Goalie Stores in Minneapolis

[Teezle]

What hockey store in Minneapolis has the best goalie gear selection? I will be there this weekend visiting friends and since there are no big hockey stores near me, it seems like a good opportunity.

[wox33]

A couple of the Pure Hockey's have a decent selection. I believe the one closest to Mall of America is the one I usually stop at. The Bauer experience store can be hit or miss if they have stuff in stock or not but that is all Bauer. There's also a smaller shop that is attached to one of the rinks that had a surprising amount of goalie stuff called General Sports. Stauber's Goal Crease also has a decent selection of CCM and Vaughn.

 

 

Edited November 14, 2022 by wox33
forgot one

[Teezle]

17 minutes ago, wox33 said:

A couple of the Pure Hockey's have a decent selection. I believe the one closest to Mall of America is the one I usually stop at. The Bauer experience store can be hit or miss if they have stuff in stock or not but that is all Bauer. There's also a smaller shop that is attached to one of the rinks that had a surprising amount of goalie stuff called General Sports. Stauber's Goal Crease also has a decent selection of CCM and Vaughn.

 

 

Is this the one in Edina, west of the MSP airport?

[wox33]

21 minutes ago, Teezle said:

Is this the one in Edina, west of the MSP airport?

Yes, I believe that is the one.

[WONGER]

For all the brands Pure is going to have the most, specifically the one off 35w and 494.  Staubers is great if you're set on the brands they carry and want to support one of the smaller local spots.  Across the way attached to Bremar Arena General is great to work with too. A buddy of mine just got some True customs there and they've gone up to bat for him to make sure his feet get the perfect skate.  True's sending one of their fitters since his feet are so shot (fully collapsed arches).  

 

[TDS-MN]

21 hours ago, wox33 said:

Yes, I believe that is the one.

Roseville location, on the other side of town, is pretty well stocked with Goalie stuff also.

[Teezle]

My unofficial first impressions of stock gear based on what I tried on at the store: most of it is terrible. Even the stuff where the custom gear is made offshore in the same place as stock, the stock gear felt much more poorly constructed. There were a few bright points.

Brian's:

Optik 3 blocker felt nose heavy; the balance is too far towards the fingertips. Optik 3 Glove was absolutely horrendous, possibly the worst glove I tried on off the shelf; felt like you were holding a large cylinder in your hand at the break area. GNetik glove was pretty good - easy to close off the shelf and didn't have anything weird sitting in the break.

CCM:

Axis 2 blocker was probably the best balanced blocker I tried on. Very comfortable and good finger protection. Axis 2 glove (591 angle with the no finger stalls) was awful - I see no reason why anyone would purchase it given the other options available. 

True:

The offshore stock 12.2 glove (600 break) was alright. Game ready was easy to close off the shelf, but the materials felt cheaper than the Canadian made version. The offshore stock 12.2 blocker was fine, except that the thumb placement seemed to be made for people with weirdly proportioned hands whose thumbs are closer to their wrists? I was also not a fan of the suregrip on the blocker palm because it was very very stiff. The offshore 12.2 pads looked well constructed, but the knee block was very loosely attached.

Vaughn:

I have never liked Vaughn blockers or gloves, and did not get any surprises. What did surprise me was how soft the thigh rise on the SLR3 pads was - significantly softer than the offshore 12.2 even though it is supposed to be Vaughn's "stiff" pad.

Bauer:

I currently use a full Bauer setup and really like it (Mach pads + glove, Vapor 2-Piece [i.e. old 1X style] blocker). The Hyperlite blocker is great if you like the thin board style. The Mach blocker felt okay to me, but nothing special. Not sure that removing the cuff portion really makes it more open than say the half-piece cuff for CCM or True.

Warrior:

G6 blocker felt very clunky with its super flat board shape. G6 glove was easy to close off the shelf and has a large open pocket, but felt lacking in protection.

 

[ilyazhito]

13 hours ago, Teezle said:

My unofficial first impressions of stock gear based on what I tried on at the store: most of it is terrible. Even the stuff where the custom gear is made offshore in the same place as stock, the stock gear felt much more poorly constructed. There were a few bright points.

Brian's:

Optik 3 blocker felt nose heavy; the balance is too far towards the fingertips. Optik 3 Glove was absolutely horrendous, possibly the worst glove I tried on off the shelf; felt like you were holding a large cylinder in your hand at the break area. GNetik glove was pretty good - easy to close off the shelf and didn't have anything weird sitting in the break.

CCM:

Axis 2 blocker was probably the best balanced blocker I tried on. Very comfortable and good finger protection. Axis 2 glove (591 angle with the no finger stalls) was awful - I see no reason why anyone would purchase it given the other options available. 

True:

The offshore stock 12.2 glove (600 break) was alright. Game ready was easy to close off the shelf, but the materials felt cheaper than the Canadian made version. The offshore stock 12.2 blocker was fine, except that the thumb placement seemed to be made for people with weirdly proportioned hands whose thumbs are closer to their wrists? I was also not a fan of the suregrip on the blocker palm because it was very very stiff. The offshore 12.2 pads looked well constructed, but the knee block was very loosely attached.

Vaughn:

I have never liked Vaughn blockers or gloves, and did not get any surprises. What did surprise me was how soft the thigh rise on the SLR3 pads was - significantly softer than the offshore 12.2 even though it is supposed to be Vaughn's "stiff" pad.

Bauer:

I currently use a full Bauer setup and really like it (Mach pads + glove, Vapor 2-Piece [i.e. old 1X style] blocker). The Hyperlite blocker is great if you like the thin board style. The Mach blocker felt okay to me, but nothing special. Not sure that removing the cuff portion really makes it more open than say the half-piece cuff for CCM or True.

Warrior:

G6 blocker felt very clunky with its super flat board shape. G6 glove was easy to close off the shelf and has a large open pocket, but felt lacking in protection.

 

Wow. Now I know not to look for Warrior, if the gloves are not that protective.

 

I knew that Lefebvre gloves have historically sucked, especially at the non-pro level. I'm curious what was bad about the True 12.2 and Axis gloves.

[Teezle]

9 hours ago, ilyazhito said:

Wow. Now I know not to look for Warrior, if the gloves are not that protective.

 

I knew that Lefebvre gloves have historically sucked, especially at the non-pro level. I'm curious what was bad about the True 12.2 and Axis gloves.

I actually liked the True glove, but compared to the Canadian made version that I felt, the internals were not as plush. It is nice that they offer a stock 600 break, instead of just the usual 590 that you saw from them in the past. If I had to give my glove recommendations based only on this visit, I would rank them as: Bauer (Mach if 600, Hyperlite if 590) > Brian's GNetik V > True 600 > Vaughn SLR3 > Warrior G6 > CCM Axis 2 > Brian's Optik 3. That said, gloves are definitely one of the most personal pieces of gear, so your preferences may be different.

The Axis 2 glove I tried had the new 591 break and no finger stalls. There was never a position I could orient my fingers in it that gave me a solid grip to close it; whatever material is in the finger area felt almost like a memory foam, and no matter how hard I squeezed my hand my fingers just sank into it instead of pulling the glove closed. Because there are no finger stalls to keep your hand in place, it also felt like if you were to use it in a game, your fingers would shift inside the glove all the time, taking it away from your preferred position to close it. I don't want to have to think about re-orienting my hand inside the glove every time I move it. The straps for securing your backhand and wrist were awkwardly placed and uncomfortable. 

[WONGER]

Here's me in a full G6.1 kit playing with NHL players.  The Warrior glove is plenty protective. 

 

 

 

 

[coopaloop1234]

11 hours ago, ilyazhito said:

Wow. Now I know not to look for Warrior, if the gloves are not that protective.

 

I knew that Lefebvre gloves have historically sucked, especially at the non-pro level. I'm curious what was bad about the True 12.2 and Axis gloves.

Yea, not sure what Teezle is smoking, but Warrior gloves are ridiculously protective. 

My senior GT (before hypercomp) was more protective than my one95, 2S, LT90, and CCM I've used. The GT2 Pro and G5 Pro, both with hypercomp, are even more protective. 

Plus, just take @WONGER's word over mine anyways since he plays against higher level shooters than me, I'm just upper intermediate. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by coopaloop1234

[ilyazhito]

15 hours ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Yea, not sure what Teezle is smoking, but Warrior gloves are ridiculously protective. 

My senior GT (before hypercomp) was more protective than my one95, 2S, LT90, and CCM I've used. The GT2 Pro and G5 Pro, both with hypercomp, are even more protective. 

Plus, just take @WONGER's word over mine anyways since he plays against higher level shooters than me, I'm just upper intermediate. 

I like my Warrior FR blocker. Hopefully I can find a good trapper to match it with. Maybe I can find a good Warrior glove. 

[ilyazhito]

Back to the OP topic, Stauber's Goal Crease is good, because they have both new and used stuff. Most other stores only sell new stuff. 

Edited November 24, 2022 by ilyazhito

[Teezle]

On 11/23/2022 at 10:34 AM, coopaloop1234 said:

Yea, not sure what Teezle is smoking, but Warrior gloves are ridiculously protective. 

My senior GT (before hypercomp) was more protective than my one95, 2S, LT90, and CCM I've used. The GT2 Pro and G5 Pro, both with hypercomp, are even more protective. 

Plus, just take @WONGER's word over mine anyways since he plays against higher level shooters than me, I'm just upper intermediate. 

That is good to know.

This was just based on my initial trying on at the store, not having them on the ice. To me it felt like I could feel my palm through the break in the glove, which is why I thought it would not as protective compared to the other stock gloves.

[coopaloop1234]

15 minutes ago, Teezle said:

That is good to know.

This was just based on my initial trying on at the store, not having them on the ice. To me it felt like I could feel my palm through the break in the glove, which is why I thought it would not as protective compared to the other stock gloves.

You sure you're not on crack?