chile57

"Vladimir Katztantinov" Best. Pet. Name. Ever. Kudos.

@seagoal / @coopaloop1234 I think the closest we've got to baby blue in The Show is some of the third jerseys. Columbus and Steve Mason's setups from a couple years ago come to mind for sure. Would agree that there's nothing "everyday" that qualifies... and this comes from someone with a legit art degree so its basically gospel.

Uhhh - @seagoal I'm pretty sure his set is CAROLINA blue. TOTALLY different. OBVIOUSLY.

Markstrom's setup is nice but I can't help getting a Ronald McDonald vibe every time I see it - just me?

There's never a good way to lose a pet @WillyGrips13 but your scenario certainly sucks. My condolences. Easy to play the what if game after the fact but your path was true - trying to take care of your critter to the best of your ability while they were here. There's no fault in that.

This is an epic setup @itis121. You could have easily been mistaken for Kelly Hrudey with that set/stance. Well done.

@seagoal - how could they forget us? Collectively we're pretty amazing (minus those few legit a-holes). @ThatCarGuy - shit - you mean to tell me at 5' - 4" I should give up hope of pulling an emergency goalie type heroic interlude in the show? Never happen man. Tomorrow could be my day in the sun. But seriously - plenty of smaller guys in high levels of hockey (and later bloomers too). Don't limit yourself. You're our only hope.

I hope you guys do make it. When you make it B-I-G just don't forget where you came from - fostered by the sarcastic a-holes on this board.

I like the colored gear but am a little disappointed in the overall setup since a predominantly red gear kit is accompanied by a predominantly white lid. Particularly since the home unis are essentially ALL red. That said - will probably look pretty good with the aways. B+ Also - I'd like to see keepers with home/away sets across the board in the show. MORE GEAR.

@southpawtendy48 - HA - depending on how it is in your neck of the woods I didn't want to assume beer league was "competitive" so I was lumping all the other stuff outside of that realm. Either way - good luck mending up (and hope your pops is in a much better spot today than months ago).

I thought "fairly confident" was much nicer than "Were you born yesterday? If the sarcasm was any thicker it'd hit you in the face."

Sounds like you have a full plate without competitive hockey @southpawtendy48 - take care of yourself and yours during your off year. ... and that "advice" goes for everyone here on the boards. If we aren't looking out for one another - who is eh?

@SaveByRichter35 - can't fault you for losing a bit of oomph going from something competitive and routine to something less so on both fronts. I skated in the "novice" league for a number years because it was a great group of dudes but it got to a point where it just felt like I was watching a rod hockey game play out in front me. Couldn't hack it any longer. @Lucky Pucker - I get you on the parental health issues. Both of my folks are in less than stellar health (and my grandfolks are in their nineties) with my dad a diabetic in the later stages of kidney failure. Its been a long road and I'm scheduled to get assessed as a potential donor next month so hopefully that helps everyone. Good luck to you and your pops. Anyhow - to chip into the thread - (life instances such as above interjecting) I'm down to technically (2) nights a week this year (at one point I was Monday - Thursday (and some Saturdays) but have been methodically cutting back since there are so many other calls for my time and my body doesn't bounce back like it used to). Last year I was full time Monday (organized drop in) and Tuesday (men's/beer league) but this year I was going to go with an alternating Monday/Tuesday schedule so I could loop in a younger coworker to the team (and he could show me up every other week ). For the time being - that's morphed into every Monday/every other Tuesday while another guy mends. If I get to cough up an organ - doctors said I'd be out for like 2-3 months so I'm relishing the opportunity to play... for now... until the snow starts flying at its a 10PM puck drop.

@A.YOUNGoalie13 I don't want to speak for anybody necessarily but I'm fairly confident @seagoal was shooting for sarcasm there.

Hellberg's got style and he's "HUGEMONGOUS BIG" (intentional Bryz nod).

@Puckstopper its almost like we're brother's from another mother. My condolences for the Columbus sentence - sounds rough.

@WillyGrips13 - I remember our back and forth about where to play and the Tam-O-Shanter when you were moving to the area. Regular 3 on 3 is a tough gig. On my organized drop-in skate night we do one every once and awhile and that's plenty to tide one over who's playing net - usually end up fairly sore the next day. The fuck O-HI-O bit just comes from my maize and blue blood.

Agreed @Puckstopper (and acknowledgment of another former Falcon). Team was pretty marginal when I was there (well below 0.500). Numerous better jersey offerings for sure (though they seem to change with the weather anymore) - I'm partial to the classic block letters and/or the falcon head. Orange on cream is not a good look - period. The Hamburglar's vintage uni was a pretty good one too (I like the number on the front look)...

Um yeah - @coopaloop1234 that was an attempt at pretty thick sarcasm. Must have gotten lost in translation. Fuck O-HI-O and getting belted with wind gusts for miles when you're walking the campus of BGSU but - viva la brown and orange nonetheless... though those jerseys looks horrendous. Not a fan of the off white since it will inevitably be paired with white equipment. Just... bad. Also - Fred Brathwaite "siting"/proof of life. Nice.

I'm mostly quoting this as a thanks for giving the brown and orange alma mater some love/a shoutout. Can't beat the flat cornfields of northern O-HI-O... and the wind that blows for miles over them.

Quoted for truth (thanks @goalie) - Kenesky might also be a good option for you (though admittedly I've never laid hands on a set so I was hesitant to throw that out there).

I'm mostly in the same boat as you @pkbucks - kind of an old school guy that had to reacclimate at some point. I went from Bauer Reactor 3s to Velocity 3s to a myriad of different brands/styles (TPS R10, Reebok XLT come to mind and assorted "others" (including a custom set of V5s that were just too heavy as I spec'd them)) trying to become what I wasn't and could just never get comfortable before I landed on Simmons ULs. The biggest "problem" I had when trying the newer core-based offerings coming from stuffed pads was the stiffness of the boot break. I found that I need to feel the pad against my leg and have it flex with me as opposed to hanging off my leg. If you're like me I might suggest trying Simmons again (either their UL line or their 586 (?) line). The biggest difference you might have to adjust to would be wearing knee protection. That was part of my problem with the V5s as I spec'd them since I asked for the knee from the 7700s (that was therefore too narrow for knee pads - my bad). Of the big names - Vaughn would probably be the softest of the bunch. Each brand claims to have a more "hybrid" offering (like Eflex as you mentioned) but I've found even those were just a bridge too far for me. To hit on your questions... SIZING: As most have mentioned above - either your ankle to knee or floor to knee measurement is going to govern based on manufacturer's sizing recommendations/charts. A ballpark estimate for most brands is to take your ankle to knee and double it. For instance - I'm like 16.5" ATK and wear 33" pads. BUTTERFLY: Any pad you buy today is going to be a "butterfly" pad. Basically all you need to do is strap things loose enough that the pad will rotate on your leg and have a knee lift/landing (which every offering these days have). Differences are going to be: construction of that knee landing, materials of that knee landing, size of landing, etc. but all will have it. REBOUNDS: Echoing from above - most of the core based pads are designed to be stiffer/shoot out rebounds compared to what you're coming from. If I were you I'd stick to Vaughn's Velocity line and/or Simmons. Good luck - half the fun of getting new gear is checking things out (either online or in person) and sniffing around (like by asking questions on this board).

... but with more exclamation points and some English-esque jargon thrown in for good measure and only after getting off on a tangent about something else. RIP Bunny.

I just got told yesterday that a screenshot from my work software looked like 8-bit Nintendo OG. Has been a little quiet lately. I'm assuming business will pick up with the start of training camps right around the corner and more real time "sitings" to be had.

New set is looking crispy. May it soon be littered with puck marks.