Go with whichever bag meets your needs. I don't like tower bags (or anything with wheels) because they take up too much space in the car and dressing room.

I am a traditionalist and have always used pro style carry bags. A quality one will last forever compared to their wheeled counterparts. They are built better and there are less parts to break or go wrong.

Granted I'm on the smaller side, but I never understood players with a wheel bag. I understand goalies (also being one) because everything is so heavy. But as mickz said carry backs are way more portable, packable, and lighter (no wheel hardware).

I probably shouldn't, but I also carry my goalie equipment. That'll change in 10 years when I'm older and need to wheel it all around, but in the meantime I don't need to put down all of the seats in my hatch to get my goalie bag in.

Grit bags are popular with the little kids. But once my boy hit second year atom, he went to a carry bag. Like mickz said, they take up a lot of space in the change room. Rink one at 8 rinks, you can get away with it. But try fitting even a half dozen grit bags in the rooms at Moody park arena, and you'll find you're out of space.

I use a wheeled bag for my goalie gear. But I use a basic Easton carry bag when I'm playing out. Player gear isn't that heavy.

If your bag has wheels, you don't.

I feel like we've had a time warp of 50 pages back...

Meh I have 1 wheeled bag for goalie or player gear. It was 60 bucks at Costco 5+ years ago and still working well. I could use a carry bag, but why--im lazy. Wheels are awesome, get over it.

The wait for my new goalie skates has been killing me. Opted for Graf G9035s from GM (yes I know they're bankrupt) because I tried the player skates at Metro SC and they fit like a dream. I just need to hope they don't fall apart lol. But from all accounts the skate is a tank so hopefully I don't get a lemon.

I think I'm still going to go to the hockey shop (at least to get the Grafs baked) and see if the new supreme/tacks skates fit me better (I doubt it). But I suspect for the price of the Grafs they won't be beat.

is hockeymonkey the best price on new sticks? Feeling the ccm ribcor 40k right now

^ Depends. I used to look there but I find better cheaper finds at Sport Chek imo especially with the poor exchange rate. Check out thehockeyshop. Last I tried they will price match american prices and apply the exchange rate from xe.com. You might be able to get HM prices locally.

My last stick purchase was 2x Sherwood T90s for 115 tax in from Sport Chek. They're awesome sticks if you don't need the latest and greatest.

I love my Grit tower bag. I don't care what people think. I already have a messed up back, and trying to carry goalie gear over one shoulder doesn't help.

Although my player stuff is in a carry bag, as player gear feels like feathers compared to the goalie stuff lol

I just got my Grafs and oh my god they are a dream! It's really too bad they are out of business because it was the only skate that fit me today (tried S190, R7000, CCM boot, Reebok 44k).

If anyone is in the market for skates or has any questions about fit let me know. The Graf deals on HM are great and the skates are amazing.

I have a bad right shoulder, and sometimes I JUST DONT WANT TO CARRY MY 50+ POUNDS OF SHIT.

Wheel bag all the way.

goalies get a break on the wheeled bags.

EleGiggle

I went to magic last night. Did static drills working on the hands, so no leg movements. It was a lot of fun catching pucks for an hour. I started to see the shooter's habits, and went 11 for 12 shots from the point in the final round of shots. He put that one in near my head on the glove side. I hate those shots.

Any goalie free to sub tonight ASHL 8 rinks @ 745???

Pm me if you can. Thanks

Hi Guys, In the market for new gloves. Any recommendations? Jr 12".
Previous gloves Bauer 4-rolls (over time they got too loose for my liking), Bauer Total One (palms look like Swiss cheese).

I'm a Bauer guy but have been leaning towards CCM lately..

22 days later, and my leg is still a mess.
I'm missing another ASHL game tonight. What pisses me off is that we had such a great start. I was playing awesome, and the team was winning. Then the groin let go. I advil'd it and continued to play, but couldn't perform like I was. I had a 3-2 OT loss, and the next game was a 5-4 OT loss. Going over my goalie journal after the fact, I realized that the injury was affecting my ability to move laterally which was affecting my performance.

At least I have a good physio doc.
WutFace

My son has used his Bauer Total one gloves for a few seasons now. I had Cecil at THS repalm them for him last year. We could have bought new gloves, but he loves his T1's.

I know you didn't mention them, but have you considered Eagle gloves?
I love my vintage Eagles.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...pskihk69zp.jpg

Sorry I couldn't find a better pic.....

Hi guys, I'm in the market for new player skates. Any recommendations?
I'm currently using Bauer X15 from probably like 6 years ago now, and they are starting to fall apart. I'm looking for an upgrade likely a mid to mid-high level skate. I know this seems vague but there are so many to choose from I don't even know where to start. To narrow down I think it'll be between Bauer or CCM.

Also sportschek downtown has a promo going on. If you try on a pair of CCM Super Tacks, they let you choose a key from a ziploc bag. If the key you choose opens up the display case you win the pair of CCM Super Tacks. You also get a free CCM Tacks hat for trying.

Skates are interchangeable at any level. Top end Bauer can compete with top end CCM. The materials they are using and designs are close enough that you won't really be able to tell the difference between brands.

It all comes down to a skate that fits you best. Do you like a hard boot or soft? Is your foot wide or narrow? Do you have any foot anomalies that need to be punched out?

Go to a good hockey store and try out a bunch of skates in your price range. If you truly care about getting the best skate for your dollar, expect to spend a couple hours there. Trying skates on, making a decision, and having them baked takes me about two hours. Do it right the first time, and you can use those skates for many years.

Bauer or CCM will literally be your only options. Everyone else is out of business. Try on everything in your price point and see what fits you the best.

As for the Super Tacks promo, most shops in town that carry that skate will have the same contest to win a pair.

Source for Sports on Hwy 10 in Surrey will let you demo the new Tacks for as long as you like. You simply pay the full $699 + tax, wear them for a week or so and if you don't like them, you can return them for a full refund. All they ask is that you fill out a small questionnaire if you do return the skates.

Isn't that a Cyclones?

Yup.
I'm a hockey shop whore, but that's a nice little store.




Fast forward to 8/9 and I'm on the ice tonight for the first real practice since my injury.


Please, oh denizens of RevScene, heed my advice and be sure to stretch before you play.

Make it a habit now, so when you're 35 it's just something that you do.

2 Months and almost a thousand dollars of rehab and physio could have been avoided if I had taken my stretching seriously, like I had done for a year prior.

^ I've actually started to stretch as part of my wind-down routine at night. I have no kids so this might go by the wayside when that changes soon, but I find that a daily stretching routine really helps keep me loose and limber throughout the day and helps me sleep at night. This is of course in conjunction with stretching before a game, which I've always done.

I'm barely 30, and I'm beginning to realize that my body isn't as resilient as it was when I was even 25. I've started to accumulate a few nagging nicks/pains, and only now have I started to take them seriously. Getting old sucks.

On the flipside, 3 CCM neck guards and $150 in 3 years later, I've finally pulled the trigger on a Maltese combo. Wifey is helping out since it's a milestone birthday, but I should've picked them up 3 years ago. It likely would've been around still and it would've been $150 then instead of the $200+ now :'(

I've read that it's more beneficial to warm up and do mobility movements pre-game, but leave the actual stretching post-game.

Thoughts?

You're absolutely correct. The idea is that you warm up without over-stretching muscles so they can fire/contract optimally.

That said, when I'm playing beer league (especially goal) I care more about being able to be as limber as possible and not worried much about being as explosive as possible.

Before putting on gear, I'll do a few jumping jacks or jumps onto the bench just to get the blood flowing. I'll do a bit of stretching after that, then put on the gear. During warmups I'll skate hard for a few mins, coast a minute, then proceed to do more specific stretches. More so when I play goal.

I find this works best for me, but likely not for everyone else.

I started using this dynamic warmup before skates, and it really helps.
Goalie Fitness: The Dynamic Warmup - InGoal Magazine

Maria Mountain has a good program. When I actually use it, I become stronger and better in everything, not just hockey. But then reality kicks in, I miss a week of it, and it takes until the next injury before I start doing it again.

FailFish