RichMan

5 hours ago, dustybender60 said:

Linus Ullmark with an ABPRO and modified forearm protection

 

I much prefer the wings on the AB18. Having bought and tried a used one, the arms are like brick walls. Amazing that he had to improve on the forearms like that.

Dude looks like a Santa as an untuck  

Any c/a that is built on a 3 panel model will work well for still a reasonable wrap of the ribs, ie Warrior or Bauer Hyperlite or CCMs. 

3 hours ago, MTH said:

His white game socks are kinda thin. So the Jofa logo is visible. I've heard a few parents talk about his 'cool Jofa shins'. 

I'm in Philly. My kids wouldn't know Mats Sundin (sadly) even if he came in wearing his jersey and holding his HoF plaque.

I was gonna mention Bjorn but then I remembered he past away and would be even more oblivious to those kids lolll

They didn't even mention the size and 99$ shipping!!?

A few are going on sale and I want to get feedback if they're worth it.

17 minutes ago, MTH said:

My kids think these are odd since they're not Bauer of CCM. Sweden? Who cares?

My older one wears a pair of old CCM shins his buddy gave him when he got a new pair. 

My 14 year old wears Jofa shins now. I picked up a new old stock pair. Says the kids on his team joke about them.

And then who enters the dressing room but Mats Sundin and says "cool gear kid" to your son while giving everyone else the death stare  

Sold to the man in black  .

Thanks brother.

If you wanna bring up Jofa in the discussion, here's a rare gem, although I wouldn't call it goalie worthy but they were rock solid as was pretty much anything Jofa made.

So Lefevre (True) has once again entered the "Unicorn" valley?

Crazy good price. Wish they had a Habs edition  

https://www.goaliesplus.com/p/vaughn-ventus-slr3-pro-senior-goalie-pant-special-edition/

All I'm seeing everywhere are XLs. I need a Large. The search goes on.

@pfeiffjay54 the Hyperlite is quite a different build in the body. Were you just curious to try something different?

I know that on occasion there was mention of a "unicorn" in respective threads but I thought it might be fun to bunch it all up here in one unique thread.

So for the young ones or the newbies, a "unicorn" is?...

No

Definitely not!

A "unicorn" in the goalie world is that one special piece of gear that has been whispered of in arena hallways or Pro Shop backstores  but rarely if ever were viewed by the regular public. Luckily with the advent of locker room photographers, a new light was shown on these rumoured equipment and thus began several sightings and special gear hunters were born. The words "pro-return" were coined and the world of pro goalie equipment as we knew it was never the same. 

Certain pieces that were rare, were eventually produced by companies for mass consumption such as the Premier chest and arm protector aka The P1. Other pieces like the HPG12A and harder to find HPG14A pants came into the light. The Luongo thigh boards while his time in Vancouver. The Swiss knee protectors Hiller made famous. Recently the CCM AB18 chest and arm protector that was well documented from sports video clips and photographs from in the change rooms during the recent goalie gear sizing rule changes the past couple years has been showing up on used equipment stores and forums all over the web.

Now it's not uncommon to find a regular piece of equipment that we can buy in stores but have been used by pros and simply beefed up for their own protection at their level. But in my opinion, these are not truly qualified as a "unicorn", meaning one of a kind, only produced for the pros and not available to the general public. Clearly this is changing as we heard of CCM releasing the AB23 c/a as an available purchase order to any goalie out there shopping for high end gear.

So, now what? What, if anything, right now in goalie gear can be considered a "unicorn"? Has the industry come to grips with the pressure and demands of the public outcries "NO MORE...WE DEMAND THE SAME PROTECTION AS THE NHL PROS!!!...even though we play division d in beer league or as ankle benders at your local rink"  

Are there no more secret products that we eagerly try to discover as the next cool thing to own before anyone out there? 

How are the units holding up gang?

@OldSchoolGoalie

Here's my take: I think that when you decided to come back, you expected to take off where you left, on a championship and high performances. That's clearly what DIDN'T happen. 

There's a huge difference between beer league games and pick-up/shinny. BLG means performing, dealing with pressure and team chemistry and emotions. Pick-up is no stress, no trophy, just some good banter and occasional bragging rights.

As spring is here and the season unwinds, you could take a break as @dreadlocked1 mentions, gather your thoughts and recalibrate. You could embark on a training program (strength, mobility, flexibility and mental preparation) 2-3 days a week until September comes around. Or you could jump into something completely different like softball or soccer or basketball or cycling or running and change the whole scenery. 

If you're like me, very competitive, letting go of BLG will be difficult. Despite the pressure, i love the challenge. But, if the stress is too much and you bring that shit back into your personal life, maybe it's time to let go and just enjoy shinny time. And when you play shinny, it doesn't have to be so serious. You can mess around, try new things, joke and poke fun on the ice, be a MAFOMGBBQ!!!!. He's a pro but still manages to enjoy the moment, win or lose.

Don't say it's over until you're actually ready

So quick update. I had a chance to try one of these on at the local shop and here's my first impressions:

At 6'2, I was better suited for the Large model. I didn't have my pants with me so I won't be able to discuss tuck or untuck for you.

The body and wings/shoulders are fairly solid in build. I wouldn't see an issue in high end beer league in this. The arms though would worry me a bit. The forearm and bicep are reasonably thick to take a shot. You might feel the shot but I doubt you'd get seriously hurt. Where I have my doubts is at the arm floaters on top and at both inside/outside of the  elbows. It's quite thin and a well placed or simply a heavy shot might make for a very uncomfortable if not painful experience. Speaking of elbows themselves, they are a comfortable like sleeve but very poor in protection imo. They could of made them thicker with better thicker foams or at least some plastic. At near 200lbs, falling there would definitely not feel good.

The adjustment straps or velcros for the wings and traps are straight forward as most units today. Despite my finding a proper setup quickly, the unit was not close to my upper torso as wanted. I've wide shoulders and it sat well on top but it felt like it was floating forward. Mind you it's probably because it's not broken in. 

I'm not a tiny guy but the body did not wrap me the same way my 2S does or what you hear about from Vaughn units. It felt like a boxy barrel fit for lack of words or example. Again, maybe cause it's not broken in.

Would I rock this in beer league? With better arms, yes I'd give it a shot. I can't speak for on ice experience though. 

I've been looking at those and, just like you, I hate the tacky grip on the handles as I do use the poke check as well. The ones I've seen around here are all silver. I had no idea they came in different colours.

The paddle has an odd concave shape to it. Did you find it weird or there's nothing to it?

They go for 120$-140$ I think? Do they still come with a 90 day guarantee? 

How's the vibration?

What's the fastest animal on the planet?

What's the km circumference of the island of Guinea?

What is.... LOLLL   

I say F*&% IT! THROW A TANTRUM! MOUTH OFF! SPIT ON THE GROUND! SHAKE YOUR FIST! POINT WITH YOUR FINGER EVEN!!!

Once it's all said and done, take a deep breath........step out of the car and get back to regular life  

I've been going through a rough patch in my personal life and the same on the ice despite a strong record in the first half of the season. Maybe what I'm going through is what's affecting my game. Then again, I play to get away from all that B.S. I'm going through. It's confusing I know.

BUT...I've decided to have fun. Other than my pick-up nights, my Monday league games are just for me now. I'm letting go of the pressure and doing what I have to do for myself and not caring much about the guys in front of me. Sure, if they score I'll be cheering, but if we ( i ) get scored on and get a comment or see the frustration or long faces, I don't care anymore. f%$k it, f$%k them. I still give everything I've got when I step in front of that net and short of scoring a goal or two myself, it's their job to score and to back check to give me a hand, I don't control that. Neither do you.

You win as a team, you lose as a team. Do your part and do it well. We all know when we mess up or gave up a weak one, we don't need to reminded or feel the pressure from their lack of effort or talent or made to feel like it's all on us to steal the game. For some of us it happens now and then, for some, more than I care to hear (you lucky freaks of nature). 

Just like a pro does, forget and move on. That is what separates the good from the best.

I purchased this bag last season for the non-snow season because after 30+ years of lugging a bag around on my shoulders, it took a toll on my back, shoulders and neck. My health is important to me and if I want to keep playing to my expected level, you do what you gotta do. I do have my carry bag for the winter months. Given how dry a winter we had here in Gatineau/Ottawa, I got to use the wheeled bag quite often.

Just for reference details, I'm 6'2, 195?lbs. My gear is in the large/xlarge range. Generally I buy bags that measure 38x18x18 or in that ball park. For the most part, this sizing is common in intermediate bags. I tried a CCM wheeled pro bag (44x20x20) and I usually carry my pads on my shoulder but I wanted to see how it was to pack it all in and such but that thing was just too massive to bring about. And so, I already knew from the past that Brian's had this intermediate wheeled bag available and it was on sale for a good price and I jumped on it. It's a shame that they've stopped producing the carry version in the same dimensions and they have no plans on bringing it back as per Brian's customer service.

As you can see in the second pic, despite my size as a goalie, everything but the pads fit in nicely and there's still a few loose spots i could drop in extras if needed. My pants are McKenney 855 XL and they are a very old school barrel shaped pants. If I got my hands on something more up-to-date like the CCM HPG12A (which I hope to find in Habs edition), then I'd have even more room to play. The same will happen once I bring down my c/a from an XL to a L.

The build is a very sturdy quality nylon. U shaped opening for very easy access. A skate pocket at each end. A small zipper pouch on the inside for small objects. A large mesh zippered closer underneath the top of the bag for your gitch or jerseys or whatever your heart desires. The handles are sewn in very well and wrap down the sides to add to the secure fit. They even added metal taps to prevent tearing. The end handles are also stitched in very well and I don't see ever having issues there. There are three wheels of good size made of some galvanised rubber like on roller blades. The chassis that supports the bottom is your typical 3 runners frame with some kind of plastic sheet within the linings. It hasn't flexed or bent or warped at any time despite the overall weight. Of course, balancing out your gear in your bag is a smart approach. Maybe it would be a different story with their senior bag and my 35" pads inside it. On the side you pull, it has a built-in telescopic handle that honestly, even at 6'2, I haven't felt the need to use it yet.

So as all new bags, just like any piece of equipment, there's a break-in period. Well, as you can depict in the first photo, the sides have given in...or out...in any case, it has taken the marshmallow shape. What this does is make it sometimes cumbersome in tight alleys or when navigating around people or hallway sticks. In the change room, it takes up a little more room than the rest of the guys, as expected for goalies. If anything, I wish the walls around were reinforced by plastic sheets like in the bottom to help it keep its full rectangular shape. They could also just bake on some vinyl crisscross lines like they do on quality trail shoes to prevent the side walls to over-extend. It's not a deal breaker but it would be a nice idea.

All-in-all, I'm pretty happy with my purchase. If you like this style of opening and if you have suitable room in your vehicle to lug it around, this is a good choice for the price. 

All this being said, with concerns of available space in living quarters, obnoxiously small change rooms in older rinks, and the girlfriend staring at the bag like it's a homeless that keeps crashing in our living room day after day, I would seriously consider getting my hands on a Sumo bag in the near future.

If you have any questions, let me know.

13 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

None of the padding is going to be in the correct spots as the unit is far too large for you. 

The resale on 2S C/A's isn't great, but, hacking up your current unit would just leave you with a C/A that's more or less useless. I'd highly recommend just going to get a proper fitting unit instead of trying to Frankenstein your current one. 

Pretty much where I'm heading to for the moment. Just gotta find what fits my body, my game level and my budget.

10 hours ago, indykrap said:

Not the prettiest setup, but it works. 

My post-game routine is:

• Spray everything down with Febreze antibacterial
• Skates, glove (propped open), blocker, knee pads, and neckguard go in the rocket dryer
• Mask gets a wipe down, back straps get a wringing out with paper towel, mask is laid down in the middle rack with opening facing out (for airflow)
• Pads laid down as pictured
• Chesty and pants hung up for maximum airflow on the internals
• Fan on full blast on mask, pads, chesty, pants
• Laundry (base layers, socks, jersey, sweatband, towel) goes in once everything is hung up and going. Usually throw in whatever's in the laundry bin as well for bonus points with the GF
• Once laundry is done in the dryer (~2hrs total), chesty and pants go in the rocket dryer and runs overnight 
• Glove gets tied shut with a softball in the pocket till the next game
• Everything stays hung up where it's at until the next game

Most hands-off and effective approach I've ever taken, and tucked in the corner of the basement so it's out of the way. I'd love to get the full stall rocket dryer or an equivalent but they're expensive and this works fine enough for me and I can have fresh gear the next day.

My God, do you also leave yourself mints or chocolates on the gear bag when you're done?  

Kudos for the extra mile

Used for a bit but no damage. Went with a different Pro-Laces model.

These have the number 33 on them.

Asking 20$CAD + shipping. 

I'm in Gatineau Québec J8Y 3M4 

Never used, still in container.

Asking 20$CAD + shipping 

I'm in Gatineau Québec J8Y 3M4 

*Pic for reference 

On 6/2/2022 at 11:17 AM, coopaloop1234 said:

So don't force it then? 

Join us on the untucked side. 

I know I'm late on this but I tried it your way a couple times and the lack of rib coverage was always a concern while I played. Not to mention I now confirm that the body is too long for my torso. I could hack the bottom flap and shorten the sternum bar to make it work, but as I am actively looking at other options out there, doing so to it would highly impede in its resale value. We shall see.

11 hours ago, creasecollector said:

How did the extra slack in the bungee setup go?

It was much better. Less ankle stress. Worked out great, I'm sticking with these from now on. Thanks for the interest  

2 hours ago, Hockey34 said:

Are you supposed to take them off?

As long as you wipe your blades in the change room, you're good to leave them on.

@coopaloop1234 is just dealing with his ocd