stackem30

You started it ;-] I do not have experience with both -- my new Protechsport is my first 'upscale' mask, before that I had a Hackva, and before that an Olie, and before that a Van Velden 'Simmons' mask. Pro's Choice do look great, though.

Haha I swearrr I remember you asking about this / taking issue with it back on the GSBB

That's fine, I still earn my quick whistles the old way: I determine which ref looks more submissive, and yell at them for not blowing the whistle sooner. Have some pride, man.

"But how do you feel knowing that to shooters, you now look like an ant standing in front of a soccer net?" - All goalies circa 2009

Love the all-black set you're wearing in your picture People should get what they like, and I think that a vintage Cooper-inspired chesty is pretty sweet. I mean, nobody's gonna see it on the ice, but I'm sure BadAngle is well aware that it will eventually show some stain. But that thing will still amazing long after it's lost its virginal white look. In a way, that could be part of the appeal. I know I always looked at Brodeur's disgusting white frankenchesty with a mix of horror and intrigue...

I've been eyeing a Brown chest pad for a while. I've never really put as much thought into my chest pads as I have other gear, and I have no doubt I've been missing out (I've been wearing a senior-level Koho chest pad since ~2004, and it's kind of a joke -- I bruise pretty easily). Brown seems a bit pricey (which is NOT to say that they're overpriced, or not worth it), but I'm at the point where I'm hoping the gear I buy will last me 10+ years, and it's worth it for superior design and production. The only thing that's really holding me back from buying a new chest pad is all the talk about them being redesigned to be more streamlined for the NHL. Mike Howard at Kenesky was telling me how many companies are working on slimmer spec chest pads to satisfy the looming NHL rules, and I've seen a few pictures of mainstream companies (I forget which) showing such chest pads at trade shows. I've always hated bulky chest pads, so these slimmer designs are almost certainly something I'll want to wait for. Anyone have any idea as to whether Brown would start following suit? I'm not sure, given that their customer base seems to be 'older' goalies (not kids and teens) who appreciate some older designs and quality production.

Goddamn, beautiful 90Z's, Willy! Add a set of Heaton Wave gloves and I would be pretty close to my dream setup.

You missed the point I was making... I'm not talking about negative selling or mud-slinging as a new phenomenon - I'm well aware that tactic is as old as time. I'm talking specifically about the snarky, tongue-in-cheek 'clap back' tone that is very en vogue right now. It's like 3 years ago when every brand on Twitter was referring to their followers as bae and fam, because "that's what the kids say!" I wouldn't bat an eye if CCM made a straight-forward advertisement or video claiming that their products were superior to Bauer's. But the "I guess you can go back to celebrating now that we totally owned you " schtick is lame, in my humble opinion.

I dunno, I think this type of 'sassy clap-back' marketing has gotten really stale, really fast (I work in marketing, and so I see/read about this phenomenon quite a bit). I'm sick of seeing brands' and teams' accounts having tongue-in-cheek arguments on social media. It's unoriginal at this point, and it diverts consumers' attention to who has the best comeback, rather than what value their products/services offer. I think it's lame.

Still, it's got the same look... beautiful! Let me know if you ever want to part with it

At 6'2", I'd say definitely a Senior... though I love that stick so much, I'm sure I could crouch reallllly low and make it work

Cool thread - I love Brian Heaton and so much of his gear. I never had much Heaton gear as a younger guy (aside from the sticks, which is all I used). Heaton gear - particularly Brodeur models - was so prevalent in the pro-shops in North Jersey in the late 90's and early 2000's, and tons of kids were head-to-toe in Helite IV / Helite 6 / Helite 10 gear. Since I was already a Brodeur fanatic, I was a little too sheepish to wear Heaton gear. I sure regret that now... I've basically fetishized that loopy script logo! I was able to snag a BHG Eyewall blocker in white/black/silver (my colors) off of eBay in 2010, and I'm very thankful that I was able to get some of his gear before he passed. I love the blocker, and plan on re-palming it until it's dust. The one Heaton thing that I looked for in vain my whole life has been a nice Helite III stick like the one Brodeur has here. I just think it's the best looking stick I've come across. Sadly, they were out of the stores by the time I started playing (I used to order a similar looking intermediate Helite 5 stick). Anyone have one buried in their garage? Let me know...

"It's not how many knee rolls you have... it's how you use them. Unless, of course, you have no knee rolls. In that case, you can take your flat-ass pads and get out of here! Knee rolls forever! Oh dang, a solar eclipse, we should probably ritualistically decapitate someone." - Ancient Incan Proverb Kenesky does seem to be trying to revive that split top knee roll that we've all been discussing... they've showcased it in several pads, and I was asked if I wanted the 4 knee rolls when I commissioned my pads (I went with ye olde three rolls).

I'm likely to be in the minority, but I'm kinda excited for the smaller C/A units. I think there's a lot of bulk that can be trimmed off without losing protection. I'm in the market for a new C/A, but I'm holding off for when the new NHL regulation ones are available. Any idea when that might be... Spring 2019? Earlier?

Cool man, good luck with that! I do not get new gear very often (this was my first set of pads since 2004!), and I was very particular about what I wanted. I would have gotten a newer set of pads a couple of years ago, but I wasn't really convinced that anything on the market was exactly what I was looking for. After zeroing in on Kenesky and talking to Mike, I was pretty convinced... and today I am very happy with my decision. PM me if you ever want/need more info.

Thank you! They are exactly as your described, and I do love them. These were custom, kind of a combination of their Pop's Pro Retro and Pop's Pro Vintage pads. I'd say they're basically the Vintage line, but with modern protection on the back of the pad. Mike at Kenesky helped me a lot in terms of deciding on the build. I can't entirely remember what the turnaround time was... I want to say it was 10 weeks from when the order was placed. In all honesty, I held up the process a lot by going over my order 10+ times before giving finally Mike the go-ahead to start building them, and by the time I submitted the order, he'd gotten pretty busy with some orders for the KHL and some other clients. The process did involve a little patience with the turnaround time and communication, but I feel that's to be expected (and accepted) when working with a smaller company. I was treated well by Mike the whole time, he was a real pleasure to talk gear with, and in the end he delivered a beautiful custom pad with every single detail I requested. I have nothing bad to say about my experience with Kenesky! That said, things seem to have picked up at Kenesky recently with hirings and increased interest, so I have no idea what the turnaround time will be like these days. Also... were you GNaz back on GSBB, by any chance? If you were, I seem to recall you had a cool Hextall avatar (I spend way too much time on that site..). I saw that someone had a pretty cool Hextall-inspired set by Kenesky. Not saying you'd be interested, but I thought it was nice work!

Thanks (?) My father and his father before him wore signet rings as their wedding rings, so I wanted to keep the tradition going. It's funny, I am a mafia movie buff (I grew up in north Jersey where they filmed The Sopranos, and have watched the entire series 30+ times) and I still never associate signet rings with the mob... but a lot of people sure do, and they're not without reason (though they tend to rock signets on the pinky). Personally, I tend to associate signet rings more with ancient royalty/British gentry/the occult... none of which are remotely relevant to me. But as a kid, I loved pictures of musicians (the Stones in particular) in the 60's and 70's who wore signet rings. Either way, it's an interesting look that I really like... certainly not for everyone, but I love mine, and it was a rare bit of tradition in my family that I wanted to continue. I was actually inspired by that picture I posted to make a thread about whether goalies play with their wedding rings or not... feel free to check it out.

Here's the side and back of the pads.

Nope, they're 11". Well, they're more like a true 11.25"... I asked Mike to make them 11", and he let me know that with the actual stuffed padding I asked for, they'd be a little over 11". I downsized considerably on these pads from my old Kohos, which were 36"+1" (I didn't want a thigh-rise, but they came with one... I didn't know much about that when I ordered them back in 2004). Even though getting shorter pads with no thigh-rise was the most important thing to me, I really wanted to try and keep the width NHL-legal. I didn't mind them being a little over 11", but they're pretty shy of 11.5", and definitely not 12". I have to say, I think the round, padded look definitely contributes to a bit of an optical illusion in which they look a bit wider.

I don't think I've ever posted my full setup, and I figured new pads and a new mask were as good an excuse as any... Pictured Kenesky Leg Pads, 35" - Custom Brian Heaton Eyewall Blocker Stomp Glove - Custom (modeled after Helite IV) Protechsport Mask (Brodeur Mold)

This is truly some next-level irony!

Eh, mine don't feel terrible at all, they work quite well for me. I have no issues with skating or edge-work (well, outside of my own skating shortcomings) when I get my skates sharpened, and I like how they perform even better as they dull down. It's personal preference -- what works well for you may not be my cup of tea, and vice versa. Personally, I've just learned over the years that I like a more shallow cut, and that I get good mileage out of a sharpening.

I'm a 5/8 guy, but I also get my skates sharpened once, maybe twice a year. I don't know what it is, but I hate sharp skates, and find them difficult to move around in. I have way better movement and control when my skates are fairly dull. Not based off of any theories or notions, just a personal preference that I've developed over the years.

Thanks for the info, Craig. Pardon my pronoun confusion, but when you say 'this is still his default foam', you meant the black EVA, right? Anyone have any info on why one would be better than the other? If I went with EVA, would it break down much faster and need to be replaced sooner, etc? Thanks.

Yeah, it's the one area I hadn't really considered. I mean, it pretty much comes down to safety/comfort/style, right? I know I don't want a short chin, but I'm not really sure how long I'd like it. In the end, I just asked Michel what Brodeur used. Kinda silly, but I've looked at the proportions of his mask my whole life, and I've always liked it. I mean, I would assume the 'Brodeur' shape Michel uses and Brodeur's actual mask are the same proportions, but who knows. I do like the chin length on my Hackva (the mask, not so much), so maybe I'll still measure that for a ballpark.