New Hockey Gear (player edition)

I haven't written a new post in almost a month, however in the last month brands have been releasing new gear left and right.  I've had the chance to evaluate most of the new stuff out and here's my opinions on them.

Reebok 18K and 20K skates:

The old knock on Reebok skates is they were that they fit huge, they are uncomfortable, and they aren't durable.  The new 18K ($599.99) and the 20K ($799.99) skates completely change that.  Even without the LS2 steel and holder these skates are almost as light as the Bauer $800 and $600 skates.  Reebok has upgraded their eyelets which was the least durable part of the skates.  New on these skates too is an exterior skeleton on the heel of the boot.  This feature also makes the skate much more durable as well as giving stiffness in the back of the boot yet allowing the tongue and the front part of the boot to have some flexibility.  Also on these new model skates, Reebok has gone with a more anatomical fitting skate, this gives the skate a much better fit, not nessecarily an out of the box fit but a better long term fit.  When shopping for skates check these skates out, they are legitimate.  They are a cross between the Bauer Vapor's construction and the Bauer Supremes materials.  Right now in my opinion these skates are a legitimate threat to Bauer's supremecy over the skate market, and for my money right now these skates are the top skates on the market, based on what Bauer just released in the Supreme NXG skate line.

Bauer NXG Skates

For the 2012 model year, Bauer updated their Supreme skates line.  There's not a lot to say about these skates becasue Bauer didn't do much to upgrade them.  They added a little more yellow, a honeycomb pattern and a few minor adjustments to the TotalOne skates and jacked up the prices throughout the Supreme line.  On the TotalOne skates the only adjustments are the improved gold eyelets and a full flex tongue (They still offer the tongue inserts for flexibility but the bare tongue comes very flexible out of the box).  Other than changing the names on the skates, for example the One.8 skates are the same as the old One80 skates the line didn't change at all below the TotalOne skate model. (The One.9 skates replaced the One100's)  If you're looking for Supreme skates, look for closeouts first, you'll save some cabbage that way and you'll have money left over to get an additional item.

Easton Mako Stick

This stick is an awesome stick.  Right now each brand of stick manufactures is selling to lines of stick, one stick is usually designed for power (Bauer Supremes), the other is designed for a quick release (Bauer Vapor).  The Easton Mako is designed as a power stick but it plays in between, giving the product a nice balance throughout the stick of power and release.  The stick has a nice, simple paint job, and the white paint makes it catchy in the stores.  If you were a fan of the SE 16 sticks as well as the ST line of sticks, the Easton Mako line combines both of them for feel and durability.  I currently use this stick and I love it more than anyother stick on the market today.

Easton Stealth Protective

The new Easton Stealth protective lineup is simple, a little more streamlined, not as bulky as other protective lines.  The main difference in the new Stealth protective lineup you'll see in stores is the Jet Black coloring you'll see on the gear with the yellow, green, red, blue trim on the gear to distinguish between price points.

CCM Crazy Light and Crazy Tough Protective



The new CCm Protective lineup is radical new innovation that keeps the gear as protective as anything else on the market, but the water resistance materials in the interior of the gear keeps it dry and light.  On top of that, the gear all provides a nice, natural fit.  And it's super comfortable, to the point where you will hardly notice it when you're playing.

That's a little bit on everything released in April, 2012.  May is going to see more released gear, such as goalie equipment, Bauer protective, as well as a sneak peek into the Bauer Nexus lineup set to be released in the summer and fall. 

A Breakdown of Hockey Terms Used by Hockey Players

ON ICE TERMINOLOGY

Bag Skate - A practice where hockey players skate until the point of complete exhaustion.
Barn – Hockey Rink/Arena
Bender – A lousy player who always seems to have his ankles bent. (Happy Gilmore)
Between the Pipes – In the net.
Biscuit – A Puck.
Breezers – Hockey pants.
Brain Bucket (or just Bucket) – A helmet.
Celly – A celebration, usually done after scoring a goal
Coast to Coast – When a player carries the puck from his own net all the way to his opponent’s and scores.
Chippy – Getting irritated with one another, usually on the brink of fighting.
Chirp – To talk trash.
Cherry Picker – Player who hangs out in his opponents zone awaiting a long pass. (Alexander Ovechkin)
Dangle – Misdirecting an opponent while handling the puck. See deke.
Deke – A fake out, perhaps derived from the word “decoy”.
Drop – To leave the puck behind or pass it to a trailing teammate.
Duster - The worst player on the team who only plays in the last 3 minutes of a losing effort when the team as given up.
Gongshow – A rough, intense game.
Grinder – A player who digs deep, hustles to make plays.Usually better known for checking and disruption rather than scoring ability. Like a lineman in football, he works hard but rarely gets recognized for his hard work.
Enforcer – A player who takes on the role of discouraging the opposing team from harassing his goal scoring teammate by imposing the threat of physical harm. (George Parros) 
Fisticuffs – A fight.
Five Hole – The area in between the goalie’s legs.
Hash Marks – The lines coming out of the faceoff circles providing a guide to where players should be lined up.
Hat Trick – Scoring three goals in one game.
Hoser – A loser. Orginated from the pre-Zamboni days when the losing team had to hose off the ice.
Keeper - Another term for the goaltender
Laser – A quick, well-placed shot.
Light the Lamp – Score a goal so the siren flashes.
Mucker – A physical player who lacks finesse but gets the job done by forechecking, working the boards, etc. He is not afraid to do the dirty work. Usually used interchangeably or in connection with grinder. (Thomas Holmstrom)
One-timer – Taking a hard shot right off the pass without pausing to receive it.
Pipe-fitter/Plumber – See mucker and grinder.
Playing the Point – When a defender positions himself in front of the blue line near the boards in order to keep the puck in his offensive zone.
Pylon – Skater who just stands still and is as easy to skate around as an orange cone.  (Rick Nash)
Schoolyard Puck – Pick-up hockey often played in a schoolyard, usually on inline skates.
Shinny – Pick-up hockey usually played on a frozen pond.
Sieve – A goalie with a lot of “holes” meaning he allows a lot of goals.  (Dwayne Roloson)
Sin Bin – The penalty box.
Slapper – A slap shot.
Slot – The middle area in front of the net.
Sniper – Player with an accurate shot who often scores from a distance.  (Steven Stamkos)
Top Shelf – To put a goal in the upper part of the net.
Tripod - A player who has to balance himself with his stick.  (Charley Conway)
Woody – A wooden stick
Wrap around – To come from behind the net and squeeze it past the goalie.
Wrister – A wrist shot.

OFF ICE TERMINOLOGY

Wheelin’ broads: Refers to the process of courting girls with slick lines and ruthless comments. In other words, shamelessly hitting on girls hockey players find in bars when they have perfectly loving girlfriends back at home. The process of wheeling broads normally takes place when the team is on a road trip, and is famous for being used by junior hockey players.
Ridin’ the pine: The act of sitting on the bench/sideline during a sporting event, but a member of the team.
Road kills: These are the hoes the boys manage to sleep with when they’re on the road. A pick up. One night stand, in other words.
Ditch Pig: Western Canadian expression to describe an ugly female that hunts for hockey players outside of bars, the arena and strip clubs. Normally they hang around the roadside or parking lot at the end of the evening hoping to get picked up by the desparate and dateless. Hence the ‘Ditch’ part of the name. ‘Pig’ is self evident.
Swamp Donks: Used to describe a girl who is every hockey players last resort. She is that one broad that waits around for your phone call all night and when that phone call comes (usually around 3 am when all the half decent broads are sleeping) she’ll be there on call. Be careful some tend to get clingly so lay the law down firmly. Shes not the best looking but shes dedicated to making your night better. What she lacks on looks she makes up for on expierence. They are generally treated like crap and dont care because the next day they are proud to tell their friends that they know the hockey studs personally. They are usually down for whatever which results in an intresting night for the boys. Many players regret and frown upon what they did the night before. Fortunetly this phenemonal night has its upsides like building team chemistry and chirping broads . the donksbecomechaw.
Dummied: To beat/completely annihilate someone in a form of competitive event so badly that it was like you were facing a non-living mannequin. aka. a Dummy.
Flow: Hair that would flow out the back of someone’s helmet and curl up around the back of the helmet. Someone can have a flow or be flowin. Long, curly or wavy hair. ex. Scott Hartnell’s flow.
Puck Bunnies: One of the lowest forms of lifestyles, they vary from young teens to women in their early 30s, and from appealing to grotesque. These girls are known for attending hockey games for the soul purpose of ending up in bed with one of the players. Their most common words used while in attendance of a game are “hot, ass, legs, body, arms, muscles, cute, tight.”
Bad Jibs: Bad teeth. One will usually see Bad Jibs on a hockey player who plays junior hockey or professional due to the lack of a face mask. Chipped, missing, teeth is also referred to Bad Jibs.
Gongshows:

• Generally regarding the shitstorm that takes place after games.
• A lifestyle defined and perfected by junior hockey players.
• A unique code of ethics shared amongst hockey players; widely unknown to others.
• Everything chaos.
• “Strictly a hockey term used to describe a random situation that was or could become out of control involving a lot of of booze. This term is unknown to civilians outside the dressing room and is a word used with pride and and class by some of the dirtiest hockey men alive. Strictly a class word.”

Beaks: Insults.
The Show: a.k.a : The National Hockey League/ The Big League.
The Chizzler: The guy on the team that steals everybody elses point because he can’t get his own.
The Knobhawk: The guy who keeps his head up on the ice, but down in the showers.
Ron Textall: The guy who just can’t stop texting either if its in the dressing room, in the car or in the bars. This guys always has his head burried in his celly trying to wheel.
The Word “Fuck”: Used all over the ice, all the time.

Post-Trade Deadline Top NHL Contenders

About a month ago, just before the NHL Trade Deadline I gave a list of who I thought the top contenders for the Stanley Cup were.  My, how a month has changed the entire landscape of the NHL.  A couple of the top contenders a month ago are falling below the waist, Detroit, Boston, San Jose to name a few, while teams like Pitsburgh, Philadelphia, Dallas, St. Louis (a month ago I didn't take them as a serious cup contender, I was wrong, yes I can admit when I'm wrong) are all surging into the playoffs.  And then there's teams like Washington, Los Angeles and Buffalo who I thought were Cup contenders at the start of the season but are in danger of missing the playoffs.  There's about 10 games left in the NHL schedule (3 weeks) and as the playoffs get near the races get better. So heres's the new list of the top contenders...

New York Rangers - They have scuffed their toes a little going 4-5-1 in the last 10 games, but make no mistake about it this team is for real.  Their only question going into the playoffs is does King Henrik (Lundqvist) have enough in the tank to take this team to the Cup?

Pittsburgh Penguins - This team is by far my favorite to come out of the East and depending on who they play against the West, they are one of the favorites to win the cup.  They already have the top line in the NHL with Malkin centering Neal and Kunitz, now with a healthy Crosby who was recently voted the top player in the game in a player's poll is back and playing at the level he left off when he got hurt.  The only teams in the East that can really slow the Pens down when they're playing on top of their game is New York, Boston (if Tim Thomas decides to pull his head out of his ass), and maybe and this is a big maybe, Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia Flyers - This team is a huge dark horse.  This team is wildely talented led by Claude Giroux but they have been incredibly inconsistent all year, largely due to their lack of defense and solid goaltending provided by Bryzgalov.  With that said, Philly has elite talent, and Bryzgalov is on pace to play the golden amount of games for cup contending goalies (Between 55-65 games).  If Bryzgalov gets hot they can knock off anybody, but their question is can they stay consistent for 4 playoff rounds?

Boston Bruins - A month ago I thought this was the best team in hockey, better than the Rangers, Canucks, and Red Wings.  Within the last month Tuukka Rask has injured his groin, Tim Thomas game has "gone to shit" (A little Herb Brooks reference), they brought in Marty Turco who has just exposed how bad this team has played the last month.  I don't know if it's just me but it definetly seems like Tim Thomas's game has been incredibly inconsistant since he skipped the White House ceremony.  And yes the Bruins are banged up.  The bottom line is however is this team looks like the Cup hangover that they started the season with has returned and I don't think this team has what it takes to win back-to-back championships.  But then again they've proved me wrong.

Vancouver Canucks - Like the Rangers a month ago, this team looked like the top team in the West, they ended Detroit's record home win streak in dramatic fashion and were in cruise control for the top spot in the conference.  But like the Rangers, they've struggled in their last 10 games and only able to manage 3 wins in that time span.  For my money this team is my favorite still to come out of the West.  They just have a calm yet confident swagger about them like the Penguins did in 2009 when they went back to the finals for the 2nd year in a row and beat Detroit.

St. Louis Blues - At the start of the season who would've thought the Blues would be leading the league in points and would be the 1st team to clinch a playoff berth?  If you claim to have said this you are either a liar or the biggest Blues fan.  If I am a GM in the Western Conference I would not want to play the Blues.  Even though they lack a premier player like Ovechkin, Iginla, Datsyuk, Toews, ect. this team is dangerous.  They are very talented, very physical, incredibly detail oriented, they have incredible goaltending, and Ken Hitchcock is by far the favorite to win the Jack Adams for best coach.  The only teams that I could see giving the Blues trouble are Detroit and Vancouver because of their star power. 

Detroit Red Wings - Let's face it, their recent slide is completely tied to their injury situation.  Losing Datsyuk, Lidstrom, and Howard in a week hurt, and not to mention when they came back into the lineup this week guys like Franzen and Helm got hurt and they'll be out for a while.  In my opinion this team is the "sleeping giant" (Pearl Harbor reference, what a terrible movie) in the entire NHL.  The way this team can win when they are on is unmatched by anybody, and they've been doing it my entire life (20 years, 6 months, 18 days).  Their Cup dreams like so many other teams reside in their goaltender's play in the playoffs.  And the Wings will either sink or swim depending on Howard's health and his performance in the playoffs. 

Nashville Predators - This team is the perfect playoff team, top 10 in offense, defense, power play, penalty kill.  In the playoffs teams win on special teams and goaltending.  This team has qualities in the 3 categories that match any other team in the NHL.  The moves this team made at the deadline bringing in the other Kostitsyn, Gaustad, and Hal Gill solidify this team's roster.  There's no holes in this line up, and their top-6 forwards, top-4 defensemen, and goalies are all healthy going into the playoffs.  On top of that Alexander Radulov, for my money the top player not playing NHL hockey, may decide this week whether he is going to return to the NHL after a 4 year hiatus.  Because of his contract situation with the Predators, if he comes back he doesn't have to pass through re-entry waivers, and he is fully elidigable for the playoffs (Marty Turco who signed with the Bruins after the trade deadline isn't elidgeable to play in the playoffs).  Make no mistake about it, if the Pred's get Radulov they're adding a top-6 forward into their lineup.

So there's my list.  If I were a betting man I would put my money with one of those 8 teams to win the cup.  With that said though any team in the playoffs, especially out of the West, can beat any other team, no question about it.

Women's Hockey... Controversies surrounding it...

For all the years I've been around the game of hockey it's given me an incredible ride.  For a long time too, it's given my sister who also plays hockey an awesome ride.  Over the years I've seen countless games of my sister's teams, as well as coached some of them.  And then recently in the last week my sister and I were having an argument about hockey.  In skipping all the unnecessary details, somewhere in there I made the statement "Women's hockey isn't real hockey".  Boy did my sister make me pay for that, and on top of it my mother was sitting in the other room and she got mad too.  But then it dawned upon me, Women's Hockey isn't really real hockey. 

Let me start off this argument that I think Women's Hockey is great, it's growth has been amazing for female hockey players who 20 years ago only had the option of playing hockey against boys/men, and most female hockey players had to drop out at the Pee Wee levels when boys started checking and "maturing".  I think it's awesome what women's hockey has done. 

With that said, here's where I think Women's Hockey should look at changing, and the reason they should look at changing is because for every male fan, coach, player, scout that loves and completely respects Women's Hockey, there's ten fans, players, coaches, scouts, etc. that have little respect for Women's Hockey, and they see it very much unequal compared to Men's Hockey or "Real Hockey".  Here's my problem with Women's Hockey: NO CHECKING.  Because girls/women can't legally make a clean hockey check to defend against a puck carrier, there's more time and space for a player to carry a puck.  Thus in non-checking leagues (Mites, Squirts, Old-Timers/Beer Leaguers included), the most skilled team always wins.  At times watching my sister's games, it looks like the better team in the game is on a 5 on 5 powerplay, and there's many times in Women's Hockey where the score gets run up by 6, 12, hell even 20 goals.  In my sister's travel league she played in one year the toughest team they faced one season, they beat all 3 times they played them by a total score of 16-6.  That year her team won the State Championship and went the whole entire season with 5 losses, all against Canadian teams.  In the end, because Women's Hockey is all about skill and puck possession, there is a tremendous competitive imbalance. 

And here's an even bigger piece of evidence of a competitive imbalance in Women's Hockey, the Women's Olympic Hockey Tournament.  Since the Women's Olympic Hockey Tournament has been around (1998 Winter Olympics was the 1st tournament)  In the 4 Olympic tournaments, the only time a North American team lost a game was when the Americans lost to the Swedish in the 2006 Gold Medal Semi-Final Game.  During it's 4 tournaments, Women's Olympic Hockey has featured teams from China, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Russia, Italy, Japan, Slovakia, and Kazakhstan.  However other than the 2006 Olympics, the 3 other Gold Medal games featured America and Canada.  In the most recent 2010 games the Canadian and American teams out scored their opponents 41-2 and 31-1 respectively.  And this has been the same exact case the previous 3 tournaments.  Clearly the North American teams have tremendous skill over teams from all other continents which is why there is a major debate going on in the Olympic Committee of whether or not Women's Hockey should be a competitive sport. 

Hockey is an incredible sport.  It is a balance between offensive skill and defensive skill, speed, grit, determination, physicality, and many other attributes.  In men's hockey all games are competitive, just look at the NHL.  I was watching the Phoenix Coyotes v. Columbus Blue Jackets game the other day, Phoenix a team battling for their playoff lives went in to Columbus to face a team that is dead last in the NHL, Phoenix had all the reasons to win yet Columbus managed a way to squeak out a win.  With checking in the game of hockey it gives teams with lesser skill than their opponents a legitimate chance to win, and a lot of times in checking leagues, the skill discrepancy between two teams is erased by hard work and determination.  Women's Hockey is all about skill and puck possession and 99.9% of the time the most skilled team wins, usually leaving little doubt of who was the better team.  When it's routine for a team to lose by 4, 5, 6, 7, even 10+ goals  it's not competitive hockey. 

And that's why I feel Women's Hockey is to an extent, NOT "REAL HOCKEY".

Pictures of some of the New Skater Gear...

Here's a glimse of what's coming out for Spring, 2012.  (Bauer Nexus is scheduled to be released in Summer, 2012)

Heres a quick look at the Bauer Nexus lineup.  It's going to fit kind of bigger, designed for the bigger power forward such as Ryan Kessler.

New Bauer Supreme Total One skates.  Not a lot of upgrades other than the honey comb design, the APX tongue, and improved eyelets (the gold eyelets in the picture)

Reebok 20K Skates.  They brought in theVapor style quarter package, which makes the skate a little lighter.  The first brand other than Bauer to release an $800 skate.

Easton Mako Stick... Although the White paint doesn't really do what it is supposed to (camoflouge the stick from the goalie), it still is an incredible stick.  The stick is light, it has great feel, and it's designed off of the very popular SE16 sticks.