chile57

This is absolutely good advice too - I inadvertently overlooked Shawn and forgot to hit on certification. Good looking out @SentryHockey. Have read nothing but good things about both Shawn himself and his products.

Sounds like we’ve got similar melon shapes - narrow in the cheeks. You’ve already hit on Protechsport. They are probably one of the more cost effective “custom options” (with lead times being prohibitive for some). Coveted too. If you’ve got confusion on Coveted’s offerings - best to probably reach out to them direct. I know many have championed their customer service. You can also look at Warwick, Defender and/or Pro’s Choice. Not sure if Shark is still hanging out there. I can only speak to Pro’s Choice as I have (3) of them. Quality mask and you deal with the quality human being/builder himself if you reach out so if you have any questions there - shoot and I’ll do my best. I’m sure others will chime in as well. Happy hunting.

Only thing better than a drink is a free drink - sold.

... to the tune of 6.4K (and counting) posts. @coopaloop1234 pisses around here to mark his territory more than a cat with a urinary tract infection. Thanks for keeping this board alive buddy.

As in I was being an ass and "bullying" folks that are no longer allowed to post here... because I'm a dick (apparently).

Had that one in mind but - respectfully - f*ck the Penguins.

On PAPER - the Bobrovsky/Hill matchup is severely slanted in Florida's direction - no? I know there's plenty of teams that won with a combination of two starters (my DRW in 2008 with Hasek/Osgood come to mind (though I'm sure fact spewing @coopaloop1234 will hit me with a more recent iteration )) but nobody has won when down to their 3rd/4th (if you count Lehner) stringer leading the charge - right? Guess you can argue that Hill was an acquisition and not truly 4th on the depth chart but still - wild. Should be a fun series to watch. But the real question is - will the sky start falling if a Russian netminder wins the Cup? We ALL know for a FACT it'd be unprecedented.

Yeah - that'd be apropos for sure. Thanks for busting my balls for shoddy memory.

You're not wrong @coopaloop1234 - guess my memory runs more vintage. I also left those two out because they actually won it all where I was looking more so to instances where teams were dragged into the Finals on somebody's back (maybe otherwise having no business being there). Taking nothing from Thomas or Quick in those efforts - LA and Boston were two pretty talent laden teams.

He's dialed in - it happens. The last few times in (fairly) recent memory where same: Giggy with the Ducks where he won the Conn Smythe in a losing effort, Kipper a few times with the Flames and Roloson with the Oil. Maybe Bobs can get them over the hump and win it (instead of just getting to the dance). Going to be a big blow if Barkov is out or hobbled. I guess I'm team Cats based on who's left. Vegas was a feel good story at first but with the way they unceremoniously jettisoned Fleury its tough to root for them. Carolina - eh. I like Brind'amour and can appreciate what they've built in their market without a superstar but they are just kind of meh to me (plus they have that 2006 (?) Cup in their pocket). I'd be okay with Dallas I suppose (Jimmy Nill/Detroit connection - perhaps he was the brains behind Holland as he really seemed to nosedive after he left) but they've got the '99 Cup. Win one for Pavelski would be alright - dude always brings it come playoff time. Just feels like FLA would be best feel good story out of the bunch and I'm all about the feels.

Florida IS legit. I think people forget their record last year (and for a number of years actually). Then they added Tkachuk. Especially with the way playoffs are formatted now (1 doesn’t play “8”) it really matters less what your regular season record is and more how you’re playing when playoffs hit. Regarding names on Cups - don’t forget too - teams can petition the league to have names added if they don’t meet the criteria.

Since you’re asking - I think you’d be fine with senior. Nearly all senior level stuff anymore is pretty close to pro in materials with just a few unique features separating the two. Point being - I don’t think protection and/or durability would be a concern on a blocker. That said - my OCD would kick into overdrive “mixing” the two so if it were me - I’d go pro.

Quoted for truth - dude needs to eat a sandwich. And then another.

Keep powering through brother - we're all here for you when/if you need a sanity check.

I feel for you man. Hire the lawyer and save yourself some of the mindfuck (and potentially other assorted fucking). I'm not necessarily advocating you get angry (but hey - if it helps - go for it). I'm just suggesting don't let the past cloud the future and prepare as though you may be in a dogfight. Beats the alternative of getting caught with your pants down and getting fleeced. Sounds like you got a good buddy to bounce things off of so that will be a big help. And then of course us assorted a-holes on the internet too.

Sounds shitty to say the least - I'll be hoping/praying for a quick resolution for you brother. Some days will be tougher than others for sure. I remember getting emotional over the dog on a trip to pick up some things and my ex-wife just started in throwing daggers. Unfortunately the negativity can come to be a bit of solace at some point once you don't have to be exposed to it and you can appreciate the serenity once the stress of it all subsides. We're all pulling for you and will even give you a reprieve on any ball busting. Must have been difficult and yet cathartic to post here. Unfortunately - all this speaks to another reason to lawyer up as you aren't really in your right mind to be dealing with the details this stuff entails. Might be better to just pay the money for a little bit of peace of mind. Good luck - keep all us posted on how you are doing.

@MTH first things first - sorry dude. Even if you see it coming - doesn't necessarily make it any easier. Speaking as a divorcee - if you were getting along a bit better you could both use the same lawyer. Doesn't sound like that was offered though. You know the lay of the land better than anyone if its worth trying to go that route. Sucks to flush money - but I'd tend to agree - best to hire a lawyer. Make sure you do your homework though as there are plenty that will nickel and dime you and drag things out to charge you more. Eight years ago I hired mine for $2000 out the door. Should disclaimer that don't have kids and I mostly just left with whatever was clearly mine (hockey equipment, tools, etc.) and left everything else (including the house and dog). It started out with a lawyer buddy of mine basically filing for free (and he likely would have helped had we just agreed on everything... which should have been a no brainer as I was entitled to MUCH more legally than I was "asking" for (I even caved on letting her keep my zero turn mower which was about the only "ask")) before she underhandedly served me with papers from HER lawyer. So - needless to say - cover your six. If I didn't have ins with people I'd have been scrambling last minute before the court date and probably would have been in trouble. I would assume you know folks that have gotten divorced. I'd start by asking them about their lawyers and hopefully that'll help compile a list of maybes and some nos. We all got your back on here.

I thought the whole point of this board was to allow for up to five minutes of happiness before the ball busting commences? Pretty sure its in the forum rules...

C'mon Coop - cheap or not - with your amount of postings you ought to know we are all judged on here by how good we look first and foremost. For shame.

Whole setup is spot on @coopaloop1234. Well done. Just need to lose that blue Warrior that sticks out like a sore thumb.

You're not wrong on any of the above @Chenner29. Credit where credit is due - I have had zero issues with some other smaller manufacturers (including Brown, PAW, Pro's Choice and Macmasks to name a few) but those few times you're left twisting in the wind kind of sour the whole lot unfortunately/unfairly. If its a small operation with one point of contact and you are getting stonewalled - you're mostly screwed. If I order some Vaughns or Warriors or whatever - I can get ahold of the shop where they were purchased (and bounce around on contacts if one is awful), the manufacturer, etc. I 100% get that life gets in the way - I 100% do NOT get ordering something completely custom and then having it show up with none of those requests incorporated - not only unapologetically but combatively as you noted above. There was no attempt even to offer to "make it right". Crazy. Also - yes - its always strangely comforting to know that others share your pain (though your story seems to add a little salt to the wound). Misery loves company - right? Although I'm not wishing anything terrible on any of my fellow keepers.

Mistakes were made @MTH - I've been there (on countless occasions).

I will just say - opinions are like a-holes… … and the dudes own coach thinks him a clown. But don’t take my word for it - this reputable article sums it up nicely… https://thehockeynews.com/news/screen-shots-binnington-suspended-qmjhl-fights-and-canucks

Surprised nobody jumped on this yet - Binnington = turd... https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/35869892/blues-jordan-binnington-ejected-punch-loss-wild Didn't bother looking for the video. Would have been nice if Flower got a chance to mangle his giant honker. ... curiosity got the best of me - here's the video (weak "punch" if you ask me but glad they tossed him)... https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/35869068

Ssshhhiiittt - that's some bad luck eh @MTH? I know had that happened when I was a kid I'd probably STILL be running from my pops rather than risk the forthcoming vemon/punishment.