers now-a-days, moisture wicking, lightwieght foams, straping systems, etc. Good luck.

[glasdriver 1]

Welcome back. So many things have changed. Dump all your old stuff, including skates. The weight savings and new comfort level is well worth it. We can't pick a brand or style for you, best to try stuff on. It's all made in the orient now, not much difference between what manufacturers put out in either function or quality, so go with what feels best. A lot of features are the decision makers now-a-days, moisture wicking, lightwieght foams, straping systems, etc. Good luck.

Unfortunately, there are no skate shops within 300 miles of us, so frustratingly enough, I'll need to mail order. Hoping to keep the ship/return cycle to a minimum.

[Utterkaos94 11]

Ice Warehouse has a policy where they offer free return shipping on skates if you are a part of their IWin program. You just have to buy an IWin product to qualify. This way you can try on skates. Here's the link: http://www.icewarehouse.com/iwin.html

[glasdriver 1]

I'll take a look at icewarehouse.com. Any other recommended online shops?

[Utterkaos94 11]

I've always had good luck with IceWarehouse, PureHockey, and HockeyGiant. There's a few others that I haven't bought from so I can't attest to their customer service. The only store I'm not a big fan of is HockeyMonkey. They have good prices and a good selection, but I've never been impressed by their pricing policy and customer service.

[glasdriver 1]

Question: I'm shopping for sticks and not seeing the "lie" - the angle of the blade to the stick. I used to use a 5 (shorter guy); most sticks came in 5 or 6. What's being used in place of lie these days?

[Utterkaos94 11]

The lie should be listed in the blade charts. Most blade curves still use a 5 or 6.

[glasdriver 1]

Feeling like a total newb at the selections. And, a bit overwhelmed at the prices of stuff these days! But, all probably very relative.

I played 5-6 nights a week in Denver (a great hockey town) in the late 70s and early 80s. Bought wooden sticks by the six-pack and would wear out a pair of skates every couple of years. We'd just been introduced to the Tuuk-style plastic blades and that was a huge improvement in performance over the all-steel blades. Sticks were about $8 each, Bauer Supreme skates about $160.

Great news is that ice time at our new rink is $10 per player (a bit over an hour of ice time), and I remember pick-up hockey in Denver being about $8 per hour after we all split the hourly rental.

[glasdriver 1]

Interesting... from what I'm seeing, the price of gear is about the same in Canada as in the USA. However, the US Dollar buys 1.4 Canadian Dollars. So, that's about a 30% discount and we're not too far from Canda.

Am I seeing this correctly? I'm thinking I'd be able to save a few bucks and at the same time, likely have a good selection to try fit/function at the same time.

[hawkeyfan 36]

As far as stick lie goes...stick lie is not sold like it once was and part of that is many makers have blades with some rocker in the sole. Not the flat bottoms one saw back in the 80's. What you will find is although brand A will have a similar curve to brand B. Sometimes you will notice a minor difference that you will like or dislike. Then you have shift profile shapes and grip/clear or matte shift finishes.

Sticks are super light and allow a player to do more with only one hand because of the lightness...but in many adult leagues the guys with heavier sticks use their heavier sticks to their advantage.

[DRR 112]

I was in the same boat as you, was out of the game for almost 15 years before coming back into it. I started using my older equipment but some was damaged from age and heat (kept in a hot attic) and had to be replaced anyway. At this point 6 months into playing again, I've replaced all my equipment except my skates, helmet, and visor. And shell for my girdle. Everything else is new.

I'm surprised at how quickly new equipment breaks in, versus what we used to use. (Even 15 years ago most of my equipment was about 10 years old... I hated getting rid of my orange and black Easton Air Donzis shoulders... but good god they were heavy and soaked up sweat.)

The change I'm most impressed with over my old equipment though, is my new Bauer one piece compression jock/sock holder. No more forgetting the garter or needing a penny to hold your socks up. In hindsight the old knit socks were terrible too.

Skates are probably the next upgrade. I'm sure I'll find a similar technological leap from my old Vapor 10s.

[althoma1 575]

Fit is the key for everything, but here are some products that have impressed me when I've tried them on (and I make it a point to try on almost every new high end product that comes out and take the chance to demo some as well. Eventually I'll buy some of my favourites, but usually after they've been out a couple years and start to be sold for clearance prices) and I'd recommend considering in each category:

Pants - Warrior Dynasty Girdle

Shins - CCM RBZ

Elbows - CCM RBZ or STX Surgeon 500 (2012 Warrior Projekts are my favourite, but they've been discontinued for over 2 years now and will be tough to find)

Shoulders - CCM RBZ, Bauer APX2, STX Surgeon 500

Gloves - STX Surgeon 500, Warrior QRL glove (not out until the Spring)

Skates - Easton Mako line (really need to be baked to get a feel for the fit) - there's a huge thread discussing the skate on this board. All models may be cleared out soon due to the recent purchase of Easton by Bauer (Performance Sports Group Ltd.)

Helmet - Bauer IMS 7.0, IMS 11.0 and Easton E700 are all comfortable for me, but no two heads are the same.

For sticks there are a lot of great options and you'll have to figure out your preference for flex, kickpoint ect. Going somewhere with a shooting range is a good idea for this - the best values are generally on 2 or 3 year old models that are being cleared out.

I'd definitely grab some new edge style socks if all you have is the old knit socks in your bag - the new socks are lighter and stay drier throughout the game. The 37.5 material Bauer uses for some of their high end under garments, socks and the lining of some of their equipment is also impressive.

Equipment prices definitely aren't cheap so if you don't have an unlimited budget then start with a few things that you find that fit you well and you can get for a good price and then upgrade other things as you can afford to or as the right deal comes along. I'm sure most of us would love to go on a big shopping spree and upgrade everything at once, but that's just not usually financially viable.

[Chadd 916]

Interesting... from what I'm seeing, the price of gear is about the same in Canada as in the USA. However, the US Dollar buys 1.4 Canadian Dollars. So, that's about a 30% discount and we're not too far from Canda.

Am I seeing this correctly? I'm thinking I'd be able to save a few bucks and at the same time, likely have a good selection to try fit/function at the same time.

The exchange rate would make that trip worthwhile. Honestly, every company has some fantastic gear right now and it's all pretty much light years ahead of where it was 25 years ago. It really will come down to what feels best to you and your preferences.

[glasdriver 1]

Many thanks for all of the advice!! Especially the steer to IceWarehouse.com.

I spent some time on the phone with Drew at IceWarehouse.com and they are shipping me a good selection of equipment to try, along with a Bauer stick that he felt would best match the characteristics of my old Christian Brothers. He gave me great pricing; probably feeling sorry for my old sorry rearend. ha.

Had my first skate today in over fifteen years and if felt GREAT. My skates, thankfully, are still a good fit. I was in jeans for the practice, with upper body and helmet protection for now. The first half-hour was a bit dicey, getting my balance back, but overall, was very amazed at how quickly balance returned. Almost like riding a bicycle, but clearly, strength needs some desperate attention. My legs did well, but shoulders and arms are the weak link.

Many years ago, I dreaded the after-summer-break return to hockey. For the first week, everything hurt, to the touch. Legs, arms, torso, just sore, sore, and more sore. Probably be like that for me this week (next skate is Wednesday), but I did remember a trick our trainer pulled and that is to take Alka Seltzer after a skate during the first week; I remember something about the bicarbonate neutralizing lactic acid or something like that. Fingers crossed that it still works.

[glasdriver 1]

I can't say enough great things about Ice Warehouse. I've been dealing with Drew via phone (three orders now) and he takes his time to discuss the equipment and recommend a good fit. Also, he's been giving me great pricing by phone.

On all three orders, they've shipped the same day the order is placed and I'm only two days from them via UPS Ground. Shipping's been free, with the exception of today's order where they had a $9.35 oversize charge to ship a CCM wheeled duffle to me.

Thanks again to all that helped me on figuring out new equipment.

[Chadd 916]

Glad to hear that it's working out so well. I always ended up with some pain/tightness in my lower back after a long layoff.