CJ Boiss

Lookin' sharp!

The biggest reason I can see for banning the Michigan/Svechnikov/lacrosse goal, is that it can put the blade of a player's stick very close to the goaltender's mask. Sticks to the head, through the cage, into the eye, that's a pretty big safety hazard. And goalies can't just get out of the way. I still don't really think it should be banned, much as I dislike them.

Saw the thread title, thought of Niemi's TPS pads when he was with Chicago

I slammed my CR2 into the post the other night; full-on baseball style, edge of the paddle, chopping through the post kind of motion. The impact, right where my stick met the post, chewed up the outer layer a bit. But, so far as I can tell, that's all it did. Pretty sure if I got some epoxy and glued the fragments down (or taped them down) it would be perfectly serviceable.

V5s. Joey Macdonalds old pads.

These are awesome! XD

Western (Pacific and Central Divisions) and Eastern ( Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions) Conferences. The naming conventions make much more sense than they did previously, as they now refer to the geographic location of each team, so you can (usually) identify what division/conference a team is in by their city. Top three teams in each division make the playoffs, with the final two playoff spots in each conference being Wild Cards. Not as simple as 1-8 in each conference, but not that confusing either.

Straightness is actually why I got a set of Step Steel: my Bauer were quite significantly curved, to the point where I could look down the blade and see it deviate from true. But I also jammed my blades into the posts a few times last night that, with my Bauer, would've chewed the outer edge to pieces, but my Step blades still look fresh. Maybe that's because my Step blades are wider, but it's a definite improvement nonetheless.

Wearing Bauer S190's, just had my first skate on my new Step Steel (coming from the stock Bauer steel) Difference was night and day. Just... wow. I know why Bauer doesn't want Step Steel making blades for their skates: Bauer steel is such utter trash compared to Step that they can't compete on any front. I'll probably be switching to CCM's when I need to buy new skates, but I'll almost definitely get a set of Step Steel to put in them.

Calgary, playing for middling teams. Sometimes we'll come up against some ex-Junior players, but mostly it's guys like me that grew up playing but never made the AA or AAA teams, or guys who started playing as adults. I could play higher level hockey if I wanted to, skating out at least. There a few guys I play a summer shinny with that were pro in Europe, and though I'm not nearly as skilled as they are I can skate with them and make their lives difficult. But I like the guys I play with, and that's more important to me than playing at the highest possible skill level.

Yeah. I'm going to make a point of getting my team to hire my photographer friend for a playoff game or something, once she's taking customers.

That one didn't go in, actually. Puck squirted out to my blocker side and I didn't realize, so my defenceman dove over me knock the puck away. I'm laughing as I watch the play go down the ice in that photo.

Some more photos from another skate, with a different team. This one didn't go so well, a 10-4 loss, which is a pretty typical result with this team; in this league, I'm the only goalie averaging over a shot per minute played, and the only goalie with a higher shots against has played five more games than me. My team got placed a couple divisions too high, but we're getting moved down at least one, maybe two divisions come the weekend, so things are looking up (at the very least, I might be able to steal us a win or two once the shooters aren't so skilled)

I disagree on this point, slightly. Individual Wal-Mart and Home Depot stores don't set the prices on their products, they are required to sell their products at the advertised price. People selling used hockey equipment are not. They own the stuff, they set the price, and they can change the price whenever and however they want. Growing up, I was given to understand that prices on second-markets are open to negotiation/haggling, unless the seller explicitly states otherwise. It's being a dick about it ("You're never gonna sell it at this price!") that's the problem.

Thanks for posting this; helped me snag some sweet new-to-me pads on the cheap.

Point of order: I see nothing in the NHL rules about having possession of the puck on the blade of your stick being illegal. http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26478 Rule 67 - Handling Puck 67.1 Handling Puck - A player shall be permitted to stop or “bat” a puck in the air with his open hand, or push it along the ice with his hand, and the play shall not be stopped unless, in the opinion of the Referee, he has deliberately directed the puck to a teammate in any zone other than the defending zone, in which case the play shall be stopped and a face-off conducted (see Rule 79 – Hand Pass). Play will not be stopped for any hand pass by players in their own defending zone. 67.2 Minor Penalty – Player - A player shall be permitted to catch the puck out of the air but must immediately place it or knock it down to the ice. If he catches it and skates with it, either to avoid a check or to gain a territorial advantage over his opponent, a minor penalty shall be assessed for “closing his hand on the puck”. A minor penalty shall be imposed on a player who, while play is in progress, picks up the puck off the ice with his hand.

No, it's not. The rules say players are allowed to body check the puck carrier, but does that happen every time someone touches the puck? Is there an expectation that someone like Johnny Gaudreau body check Chara? The rules allow for it, but allowing for something to happen does not create the expectation that it will happen. Our expectations of the game exist only in our heads. That's why you have some people bemoaning the "wussification" of the NHL, because there aren't teams like the Broad Street Bullies around anymore. That's why you have people like Don Cherry that hate on European players. Rules are not expectations.

No. Rules establish what is, and is not, legal play; they do not establish what players are expected to do. (or, for that matter, "hockey principles", i.e. hockey culture. Nothing in the rulebooks about getting mobbed by the opposing team if you run their goalie, but that's exactly what happens 95% of the time) The "lacrosse" move is not expected by most goalies, because so few people do it. That does not mean it should be illegal.

I mean... I hate it; but, at the same time, no forward should ever be given so much time behind the net that they're able to attempt this. Any time someone manages to put one of these in the net, that's blown defensive coverage right there. Ban it? I dunno. Do we then ban any time a player intentionally plays the puck towards the opposing team's net from mid-air? (this would not include tips, tips are not playing the puck. Think any kind of "baseball" style swing)

Cooper glove I saw on Kijiji for $40. Were I a collector of old-ass goalie equipment, I would be all over that.

Nice photos! For your friend though: I'm not a huge fan of the new angle. High-angle shots are typically used to make the subject seem small (in a variety of different ways, context depending). These ones in particular make me feel like I'm sitting in the stands, it makes the play feel a more removed; ice-level shots do a good job of making you feel "in" the moment, and I don't feel that with these.

How about now?

One of my hockey friends has decided to do some freelance photography on the side for rec hockey teams, and asked if she could take some pics of me in net for the website she's setting up. I said yes, of course, and got some great photos to share en route to a 4-3 win! Unfortunately, my team played some pretty good D for about half the game, so she didn't get some of the pictures she was looking for; on the plus side, she's probably going to come photograph another one of my games, so I should have some more quality photos to share in the future.

Eh. Just another reason to stop buying Bauer. CCM, here I come.