ilyazhito

That makes sense. I'll see if I can order a pair of Knappers and use the Lundy loop for my ProLaces.

What was the purpose of wearing no helmet? It's scary to think about getting hit with a puck in the head.

That is logical. It won't be as abrupt a transition as going straight to Machs.

Will the sanctions on Russia affect foreign orders for Miklin gear? I'm curious, because they advertise their product as being for KHL goalies.

What about a Vapor Hyperlite 2.0, or an EFlex with MaxRebound foam? If anyone would want a Mach, it would be me, because I prefer flat-faced pads that give off hard rebounds (the pads commonly known as butterfly pads).

Try Large (35). Bauer tends to run small. I did use a Medium set before (nominally equivalent to 34), but I was constantly slipping off the knee stack, and my knee was above center.

I would agree. ProLaces give me enough stability that the pad won't slip off my foot, yet at the same time allow the pad to rotate freely. My knees and hips don't hurt. RVH is painful, though.

I was surprised that he would do it, because it sure looks.painful to land on the ice and not on the knee stack. It's not something I would do myself, which is why I point it out. I don't play with the newest gear, but I play with something modern enough that I can use to play a modern style. Would I get the latest Mach or Axis pads if I could afford them? Sure! However, if I shared the same locker room with Mike Smith, I'd ask about his strapping in a light hearted way, out of curiosity. It would not sound as impersonal as it does here. I'd say something like "you might need pillows in your knee pads. Don't want you hitting the ice too hard." It's a pity that the Internet has no context, whether it comes to sarcasm or to humor.

That's interesting. It's curious that Bauer can design a butterfly pad, yet allow it to be customized to match a hybrid pad in terms of performance. Perhaps it looks to get people who want the Mach graphics on the Hyperlite 2.0 pads.

Get rid of some of the gear, and show the money you've made from it, and it actually can then be considered investing. If you know how to fix stuff, you can market that service and earn some extra cash that way.

For reference, I wear 35 with Bauer, but I would be a 34 in the CCM Premier IIs. I'll have to wait for the new charts to be released. Note that Bauer tends to run a little small compared to other pads, so a 34 (Medium) Bauer would be closer to a 33 CCM than to a 34. Measure yourself just to make sure, because you might be a 34 in CCM.

If you're a hybrid-type goalie, which your pad history shows you to be, I'm curious why you're looking for a Mach pad (continuation of the Supreme series) which is targeted at butterfly/positional goalies rather than the Vapor pad series. Vapor should give you the tight pad feel which you seem to prefer. It's a softer pad that still gives hard rebounds, though not as much as a so-called butterfly pad specifically designed for hard rebounds.

Wow. That is strange. An NHLer should know the difference between straps being loose and too loose. I'm surprised his goalie coaches haven't addressed that.

That sucks. I would rather have Velcro or a side release buckle to make the tension in the blocker stable. It won't be a deal breaker for me, but it would be annoying to have to constantly tighten the blocker strap to keep it on. It's a change for the sake of change, not for any good reason.

Interesting. I thought the kneepads somehow interfered with his strapping. So y'all are saying that Mike Smith's pads are slipping around because the straps are too loose? The pads being too loose cause his pads to overrotate. That is a serious performance issue.

Interesting. Where did you put the boot strap on those? I'm asking, so I could know if there is a place to run ProLaces.

That sucks. How do Knapper users tie their boot laces and/or toe ties? I might have to check out Unihoc and see what options they have.

What's the difference supposed to be between that and the regular straps used to tighten a blocker?

Interesting. Do the Knappers have a boot strap slot? Maybe I might be able to fit my ProLaces through that.

OK. It won't make a difference to me, then. If I was going for custom pads, I'd look for something that shot out hard rebounds and had good sliding qualities. IIRC, CCM Speedskin is crap (it doesn't work on bad ice), CORTech is great, and Airslide (Warrior's sliding surface) is somewhere in between. Is there a way to enhance Speedskin or Airslide to improve its performance?

The Hagan shoes look interesting. They have a loop for boot straps that I might try to fit the ProLaces through. I've also asked about the Hagan pads, and am waiting to hear back from them.

Wow. I did not expect the knee pad to interfere with his strapping setup.

Interesting. How does it affect play? Does it make rebounds from the boot harder?

What is the advantage of a locked ankle break?

Why would he choose to do that? Yes, the knee pads that NHLers wear are really good, but it seems excessive to wear the pads in a way that will cause one to land painfully. What exactly is his strapping issue, from what you can tell on the picture?