Time traveler - Some gear questions

[LauraPalmer 4]

Hello,

After a decade hiatus from hockey (and hockey gear nerding, I still remember doing the Easton toy drive and getting that yellow synergy grip!), I moved back to Minnesota and picked up the sport again this winter and have been hitting outdoor rinks most evenings. Connected with some old friends to do a spring league and am pumped! 

I had some trouble buying gear and felt a little out of my element, but just bought some basic stuff so I could start playing. I had a few questions regarding advancements to the gear that I was confused by when purchasing.

1) Stick curves - I played most of my life (kid, high school and club college) using a heel curve, Easton Drury. I picked up a Bauer stick in P28 and am struggling to adjust. What's the reason behind the huge migration towards toe curves? Finding my shots frequently sail and it's difficult to elevate on the backhand. Are toe curves objectively better in some way?

2) Skate Stiffness/Models - I went to my LHS and tried on a bunch of skates and ended up in Supreme 3S for the time being. Is the difference between the whole Bauer Supreme line esssentially stiffness in the high-end models? I found that sort of odd, but he was adament the only difference between S37, 3S, 3S Pro, Ultrasonic was the boot stifness and potentially some weight. 

3) Sparx/Skate Sharpening - This seems like a cool device, is this pretty much the standard nowadays rather than a human? I had my skates sharpened to 5/8 and boy did they feel closer to 1/2 or more. 

Thank you!

Formerly MN D Game way back on the old forums (and maybe this one). 

Also, if you bought some Jofa shin pads and 2 pairs of custom Sandy nylon gloves in 2012 at a garage sale in Minneapolis, there is reward for returning those 🙂

 

 

 

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by LauraPalmer
typo

[boo10 323]

Nice username.  Do you play for the PeterNorthstars? 😁

[LauraPalmer 4]

10 minutes ago, boo10 said:

Nice username.  Do you play for the PeterNorthstars? 😁

I had to Google that name...I don't...uh... My name is a reference to a TV show called Twin Peaks.

[boo10 323]

31 minutes ago, LauraPalmer said:

I had to Google that name...I don't...uh... My name is a reference to a TV show called Twin Peaks.

Ah... 49 year old me has no idea who Twin Peaks Laura Palmer is.  16 year old me definitely knows who the other Laura Palmer is. 🤣

[Vet88 674]

Try a P92 (Bauer) curve, the elevation thru the mid blade and toe might be closer to the Drury you used to use. My reasoning for toe curves is you provide a flatter surface for your passing but the shot slings off the toe for elevation in close. For boots it's not just the stiffness, they are made of different material (the stiffer the boot the more carbon fiber it has in it) and have other upgrades such as the tongue and a comfort edge and the steel. There are pluses and minuses to a Sparx but as long as the operator knows what they are doing, it removes the risk of uneven edges and uneven pressure from the operator (which leads to a ruined profile over time).

Edited January 18, 2022 by Vet88

[YesLanges 128]

10 hours ago, LauraPalmer said:

Also, if you bought some Jofa shin pads and 2 pairs of custom Sandy nylon gloves in 2012 at a garage sale in Minneapolis, there is reward for returning those

That's why I'm probably never gonna be able to sell my shit: you just never know...

 

 

[puckpilot 312]

12 hours ago, LauraPalmer said:

1) Stick curves - I played most of my life (kid, high school and club college) using a heel curve, Easton Drury. I picked up a Bauer stick in P28 and am struggling to adjust. What's the reason behind the huge migration towards toe curves? Finding my shots frequently sail and it's difficult to elevate on the backhand. Are toe curves objectively better in some way?

If there's a curve further away from a heel curve, it's probably the p28. 😛 To my understanding, the reason there's a migration towards the toe curve is because it's geared towards the snapshot, which is the most widely used shot in the show days.

I had similar issues when switching over to the p28 from the p29. The reason is, if you're use to having the puck on the heel when you start your shot, you're basically using a flat blade. Then if you're trying to use the curve part of blade, which is nearer the toe, it's basically a slingshot. It grabs the puck and if you're not use to it, it's up into the rafters.

Unfortunately, over the years, the selection of curves has dwindle. Other curves are available if you're willing to look, but there are really only three curves that you can count on a store having, the p88, the p29, and the p28. BUT, if you're willing to go through the process, custom sticks are now available from companies like Bauer for about the same price as a retail stick. Last time I checked, there was a 2 stick minimum. Unfortunately, with supply chains and stuff like that, there might be a long wait period. 

[helmet91 16]

I can't help with your questions...

That said, I'm rather jealous of you - and if my wife wins out I might follow your footsteps in a few years.  We're not exactly in an ice hockey hotbed over here and corona has wrecked the last two seasons (for my kids); and I haven't been able to play at all (after finally getting back into the game when we were in the DC area).  I think I've been on the ice (to include the fluke cold snap outdoor ice last winter) maybe eight or nine times over the last 24 months.  😞

Things will definitely change if we go back to MN.  Speaking of, can anyone direct me to a forum dealing with youth/JV/high school hockey in MN?  My oldest boys will probably be in 10th or 11th grade by the time we get back and I'm worried about their hockey opportunities trying to get on a team with kids that have been together since they were 5.  What happens if you don't make your school team??

/end thread highjack

[LauraPalmer 4]

8 hours ago, helmet91 said:

 

Things will definitely change if we go back to MN.  Speaking of, can anyone direct me to a forum dealing with youth/JV/high school hockey in MN?  My oldest boys will probably be in 10th or 11th grade by the time we get back and I'm worried about their hockey opportunities trying to get on a team with kids that have been together since they were 5.  What happens if you don't make your school team??

/end thread highjack

http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=40

If you don't make the school team, Junior Gold is the main alternative as far as I know. Nothing really to be worried about, there's plenty of teams/leagues out there.

[Davideo 99]

With respect to curves, either get used to a new one or fight the trends via custom, pro-stock, two-pieces, etc. It just got to annoying for me to find PM9s so I transitioned to an 88.

As far as why the push to toe curves, the old man in me will shake my fist on the porch and drone on about kids these days just wanting to toe drag and then go bar down in tight to the net. The pragmatist in me will just adjust to a new curve and then be sure to duck if I'm behind the net and a young gun is winding up in the slot.

[bl4 39]

I'm with you in missing the heel curves.  I'd check out pro stock options (Sideline Swap, Prostockhockey, etc.) or try Prostockhockeysticks.com, which (last I recall) was selling both a Drury and a Lidstrom clone (and also allows for custom orders).

As others have noted, I think the turn to toe curves is a product of shifts in shooting styles, and - as time goes by - perhaps also a shift in what people grew up using or what they see the pros using.  To me, it's not dissimilar to what's happened with stick flexes, where shops used to stock 85, 100, and 105/110, and now those numbers have gone down markedly, with sticks in the 70s all over the place.  I'd say try out the toe curves, whippy sticks, etc. and see if you like them.  If not, it's gotten a lot easier to find pro stock options online that offer specs less common at retail.  (With the important caveat that more options online also means more sellers who might not be trustworthy.)

[caveman27 208]

On 1/18/2022 at 11:54 AM, LauraPalmer said:

Hello,

After a decade hiatus from hockey (and hockey gear nerding, I still remember doing the Easton toy drive and getting that yellow synergy grip!), I moved back to Minnesota and picked up the sport again this winter and have been hitting outdoor rinks most evenings. Connected with some old friends to do a spring league and am pumped! 

I had some trouble buying gear and felt a little out of my element, but just bought some basic stuff so I could start playing. I had a few questions regarding advancements to the gear that I was confused by when purchasing.

1) Stick curves - I played most of my life (kid, high school and club college) using a heel curve, Easton Drury. I picked up a Bauer stick in P28 and am struggling to adjust. What's the reason behind the huge migration towards toe curves? Finding my shots frequently sail and it's difficult to elevate on the backhand. Are toe curves objectively better in some way?

Heel curve is still around, but toe curve and mid toe curves are more popular. Check out Pro Stock Hockey. https://www.prostockhockey.com/player-sticks/?&search_query=player-sticks&filter=Curve_fq:"Heel"&rows=20&start=0

 

Regular sharpening of skates is still around and needed for re-profiling, changing ROH, balancing unequal blades and sharpening of new blades. SPARX is mainly meant as an easy and automated way to sharpen blades. It's also nice way to avoid a bozo noob from ruining your skates right before a game.

[YesLanges 128]

You can just have your own custom stick made, and cheaper than most retail sticks you'd probably be considering; and you can pick your length, curve (including heel curves), flex, kickpoint, and even weight and graphics: https://customhockeysticks.ca/#

Things have changed a lot since the late1980s when I had to send my last broken Reggie Leach Koho 221 to Christian Bros for them to make Superlight 5000s for me with a one-dozen minimum after Koho stopped carrying them. I think I was paying about $125 per dozen and that seemed like a lot back then. I sold about 6 unused and about 6 used ones on eBay a few years ago (after almost tossing them out as trash), for about $300.

Edited January 20, 2022 by YesLanges

[epstud74 24]

I bought all the P40 curves at my LHS last fall.  I still have a few P92 and P88 curves left, including a couple Stealth CNT’s that haven’t ever left my closet.