Lucky Pucker

I've exercised phenomenal restraint (read: I forgot about this), and have abstained from bumping this thread for over 2 months,  apparently.

Lots of new members since then! No pressure or obligation, but: guaranteed reaction(s) from me, which gives you points, which gives you cred. Well, cred here on TGN, at least... so like, cred with other goalies... which in the real world is no cred at all.

10 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

No one is really knocking the quality of their stuff. They still make good gear and even their senior line holds up very well.

We're just knocking their inability to adapt to the market.

LOL - yeah, I know - my statement was tongue-in-cheek, given the (at best) tenuous link between a bag I bought in a brick-and-mortar store, and the number of pros leaving the brand/wait times for custom orders 

Bought a bag  (yes, with wheels; depending on your POV, I'm either old now, or will be soon - and I can injure myself plenty good without it being bag-carrying related.) Haven't hauled gear to the rink in it yet, but I like it - and it has integrated straps for securing my pads to the top of the bag, so I can retire the yellow bungee cord I had been using on my old bag, and sent it to the HHOF

Given the Vaughn discussions and criticisms here lately (mostly about pads, gloves, owner rants, customer service and business models), I haven't removed the tag on this yet, and I have the receipt - so if anyone has this bag and hates it and/or has a good reason why I should return it, please let me know by Friday!

4 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Is that really your best years when you can't remember anything else? There's no comparison!

Yeah, you're probably right. I'll let you know when I get to that age ('cus I sure ain't there yet - in fact, you're a month away from joining me in the 30s, old man! )

1 minute ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Thanks for the setup visual.

You're just upset that your best years are long behind you.

I dunno - I'll probably get a few of my "best years" right at the tail end of things, when I'm too old and effed up to realize things piss me off, and too old to give a damn anyway!

Oh, and GET OFF MY GRASS!!!

Just now, bunnyman666 said:

I was an early adopter of these. I ended up having to tape them on to prevent them from moving around. One day I forgot. Let’s just say that in the time I needed to retain focus, I could not. 

Be glad you put them back.

Damn... I AM glad I did just that! Even the sales guy I was talking to (who was great), was sorta implying that they were a bit dodgy...

5 minutes ago, cwarnar said:

Probably the most frustrating on all the elastic strapping options out there.

So many better options in my opinion

Cool - thanks for that!

Wow - almost 30. Tell us more about the 2010s, Grandad? LOL!

What do people think of the Brian's? I had them in my hand this weekend, and then put them back.

9 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Just placed an order for a set myself. Been dealing with a bit of knee pain on the left leg. Hoping these will alleviate some stress. 

Sounds like you may be coming down with a case of OLD! LOL!

But seriously, what is your current set up, @coopaloop1234? Presently, I have a skate-lace toe tie with a few inches of slack knotted into them. Not that I feel pain that I can directly attribute to my toe-ties, but I had wondered if I should be getting something like this too.

13 minutes ago, 48yroldbegining said:

2nd time out

Yeah, buddy - good on ya! I love your story, man!

...and you look great, which as we have covered here on this site myriad times, is the MOST important part.

18 hours ago, RichMan said:

Forgot the new one out East. Been there once. 

Yes it's far. I did live in Carp for a year, off Richardson side rd. which made getting to Sensplex off Paladium easy. But when I moved back to Gatineau, I tried to stick it out for a year but it got stupid bussing there and bussing back at 10pm in the dead of winter, so I told them I'm out and focused on my own coaching business from then on. I'd go back if I had a vehicle to my name. I miss the atmosphere.

Ha! When I lived in Hull, I used to play night soccer in the dome in Carp; that was a long trip - but I was way younger, and we had zero kids - lol! I was fortunate to have a car though; can't imagine busing it, man!

So when you say you coached at the sensplex arenas before, did you also do the adult goalie academy?

18 hours ago, RichMan said:

Never been. I coached at the Sensplex in Kanata and the one in Carleton Place, and one time at Canadian Tire. Amazing facilities!!

I’ve only been to the Richcraft one in the east (very nice!). But damn - all the way out to those rinks from Gatineau? That’s a long ways away!

1 hour ago, RichMan said:

Alright, here I go...

First one, a shot to the neck. This one is what made me buy a Maltese from a fellow tender on GSBB a many moons ago.

Second one is one that found the sweet spot on an old c/a and believe you me, I felt it.

Another regular spot I used to get nailed in often was my inner thigh, and occasionally above my knee.

Damn, @RichMan! You can practically see the cross hatched pattern of the puck imprinted on your arm!

1 hour ago, RichMan said:

Which rink was this? Look at how high he wears his pads on his skates!! And that's one BEEFED UP Vaughn c/a he's sporting.

It was at the Amped Sports Lab on Leitrim. Great place, great people!

3 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

@Lucky Pucker Painbow- THAT is funny shit! 

Of course I am only limiting stuff gone through with my ostomy surgery to that thread ALONE; those wounds, pouches and etc. ONLY have to do with what is PREVENTING me from playing hockey. I did not get an ostomy surgery from playing hockey.

Thanks (I think) for citing me as an inspiration. I do think we need a bruise and cut gallery from what we have EARNED from playing hockey.  

Yeah, I know you’ve been through some tough times with this thing, and I was hoping (hopping? Like a bunny?) you’d take my tagging you in a positive way!  

Now you take good care, @bunnyman666, so you can get back in that crease, and get yourself hurt like a REAL amateur goalie should!

Inspiration can come from strange places. Part of the idea for this thread came from when my on-ice Physiotherapist found a chink in my armour between my pant leg and knee pad. But the other part came from seeing @bunnyman666‘s gallery of the grotesque update pics. 

So I was thinking, why not have one handy place for these pics of our bruises; yellow, blue, black - all the colours of the Pain-bow It will make it easier to find (and avoid!) 

Here is my pic to start. I know that many of you have had way worse than this little bruise, so step up and out-shine(r) me! 

So I had some on-ice physio sessions to ease back into things after my MCL tear. At the other end of the ice, prepping for the Anaheim camp was Jared Coreau. He apparently changed his whole schedule for the chance to be on the ice at the same time as me (I might have that backwards). Super nice, down to earth guy! No sneak peak at new gear, as he was wearing his Detroit Vaughn stuff, so I figured I’d stick this in “Action photos.” 

Me not falling down? Yeah, I count that as “action!” Lot of strained-muscle stabilization going on behind that seemingly natural and relaxed pose - lmao!

3 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

Sorry our spat moved this off topic.

Meh - all good! I’m starting to like you crazy fuckers! In a “not trying to drive a wedge between Coop and Bunny, because what they have is for realz, yo!” kind of way. Respect, brothers!

Dear mods: can this thread be moved to the “goalie seeking goalie” thread? Coops and bunny (and maybe some other lucky keeps playing for keeps) will be better served by a dedicated thread. 

Good luck boys!

17 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

It's ok. You're new.

Soon you'll be a smart assed know it all like the rest of us.

Oh, I can smart-ass like a boss - voted Biggest Smart Ass in my high school grad yearbook, in fact. But yeah, I'm new to this kind of cray-cray, and still very much a know-it-not - lol!

1 minute ago, motowngoalie said:

@bunnyman666 for basic NA available anywhere, I'd concur with Beck's. St Pauly Girl or Labatt are also somewhat palatable. My wife's due with a future tendy in a few weeks, so she's been drinking some of the stuff this summer

Awesome! Congrats to you both!

2 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

I appreciate the legwork!

Ok, @bunnyman666 - I'm on this beer app called Untappd, and the world-wide user community is pretty reliable for most stuff.

Based on that, the highest-average rated NA available in the US is this one - and unlike most NAs, this one might have colour and taste - maybe even a little reminiscent of a Real Ale!

https://untappd.com/b/wellbeing-brewing-hellraiser-dark-amber-na/2506568

The brewery is in MO (can't remember where you are) and it does NAs exclusively:

https://wellbeingbrewing.com/#footer-info

Brew Dog also has some NAs (and as I think they have production somewhere in the US in addition to their Scotland HQ, it should be easier to find):

https://untappd.com/b/brewdog-blood-orange-popsicle/2779765

https://untappd.com/b/brewdog-raspberry-popsicle-parade/2485710

2 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

I better stay away from lower alcohol

Ah - understood, mate. Cheerfully withdrawn.

11 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

Trying to find a tasty and not yucky NA for this weekend. Can’t have the alcohol due to narcotics.

Any leads?

Not my strong suit here,  @bunnyman666  - on average, my beer choices are north of 6.5%... but I only drink them on days that end with "y". But I hate to see a beer bro suffering, so I'm digging deep here.

I can say that I have always been a fan of Beck's, and have tried their non-alcoholic version (blue band on the label instead of red). I thought that one was nice! According to some taste test for NA beers, O'Doul's Premium was the winner, for what that's worth.

If you can go up to "lower alcohol," you'd be surprised how low some radlers are (some <2.5% even). Sure, it's juice mixed with beer, and you WILL be ridiculed for drinking it, but it can be really refreshing.