Jump to content

Let's Talk Skates


Recommended Posts

Yes- I did my "Cowlings!"  thread about my Cowling installation on my formerly cowlingless skates. I even went into why I delved back into cowlings. 

After my recent experience with cowlingless skates, I think that they are a SHAM. 

Examining the internals of my VH skates, I saw red padding in the toes; a much thicker version of the inner insoles is in the toes. I don't know what type of foam this is. Red padding in the toes may help the skate fit more snugly, but it does not make up extra cladding for protection.

I make my living from intact feet. After catching an ex-college (possibly?) shot in the ball of my foot, I was in a WORLD of PAIN. I have no way of knowing who shot at my feet; all I know is that I thought I had broken part of my bloody foot!!! I was scared that I was going to have to give up my side job for a few weeks; I NEED that side job!!!!

I am nearly 45 years old- don't need to be tough. I need to provide for myself and a chronically ill spouse. Being "tough" is what you tell a pro who is getting PAID to stop burning rubber at 108 mph.  I am not getting paid, nor should I be treated like one who gets paid!!!

I am back with a cowling. I may not move like I did without a cowling; who bloody well cares?!? I am protected. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 345
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Bunnyman sad that this happened to you with your new VH 2 piece skates!

Do we know if Bauer's cowling less skates are supposed to better padded in the inside of the foot? If we look at most Mfg's they offer very little protection on the sides of their top of the line skates (CCM/Graf) with their shaved out Cowlings. But you also seem to be referencing the toe cap area, I do believe that Bauer's cowlingless skates have a reinforced toe area.   I am sure that the bigger Mfg's will end improving the overall protection of these skates, take a look what CCM is using in their CA and gloves for this year, forget the acronym but a layer of this on the inside of your boot might be what is needed?

Hope you are OK and good luck with your skate mod, keep us informed!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't doubt that the toe cap is reinforced on the VH skates. But just like the old form fit masques with little to no (figurative) daylight (with foam) between the masque and the face, the lack of space between the foot and the toe cap is what contributed to me feeling that shot. I think I would have felt that shot in a cowled skate; it just would have been less because there would have been space between the foot and the puck. 

I did not have much of a visible bruise, but nine days after getting the shot, it is still somewhat tender to the touch. I can now move my toe without too much stiffness. 

Everybody is free to try what they wish. I just implore you to think hard about your playing style before doffing the cowlings. If your cowlings have a LOT of puck marks, you may want to reconsider going cowlingless. 

Six ounces of rubber can certainly do a LOT of damage- think HARD about what is between you and that little but lethal disc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just don't get this craze.  I mean for pros where each miligram in weight matters sure.  but for us beer leaguers where going to work the next day is more important. it just doesn't make sense.  

 

I'm hoping gear is going to start going back to "old school" if companies making wood  sticks again is a sign.  having the best of the best isn't important to me, being able to afford things and be protected is.   if i cant have both i'll give up playing. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't understand the craze either. One look at how chewed up my Bauer cowlings were on my One60's and there was no choice in my getting cowlings for my VH skates. If I had the money to replace them every year, then why not? But unfortunately I'll never be that rich.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, grizzlygoalie said:

I just don't get this craze.  I mean for pros where each miligram in weight matters sure.  but for us beer leaguers where going to work the next day is more important. it just doesn't make sense.  

 

I'm hoping gear is going to start going back to "old school" if companies making wood  sticks again is a sign.  having the best of the best isn't important to me, being able to afford things and be protected is.   if i cant have both i'll give up playing. 

I am buying three wooden sticks during every sale.

If it were me, I would also buy several sets of cowlings and write companies telling them that this is NOT an advance, but just a new way to HURT goalies. 

Do NOT give up playing!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, parebele said:

I don't understand the craze either. One look at how chewed up my Bauer cowlings were on my One60's and there was no choice in my getting cowlings for my VH skates. If I had the money to replace them every year, then why not? But unfortunately I'll never be that rich.

Get cowlings that fit the boots. I will NEVER go cowling free AGAIN!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Mike24 said:

I took a shot to my arch,  with my cowling skates. It hurt like a bitch.  I don't think I'd try these new style skates. 

I have taken that shot. I bloody well CAN'T imagine that shot WITHOUT a cowling!

Stay safe. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Generally speaking, early-adaptation can be a risky (read expensive) pastime, especially with what I call “experimental stuff”. NHL goalies (and the privileged few non-pros who can act as testers) get all this stuff for free – I bet half of them have no clue of the real cost of their super-customized equipment. Ultimately, if stuff doesn’t work (for them), they toss it like an old shoe and get something else super customized made to try (again for free). Hell, how many times do you see pro return stuff for sale where a goalie has used it one practice and said “nope”. Who here can afford to do that? (I suspect a lot of these type of sales are made to the young goalies who can convince their “bill-footing” parents that this stuff is “the thing” because goalie X from the Y NHL team said it is).

Even with goaltending techniques, since my return ~5 years ago, I have been very selective of what I adopt into my game. If it appears to be useful I will start to incorporate it into my old-school style. Good example is the VH-RVH – still seems to be controversy as to its efficacy. I sparingly use a modified version of the VH that suits my creaky, semi-immobile body.

In all cases, the weighting need to be made as to, if something it the latest and greatest for some, will it work for you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ghostender said:

Generally speaking, early-adaptation can be a risky (read expensive) pastime, especially with what I call “experimental stuff”. NHL goalies (and the privileged few non-pros who can act as testers) get all this stuff for free – I bet half of them have no clue of the real cost of their super-customized equipment. Ultimately, if stuff doesn’t work (for them), they toss it like an old shoe and get something else super customized made to try (again for free). Hell, how many times do you see pro return stuff for sale where a goalie has used it one practice and said “nope”. Who here can afford to do that? (I suspect a lot of these type of sales are made to the young goalies who can convince their “bill-footing” parents that this stuff is “the thing” because goalie X from the Y NHL team said it is).

Even with goaltending techniques, since my return ~5 years ago, I have been very selective of what I adopt into my game. If it appears to be useful I will start to incorporate it into my old-school style. Good example is the VH-RVH – still seems to be controversy as to its efficacy. I sparingly use a modified version of the VH that suits my creaky, semi-immobile body.

In all cases, the weighting need to be made as to, if something it the latest and greatest for some, will it work for you?

At least up until True bought VH, those skates were bought on the PLAYER'S dime, from my understanding. I had a conversation with Tommy Wingels last summer (in a turned inside out Sharks jersey), and his quote was "Great skates, but MAN are they expensive!". That being said, VH may be supplying skates these days.

Really- I had no choice when buying the VH skates. You either bought the VH two piece or one piece goal skates. You got them either with VH/Step holders or you could order with Bauer's Vertexx holder. I suppose I could have ordered them as a loose boot, and will the next time I order. VH were the only custom made skate that I knew could not get screwed up. Fit is a MAJOR issue for me, as I have the widest forefoot with the narrowest heel.  So many times I have seen "garbage in, garbage out" with custom orders when it comes to dealers taking the measurements, so Bauer was out. 

Taking a shot directly to the toe wasn't horrible, heel wasn't bad, but the ball of the foot was excruciating! I wondered where I was going to feel shots. I definitely felt like I was experimenting. The experiment failed. The good thing, however, is that the combo of the clad skate AND the cowling should render my feet relatively pain-free (for the most part). 

I do not disagree with what you had said AT ALL, otherwise. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wait, you're taking shots off of your heel too?  How the fuck are you managing to do that?  I don't even remember the last time I got hit on my foot other than straight on the toe.  And even that is just when I am down and have to kick my foot out in either direction to make a save.  Do you still turn your foot and expose the inside to make an old school kick save or are all of these oddball impacts with the foot just accident?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bunnyman:

To be clear – my comments weren’t meant to be a knock on your purchase, so I hope it wasn’t taken as such in any way, shape or form.

I have followed this thread from square one and you named your reasons as to why you required a custom boot and why you went with VH – all providing a logical sequence you took to your final choice.

What grinds me is the fact that your only “mistake” was believing the seller was providing you with what you expected: a goalie skate that, regardless of player style, is expected at least some of the time to protect your foot. The assumption is that, despite the fact it doesn’t have a cowling, being labeled a goalie skate, it should perform in the same as any other. Kind of reminds of the Ford Pinto and Firestone 721 tires.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

Wait, you're taking shots off of your heel too?  How the fuck are you managing to do that?  I don't even remember the last time I got hit on my foot other than straight on the toe.  And even that is just when I am down and have to kick my foot out in either direction to make a save.  Do you still turn your foot and expose the inside to make an old school kick save or are all of these oddball impacts with the foot just accident?

They try to bank it in off of my heel, though I do make the occasional skate save.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ghostender said:

Bunnyman:

 

To be clear – my comments weren’t meant to be a knock on your purchase, so I hope it wasn’t taken as such in any way, shape or form.

 

I have followed this thread from square one and you named your reasons as to why you required a custom boot and why you went with VH – all providing a logical sequence you took to your final choice.

 

What grinds me is the fact that your only “mistake” was believing the seller was providing you with what you expected: a goalie skate that, regardless of player style, is expected at least some of the time to protect your foot. The assumption is that, despite the fact it doesn’t have a cowling, being labeled a goalie skate, it should perform in the same as any other. Kind of reminds of the Ford Pinto and Firestone 721 tires.

 

I did not take it that way at all!

I also agree that my mistake was the expectation of foot protection.

We are in agreement!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not for nothing but I'm pretty sure these skates are made for a style of play that doesn't really leave the foot vulnerable to these types of injuries.  Granted, you can't help assholes trying to bank it off your feet from behind the net but if you're going to purposefully turn your foot to make these kinds of classic skate saves then you shouldn't be in a skate without a cowling.  They're not meant for that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

Not for nothing but I'm pretty sure these skates are made for a style of play that doesn't really leave the foot vulnerable to these types of injuries.  Granted, you can't help assholes trying to bank it off your feet from behind the net but if you're going to purposefully turn your foot to make these kinds of classic skate saves then you shouldn't be in a skate without a cowling.  They're not meant for that.

The skate save was not intentional. Just was how it went. Oddly enough, the shot that hurt me was not a skate save!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

... but if you're going to purposefully turn your foot to make these kinds of classic skate saves then you shouldn't be in a skate without a cowling.  They're not meant for that.

While I understand what your saying, it doesn't make sense to me. Suppose a hardcore "I'm gonna butterfly on everything" goalie finds himself down and out with the only option being to stretch out a foot to block a shot - does he hold back because the skate wasn't designed for that?

If the skate is not going to withstand a whack off say the instep, than at the least,  the manufacturer needs to put a proviso on the  product.

But then it becomes like the note in the back windows of a Corvair - "Do not roll down over 55 mph". Not really a solution...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Ghostender said:

While I understand what your saying, it doesn't make sense to me. Suppose a hardcore "I'm gonna butterfly on everything" goalie finds himself down and out with the only option being to stretch out a foot to block a shot - does he hold back because the skate wasn't designed for that?

If the skate is not going to withstand a whack off say the instep, than at the least,  the manufacturer needs to put a proviso on the  product.

But then it becomes like the note in the back windows of a Corvair - "Do not roll down over 55 mph". Not really a solution...

Well what you said directly goes against what I posted.  A "hard core butterfly" goalie who goes to make a desperation move like you described isn't going to make a habit of purposefully opening his foot to the puck.  Its just that, a desperation save.  Shit happens sometimes.  If that was the case with Bunny then so be it.  But the way he mentioned taking shots off the heel and then the ball of the foot it sounds as if he is purposefully using his foot to make saves which is why I asked him to clarify.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

Well what you said directly goes against what I posted.  A "hard core butterfly" goalie who goes to make a desperation move like you described isn't going to make a habit of purposefully opening his foot to the puck.  Its just that, a desperation save.  Shit happens sometimes.  If that was the case with Bunny then so be it.  But the way he mentioned taking shots off the heel and then the ball of the foot it sounds as if he is purposefully using his foot to make saves which is why I asked him to clarify.

The skate save is my very last of save selection, and usually happens when I misjudged a shot! Now that I have cowlings that support that move, I may just start using that move! 

:P 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bunnyman WOW from one extreme to another - well at least your footsies will be well protected and comfortable as well.  What a ride with your VH skate purchase I was about to pull the trigger on a pair for my son around the same time you did but I have a hard time buying things without seeing them or trying them.  Also if I would have had acces to their foot scanning system I probably would have made the purchase, let us know how the boot ages! How many times a week do you play?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Big2 said:

Bunnyman WOW from one extreme to another - well at least your footsies will be well protected and comfortable as well.  What a ride with your VH skate purchase I was about to pull the trigger on a pair for my son around the same time you did but I have a hard time buying things without seeing them or trying them.  Also if I would have had acces to their foot scanning system I probably would have made the purchase, let us know how the boot ages! How many times a week do you play?

I play once per week mostly. 

The boots fit WONDERFULLY.

I took a hard shot last Sunday and it was better.

Of course I will update on how it ages.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...