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Does anyone know if the Vasilevskiy foot injury is from a shot he took to the foot, or something else? 

There's so much less foot protection from the way pads are strapped these days, the shallow boots, pads sitting higher due to the lundy loop or no boot strap at all, how loose the toe ties are...Condon comes to mind (below).  Usually it's a non-issue due to the angles, and granted much of the prior protection was superfluous, but I'm wondering if maybe Vasilevskiy opened up for a second and took a puck off the skate...?

Condon example:

image.png.27b3c9b4c31df25c711a029bd3c0c144.png

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This is one of the reasons I've been such a proponent of the custom skate route. Although I can't tell if this is an option in Trues and the custom Bauer/CCM option is looking more and more prohibitively expensive, the +1 sized toe cap on my 1S's was probably the best feature I had added. 

I already like the Bauer toe cap for the design to dissipate impact on the toes, then that extra little room helps even more. I've taken plenty hard shots off the toe with no pain at all. 

Now, I don't open up to shots other than little chip shots in tight on scrambles, so I don't need the cowling. I do hope that the cowling doesn't go away completely though, feels like graf/Vaughn etc will keep that option out there. 

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1 minute ago, Mroy31 said:

This is one of the reasons I've been such a proponent of the custom skate route. Although I can't tell if this is an option in Trues and the custom Bauer/CCM option is looking more and more prohibitively expensive, the +1 sized toe cap on my 1S's was probably the best feature I had added. 

I already like the Bauer toe cap for the design to dissipate impact on the toes, then that extra little room helps even more. I've taken plenty hard shots off the toe with no pain at all. 

Now, I don't open up to shots other than little chip shots in tight on scrambles, so I don't need the cowling. I do hope that the cowling doesn't go away completely though, feels like graf/Vaughn etc will keep that option out there. 

I understand that the game is continuously evolving, but it's a shame that the purists are being counted out. Soon, finding a traditional skate or any other traditional piece of equipment will be a treasure hunt and will drive used gear prices up cause of demand :( 

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On 11/17/2018 at 2:53 PM, RichMan said:

I understand that the game is continuously evolving, but it's a shame that the purists are being counted out. Soon, finding a traditional skate or any other traditional piece of equipment will be a treasure hunt and will drive used gear prices up cause of demand :( 

If you want the benefit of a cowling without sacrificing the benefits of the increased attack angles, try the CCM AS1's. Add some Step Steel and it's everything you could ask for.

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On 11/17/2018 at 10:05 PM, BauerHockey47 said:

If you want the benefit of a cowling without sacrificing the benefits of the increased attack angles, try the CCM AS1's. Add some Step Steel and it's everything you could ask for.

If you custom order them from CCM, will the AS1 "Attack Cowling" actually be matched in size to the boot for smaller skates? The stock size 6.5 skate had the toe cap piece about 1-1.5" in front of the actual toe of the boot, which also made the blade that much longer. I'd want it to be relatively flush, like the toe cap is on Grafs, with a shorter blade to match.

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On 11/17/2018 at 9:05 PM, BauerHockey47 said:

If you want the benefit of a cowling without sacrificing the benefits of the increased attack angles, try the CCM AS1's. Add some Step Steel and it's everything you could ask for.

Pretty much my exact set up right now. I came from using Bauer cowlingless skates w/ Tydan blades, and the attack angle is up there for sure. 

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6 hours ago, Teezle said:

If you custom order them from CCM, will the AS1 "Attack Cowling" actually be matched in size to the boot for smaller skates? The stock size 6.5 skate had the toe cap piece about 1-1.5" in front of the actual toe of the boot, which also made the blade that much longer. I'd want it to be relatively flush, like the toe cap is on Grafs, with a shorter blade to match.

I'm not sure I can answer your question because I do not have custom AS1's. I bought the stock size that fit me before CCM announced a custom option. As far as the size skate I have, the cowling does in fact match the size of the boot. If I understand your question correctly, you prefer the size of the skate blade on Graf cowlings compared to traditional cowlings which extend slightly beyond the heel and toe of the skate. I doubt ordering custom AS1's would change that. Your best bet would be to put Graf cowlings on the AS1 boot, but then you'd be sacrificing the attack angle unless you can get the new Graf cowlings that Carey Price is using or has used.

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36 minutes ago, BauerHockey47 said:

Your best bet would be to put Graf cowlings on the AS1 boot, but then you'd be sacrificing the attack angle unless you can get the new Graf cowlings that Carey Price is using or has used.

Just FYI, this isnt commercially available (yet?) from Graf but an easy mod to the stock Graf pro cowlings (about $60 for cowlings at goalie monkey). All you need is a Dremel or high power sander to grind down the inside “ball of foot” area of each cowling. I used a Dremel and it was pretty quick work. The Graf guys actually do this mod manually for pros as well with a belt sander.

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3 hours ago, dstew29 said:

Just FYI, this isnt commercially available (yet?) from Graf but an easy mod to the stock Graf pro cowlings (about $60 for cowlings at goalie monkey). All you need is a Dremel or high power sander to grind down the inside “ball of foot” area of each cowling. I used a Dremel and it was pretty quick work. The Graf guys actually do this mod manually for pros as well with a belt sander.

I have no idea whether it's available at retail or not, but you're certainly right that it can be done as a DIY mod.

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14 hours ago, BauerHockey47 said:

I'm not sure I can answer your question because I do not have custom AS1's. I bought the stock size that fit me before CCM announced a custom option. As far as the size skate I have, the cowling does in fact match the size of the boot. If I understand your question correctly, you prefer the size of the skate blade on Graf cowlings compared to traditional cowlings which extend slightly beyond the heel and toe of the skate. I doubt ordering custom AS1's would change that. Your best bet would be to put Graf cowlings on the AS1 boot, but then you'd be sacrificing the attack angle unless you can get the new Graf cowlings that Carey Price is usinor has used.

My concern is that when I tried the stock CCM AS1's in my size, it looked like they didn't make a (stock) holder small enough for my size skate - i.e. they put a size 6.5 skate in a size 8 holder, which made the whole skate feel too long to me. I might try the sanding down a Graf cowling that @BauerHockey47 talked about and see how that works out. Thanks for the info!

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3 minutes ago, Teezle said:

 I might try the sanding down a Graf cowling that @BauerHockey47 talked about and see how that works out. Thanks for the info!

If you have Instagram just check out Graf Hockey's page and there are a bunch of pics showing the "Price Mod" that they've done to their stock cowling. Here one from the other day:

image.thumb.png.3e66e9de09e282a6a94caeb97bc22c1d.png

Couple other tips since I've done this already:

-Graf cowlings are 25% off right now on Goalie Monkey https://www.goaliemonkey.com/catalog/product/view/id/299713

-Probably easiest to grab a basic Dremel if you don't have one (~$30 at any hardware store or Walmart) but make sure it the below grinding bit (the other bits dont work as well) or else just buy it as an add on (~$3) https://www.lowes.com/pd/Dremel-Aluminum-Oxide-Grinding-Bit/50015926

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9 hours ago, Teezle said:

My concern is that when I tried the stock CCM AS1's in my size, it looked like they didn't make a (stock) holder small enough for my size skate - i.e. they put a size 6.5 skate in a size 8 holder, which made the whole skate feel too long to me. I might try the sanding down a Graf cowling that @BauerHockey47 talked about and see how that works out. Thanks for the info!

I'm shocked to hear that CCM had a size 6.5 boot in a size 8 holder. I'm not a CCM rep, nor do I work in the industry, but my understanding is that cowlings always fit the size of the boot and any variation, if any, would be half sizes (and even that I doubt). I don't understand why the store you visited had the mismatching skates that you tried on. (The visual I am picturing of the mismatching cowlings looks quite ridiculous.) What I can say is my size 9 AS1's have cowlings that perfectly fit the stock boot. But if you prefer the Grab cowlings, generally, you may want to consider the mod discussed in this thread for an increased attack angle. Good luck!

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14 hours ago, BauerHockey47 said:

I'm shocked to hear that CCM had a size 6.5 boot in a size 8 holder. I'm not a CCM rep, nor do I work in the industry, but my understanding is that cowlings always fit the size of the boot and any variation, if any, would be half sizes (and even that I doubt). I don't understand why the store you visited had the mismatching skates that you tried on. (The visual I am picturing of the mismatching cowlings looks quite ridiculous.) What I can say is my size 9 AS1's have cowlings that perfectly fit the stock boot. But if you prefer the Grab cowlings, generally, you may want to consider the mod discussed in this thread for an increased attack angle. Good luck!

I don't know if it was specifically a size 8 holder because I didn't check the size, but it seemed much larger than it should have been for a size 6.5 boot. I'm happy to try any (or no) cowling, and was specifically trying on skates because I'd heard good things about the cowling-less ones - but I want the toe of the blade to match up where the toe of the boot and the toes of my feet actually are. Any benefit from the new skate technology would probably be lost from the blade being too long for my foot. Maybe they had a weird mismatched pair at the goaliemonkey store, but it's made me wary. I'll give them another try on when I'm back up in Dallas again.

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2 hours ago, Teezle said:

I don't know if it was specifically a size 8 holder because I didn't check the size, but it seemed much larger than it should have been for a size 6.5 boot. I'm happy to try any (or no) cowling, and was specifically trying on skates because I'd heard good things about the cowling-less ones - but I want the toe of the blade to match up where the toe of the boot and the toes of my feet actually are. Any benefit from the new skate technology would probably be lost from the blade being too long for my foot. Maybe they had a weird mismatched pair at the goaliemonkey store, but it's made me wary. I'll give them another try on when I'm back up in Dallas again. 

That's weird. They definitely make the Attack holder in sizes from 6 to 12. There should be a little number printed near the front of the holder, just above the screw, which denotes the size of your holder. Let us know what it says. A 6.5 holder should be in a 6 holder. 

Pic of CCM sizing per their 2018 catalog attached.

attack_holder.png.7ce86d48328b1483e142a8b55fedd7b1.png

Did the skate "feel" long when you skate on it? Or does it actually have a big gap between the toe cap of the skate and the cowling? CCM's seem to have a long profile. When I first skated on my CCM RBZs, coming from a Graf 7500, I felt like I was skating with skis on.

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34 minutes ago, ZeroGravitas said:

That's weird. They definitely make the Attack holder in sizes from 6 to 12. There should be a little number printed near the front of the holder, just above the screw, which denotes the size of your holder. Let us know what it says. A 6.5 holder should be in a 6 holder. 

Pic of CCM sizing per their 2018 catalog attached.

attack_holder.png.7ce86d48328b1483e142a8b55fedd7b1.png

Did the skate "feel" long when you skate on it? Or does it actually have a big gap between the toe cap of the skate and the cowling? CCM's seem to have a long profile. When I first skated on my CCM RBZs, coming from a Graf 7500, I felt like I was skating with skis on.

This one; there was 1-1.5 inches of air in between them. I didn't buy them, so I can't directly confirm the holder size. Like I said, it could be that I got a weirdly mismatched pair. My first pair of goalie skates were CCM Tacks and I remember the holder being properly sized on them, so it's looking more and more like this was a one-off mismatch. Good to know!

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26 minutes ago, Teezle said:

This one; there was 1-1.5 inches of air in between them. I didn't buy them, so I can't directly confirm the holder size. Like I said, it could be that I got a weirdly mismatched pair. My first pair of goalie skates were CCM Tacks and I remember the holder being properly sized on them, so it's looking more and more like this was a one-off mismatch. Good to know!

Gravitas nice work - Teezle if I am not mistaken both CCM/Bauer have 1 holder size for two skate/boot sizes

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On 11/17/2018 at 11:05 PM, BauerHockey47 said:

If you want the benefit of a cowling without sacrificing the benefits of the increased attack angles, try the CCM AS1's. Add some Step Steel and it's everything you could ask for.

I don't want the extra height. I'm feeling plenty of stress on my hips, knees and ankles when recovering from a b-fly with my Bauer X700 skates w LS5 blades. I'm giving it a good try but it's not getting any easier. I don't have the joint flex of a 18 year old anymore.

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On 11/20/2018 at 9:25 AM, Teezle said:

My concern is that when I tried the stock CCM AS1's in my size, it looked like they didn't make a (stock) holder small enough for my size skate - i.e. they put a size 6.5 skate in a size 8 holder, which made the whole skate feel too long to me. I might try the sanding down a Graf cowling that @BauerHockey47 talked about and see how that works out. Thanks for the info!

I hope they're not pulling a Vaughn skates like approach to cowlings? Cutting corners to save production spending isn't always the best way to go, nor in the best interest of the client.

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