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Chris: . . . . Sat, Aug 22, 10:18PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I just cleared the chat log. Looks like the Boards are now serving up some equipment transfers.

Chris: . . . . Sat, Aug 22, 10:28PM PST (-0700 GMT)
CdP & Sieve, I deleted the thread in the Market relating to the now sold 'BRAND NEW EDDY GT MASK'. Just a note, if your item sells in the board you can delete it yourself by using the password you entered on submission of the message. Just fill in the field at the bottom of the thread's page. If you did not enter in a password you may just email me or drop a message on the caht and I will delete it using my all powerful administrative screen :-).

Chris: . . . . Sat, Aug 22, 10:31PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Scott, I also changed the link on the bottom left to 'www.battram.com' instead of execulink.com.

Sieve: . . . . Sun, Aug 23, 9:51AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi all. CdP, the mask was actually pretty comfortable in my game thursday night. Of course I only got to wear it for about a period. Ever hear the popping sound of a medial collateral ligament? Well, I hadn't until then. So I'm on crutches for a while, out for the rest of my summer season. Hopeful for the start of the fall season second week of Oct.

Sieve: . . . . Sun, Aug 23, 9:52AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Any chatsters out there that have blown their MCL before? If so, I would like to hear about your re-hab. thanks.

RocketGoalie: . . . . Sun, Aug 23, 10:48AM PST (-0700 GMT)
OW! Sorry to hear about the MCL, Sieve. I popped my groin and a hamsting but never and MCL...I wonder which is louder? heheh... I can tell you one thing, talk with a rehabber about it because once you come back, you could reinjure it or, even worse, injure something else because it hasn't been used since you got hurt. That's what happened with the groin/hamstring for me. You know how Jagr, Lindros and others have hurt their groins and come back then get hurt again? It's not their groins they've reinjured it's their hamstrings (actually a butt muscle, but ESPN doesn't report it that way). It's pretty common to injure one after the other and that might happen with an MCL too...I don't know if it will, but it's worth checking into with someone who really knows like a dr or rehabber.

Tripp: . . . . Sun, Aug 23, 11:44AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Guys, I need some positive reinforcement here. The team I've been playing on is a little bit lax on defense. We're routinely outshot by margins like 42-16, 39-11, 55-20, etc... Despite this, we've got a record of 9-2-1 so far. I know it's my job to stop everything that gets to the net, but sometimes it really starts to wear on me. Any advice on how I can stay motivated when it seems like the ice is always tilted towards me?

ScottBattram: . . . . Sun, Aug 23, 3:14PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Thanks Chris! Just waiting for some US cheques to come in so I can get that 100.00 off to you... there is no way I am buying US dollars with Canadian money right now! hahah... Should have a big US cheque comming in Sept 4th or so... So I will just get a money order off of that and send up to you.

ScottBattram: . . . . Sun, Aug 23, 3:14PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Chris.. the link is still reading www.execulink.com/~sbattram

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sun, Aug 23, 4:02PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Just got back in from a weekend at the beach surfing and had a blast. The legs got a good workout walking in the water as did the arms paddling out into the surf. If you've never done it i suggest you try it at least once, it was a blast!

gbfreeman: . . . . Sun, Aug 23, 4:14PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Tripp, Take pride in what you are able to do. It does get kind of tiring facing alot of shots, but just look at it as more and more opportunities to learn the most you can about the position. Nothing matches game action for testing reflexes and mental toughness. I am currently on three teams that are just learning to play the game and so I get pelted almost continuously (Roller). But, you know what, I played last season on a team that finished 11-1 with a +\- of 5 goals per game and I felt I played the worst I've ever played in my life (5+ gaa). Your teammates have to recognize that it is the work in net that is allowing them to keep winning games. If you need to look to the pros for examples, how about Tom Borasso? He played on two Stanley Cup champions that wouldn't know defense if it hit them in the head with a stick. Good goaltending is the basis of any good team. Stay strong and enjoy the attention. Greg Freeman

: . . . . Sun, Aug 23, 5:58PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Oh, sorry Scott. I changed all the links but the chat. The chat one recquires a different process. Fixed now.

Chris: . . . . Sun, Aug 23, 6:00PM PST (-0700 GMT)
That was me.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 6:07AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Geez Tripp if you have trouble with motivation at 9-2-1, how would you react to a losing record???

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 6:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sieve yes I have torn collaterals, medial in one knee lateral in the other. Neither case was a full tear however, what is your diagnosis? If the tear is full you might want to consider surgery....

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 6:16AM PST (-0700 GMT)
If it's not a full tear you will be back in a few weeks to a couple months depending on rehab and how fast you respond etc....but I must tell you the MCL tear I had did affect my play quite a bit because of my butterfly style and the rather constant pressure on the inner half of the knee, and the frequent down/up moves which will strain it.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 6:17AM PST (-0700 GMT)
It was 6 months before I felt more or less OK out there, but I had twinges for a year....and I developed a few compensatory bad habits which had to be overcome....so my advice would be try to resist the urge to go back too soon, when the thing is still real painful. You may injure something else trying to protect it, or wind up with some goofy habits that are hard to break.....

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 6:18AM PST (-0700 GMT)
As for rehab you will need to strengthen all supportive muscles around the knee, ie quads and hams, but especially the inner quads (mine are tiny and add to the instability of my knees...) anyway GOOD LUCK and WORK HARD!!!

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 6:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Also YES it is a really icky sound. Mine sounded like a hot lightbulb breaking...POP!!

the big mao: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 8:18AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sieve; Yeah, both the medial and the anterior cruciate! the rehab was lengthy and Ireally learned what the term "house of pain" meant! In my case, I destroyed the cartileage, 60% of the ACL and part of the MCL. That was 6 years ago. If it's only your MCL, that's not anywhere near as scary. Really hammer the rehab, do lots of tooth-grinding. Smott is dead-on about the quads! If you can build your quads up like Eric Heiden-the speed skater? no problems! Good luck!

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 8:43AM PST (-0700 GMT)
OW mao you really did a number on yourself. Yes once the ACL is involved it's a different ballgame...a full rupture usually means 6 mos rehab minimum before you can really do anything....usually surgery is the best option if you're going back to a sport that has high load factors on the knees...

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 8:45AM PST (-0700 GMT)
My problem is imbalance in the quads...inner is small, outer is big (I'm no Heiden!) but it tends to pull the patella outwards and strain the MCL. At the time I tore the MCL I also dislocated the patella, now THAT is an uncomfortable sensation. Don't recommend it. I am a gym-rat for life now.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:05AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi Vile...

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:11AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi All! Thanks for all of your input and encouragement. I go to the doc's this afternoon to get the verdict. I am optimistic that its not torn too badly. It has improved much just since friday. I can SLOWLY bend it about 75 deg. with minimal pain, and am hobbling around sans crutches. Already growing tired of this damn immobilizer though.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:20AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yep it sure is annoying (killed my back!) I really sympathize! THINKING GOOD THOUGHTS for you and your doc visit, hope you have only minor tear and good stability!....:-D

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:31AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Smott are home....

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:34AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Smott, It's been a while...... I hope things have gotten better from the last time we chatted.......

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:36AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi Wall thins are still nutty but I have a little time for Chat browsing...what's up with you?

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Nothing, just excited to see that the flyers picked up Beezer..... What do you think?

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:41AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Oh didn't hear that....Beez in orange and black!....hmmm...Actually I was wondering where Felix will go, does this open the door for him to go down and get a tan in FLorida I wonder?...

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:43AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Florida has Kirk Mclean and the rookie Weeks....Potvin might be traded to a team that has a good defenseman and an even swap.

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:45AM PST (-0700 GMT)
How many more days before training camps start? I am really starting to get antsy. I skated for 3 hours Fri, 4 hours Sat, then hung around the to watch 10 yr olds play 3 on 3 games... It was pretty cool. I was pretty impressed with the 10 yr olds. Pretty good defensive hockey.

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:46AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Even though they have a quality goaltender, their defense is still suspect and you know better than anyone that a goaltender is just is good as his or hers defense...

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:48AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Vile, Training camp starts soon, don't know exactly...

Tripp: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I know that some of the Edmonton Oilers will report on the 4th, and the Flyers start on the 11th or 12th.

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:54AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I'm curious to know if you ever got in touch with Paul Thompson... the guy who makes custom equipment?

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:55AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Tripp, who is your favorite team?

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 9:57AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Smott, the question about the custom equipment was for you....

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:00AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Wall has the hiccups :)

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:01AM PST (-0700 GMT)
what about you Vile..... Which team do you like?

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:02AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I know, my computer keeps sending the same info twice...I don't know how to correct it....

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:03AM PST (-0700 GMT)
It didn't do it this time....

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:04AM PST (-0700 GMT)
It didn't do it this time....

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:07AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well, I am in Dallas... and I just made the final payment on my season tickets for 98-99 Brett Hull on Modano's line with Jere Lehtinen for good measure (Selke Winner last season)

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:08AM PST (-0700 GMT)
But I am a BIG hockey junkie... all hockey, all the time. It amused me how much I enjoyed watching the kids play this weekend. Something funny about seeing 10 yr olds laying down to block shots :)

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:10AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Dallas is going to be awesome w/ the addition of Hull...and once Neuyndyk comes back, even better.

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I'm now in the process of coaching 8 to 9 yr old. I'm the goalie coach...

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Newy won't be back until Dec last I heard... so I expect a more laid back regular season this year sans Presidents trophy

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:15AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sounds cool. How is your camp going? When do you start back to school?

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:16AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Do you like Belfour between the pipes?

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:20AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I feel confident with Belfour. He is a lot of fun to watch... with his temper. I think the problem we had in end against detroit was our offense couldn't match theirs. Hopefully Hull will lift us to the next level.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:20AM PST (-0700 GMT)
As for Paul Thompson his equipment seemed OK, nothing special.Prices were reasonable though....

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:21AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmmm...I'm not a big Eddie fan...his numbers are good when his D is good, otherwise, pretty average....

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:23AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I am interested in seeing the new divisions play. I was initially sad to see Dallas leave the central. But there are some serious rivalries with Pho, Ana, SJ, and Dal then throw LA into the mix. SJ has Suter now, with his history against Ana and Kariya (SP)that should be explosive.

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:25AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I wouldn't want to model myself after Eddie, but I don't think Dallas needs to shop around for a better goalie. Dallas has a great D already which fits eddie well.

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:26AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I'm not a big Belfour fan....I do feel he's a good goaltender, but there's something about him that bothers me....can't pin point it....besides that they're pretty good. I do agree that their offense was week against Detroit.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:28AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yes Eddie does fine in Dallas and they don't need better D or G they need O....

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Belfour does play in a more finess division, which I feel is harder on the goalies....

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:31AM PST (-0700 GMT)
What about Cujo? Do you guys feel he'll do well w/ Toronto...

Wall: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:33AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I have to go....Will chat later...

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:33AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I think Cujo is good, especially in the Playoffs. I don't think the Maple Leafs needed a goal change... but they need some changes.

Tripp: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:38AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Wall, I got booted before.... I wasn't ignoring your question. I'm a big Oilers fan.

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:41AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I really feel sorry for the Oilers. With the weak $CAN they really have a disadvantage in keeping their players. Add to that the their smaller market when compared to Montreal or Toronto.

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:42AM PST (-0700 GMT)
The Oilers have been really good the last couple of years and I think it was a shame for Cujo to leave.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I don't think the problem in TO was goaltending and I don't think Cujo will help that much....

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
My thought exactly Smott

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 10:55AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I saw a little story about Canada filing suit regarding the seducing of teams from Canada by US cities using all sorts of sweetheart arena deals etc, as a violation of NAFTA. I thought that was kind of interesting.

Beatts: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 11:54AM PST (-0700 GMT)
When did Kirk Maclean go to Florida ??? I think he is still with Carolina...

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 11:56AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Not a clue Beatts, didn't know he left Carolina either...

Tripp: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:02AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I know what you're saying about the Oilers having problems competing, Vile. i'm originally from Pennsylvania, and within 2 hours of here we have 2 classic cases of teams throwing obscene money out at players. The Flyers and Rangers. No way Edmonton can hang with them from a financial standpoint. They need to do something, though. I doubt Essensa and Fichaud can get them where they want to be. They forecheck like crazy, and when you do that, you're setting yourself up for odd-man situations. They're really gonna miss CuJo. So will the city. He's a great guy.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:04AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I'm sure Cujo will be liked in TO....but after awhile didn't even Felix take some heat from teh press/fans? Cujo will get that too I bet...

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:19AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yeah, that's something I have seen mentioned a lot about Dallas. Because of Dallas as a whole lack of experience with the sport, their expectations are low. Guys from Montreal talk about back to back losses being hell in that city. (Dallas is the same way about the Cowboys) Nobody gives the Stars a lot of crap yet. They lament thing like Dallas needs an enforcer, or the NHL needs more refs on the ICE to call penalties. There is one writer here that is convinced Eddie can't handle the playoffs, or at least the later rounds. He has some valid history to support him, but I think we have more immediate needs in scoring.

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:20AM PST (-0700 GMT)
hmm, that last note reads like it should have been written in crayon.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:25AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Heh heh not bad though....Eddie never convinced me in the playoffs either, I'm afraid...but they need to score him some goals.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:30AM PST (-0700 GMT)
In fact if you ask me with the exception of Kolzig the playoff goaltending was sub par....Cujo was great for one series but that was it, and Dom lost his magic dust somewhere in March....

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:30AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I am really excited about the Modano-Hull connection

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Too true Smott. Detroit's goaltending just tried not to lose the game for them.

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
They wanted a second one for Vlad too.

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:36AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I am looking at the new divisions hanging at my desk. Most of them look pretty lopsided, except the new Northeast. NYR, NYI, PHI, PIT, NJ that looks like a tough one, or least the potential for a tough one, who ever knows. I am also partial to the Pacific as I mentioned before, but I think I am biased.

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:38AM PST (-0700 GMT)
(stops briefly to take a breath) Then you look ahead to next off-season and we have two more expansion teams and another expansion draft. This year's draft was really lame. But it makes my neverous.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:39AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well I will say that for all the pumpkins Ozzie let roll by him, I was kind of impressed with his ability to hang in there. I would've been in a psych ward if I'd let in that many softies in big games, but he seemed to play through it pretty well.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:42AM PST (-0700 GMT)
As for teh NE division, yes that is the last anyone will hear of my Pens, unless of course the Rangers continue in their present mode. Pens will have an awful time trying to compete on the budget they will have this year....in fact teh feuding co-owners are meeting today, the good owner will probably get bought out by the bad owner, which spells disaster.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 12:43AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Owner Marino is a PR nightmare. Not paying Mario Lemieux his contract and forcing a local icon to drag you into court is not the way to generate a new fan base. We'll see more empty seats this year than at any time since pre-Mario. It will be sad. And Jagr will be gone after a year probably....

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 1:37PM PST (-0700 GMT)
*tries to comfort Smott* I see the Oilers have just signed PAt Falloon. Which means if the Oilers stay true to form, he will have the best years of his career, then lose him when they can't pay him enough.

thbgmao: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 1:42PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sieve; Doesn't sound too bad if you've recovered that much after just a few days. However, let me know what the doc says, and I'll ask a friend of mine who's an orthopedic surgeon at the Univ.of Cal, Davis med center. He's an assistant prof of ortho surgery and skates with us on the Wed. nite pickup. Maybe he can offer some rehab information I can pass on. If you have teenage kids like me, crutches are great-they increase your reach! By the way everyone, this is my work computer and I may not answer stuff right away, so bear with me?

Toast: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 2:15PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmmm...MCL - I have done both my knees. Left was just a strain, four weeks of physio and I was back on, took about 6 months before it healed completely. Right was a bit worse, but no tear again. Six weeks of physio, still bothers me on occasion four months later.

Toast: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 2:18PM PST (-0700 GMT)
MCL is kind of funny, first time I hurt it I finished the game. Soreness didn't kick in for a few hours. Second one I knew immediately. Interesting thing is, the injury itself isn't that painful at all. A nice pop, but as pain goes - not bad at all.

thbgmao: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 3:42PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sieve; Doesn't sound too bad if you've recovered that much after just a few days. However, let me know what the doc says, and I'll ask a friend of mine who's an orthopedic surgeon at the Univ.of Cal, Davis med center. He's an assistant prof of ortho surgery and skates with us on the Wed. nite pickup. Maybe he can offer some rehab information I can pass on. If you have teenage kids like me, crutches are great-they increase your reach! By the way everyone, this is my work computer and I may not answer stuff right away, so bear with me?

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 3:46PM PST (-0700 GMT)
All this "POP" talk is giving me the willies.

thbgmao: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 3:46PM PST (-0700 GMT)
OOps!! did the doublepost bug just bite me? Sorry! Smott, before you dislocated the patella did you get cramps in the inner quad after workouts? I seem to get them often, usually in the middle of the night. Maybe it's in place of the midnight "mortgage" blues;-)!

thbgmao: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 3:57PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi, Vile; look at it this way: any hockey injury has more "studly" value than EVERY golf or tennis injury, and if you're single, it's worth mileage at a party! Unfortunately, mine was from soccer. Definately not as glamorous!

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 4:11PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Cuts, bruises, even broken bones have never bothered me, but joint stuff, especially the knees weird me out. My wife likes to pop her ankles... eeewww.

wolfman: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 4:17PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Scott the pads are working just great. Everyone thinks they are awesome.

Guardian: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 4:25PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Nope, Smott and Beatts, McLean went to Florida w/about 1 month left in the regular season. Kidd handled the load for Carolina down the stretch. McLean actually had a winning record with the Panthers and stopped a 15 game losing streak that Beezer/Weeks had compiled. Weeks looks like one to watch, I think. He should be good for 35 games, getting good development time. They need to spend some money on offence, develop some players, take this year to grow and see how they'll be in a few.

Guardian: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 4:25PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Wolfman, what do the pads look like?

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 4:29PM PST (-0700 GMT)
wow, chat-o-rama!!! e-hem, WOOO HOOO!!! Doc is pretty sure MCL is just strained. He is thinking out of the immobilizer in 48 hrs. and back to normal and playing in 4 weeks.

ScottBattram: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 4:30PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Wolfman... of course they are awesome!! hahah they are BATTRAMS! ahaha wouldnt expect anything short of awesome would we!

ScottBattram: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 4:32PM PST (-0700 GMT)
One of the guys who works for me here, tore his MCL, he has been out of action since... March! and camp starts next week, and he will be back on the ice for the first time in real hockey, has just been lightly skating at Sunday night pick up hockey. Also, the team had to buy him a 1400.00 brace as well, that he must wear while doing any physical activity!

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 4:38PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Toast, you are right on about pain of MCL when it goes. Its a creepy pop though. I hobbled and carried my bag after the game. However, the next am I experienced something new. I got nauseous and dizzy from the pain of crawling down the steps. Now, I consider my threshold for pain fairly high but that was my knee saying "Hey idiot, get me to the hospital RIGHT F~%&^*G NOW" Once I picked myself off the floor I abliged directly.

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 4:39PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Thanks again to all for the input. Hi Scott.

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 5:26PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Okay to continue my discussion of the new divisions :) The Southeast. Obviously not a hockey hotbed, but really these teams could almost form a minor league. A four team conference consisting of WAS, FLA, TB,and CAR. WAS and DET have some real patsy division opponents.

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 5:32PM PST (-0700 GMT)
hmm, the previous division with PHI, PIT, NYR, NYI, and NJ is the Atlantic not Northeast.

: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 6:28PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I'd have to rank the Atlantic and Pacific as the toughest divisions. Followed by the NE, Central, SE and NW.

RocketGoalie: . . . . Mon, Aug 24, 6:29PM PST (-0700 GMT)
oops...yes, I have enough pride in my picks to put my name to them...heheh

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:46AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi guys...hmmm injuries the talk of the town I see! Mao as for cramping, nope I do not cramp at all, never been prone to it...but if you are having problems the best advice is to check the potassium in your diet and up it considerably. Shoot for a min of 4 grams/day if you are working out and sweating a lot. My fave is V8, a couple of glasses of that a day is a couple of grams right there. Other good sources are bananas, apricots, OJ and potatoes (if you can stand all those carbos which unfortunately I cannot). Blackstrap molasses also, loaded with potassium. You'll be surprised how that loosens you up, potassium is critical in the flex/relax cycle of the muscle, without enough of it the relax mechanism gets screwed up and you roll into a ball. Nasty.

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sieve glad to hear you are not in the serious-tear category!! I think the pain factor must vary from person to person....I do recall that the MCL tear/patella dislocation made me feel pretty sick at the time from the pain, and my whole leg kind of was twitching all by itself, pretty icky. But GEEZ what the heck are you doing trying to go down stairs next AM?? Are you crazy? I couldn't do that for about 10 days...

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:54AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Ah so hockey injuries are studly eh? :-D Speaking as a chick I'm not sure that's going to help me get any dates....

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:55AM PST (-0700 GMT)
But as for those wimpy tennis-injuries...hmmm, the worst most chronic injuries I have (ankle, hip, elbow, shoulder) are all from tennis I'm afraid. Such a wimp I am...

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:56AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Actually I think knee-kamra must be bad lately, last game I got a 200 pound guy fall ion my in the crease while my knee was bent back under me....managed to turn a little bit and avoid popping knee out again, but that was close and left me in a really bad mood.

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:57AM PST (-0700 GMT)
And yet another loss last night 7-5. Stopped 12 of 14 breakaways and played real well but cannot buy a win lately. I know it's wierd to think of playing well while lettign in 7 goals but I think I'm over my head in this league.....

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 6:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Smott, sharpen your skates! That'll bring you out of the slump, worked last time didn't it?

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 6:49AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Shoot my last strategy for getting out of a slump was buying a house! You think I have any cash left over to sharpen my skates???

Vile: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 7:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
You are my hero Smott! You might not be a stud, but if you stripped out all the male connections to the word STUD, you would be that word. Seriously, I hope I can play as long and as well as you have.

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 7:41AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Heh heh thanks Vile....don't exactly think of myself as a stud!...But anyway your hero was watching 7 pucks whistle by last night! My queendom for some D!....

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 7:42AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Actually the D is fine they are just a tad slow compared to some of the rugrats we are up against, which spells Odd-Man!! Heh heh Vile taht is one of the things you'll discover when you get to be my age! Your brain can keep up but your body...well....

Vile: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 7:52AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Starting at such a late date, I am just going to play because I love hockey, and I think goalie is the coolest position. If I win, great. If I lose, I still get to play hockey.

Vile: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 7:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
As long as I can find someone to let me backstop for them :)

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 7:54AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yep you are right! Actually I say a quick "thank you" every time I step on the ice. At my age I am lucky to still be able to compete with guys.

gbfreeman: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 8:19AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well, playing in a pretty good zone lately. 4-0 with a 1.00 gaa and 2 shutouts (Roller) since starting the season 2-10-3. Enough about me, Has anyone out there used the ProPuck for roller hockey? They claim it doesn't roll as much as a regular roller hockey puck and plays more like a regular ice puck. They run from $7.99 to $9.99 each and I would like to know how they play before I decide to buy some in quantity (to drop price). Any input would be appreciated. On another subject I think my equipment is out to bankrupt me. Ever since I ordered a new set of pads from Scott, it's like my equipment is jealous. They want to be new too. My helmet straps break, my chest protector is ready to die, and now my catching glove has developed cracks in the leather inside. I need to win the lottery.

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 9:11AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sorry no input on roller pucks....only play ice...

thbgmao: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 9:49AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Morning, all; The knee results should give us all a sigh of relief, Vile: That's good news! Mine still "pops" out every now and then, but I've gotten used to it; all it does is disturb my concentration now! I went for the "fossil" physical early this month, and the doc said I had elevated levels of potassium, was alarmed about them. Being a target for a & b levels means I have always got bruises, and that contributes to elevated levels of potassium, sez my friends at our local med center! I need to have it checked again. Doctors-yuck!! But you know, you've gotta tweak the "injury" approach just right in order to fit the situation! "Situation ethics", in my best W.C.Fields imitation; "Ah, Yesss";-) Actually, since I'm 0 for 5 right now, and getting beat like a rented mule, I just go home and talk to my dog; she thinks I'm a god! You know, Smott, I think women in most situations are vastly underrated. It's my experience that they usually kick butt! That's a great record, and if you want to trade, let me know-I'm being beat like a rented mule here, last game was 24 or so to zip, lots of 3 and 4 on ones, lots of screens, just loads of fun!

thbgmao: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 9:51AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Aha!!! the double post bug bites when I get a screen which asks if I want to "repost form". The mystery is solved!

Vile: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 10:12AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Use the chat button to update your screen, not the refresh or reload button on your browser.

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 10:22AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi mao, goodness you are unusual in having high levels of potassium...in our typical diet we eat not nearly enough and of course are gettign way to much sodium which throws the balance way out of whack....for instance most hi BP patients are not so much high in soidum as they are way low in potassium, then they spend the rest of their lives cutting salt out of everything when in fact they should be eating more bananas....but you are the first I've heard to be high in potassium...how does being a target and getting bruises affect that?....

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 11:02AM PST (-0700 GMT)
...and as for my stellar record, well...with this particular team I am now 3-5-1...2 sessions ago we won the chps, when I wasn't playing nearly so well. Now I'm pretty sharp but we've lost a couple of our ringers so my numbers are icky....

thbgmao: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 12:00AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi, Smott. I don't know exactly. I gather potassium release is a byproduct of bruising. I put salt on everything and asked the doc about it. He said I wasn't showing abnormal sodium levels at all. Wierd, huh? I keep seeing this "at my age" stuff, and want to ask, how old are you? I just turned 50, and there's a league in Santa Rosa, CA that's OVER 70!!! I've played against those guys twice: they're not fast, but ar they ever treacherous-they waxed my old team both times, but were nice enough not to rub it in. I could use some of them on my current team!

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 12:08AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Over 70 eeek....and they say tennis is the sport for a lifetime....

Grass: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 12:10AM PST (-0700 GMT)
tbm -- 50! I'm in the 40-something category and starting to feel every game! Glad to see there is life (read: Hockey) after 50...

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 12:12AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi Grass...though judging from how I feel after games Sat Sun Mon (and another one at 10:30 tonight!) I am wondering about the longevity of teh goaltender species....

Vile: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 1:03PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Rock Stars should avoid planes, and it looks like Hockey stars should avoid cars. Hasek was apparently in a wreck in his Ferarri in the Czech Republic, but is reportedly okay. Here is the ESPN wire report on it. button

thbgmao: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 1:04PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well, I just turned 50 on the 11th, but I'm finding age, treachery and Advil will always overcome youth and strength! Of course, bribing the officials doesn't hurt, either (hehheh!)

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 1:12PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yes age and treachery defeats youth and vigor! (Not so for me vs rugfrats last night I'm afraid, treachery only comes in so handy when guys are blowing past you at 40 mph...)

smott: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 1:13PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well I don't bribe the refs but I smile at'em a lot!...

thbgmao: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 1:32PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I tried stringing a rope across the rink at the hashmarks, but the refs wouldn't go for it. Of course, I also remember when the Rangers had Carol Alt sit behind their goal during games, so I still have a few tricks up the body armor;-)

gbfreeman: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 1:32PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Chicago sent Chris Terreri to the New Jersey Devils for a conditional 3rd round pick today. Great. Mark Fitzpatrick as a backup. I am SOOOO excited. I never thought it would be a good thing to NOT be able to see tha Blackhawks play much. I can't believe what they have done to this team. Roenick, Belfour, Waite, Hasek (yes he was a hawk), Suter, Hartsburgh. Who's next? Chelios? Some of the writers are picking the Hawks to make it back to the playoffs this year (in a division with Nashville). Wow. Can't wait for them to get their heads kicked in. I hope Chelios and every single capable Blackhawk (all two of them) get traded away from the penny ante freakshow that is the Blackhawks. It takes a lot for a life long fan to give up on his (or her) team but oh I am close. Long rant. Sorry.

Vile: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 2:18PM PST (-0700 GMT)
There was an interesting article about Chelios ending up in Vancouver with Keenan again. Keenan was suspected of being psycho enough to sell the farm for Chelios and thereby help Chicago rebuild. But this year, Chicago, St Louis, and Nashville will just be padding for Detroit's record.

thbgmao: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 2:32PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi, all; does anyone have a way to remove the smell from blocker gloves? Mine is beginning to smell like a dead skunk, even after I squirt it with that no-smell enzyme stuff!

Sabre: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 3:37PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I was looking through the SFSL Buyer's guide at the goal pad ratings. Any coincidence that the Bauer pads (which they're not allowed to ship out of Canada) were the 3 lowest rated? Or are the pads that bad?

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:29PM PST (-0700 GMT)
thbgmao, I use Febreze on my gear and it's gotten rid of the funk pretty good. Of course a good soaking with the stuff and time to air out helps a lot

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:33PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sabre, I think SFSL has a biased view this catalog on Bauer since the prices went up somewhat from last season. If your looking for R5/6 pads check out Gardners web site, he will hook you up with gear. Give him a phone call and ask for John. You can get there from this button

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:39PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I don't have the Bauer pads but i do have the R6 gloves and the R6 C/A and they are good products so I'm inclined to think the pads measure up as well

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:40PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Like most equipment though, it's personal preference too

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:45PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Even though I'm happy with my R6 gloves and Vaughn pads I decided to break down and get all of it color coordinated so SCOTT BATTRAM's equipment will now be what I wear. And is it ever sharp gear at that. wait until he has it up on the site.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 5:49PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Speaking of custom gear. I am reading a book called hockey goaltending and the gear used by the goalie in it is from MILLER. You want to talk about cheap looking gear. The pads looked pitiful, they reminded me of my street hockey days whenI I made foam rubber pads and wrapped them in duct tape. the only difference is MILLER puts some sort of cheap looking ballistic material over the foam and the graphics look cheap as well.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 6:03PM PST (-0700 GMT)
The gloves don't look any better and I'd actually be afraid to use them for ice since they look to be about ball hockey speed

wolfman: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 6:05PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi CdP

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 6:07PM PST (-0700 GMT)
hasek only had 3g in damage to the car eh? he must of broke off a side mirror or chipped the paint in that accident. A corner too sharp for a ferrari? Sounds like driver error to me HAHA

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 6:07PM PST (-0700 GMT)
wolfman, how ya doing?

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 6:08PM PST (-0700 GMT)
glad you showed, i was getting lonely in here

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 6:14PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Does anyone collect hockey cards here? I broke down and bought a box of them and I got a ROY card in the box thats about the size of the box itself. Any idea as to it's worth or did they put them in all the boxes?

ScottBattram: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 6:55PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Carpe de Puck, did they rate MCM the highest again this year??? Actually, what are the top 5 at Source For Sports this year???

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 7:07PM PST (-0700 GMT)
drum roll please.....the top 5 pads at SFSL are: tied at 4.87 are Brian's ALITE, MCM COBRA,MCM SOURCE VIPER.Tied at 4.81 are VAUGHN 5500, MCM PHANTOM II, KOHO BY LEFEVRE.Tied at 4.75 VAUGHN 4000. Tied at 4.43 ITECH 5000, MCM ULTRA LITE I, OLIE 7000 PRO. 4.37 VAUGHN 1400 LEGACY

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 7:09PM PST (-0700 GMT)
lowest rated pad at 3.81 was the Bauer R6

ScottBattram: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 7:22PM PST (-0700 GMT)
hahaha... man, what a Joke... the Olie beats the Bauer, the Cobra beats the Vaughn... I dont know who rates these things.. or if they maybe have some really good reasons to put one brand over, but... I wouldnt have rated them in that order, thats for sure.. I assume that price also is a factor... but it almost looks like pro wrestling, the one that is over is the one that gets the push! Meaning the ones that are selling are the ones that get the best ratings, maybe not the best pad.. but the best sellers! Seriously, MCM is a good product, but they are always getting the constant push at sfs.

Beatts: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 7:36PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Heaton isn't on the list ??? Hmmm, They are my pick...

Scoop: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 11:01PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey all.... been in and out of touch for awhile, put the pads on for the first time since the middle of May a couple of nights ago.... it's amazing to find how out of shape one can get in a couple of months.... positioning was also really weak... on the plus side of life: sent my order to Scott for a set of leg pads.... I'm getting the model that has no 5-hole and ensures total post to post coverage regardless of my real ability... these pads will even make my glove hand quicker and situational awareness stronger, right Scott?!....

Scoop: . . . . Tue, Aug 25, 11:05PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sorry for the double post.... can't explain

: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 6:10AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Did you hear that Bobby Hull is visiting Russia (for Fetisov's retirement) and tries to explain that "Hilter had some good ideas." Sounds like he is getting ready to buy a football team....

Grass: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 6:11AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sorry, that would be my post...

Beatts: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 6:56AM PST (-0700 GMT)
BOBBY !! What the hell are you thinking ???? hehehe

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 7:38AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Just goes to show that hockey players should stay away from fast cars and microphones. Every time one of them gets near one something regretable usually happens. Can you believe the Dom was fined $30 bucks for speeding? Bohemia is no doubt the place to speed with tickets in that price range.

Guardian: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 8:02AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi all...speaking about age and hockey, you do of course know that Charles Schultz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, is _still_ playing hockey, and he's over 80. Of course, he's not a goalie, but he doesn't look too bad out there.

smott: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 8:49AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yikes guys back from yet another frustrating 7-4 loss last night....last game must-win to make the playoffs, we show up with, um, 6 skaters, only 1 was D. So I get forwards rotating on D all night, you can imagine the fun I had.

smott: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 8:50AM PST (-0700 GMT)
What's with these no-shows?? Men are so unreliable!

Vile: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 9:01AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yeah, Schultz built his own ice so he and his wife could skate.

Sieve: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 9:03AM PST (-0700 GMT)
hi all. smott, I'd appreciate it if you ammended that to exclude we men between the pipes. It's okay if they (skaters) dont show, but man-o-man, if we ever went MIA unannounced!

Sieve: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 9:04AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Furthermore on age and hockey, the Wings invited Peter Klima to camp this year. Ummmmmmm...

Sieve: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 9:08AM PST (-0700 GMT)
My replacement got his buttocks kicked in last night. He let in a bunch o' cheese. And I was afraid he was going to lead my guys to their first win of summer (0-10-1)and make me look bad. hehe

thbgmao: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 9:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Morning, everyone. Sieve, I'll second that! We try to fine 'em a 6-pack of molson, but I'm going to have to up the ante to Scottish Ale here if this keeps up. 7-8 skaters out of a 16 person roster, and hoo boy! do I ever get a workout!!

Tripp: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 9:45AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Awww yeah. The good news is that i made 51 saves last night. The bad news is that we lost 6-4. Outshot 57-7 last night. I don't know what's worse... losing, or being the other guy and only stopping 3 of 7. Probably losing. God, I hate losing! *taking my Ritilin and Prozac* About those SFSL ratings... I had a pair of Bauer R6 pads and NO way are they inferior to Oile. I'm using Vaughn 4000's and Koho Roy's right now, but i'd say the R6's were right up there with either one of them.

Guardian: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 9:56AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well, I think the ratings (unreliable as they might be) take into account price in a big way. That is, for the price the Olie is a very good pad (according to SFSL), while dollar for dollar they feel that say Vaughn or Brians is preferable in an "elite" level pad. That does make some sense...I think that the R6s are overpriced. They really liked the Bauer Reactor 3s last year. Nonetheless, ignore everything I said as I'm still ticked off with them for slighting Scott's equipment.

thbgmao: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 10:24AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Tripp, that sounds like a serious game: I'd love to have a save percentage like that, but it sounds like you had less defense than necessary. Are you sure my missing teammates didn't show up on your roster?

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 10:25AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Guardian, what did SFSL have to say about Scott's gear? Kinda like the pot calling the kettle black when you sell MCM and Olie crap and rate it over gear that is clearly superior

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 10:30AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Actually I like the games where I'm making more saves and facing lots of rubber but the losing part really sucks. The plus side to those games is that you are forced to get better and get used to facing different types of situations and how to deal with them.

Vile: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 10:34AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Whoa, read Bobby's comments. He didn't stop at "Hitler was kinda okay" but went on to Canadian politics, Racial Population growth, and his son Brett Hull. None of it was good.

Vile: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 10:34AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Completely unrelated, Mike Gartner retired.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 10:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
where did you read about Hull at?

Tripp: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 10:41AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Thbg... my defense is like a Chinese fire drill. it's a sight to see, that's for sure. We have 5 defensemen who must be frustrated goalies, or something. Always leaving their feet to block shots, throwing their sticks out in front of long shots, chasing forwards behind the net and leaving the slot uncovered. But at least they show up...unlike your bunch!! :o) I like the workout, though. Can't beat the practice it gives me... even though I lose about 20 lbs. and need a ventilator by the 3rd period.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 10:46AM PST (-0700 GMT)
tripp what do you have to say about the R6 pads? I've got R6 gloves and C/A and was giving the R6 pads a thought.

Vile: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 11:21AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I check the ESPN NHL wire button

Tripp: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 11:40AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Like Guardian said, the Bauer R6's might be a little bit overpriced. For what it's worth, they were constructed pretty well, and had some nice features like the shin-lock and the boot lock. They seemed to be nice and flexible, too. I play a really deep, wide crouch style, like Khabibulin and Byron Dafoe, so I like the more contoured butterfly style pads. Overall, i did like them, but unless you can find them on sale, or something, there are definitely better deals for your dollar.

smott: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 12:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sieve my GOODNESS I didn't mean to implicate goaltenders in my "men are unreliable" comment! I know all you guys are always there when needed. Studs, too!

smott: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 12:49AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Haven't seen the R6 stuff but I am kind of taking SFSL's comments with a grain of salt now....I think they talk up the stuff that their pals make or who give them kickbacks....finally after a couple of years they are admitting that the Koho stuff is good...oh, but not as good as MCM, I forgot...heh heh heh....

smott: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 12:50AM PST (-0700 GMT)
My R5 pants are wearing kind of badly and I am black & blue this summer a lot. However the R5 body armor holding up well...a bit peculiar with the round shoulder caps, I look like a linebacker, but don't get stung all that often.

smott: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 12:51AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Also I think SFSL may get miffed at certain brands and drop them, ie they don't carry Louisville anymore. But as for their ratings, well, it comes down to what works for you.

Sieve: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 2:01PM PST (-0700 GMT)
heh heh, too funny smott. ; >)

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 2:54PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I called SFSL up about Brown gear since they said they are licensed distributors but don't stock it. The response I got from the guy on the end of the phone was similar to the respone you'd probablly get from your best friend if you asked to sleep with his sister. He really slammed Brown equipment saying they couldn't give it away.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 3:00PM PST (-0700 GMT)
well the hurricane is upon me here and it's raining and wind is blowing like all to be damned. It's given me the time to read HOCKEY GOALTENDING by Brian Daccord. Overall it's a pretty good read. Nothing thats gonna make ya walk on frozen water but solid info and suggestions. Put together well, a easy read. Covers stretching, working out and mental aspects as well.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 3:03PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Saw on ESPN that Hull denies making the earlier posted statements and will seek legal action against those who printed it.

Goal35: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 3:41PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi all, got league finals in.... we ended up in 2nd by 2 pts... the 2 forfeits killed us.. but not bad for our 1st venture into B league, had the best GAA at 3.47 so it was nice. As far as the gear goes, i really like my McM Cobra glove, but would and will take a serious look at Scott's stuff - my old Cooper Legends blocker is about had it..

Guardian: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 3:55PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Oh my...I do like that comment of Bobby Hull that was reported: "If I had to do it over again, I'd probably drink more." I hope he _did_ say that. Tripp, I think that the R6 pads are actually good for that style of play, and they are like nothing out there. I think the issue with Brown, Louisville, etc. is perhaps not just that SFSL gets miffed with them, but when a store does actually stock so many brands it's hard to stock them all, especially ones that don't sell well. Brown has quite a low profile in the NHL (and exposure sells pads, for good or ill), as does Louisville. Interesting to see that although Louisville is the sole supplier for Junior A hockey in Canada, most of the guys ditch that equipment as soon as they leave that league. Not that I don't think it's good...maybe they're just tired of _having_ to wear it.

Grass: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 3:56PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Howdy G -- How is life below the border?

Toast: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 4:23PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I had a few beers with Bobby one time in university, guy can pack them away and then can really talk after that. It wouldn't surprise me if he said some of the stuff, but then again he was a great hockey player. Not the brightest bulb on the Xmas tree mind you though...

Toast: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 4:25PM PST (-0700 GMT)
BTW, it wasn't just me and Bobby, more like 10 or 12 of us at the table with a few pitchers. He was in town for some charity event or something and stopped by the University pub on a quiet night. So we got to hear a couple war stories before he took off.

Tripp: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 5:09PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Guardian: You're right about Louisville gear. It's not bad stuff, but once I had a choice, I ditched it. I wore it during my years in Junior A. Everything but a c/a unit, that is. I was allowed to wear a Vaughn 2500 because it wasn't visible. I missed games in parts of 3 seasons with thumb and wrist bruises on my catching hand. Not the worst stuff out there, but I'm more comfortable with some other brands.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 5:33PM PST (-0700 GMT)
When you really think about it most of the gear out there is the same with small variations. Look back at what the old timers played with. Even the best Kenesky pads then barley have the features that most kids gear has now. Granted they were leather and deer hair stuffed but that had it's draw backs too. Those guys set records wearing stuff we'd laugh at today and most of those records have yet to be matched or surpassed. Come on now, how many REAL differences can you come up with in design that actually improves function? Modern materials have elevated the levels of equipment in terms of weight, protectability and durability thus allowing us to have bigger gloves that are lighter than the old leather gear. However, if you pulled the guts out of any name brand pad/glove out there I think you'd find that the materials are all somewhat the same with slight variances in material location and quality/type. I think Scott may be able to verify this to some extent. Once again I think it's basically personal preference on what each goalie wears. Of course that also depends on if your being paid to wear gear. we've seen belfour go from Bauer to Vaughn once he moved to Dallas and Fuhr has worn every brand of gear out there to include Franklin which is scary if you ask me. All of which goes to prove thats it's not the equipment so much as it's the person in it.

Chris: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 5:34PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey CdP

Tripp: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 5:58PM PST (-0700 GMT)
You're absolutely right about the equipment, CdP. Hasek could wear Mylec street hockey pads and still be awesome. I think that as long as you look into gear from a reputable company, you'll be fine. For some reason though, the hand placement in my Louisville gloves just always seemed off. I liked the pads and pants, but I had more than my share of stingers in my catching hand. It took a lot of shopping around and different combinations to figure out what felt the most comfortable to me, but now that I've found stuff that I like, I'm hesitant to change. I'll probably stick with what I have unless some company comes out with a miracle breakthrough invention.

ScottBattram: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 6:38PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey CDP, interesting to hear Source slamming Brown as well! Since "they do not engage in that practice" keep in mind it isnt the entire store.. but certain individuals within the store who may not be refined in the art of selling. Yes, you are right about the gear.. the internal struction will be very similar, although the catch gloves will have changed quite a bit.. older ones looked like a catchers glove with a cuff added to it.. now, they are much nicer looking. This year, the OHL is "OPEN" and goalies now can wear what they want to. Tripp.. who did you play for, and how long ago? Where are you from? The SNR A team here in Woodstock is looking for a starting goalie, if you are in this area, and not playing anywhere..

ScottBattram: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 6:44PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Problem with alot of the catching gloves out there is to reduce weight, they put a foam palm in them with a layer of plastic over it. Thus the shock absorbtion is not very good. It used to be common practice to use 9/16" Orthepediac felt in this area (we still do) and I bet Vaughn also does too in their pro model gloves. THis absorbs the energy far better and foam... Steve McKichan a buddy of mine who played in Vancouver and Milwaukee tested his new BOLD series glove that he got in June prior to his Future Pro goalie school starting up.. and he set the puck machine at 100mph, and he was snagging them down and claiming that he couldnt feel a thing on his hand. Now I am sure if he used a foam lined glove, he would be getting the stingers Tripp spoke about. We did use a foam lined glove about 1 year ago as it was an industry standard practice, but switched back over to the felt after about 3 or 4 months. It also breaks in nicer as well. However there is a slight increase in weight, but the protection is far better!

ScottBattram: . . . . Wed, Aug 26, 6:46PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Today Darrin one of my employees made a good point on the buyers guide and ratings.. "maybe they rate the pads that net them the highest margains the highest?" now that I look at it and the list, he may be right!! Since I have access to the wholesale cost on most of those pads listed other than the OLIE stuff.. and they are making a pretty good buck on the McM stuff!

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 7:50AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi guys....for me and gloves, hand placement is what really matters....have had some good gloves in the past, Coops, Vic, Vaughn and Brian's, all well-put together and I would get stingers left and right...now in the Kpho Roy where the hand placement is a little deeper, and though the palm is no great shakes, I always seem to get the puck in the string, only seriously bitten once in about a year...

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 7:51AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Never had Louisville stuff except the Butterfly legpads, which I love because of the tapered toe and softer stuffing.

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 7:52AM PST (-0700 GMT)
...oh and on a side note related to the new house...ARRRGGGHHH....RADON!!!!!!

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 8:02AM PST (-0700 GMT)
...and did any of you guys read the latest news on women being more attracted to guys with feminine faces? Heh heh heh...I believe the examples were Len DiCaprio beating out Sean Connery, due to his fresh-faced adoloescent appeal.

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 8:03AM PST (-0700 GMT)
However, liking men, not boys, I say give me Sean Connery any day!

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 8:03AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Of course for the single women out there, younger guys do have some appeal....

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 8:04AM PST (-0700 GMT)
...'cause like I always say, if you can't find a good man, RAISE one! Heh heh heh.....

Grass: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 8:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
ms. smott -- YOU ARE BAD!!! (And besides, you're breaking the hearts of us, umm, "more experienced" guys...)

Bonn: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 9:16AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Scott: I read recently about the new rules for NHL goal equipment. What do you think? Will this affect your gear? I think it's a good idea especially for the trappers, shoulder pads and jerseys, as they were getting way out of hand. The thing that gets me is that I'm sure it used to say in the rules that any padding, or features on the equipment must be there strictly for protection, and not for extra stopping area. How Mike Palmateer convinced them that the cheater on the trapper was for protection, I'm not sure and I can't figure out how the "winglets" on the top of some of the shoulder pads (a la Garth Snow) could be explained as protection. For trappers, I also thought the rule said that the webbing in the pocket could be no larger than that required to fill the gap between the thumb and forefinger. Obviously no one follows those rules anymore, but I wonder if they ever changed, or if they were just ignored. Can't wait to hear a manufacturer's comments on this issue.

Bonn: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 9:27AM PST (-0700 GMT)
smott: Just to make you feel better about the RADON, I moved into a place a month ago and just began the process of eradicating the rat population. I think I'd rather have a RADON problem.

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 9:43AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Thanks Bonn though hmmm are a few friendly rodents worse than cancer-causing radioactive gas?....We shall see...I am finding out there are eradication procedures for radon...though my utility bills may increase because of it....as for rat-eradication, well that would be my cat Bugsy!

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 9:45AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Grass hee hee never said I don't like older guys....last time I checked Sean Connery was nearly bald and I still find him sexy as all get-out....plus a nice goatee beats heck out of Len DiCap peach-fuzz....

Grass: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 9:55AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Wheee! Chronologically & follicly challenged males still have a chance...

Bonn: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 9:56AM PST (-0700 GMT)
smott: I'm no expert so don't sue me if I'm not correct, but doesn't radon build up when the house is essentially sealed for maximum efficiency in the climate control system. If this is correct, open the windows from time to time and take a small hit in your utility bills. I'm sure this is too simple, but maybe not. My house is so old, I'd never be able to seal the radon in anyways. Oh, and although I've never been a cat-lover, (quite the opposite actually)I'm warming up to the idea of keeping a barn cat around to control the rodents.

Grass: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 10:00AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Actually, today I am feeling every second of my age. I am still nursing the knee that stopped the laser beam 10 days ago!!! I have begged off playing until now, but am going to try a little pick-up tonight. I hope it goes well... I have a games Friday night and Sunday morning. Here's hoping for a miracle cure in the next six hours. (It only twinges when I walk UP stairs. Normal walking and even running do not seem to bother Mr. Knee, but stairs are less fun...)

Sieve: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 10:24AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Amen Grass, stairs were invented by an evil, evil man...

Sieve: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 10:28AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Check this stat out: Mike Gartner (ret.) was 1st player in NHL to score 30 goals/yr. for 15 consecutive years. Thats fifteen consecutive years. ...things that make you go whoa...

Sieve: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 10:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
oh yeah, Hi all.

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 11:11AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yep thanks for the radon advice folks...this house is incredibly well-sealed(highest heat bill ever was 40 bucks) so it's essentially been capturing radon for years....but sub-slab ventilation plus some HVAC mods should fix it....

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 11:12AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Grass sorry to hear your knee is still tweaked....my Coop knee guards are the GP1 but don't know if they make'em anymore....

thbgmao: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 2:06PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi, all; Hey, Smott..Last night during warmups, the other goalie stopped a slapper from the hash marks with her helmet. I say "her" to set the stage, here. This guy has been warned about this sort of thing during warmups numerous times before. When the bozo in questions tried to carry one across the crease, she took out his knee-not TOO bad, but enough to make him leave the ice. Maybe he'll think twice about rifle shots on his own teammate during warmups. We all saw what whas going on, and know it's not the first problem with this guy, so we all chipped in for a t-shirt for her which says "Paybacks Are Hell". The opposite team (us) all thought she did a great job!!!

Tom: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 2:18PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Haven't been around with no hockey

smott: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 4:49PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmmm mao this chick has more um cojones than I do! Having stopped a few warmup shots with my bean however I know where that's at! Unfortunately I find that with most of these jerks they don't learn their lesson!....

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 4:57PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I tell guys like that to lay off the 1st time, if it happens a 2nd time I threaten bodily harm. After that I won't take shots from them, they get ignored in the warm up circle or I step aside when they charge in to shoot or take a shot

Chris: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 4:58PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey CdP

TDog: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 4:59PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey everyone

TDog: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 5:00PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Chris, long time, no TGD chat

TDog: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 5:01PM PST (-0700 GMT)
oops, gotta go, c-ya

Chris: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 5:03PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Ok

ScottBattram: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 6:26PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Bonn - I think the rules are crazy! Betman wants more scoring, so its either make the nets larger, or make the goalie smaller. I dont think scoring has increased or decreased over the years to the point where it can be said its because of the goalies equipment. Prehaps better equipment has given the goalie more confidance, but the same can be said for advancements in the regular player equipment as well. Look at what the curved stick did? Also I once read that 70% of goals in the NHL are scored low, so how does making the upperbody pad smaller, or the gloves smaller eliminate this stat. Its silly, apparently they have a jersey, and if the goalie cannot fit into this jersey, his upper body pad will be disqualified. So, a bigger goalie is allready at a disadvantage. I firmly believe the upper body pad must be your most protective piece of gear, making it smaller will reduce the protection. I am all for getting rid of the flaps on the Heaton unit, and the huge arms as well (trust me, I have had one here in the shop looking at it.. it looks awesome, but try moving it it, the wings on the shoulder make turning your head very hard as well. As for catcher ect, some are really getting huge, but I cant see how a couple of extra inches will cause less scoring!

ScottBattram: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 6:27PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Smott, I am 25.. does that count as young?? haha

RocketGoalie: . . . . Thu, Aug 27, 10:36PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Maybe,Scott...but if it didn't help the goalies they wouldn't be doing it...it's gotta make some kind of difference or they wouldn't want the extra weight or bulk, would they?

Bonn:: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 3:54AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Scott: Please don't get me started on Gary Bettman, cause once I start, I may go into some sort of tirade and some innocent people could get hurt. As for the equipment, I guess my point was that these "new" rules were basically already in place, and no one ever used them. Why did they let it get to this point in the first place? I'm not sure if you remember the Bourdon trapper that came out about 15 years ago with about a 4 inch cheater, which was illegal. I know a guy who was playing Tier II Junior A, who was called on it in a game and had to switch gloves. This tells me the rule has been there, I guess nobody's bothered to look since.

Bonn: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 5:02AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Scott: Oh, and with regards to the upper body pad being the most important piece of equipment, I couldn't agree more. Nothing makes a guy a little puck shy like a zinger to the clavicle. My only real problem with these pads was the Heaton winglets (doesn't Garth Snow look ridiculous). They offer no extra protection whatsoever. I'd compare them to using an stick with an illegal curve...and we know none of the pros do that!!!

Grass: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 6:28AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Here is one for the "No one asked me, but...." column: Some time last season I forgot to bring my mouth guard to a game. As luck would have it, someone didn't think that I should stand so far out of the net and helped me to a seat in the very back of the net. During that (rapid) transition it seems that I must have gritted my teeth, because I cracked a molar. I have spent the last six months trying to make things right with that tooth. Yesterday I got to experience the joy of a root canal. The moral of the story, boys and girls, is to always wear your mouth piece...

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 6:28AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Speaking as a chick heh heh YES upper body protection is a top priority.

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 6:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Grass OWW and eeek I don't wear a mouth guard....

Grass: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 6:30AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Perhaps it is not as important for a youngster like yourself...

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 6:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
HEE HEE too funny....I am feeling OLD today, 5 games 6 nights is too much...

Grass: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 6:33AM PST (-0700 GMT)
If you don't like the "boil in water and bite to fit" type, the dentist can make a mold and custom fit one. That is what I use and like it alot as it stays connected to your upper teeth which allows for easy breathing (and yelling)...

Grass: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 6:34AM PST (-0700 GMT)
The only problem with the custom type is cost (~$200) and the fact that if you drop it and then step on it with your skates, they break! (In case you don't remember, I did that the last time we skated together...)

Grass: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 6:35AM PST (-0700 GMT)
gotta run, work calls...

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 6:38AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yes I recall!...

Beatts: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 7:05AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I'm married to a Dental assistant, and I don't wear a mouth guard....Holy crap do I ever get yelled EVERY game. hehe. I can't wear one because then I couldn't yell like a raving lunatic during the game.

Beatts: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 7:05AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Good excuse eh??

Grass: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 7:08AM PST (-0700 GMT)
B -- Get a custom one. I like it so well I now sleep with it... Literally! I have found it prevents me from grinding my teeth at night. As for playing hockey in it, I don't even notice it is there!!!

Vile: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 7:38AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I had a friend in college who got into an amuteur boxing tournanment (SP) where he had to where a mouth piece. He is a big guy, 6'5" 245lbs etc... and alos the biggest viseo game freak I have ever met. So during his match, he kept dropping his mouth piece, until fianlly the ref had to warn him, on pain of disqualification. He won, and later I asked him why he couldn't manage to keep his mouth piece in. Apparently he kept wanting to make sound effects like a video game, boom, pow, biff... and was spitting his piece out every time.

Vile: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 7:40AM PST (-0700 GMT)
er, I need to proof these more before I hit chat. wear a mouth piece, viseo == video

Vile: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 7:48AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmm, just found another custom goaltending equipment site. What do people have to say about Gould? a quick look puts their prices pretty up there.

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 8:24AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmm don't know Gould....

Vile: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 8:51AM PST (-0700 GMT)
here is the site for Gould button

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 10:46AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmmm well guys yet ANOTHER loss last night 3-1....I'm beginning to get a complex. We have 6 guys show up and can't generate much O...these guys have gotten me 2 goals in the last 2 games.....oh well.

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 10:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
On a brighter note (or maybe not!) my bottom-dweller B team has asked me back fo rnext session. I won one game for these guys last session, most of the games were ofthe firing-squad variety....however it is a good game to see a lot of rubber.

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 10:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
...and maybe develop a nervous tic....

Vile: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 10:57AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I am not trying to suck up, but I really like Battram's stuff. It looks like stellar stuff, and the prices are reasonable.

Vile: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 11:01AM PST (-0700 GMT)
But I have a question about blockers and catchers. Scott has a traditional blocker (cheaper) but not a traditional catcher. Any particular reason?

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 11:28AM PST (-0700 GMT)
The Reign of terror is over. Through a scheduling quirk ended up with 6 games in two nights (Roller) including four last night. I am sooooo sore. It seems since I turned 30 it takes longer and longer to recuperate from the games. On the good side, won 5 of the 6 games (9-1 in last 10) and got my third shutout of the week. This little streak has got my record from an abysmal 1-11-3 to a little more respectable 10-12-3. However I can't help but wonder if I am peaking too soon. Playoffs don't start for 4 weeks. Looks like three of the six teams I play for will make the playoffs. Just got to stay sharp and uninjured. Going out to buy a new catcher today. Have been using the Heaton M3000 which I love, but it is falling apart. Scott, can you do overhauls on catchers? This one has a slight rip in the palm and the leather where the lace attaches the cheater to the rest of the glove has deteriorated.

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 12:20AM PST (-0700 GMT)
gbfreeman WOW you are getting some heavy rink-time....thought I was overdoing it with 11 games/16 days (ice)....

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 12:21AM PST (-0700 GMT)
And yes as you get older you recover more slowly....in fact now the 2nd day seems worse after any tough workout....

Sieve: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 12:36AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi all. The age thing is certainly true...but(t)...my 30 yr old knee which was mildly blown 8 days ago is going to attempt to mow the grass tomorrow. I am pleasantly surprised at how quickly it is coming around. Doc thinks back on the ice in 3 weeks-ish.

Sieve: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 12:38AM PST (-0700 GMT)
hmm, three more weeks on dry land... 1/4 way through recovery and I've already got the Jones... wish there was hockey on TV (the kind w/o high bank turns)

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 12:49AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Don't rush it Sieve....don't turn 4 weeks off into 14...

smott: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 12:50AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I am missing real hockey on TV too....this NASCAR stuff is getting a bit much....

Buzzer: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 12:51AM PST (-0700 GMT)
NASCAR is good for the soul, but a good slap shot is better.

Sieve: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 1:06PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Amen, I think its time to dust off the '97 finals tape. Gotta love Vernie in the red/white...

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 1:47PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Man NASCAR is like THE sport to watch in the south. You ever see people fighting over who's the best driver? It can get down right ugly sometimes. Rednecks love watching those cars go around in circles. It's not a sport, it's a cult if you ask me. HAHA

thbgmao: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 1:54PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Nascar; wuzzat?? I get to watch that Aussie crocodile hunter dude catch big poisonous snakes with his bare hands-gives me the willies just watching! Last night's game was great, and for once we didn't get pounded into the rebar! We moved our defensewoman up to center on the first line, and she won every face-off. We are still not quick enough on the backcheck, so they wound up winning 10-5, but we had a gas! I'm so proud of these guys; they took on last year's league champs, held them to 5, and gave me enough setup time I got a .825 average! Go Chiefs!

Vile: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 2:37PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I was just checking out the preseason schedule, and I guess we are trying out two new rules. Two refs and no red center line. Some games will try out one or the other. Anyone know more about the rule tests?

Vile: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 3:18PM PST (-0700 GMT)
found some more on nhl.com here button

target man: . . . . Fri, Aug 28, 5:44PM PST (-0700 GMT)
anybody here?

Guardian: . . . . Sat, Aug 29, 6:05AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Vile - the deal with Gould (last I heard) is that it is essentially a "vanity" line of equipment. If you look on his web page, "his" factory is not even in the same state that he's in. His equipment is made by Glenn Miller, who works down south. Gould just has his name put on it, and jacks up the prices. From what I've heard from Scott B, Glenn Miller's stuff is good, but there is absolutely no reason to buy from Gould unless you think that the name of a coach for an American Jnr. A team adds such prestige.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sat, Aug 29, 7:46AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yeah , this sounds familiar. I found a "custom" gear company that has all it's equipment made here in N.C. but is actually located elsewhwre. The gear prices seemed high and the quality didn't look to be that deserving. Gould also offers a "Gould" Warwick mask. As if he had anything to do with the manufacturing of the mask itself. I've done a lot of looking around on the web and talking to trainers and anyone else who has insights into the industry. The one thing I 've found is that there are some good "custom" companies out there, but most aren't really that great a deal as far as quality of equipment is concerned. There are a few other companies out there that do gear up in Canada but I'm not sure they still exist, ie: CSS. Most real customazation is done for the pro's at the leading manufacturers plants themselves. If you look at the Lefevre line that you can purchase it's not the same as what T-bo was/is wearing in that it has fastex buckles on the knee and thigh, his doesn't. So far Scott's line of gear is the best I've seen as far as a true custom approach. I've been in contact with Scott about my gear more than most people stay in contact with their relatives. I think we've all got a laugh out of Don Simmons gear. The whole line of equipment is a rip off of the name brand companies out there and he isn't even subtle about it if you ask me. After having seen Miller equipment in the book I'm reading I was once again seeing poor quality gear. Not to mention the few comments I've heard from people who have used that line of gear, none of which were positive. The only major company out there that gives the average Joe some input on gear is Brian's and we've seen.heard what the wait can be for custom orders.The only way I was able to obtain any type of customization from the other companies is through the team equipment Mgr who has contacts with the company distributors/salesmen who pass through every so often. This was the only way I was able to have a stick pattern made from Heaton. The one web site that is kind of cool is KAY equipment. I cannot say how well the equipment is made but the graphics on the pads are truely custom but the prices are somewhat high. To see KAY gear click this button

ScottBattram: . . . . Sat, Aug 29, 5:26PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi Vile, thanks for the good words about our website!! Hmmm.. as for the traditional catcher, yes we do make one, I just do not advertise it, as there isnt a huge demand for it. It is like the old style Vaughn Legacy glove from about 4 years ago. Its a nice glove, and one that I myself used up until last year when I switched to our BOLD catcher. The new style is far easier to manufacture, and works much nicer, the only reason we offer the standard style Blocker is because some goalies still want a regular 45 degree tilt at the top of the blocker, unlike our unique diaganol tilt, whic directs the puck to the corner and allows for you to get the blocker in closer to your body.

ScottBattram: . . . . Sat, Aug 29, 5:33PM PST (-0700 GMT)
As for the KAY line of gear, even though at one pouint KAY lived 30 minutes down the road from us in London Ontario, the only piece of gear I have seen has been the blocker, and I have been in alot of arena's worked with a lot of goalies etc.. and only have seen one blocker in my 15 years of looking at gear and coaching goalies tells me that there cant be alot of it out there. If you look really closely on the photos, it looks like the pad and pad backing is "laced" togethor with lace and eyelets up the side of the pad. Now, I cant see the point in this, other than the fact they may not have an Adler 207-305 sewing machine which is used to actually sew the sides of the pads up and other applications. When I first started out, I sewed the sides of the pads by hand since I didnt have the 9000.00 bucks to get an Adler 207-305 machine, of course I only did it by hand for about 2 years then got smart and bought a new Adler to do the work for me!(well smart, and I had made some money to reinvest into the company!) Then over the last 4 years we have added about 4 or 5 more machines. We still use the very first one I purchased new 6 years ago, the equipment is pretty tough, and I believe in buying it all NEW so I have the complete history of the machines... maybe I should put some photos up on the web site of some actual "work shots" and some "in progress" shots of the equipment being made!!

Tom: . . . . Sat, Aug 29, 5:40PM PST (-0700 GMT)
No one's here

ScottBattram: . . . . Sat, Aug 29, 5:40PM PST (-0700 GMT)
As for knee and thigh guards, we manufacture a couple of systems, one is really neat, as it can be worn under your socks or your sweats (whatever you wear under your pants) and is like a volleybal style pad, that protects both the knee and thigh. If used under the socks it stays in place, and offers great protection. Our built in thigh guards are very well made as well, we use a layer of ld-45 plastazote and hd-80 plastazote (hard plastic like foam) and finally a layer of Ether foam, this is a soft spongue like foam which cushions the shots (same concept and material thickness that is used in the belly area of our upper - body pad. So your thighs get great protection! I have never used either, so I cant say how well they work.. I cant stand the thigh pads on pads, nor the knee guards! So I put up with the bruises..

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sun, Aug 30, 2:43AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Vile, having just seen the photos of my new equipment from Scott, I have to recommend you give his product a try. Having seen what you get from Gould, Kay, Miller you can obviously see that Scott's gear is right up there with the big name companies.

Guardian: . . . . Sun, Aug 30, 3:32PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Scott...don't worry, I'm not trying to take business away from you! But I've seen a full set of Kay gear in Montreal, and the guy who was wearing it was pretty keen on it. The glove is pretty unique...the closure actually happens up at the middle of the fingers and the palm is sort of a solid piece of plastic until you reach the break. The pads looked OK...nothing extraordinary but they seemed well made. I liked them better than Miller pads (which I used).

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sun, Aug 30, 3:51PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I just noticed something, There is a Glenn Miller line of gear in N.C. then there is MILLER gear in Cdn. The pads don't look the same but they both look like low end deals. Is this all the same stuff or 2 different manufactures? Scott you have any insight into this?

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sun, Aug 30, 3:52PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Guardian, so what was your take on the Miller pads you had?

Sieve: . . . . Sun, Aug 30, 5:11PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi all. Scott, I like the sound of your knee/thigh guards that go under the stockings. Can they be found on your website? How much? I wear McKenney's (Vaughn knock offs) and I just cant seem to keep them on straight.

gbfreeman: . . . . Sun, Aug 30, 10:30PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Smott. Bit the bullet today and put in an offer on a great condominium here in San Diego. Get to try out the increased debt better play theory. $122,000 for a two bedroom. Man. Back in NW Indiana I could buy a mansion for $122k. Well, since I am about to be broke, I decided to go out and spend some money on my equipment. Got a John Brown catcher and a Heaton chest protector. Get to try them out during 2 games tomorrow (Monday). Later.

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 31, 7:58AM PST (-0700 GMT)
No one needs to do any selling to me about Battram. I am going to buy Battram as soon as I have some money. My initial outlay of equipment is going to be dictated by proce. Then after my wife sees some bruises etc... I can upgrade :)

Vile: . . . . Mon, Aug 31, 8:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Here is an interesting report about the Pens, Smott... I guess if Baldwin gets the team, Mario is interested in converting some of the money owed to him into minority ownership in the team. button I can't belive it has gone on so long.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 31, 8:46AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi fellas....

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 31, 8:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
...yes according to the papers all that is true, Lemiuex hates Marino and loves Baldwin, so it just may be that they are teaming up against him and want to get rid of the guy....

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 31, 8:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
...however #66 has not always shown good judgement about teh Pens and their moves, after all he's teh guy who wanted Danny Quinn back....

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 31, 8:50AM PST (-0700 GMT)
...and there's no question that Marino has more money, but teh fans don't trust him anymore and that's that.

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Aug 31, 11:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi all. Picked up Dick Irvin's In the Crease today. Based on what everyone here has said about it, I am looking forward to a good read.

smott: . . . . Mon, Aug 31, 11:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Never read it...hope you enjoy...

Guardian: . . . . Mon, Aug 31, 1:11PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Carpe de Puck - they are two different companies that started off as one (just called Miller), and had a split. My opinion on the Millers is that they were made OK, but the price wasn't really good and their "customization" doesn't really mean much. I'm 6'5", and both pairs they made for me were too short. They were good about taking them back and refunding my money though.

ScottBattram: . . . . Mon, Aug 31, 6:37PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Miller in Canada was once run by Glenn Miller, after he left Michigan to set up Miller in BC. Glenn is a good guy, and I talk to him about sewing machines, he has been in the business for about 20 years or so, and the first pair of pads he made was for a kid named Mike Vaughn, who later went on to make one of the biggest companies in the industry! Glenn is a person who sticks with the styles that he has done well with, and makes some minor changes each year, I would say he is pretty conservative with his designs and ideas. Miller in Canada, well... when you look at the website, and see two pads togethor, one is bigger than the other, and there are lots of wrinkles in the materials... makes me wonder about the quality of the gear. But of course, its not as bad as the BURKE gear I have seen or the ADAMS gear that I have seen! Now that stuff was terrible, I dont think they are still in business though. I think Glenn should have stayed here in Canada, heck... there is no way a US manufacturer can compete with our low prices right now because of our Canadian dollar!! And there is no way someone in Canada will buy from an American manufacturer or store! Would cost them a fortune!

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Aug 31, 7:21PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey Scott, how about those knee/thigh guards?

The Wall: . . . . Tue, Sep 1, 11:19AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey, what's up goalies? I've been away for a while but now I'm back. School starts september 9th and I am ready to go.

Vile: . . . . Tue, Sep 1, 11:28AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Cool, Wall. How did your camp go?

The Wall: . . . . Tue, Sep 1, 12:31AM PST (-0700 GMT)
it went well

Tom: . . . . Tue, Sep 1, 3:29PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Only news today:NHL, ABC, ESPN Announce New Deal, Garts retires

Beatts: . . . . Tue, Sep 1, 7:26PM PST (-0700 GMT)
News today ?? hmmm I think that was announced late last week

Scoop: . . . . Tue, Sep 1, 9:02PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Played the first game of our season last night... 2-1 win. Broke down here while back and ordered a set of leg pads from Scott....got the set with no 5-hole (hopefully)..

ScottBattram: . . . . Tue, Sep 1, 9:31PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Seive, the knee thigh combo works great.. I think we have those priced out at about 60.00 US or something like that, I will have to check those out..

ScottBattram: . . . . Tue, Sep 1, 9:31PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hahah the 5 hole is up to you to fill Scoop! hehe

Scoop: . . . . Wed, Sep 2, 2:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Scott, wait just a minute.... your sales pitch to me was "no five hole, guarenteed post to post coverage down low, increased glove speed, blocker deflections to the coner or over the glass, shutout every other game, all the women flocking to me after the game, thousands of cheering fans..... are you now renigging on these promises? I surely hope not.... by the way, has it been 4-6 weeks yet?

Scoop: . . . . Wed, Sep 2, 2:56AM PST (-0700 GMT)
to whom it may concern.... suffered through a 5-4 win tonight. Played poorly in a game that we dominated. My buddy was in net on the other end.... hate to see him give up 4 3rd period goals, but then again, I'd rather win than lose.......

Scoop: . . . . Wed, Sep 2, 2:57AM PST (-0700 GMT)
btw, anyone see Toast or GTHW lately?

smott: . . . . Wed, Sep 2, 7:16AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmmm Toast has been around alittle but haven't seen GTHW for a moon....

Goal35: . . . . Wed, Sep 2, 9:24AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi all, just when i thought i'd get lazy before fall league starts (9/11) got a call to play in a rating session tonite, and to play in a "A" scrimmage fri nite.... so the hockey gods are smilin on me....

smott: . . . . Wed, Sep 2, 11:31AM PST (-0700 GMT)
G35 good for you....highest league I'm in is B....except my team is like a D! So looks like I am being sentenced to weekly shellings...

smott: . . . . Wed, Sep 2, 11:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Gosh the stock market is bouncing back!....Maybe I'll have enough for that mortgage down payment after all!....

Tom: . . . . Wed, Sep 2, 4:10PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Nil

Goal35: . . . . Thu, Sep 3, 5:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Smott - I will say that the shellings in B or what they promised me in A fri are alot more fun than the 15 shot blowouts we had in the other C league....

smott: . . . . Thu, Sep 3, 7:46AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I agree even though I get shell-shocked I need those games just to see a lot of rubber....

smott: . . . . Thu, Sep 3, 7:59AM PST (-0700 GMT)
YIKES guys that Swissair 111 crash had me in a panic this AM....my brother is on that flight pretty often (18 times last year) so you can imagine how relieved I was when I grabbed the phone at 7 AM and called him to make sure he hadn't been sent on a last minte trip to Geneva by his boss....WHEW!!!

Goal35: . . . . Thu, Sep 3, 10:25AM PST (-0700 GMT)
wow smott, glad to hear things are o.k. - a group of my wife's friends are scheduled on a trip to Switzerland in Jan, so they were all buzzin..

Goal35: . . . . Thu, Sep 3, 10:27AM PST (-0700 GMT)
talked to the head league guy last nite at the eval skate... seems he's the one passing my name around, says i'll be able to sub as much as I want (or is that as much as my wife will let me) this fall...

Goal35: . . . . Thu, Sep 3, 10:27AM PST (-0700 GMT)
anyone heard from C5? how's his knee slice healing up, i know he went back to playing.

Toast: . . . . Thu, Sep 3, 12:04AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Scoopster - good to see you back...I think GTHW is long gone. As for C5, he is still kicking around, we occasionally exchange email. Do you have mine? You can get it off C5...as for me, new job has me away from the chat most of the day, I peek in late at night to see what i have missed, but that is about it. But with you on the left coast, maybe we can get back to our late night sessions. Outside of that, I depend on email to keep track of my friends activities, so feel free to keep me updated on your season. It looks like I will be down to 1.5 teams this winter, a far cry from the last few years. *sigh*

snowman: . . . . Thu, Sep 3, 2:31PM PST (-0700 GMT)
summer league over . 3rd place in league. lost PO game in a wild shootout. Found out that I was elected to run a winter league team. Still trying to find best deal on jerseys . ANY INPUT???

snowman: . . . . Thu, Sep 3, 2:32PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I think I will be sick of hearing, "but I want to skate with this guy and I dont want to skate with that guy"

Chris: . . . . Thu, Sep 3, 8:07PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hello everybody.
I recieved an email from a goalie wishing for a development league. A summary of the email is below. If anyone could help it would be appreciated.
I am looking for Team Manager E-mail contact info within the semi-pro leagues for goalies like me who have the well established talent and should be deserving of at least a tryout some where before hanging em up.
WebSite = is at thisbutton
EMail = is at this button
Thanks for anything you can do for him.

thbgmao: . . . . Fri, Sep 4, 9:59AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hello, all, I've just a few minutes to "barf the beans", but we've done well in the last two games: one loss by 3 pts and one tie last night. I've faced over 70 shots in the last two, and let in 8, but boy, am I tired!. Vile, how's the knee?

Sieve: . . . . Fri, Sep 4, 11:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi all. Vile, your knee too? Its like an epidemic around here... I am once again bipedal and walking w/o aid. Walking and standing is no problem, but any pressure on the inside of that knee (i.e. goalie stance) and whoa momma, ouch.

Sieve: . . . . Fri, Sep 4, 11:56AM PST (-0700 GMT)
BTW, anyone planning on being in the Detroit area next weekend is invited to the annual Sieve & friends summer party. Kegs being tapped around 6!

thbgmao: . . . . Fri, Sep 4, 12:52AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Nope, sorry Vile, I was thinking of Sieve there-you know, when you top the big 50, the brain turns to mush! So it's still tender, eh? I had a guy-about 220 lbs pile onto me in the crease last night while I was covering up. No damage at all. I was a bad boy last night, though; drew my very first penalty on a slight disagreement over who owned the biscut. I guess I'm just not willing to share, hehheh!

Vile: . . . . Fri, Sep 4, 2:22PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yep, I'm fine... (knocks on wood)

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Fri, Sep 4, 7:42PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey gang, anyone seen/used the new Mosquito blade sharpener? It looks like a pretty handy tool, just curious if they make a goalie version and how it works.

Chris: . . . . Fri, Sep 4, 8:06PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Concerning the Mosquito, it is a skate sharpening system similar to the Pro-Filer but I think it uses a combination of three blades. There can be twelvepossible configurations using the trio blade system. It says for use on ice hockey and for figure skating. One of the twelve combos might be suitible for goalies, but not knowing much abouth the sharpening business, I couldn't tell you. They say they will be coming out with more stones soon, but as I said before, I am not an expert. Maybe Scott could check it out, the website address is at this little, colored, and clickable button I hope I could be of assistance.

Beatts: . . . . Sat, Sep 5, 12:48AM PST (-0700 GMT)
If anyone is interested and is in the Peterborough area (about 1hour 20 minutes east of Toronto, Ont. Canada) starting sunday September 13 till Wednesday Septmeber 16, the Philadelphia Flyers are holding their training camp at the Memorial centre. Luckily I'm on holiday's that week so you bet your butt I'll be there checking the out....Plus it's FREE !!! If only it was the Leafs I would be in heaven....

smott: . . . . Sat, Sep 5, 3:06PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sieve hope your knee is holding up OK....I knowthe feeling on that inward-pressure deal....I was not right for months...so give it time!....

Tom: . . . . Sat, Sep 5, 4:22PM PST (-0700 GMT)
ALmost time to restart