Happy Holidays!

The staff at ProStockNation.com wishes all of our readers happy holidays and thanks for the support.

 

– M

Order Placed For Goal Equipment!

Finally saved up enough money this Holiday season for a set of goalie gear.  Having been a skater for many years I finally ventured into the crease and bought a, what I think is decent, set of gear for a beginning goaltender.  Unfortunately Pro Stock was simply out of my price range but I did attempt to buy Canadian made goods whenever possible.

Mask – Hackva 2608

C/A – McKenney Pro Spec (2007)

Blocker – Brian’s DX2 Pro

Catcher – Brian’s DX5

Pants – McKenney 870 Pro Spec (2009)

Pads – Vaughn Velocity 7450 V4

Skates – Nike Bauer Supreme ONE95

Stick – Sherwood 9950

Now to play the waiting game and have them all shipped… I still need to pick up a few other things like a bag and goalie cut jersey.  We’ll see how that goes.

– M

Inside The Equipment Room

Check out the video at this link: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=51949#&navid=nhl-search and the rest of the series of “Inside The Equipment Room” on NHL.com: http://www.nhl.com/ice/search.htm?page=search&q=equipment&tab=videos&rows=10&start=0

They start talking about “alternative protection” at 1:34 into the video and the custom modifications Ilya Kovalchuk had on his skates during his time in Atlanta.

– M

Zetterberg: So Long Easton?

Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings is a poster boy for Easton Hockey.  He is endorsed by the brand and as a result his name is plastered on all P4 patterns Easton makes in the retail market (even though most players still call the P4 a Forsberg.)  Hockey players are very superstitious and they tend to stick with what works.

Zetterberg fell into a slump early this season and gradually made the switch away from Easton as the games progressed, beginning with the Easton SE16 and S19 sticks.  Zetterberg started using Warriors and the brand also ‘creeped’ to his gloves.  We’re not surprised if this move was influenced by fellow Swede, and former Easton user, Nick Lidstrom but it’s paid off for him as he also made the switch to Warrior last year and scored his first career NHL hat trick at age 40 this week.  Oh, I guess Warrior having their HQ in Michigan and Kris Draper’s involvement with the company has some persuasion in the locker room as well.

2 games ago Zetterberg has switched out practically every piece of Easton gear minus the pants (they are the NHL leader in pants after all.)  If his play starts to pick up don’t expect him to switch back to Easton any time soon.  Maybe it’s time to rename the P4 pattern once again?

Photos are property of Getty Images (www.GettyImages.com)

– M

ProStockNation.com Venturing Out To Goal Equipment

Finally we’ve secured the funds to buy some goalie equipment and give the position a try.  The only other time I’ve strapped on the pads was back in Bantam for a scrimmage.  ProStockNation.com will serve as a mini-blog to document my transition from player to goaltender.

When it comes to equipment, when Pro Stock is not available we still like to buy Canadian-made goods because the quality and craftsmanship is top notch; not to mention we enjoy supporting our local shops and manufacturers.

I’ve still got a long way to go to complete my entire set of goalie gear but here’s the list so far:

I purchased the Brian’s DX2 Pro Blocker and DX5 Catcher with a Hackva 2608 Mask on order right now.  2/3 of the items are made in Canada which made it even more appealing to buy.

What made the Brian’s set attractive was the fit and weight.  Since Brian’s uses nothing but foams instead of plastic in their products, the end result is amazingly lightweight.  The palm and gussets of the blocker are made with a mesh material for ultimate breathability and reinforced with a clarino overlay for durability.

The catcher is nothing spectacular as it is an entry level model made off-shore (in Thailand specifically) so we’re not going to bother to show it just yet.

The Hackva 2608 is currently on order and we will feature it as soon as it comes in.  I decided to go with the Hackva because simply there was no better mask in the $400 range.  They are the only company, not just in goalie equipment but for hockey in general, to offer a lifetime warranty on their product.  The 2608 is hand assembled in Canada with with Kevlar, Fibreglass and a touch of Carbon.

What initially got me interested in this mask were the amount of positive reviews and recommendations online.  I drove down to my local shop to take a look and to try it on; I was very impressed with the fit and quality of the mask.  It’s on par with it’s more expensive counterparts and at $400 it’s an absolute steal.  We exchanged a few emails with Cindy Hackman of Hackva before we went down to our local dealer and have had very quick and informative replies from her.

Check them out at www.Hackva.com.

Our mask should be here in 1-1.5 weeks.  I’ll post some pics when it comes in!

 

– M

Jonas Hiller – MLX Goalie Skates

Jonas Hiller has been spotted wearing MLX skates as of late.  It’s the first and only goalie skate offering we’ve seen from this company with Mario Lemieux’s involvement.  We wonder if MLX is coming out with these skates or if they’re just a player’s boot wrapped in a cowling.

The player’s skates have been out for several months now and they’ve got guys like Sergei Gonchar, Daniel Alfredsson, Dustin Byfuglien and Paul Gaustad using their product right now.  But for a skate with a MSRP of $799 (currently on special for $599) we don’t know if we’d want to take the gamble and shell out top of the line money for a skate we can’t even try on before buying.  That being said, we did sign up to test a pair of these skates but unfortunately we were not picked.  So to the guys at MLX, if you’re interested in giving us a shot, drop us a line.

 

Photo is property of Getty Images (www.GettyImages.com)

 

 

– M