Pro Hockey Life

[Tim Budong]

I guess this could be relevant here..

Bauer opened their own retail outlet

https://imgur.com/a/wIw3e

[skiiipi]

Originally Posted by Tim Budong

I guess this could be relevant here..

Bauer opened their own retail outlet

https://imgur.com/a/wIw3e

Yea that store is amazing
It even has its own mini rink and Zamboni

I don't forsee pro hockey life taking it to that level in vancouver, but definitely possible in the future for a store in Eastern Canada.
There is just simply a much larger market there.

I was talking to a csuite executive a few months back, and while there is no plans of global expansion at the moment, but PHL is a brand that potentially can work globally.

[originalhypa]

Originally Posted by skiiipi

Yea that store is amazing
It even has its own mini rink and Zamboni

I'll admit, the mini rink is a neat idea. But I would have no desire to shop in a store that is specific to one brand. Bauer makes nice gear, and I love my goalie skates. But I own set of Brians, a set of Vaughn, and 2 sets of Reebok pads. I rotate through two sets of Vaughn catcher/blocker combos, and am currently in love with Ballpeenhammer's Warrior glove set. My mask is an Eddy, while my sticks are Bauer only.

The point is that I wouldn't have had the chance to try out different gear if not for a shop that carries all of the brands. I can only imagine how frustrated I would be by getting stuck with Bauer hands. I have to say, I'm not a fan.

[mickz]

Originally Posted by originalhypa

I'll admit, the mini rink is a neat idea. But I would have no desire to shop in a store that is specific to one brand. Bauer makes nice gear, and I love my goalie skates. But I own set of Brians, a set of Vaughn, and 2 sets of Reebok pads. I rotate through two sets of Vaughn catcher/blocker combos, and am currently in love with Ballpeenhammer's Warrior glove set. My mask is an Eddy, while my sticks are Bauer only.

The point is that I wouldn't have had the chance to try out different gear if not for a shop that carries all of the brands. I can only imagine how frustrated I would be by getting stuck with Bauer hands. I have to say, I'm not a fan.

Other brands should just step their game up.

[Tim Budong]

Originally Posted by mickz

Other brands should just step their game up.

this. but bauer spends so much $$ on marketing too. CCM is a close second

now if Bauer would release those G3 profile sticks to the public dammit.....

[mickz]

Originally Posted by Tim Budong

this. but bauer spends so much $$ on marketing too. CCM is a close second

now if Bauer would release those G3 profile sticks to the public dammit.....

I'd say both companies spend quite a bit on marketing but Bauer just makes good products. Look at how many NHL rookies/call ups wear Reebok/CCM and then ditch it once they earn a roster spot.

[BallPeenHammer2]

I'm not a huge fan of Bauer goalie gear. For years it's been bland and horrid. Their gloves up until the recent release of the new Reactor 9000/7000/5000 line has been crap. I don't even bother trying them because it's so horribly made. The blockers though I like quite a lot. At the moment, only thing I have are skates and a stick. Even the stick is just experimental.

Their masks aren't versatile enough to fit all head sizes. Durability is 50/50 (titanium cages recalled due to cracking and BLINDING people). The C/A's are just regurgitated crap from the earlier years. None of them feel any good, craftsmanship is poor and flexibility is terrible.

They're big. But they have so much CRAP on the market. Some seemingly made just to take up shelf space. It really turned me off of a lot of their products.

As for OH: I'm glad my gloves got you the wins and good in the playoffs. KICK SOME ASS MAN!

Just make sure I actually get them back after my return from injury please....LOL

[mickz]

Bauer had a pretty solid stable of goalies in the 90s but their style was becoming obsolete and Bauer didn't jump on the same boat that Reebok did (something they actually did right.)



As for the masks, anything off-shore is crap IMO. You go into local shops nowadays and they're filled with these widowmakers. Yes it's harder to find a decent Canadian-made mask that doesn't cost an arm and a leg (especially with Eddy and Hackva gone) but the goalies that want a solid mask will make an effort to get it.



With Bauer I just think they lack a sense of direction in their goal department. Their new cowling doesn't really make sense. The design is flawed with no toe protection and the trigger may be interfered with by the boot strap. They really need somebody to steer their goaltending department in the right direction. Look at all the wonders Pete Smith did for Warrior.

[m3thods]

Originally Posted by Tim Budong

now if Bauer would release those G3 profile sticks to the public dammit.....

Forgive my ignorance, but I thought the G3 flex profile is essentially what's in the Nexus series.

And forgive my off-topic-ness.

[originalhypa]

Originally Posted by mickz

Other brands should just step their game up.

If only it was that simple.....

This is Brians factory.



It doesn't look to me like they're swimming in marketing cash like Bauer and the Adidas family are.

The point I'm trying to make is that marketing doesn't make you a better goalie, better gear does. So for every dollar that Bauer spends on a fancy store in some shitty mall in suburban Minnesota, that's one less dollar that goes to goaltending.

By the way, Bauer did $197.1-million in revenue last year with $22.6-million in profit.

Originally Posted by BallPeenHammer2

As for OH: I'm glad my gloves got you the wins and good in the playoffs. KICK SOME ASS MAN!

Just make sure I actually get them back after my return from injury please....LOL

hahaha, no problem at all man!
I appreciate you letting me try the stuff out. I didn't want to make the change, but now that I have I can't fathom going back to Vaughn.

Have no fear, I have kept up on cleaning, drying, and maintenance. And Cam is going to hook me up with my own set soon.

Thanks man!

[mickz]

I'm certain CCM/Reebok and Warrior have the resources to do something about it but haven't done so. I've heard CCM is in talks with local shops who have had their toes stepped on by these Bauer Experience Stores to make their products more prominent in-store but that's about it.

[originalhypa]

I've always had good luck with my Reebok/CCM gear. But they would have to pay me a big chunk of money to wear their gear. I've never really "loved" a piece of Reebok gear. It's like the Chevy of the hockey world, while Bauer is like Ford.


That said, I could be like many of the pros and stick with my brand of pads, but with a CCM skin.
Since goalies (and hockey players) are a bunch who tend to stick with what they like, you never know what they could actually be wearing.

paul szabo says:

October 18, 2009 at 9:22 PM

Reply to BZNS:

You are absolutely right about Brodeur. They call this “reskinning” but in fact it actually means building a new pad copied off the old one (not simply sewing new clarino on top of the old pad foam); all he did was put a bit more thigh rise on it. And it doesn’t matter what “skin” they put on it, it is the same DR Maxima pad. Imagine that he doesn’t even have knee stacks in his pads, nor a flat inner calf wing to slide on. His style is such that he doesn’t seem to need it. He is a good example of a star goalie who doesn’t need all kinds of top secret equipment mods to be the best. In the past he has spoken out against other goalies whom he thought were going way overboard with pad height, chest protectors that looked like sheets of plywood etc.

I also think wonder if there isn’t a bit of hypocrisy in this business of reskinning. It certainly proves that equipment companies are more concerned about the their name being seen than the goalie actually wearing the real equipment. It would be interesting to ask Brodeur if he has any issues with “misleading” the public as it were.

That was in interesting comment by ingoal contributor Paul Szabo. I bring this up because last month at the hockey shop we were going over pro returns. I was shocked as to how many pieces of equipment were CCM skinned, but actually Vaughn blockers. I mention blockers because they're so easily recognizable. Brodeur and Thomas were notorious for this the last few years.


Then there are the OD1N pads from Bauer. I only know of one person who has seen and touched these pads in person, and he says they're more Brians Subzero than they are Bauer.

I mean, just look at these things!




Look at that thigh rise. It's very different than what Bauer has been doing for years.



Foam core, calf wrap, smart straps, it's all Subzero.


Except the knee stack. But this is an old pic, and that could have changed too.

[Truenosan]

I'm on the same boat as you guys. As much as I love my Bauer skates, I really don't like anything else in their lineup. Their masks aren't the best, and if you are like me, playing beer league, CSA/HECC certs aren't as important. Plenty of smaller companies that make far better masks, at a fraction of the cost because they don't need to go through CSA stuff.

Bauer store would be interesting to see, but I wouldn't be doing any serious shopping there, as Hypa said, it's no good when you cant try on other products to compare etc.

Now granted, I've never tried any Bauer pads on the ice, so I cant compare. But just having them on in the store, and I wasn't pleased at all. This is just my personal opinion of course.

[Tim Budong]

Originally Posted by m3thods

Forgive my ignorance, but I thought the G3 flex profile is essentially what's in the Nexus series.

And forgive my off-topic-ness.

yes, but not close enough. apparently, the 1N is going to be the closest thing to one

I can't really explain, but I like the way the stick feels compared to all the other sticks I've tried. A G3 stick with that one95 blade.. i feel everythingggg

[originalhypa]

Originally Posted by Truenosan

Now granted, I've never tried any Bauer pads on the ice, so I cant compare. But just having them on in the store, and I wasn't pleased at all. This is just my personal opinion of course.

I have tried a couple of Bauer pads on the ice through demos and trying buddie's gear, etc. Bauer is non offensive, they make a solid product, and they have good representation. They're a lot like Ford. Bauer is the Ford of the hockey world!

On that note, CCM is Toyota, Warrior is Hyundai, and Brians would be Tesla. Unique, and purchased by egotistical douches.

[Truenosan]

I wear Hyundai pads?

But I see your comparison. Warrior was not doing too much in their goalie department until the addition of Pete Smith.

So based on this analogy, Hyundai Pony = Warrior Messiahs
Hyundai Genesis - Warrior Rituals?

lol

[originalhypa]

Hahaha, indeed.
I had to borrow Hyundai gloves to go with my tesla pads, Ford skates and Pontiac mask.

[SumAznGuy]

Originally Posted by Tim Budong

yes, but not close enough. apparently, the 1N is going to be the closest thing to one

I can't really explain, but I like the way the stick feels compared to all the other sticks I've tried. A G3 stick with that one95 blade.. i feel everythingggg

I loved my One95 sticks. Too bad the blades became wet noodles after a few months of constant beer league abuse.
Currently, my Nexus 1000 has held up well but after 1 winter and 1 summer season, the blade is starting to go limp.

I still have brand new APX2 and CCM Tacks and a Tone LE to break in. Guess I won't be buying any new sticks any time soon.

I love OH's comment. Pontiac mask.

[skiiipi]

Anybody been to the new pro hockey life in tsawassen mills yet? How is it?

[mickz]

Originally Posted by skiiipi

Anybody been to the new pro hockey life in tsawassen mills yet? How is it?

Great looking store. Although the pricing is similar to Sportchek, the buying experience is different. Sportchek has signage to discourage customers from even stickhandling in the store whereas Pro Hockey Life installed a Rapid Shot machine. Being able to actually demo the stick and have measurable results can definitely help players make an informed decision between sticks.

I'd probably avoid the service department for a while though. I dropped by yesterday and a couple guys were just learning how to sharpen. Interesting how they use Blademaster machines at PHL but Blackstone at Sportchek though. Blackstone sucks.

[whitev70r]

PHL way too far. Source for Sport is good enough for average minor league player which is probably 80% of market and they have lots of convenient location with great prices, sales, personal service, and blow out/clearance items. Unless PHL puts up more bricks and mortor real fast.