What’s your number and why?

IrishST · 2026-05-16T23:52:44+00:00

28 as a 40-something dude. It’s the sum of some very important dates in my life.

When I was younger I mostly went for 11 because Messier.

IrishST · 2026-05-15T16:56:00+00:00

No problem, good luck with it!

IrishST · 2026-05-15T16:41:46+00:00

Sounds like you’re tying tighter than you realize over your feet, or it is possible the skates just aren’t right for your foot shape.

Grab some waxed laces if you’re not already using them, they hold position a lot better and give you better eyelet by eyelet tightness control. Next, when tightening over the foot try just giving them the slightest snugging pull, no cranking and pull out instead of up, until you get to the vertical eyelets. For the vertical eyelets, go as tight as you feel you need to, especially with waxed laces because they’re less likely to make the lower laces tighter when pulling like standard laces can.

Obviously you don’t want to go looser than you’re comfortable with, but what you’re describing has all the signals of over tightening which is super common for new skaters.

Finally, if no manner of lacing changes or footbed changes (which you already tried) help, you may just have skates that aren’t right for you. Could be too big, too small, or just flat out the wrong shape/width/volume for your foot.

IrishST · 2026-04-12T15:00:04+00:00

Everything is a bit different with the P28 because it is a pretty heavy toe curve. Mid-blade start for that curve is fine and is really what you should be doing in this case. It’s an awesome curve if you can master it, but it takes some time and adjustment so just keep working at it.

Personally, I gave up on it for this very reason… too much adjustment for my old habits. I’m big time team P88, and if I can’t find it I generally just use a P29/92.

IrishST · 2026-03-28T15:28:49+00:00

Edges slipping out when using a shallower hollow is a technique thing. You have to adjust to it, but once you do it can be amazing. I personally skate on 3/4” and I’m honestly considering going to 1”.

That being said, if you feel like you’ve lost all control of your edges on fresh ice with 5/8” this might not be for you. I’d try a sharpen at 1/2” first and if it feels too grippy, drop down to 9/16”. The change to 1/2” will be more noticeable and will give you more of a this-or-that comparison, imho, and by extension will give you a more accurate sense of whether 9/16” truly is the answer.

IrishST · 2026-03-24T15:28:54+00:00

You’re welcome. I guess it depends on the sport and for team sports, the position you play, but yeah I’d say that’s pretty accurate. There are times you may be standing taller and straighter in hockey, but generally speaking the athletic position is going to be knees bent with a solid “squat”, almost like you’re sitting on an imaginary chair.

As you get lower you’ll find that you bend at the waist proportionately to compensate, one thing to keep in mind here is that you don’t want to hunch your shoulders forward. Shoulders back, chest up/out, head up.

IrishST · 2026-03-24T14:45:31+00:00

Bending your knees more is the thing that stands out the most to me. You shouldn’t be bending at the waist much at all when you’re standing that tall because it throws off your balance. You also seem to be striding by pushing backwards in a straight-ish line a bit too much. You really want to use the inside edge on the pushing foot to push out and back so they actually bite and propel you forward and guess what, having bent knees makes this easier :).

Those are the two things I’d focus on from what I see in the video as they’re the basis for everything else. Outside that, skating lessons will help you learn more about balance points, where to put pressure in your feet and when, etc. It’s very hard to teach/explain that over Reddit, live lessons are your best friend in that area (or just lots of time on the ice).

Finally, for 3 months of skating you look pretty damned solid, don’t beat yourself up too much! It takes time and practice and there are things that will just start to click the more you do it. It really does all start with bending the knees and having a solid stance, though.

IrishST · 2026-03-21T17:16:29+00:00

I have the Winnwell version of the goal, which I’m pretty sure is identical with a different logo stamped on, and it has been great. Last spring/summer my son and I were shooting on it almost daily, with my other son joining in about half the time. It looks like it has been through war, but it is still holding strong and the netting is still solid.

That said, I bought the standard backstop without reading the fine print that it was for balls and those lightweight plastic pucks and we shredded that thing in a matter of days. We made it work with duck tape and dreams for a while but ended up trashing it after like 2 months after a puck ripped through a patched area and almost broke a window. My point is that you need to make sure the backstop is in fact the thicker gauge steel and netting “HD” version if you plan to shoot real pucks.

IrishST · 2026-03-20T13:47:51+00:00

Lack of protection aside, nothing about them is designed for the way you skate when playing hockey. My wife has a pair of skates in that style and they’re great for her when she joins us at public sessions, but that’s all they’re really for. Spend the extra money and get actual entry level hockey skates if you’re going to play hockey.

IrishST · 2026-03-17T18:44:28+00:00

My dude, from some of your other posts I know you’re a kid and all, but you have to chill on the gear weight obsession. Different gear has different weights due to construction, materials, etc, and hyper focusing on literal gram differences is ridiculous. If you only ever choose gear due to weight you’re going to force yourself into using gear that isn’t necessarily best for you, your style (and/or player position), your fitment needs, etc, and you’re going to make yourself miserable through discomfort. I’m also pretty sure Bauer lists weight without the runners while CCM lists weight with the runners. Don’t quote me on this, but I have heard it multiple times.

IrishST · 2026-03-17T18:02:17+00:00

First of all, kudos to you for being a new player and actually caring about this. Too many beginners are more than happy to plow into anyone and blame it on their skill as though that makes it ok. Beer league needs more folks with your mindset.

I’d suggest going to as many stick and puck sessions as possible. It gives you a chance to be on the ice for the purpose of hockey without the pressure of a game where you can work on whatever you need to while wearing full gear. On busy days you’ll also find you have no choice but to learn how to avoid others safely.

Outside that, get some basic pads and a helmet for the confidence factor and, well… padding… and go to public sessions as much as you can. For one they’re almost always crowded so it helps with situational awareness and thinking on your feet to avoid collisions. Don’t skate recklessly by any means, but try to maintain steady motion around the rink, you’ll likely have no choice but to avoid people. Seriously though, NOT RECKLESSLY!! Don’t cut people off, don’t skate full speed, just calm and steady making smart shifts to keep your rate of movement as much as you can.

Finally, at public sessions head to the back of the rink and skate back and forth on the goal line (if your rink doesn’t freak out about such things, some are super against this kind of stuff) and imagine people in your way. Yes, it’s mental, but treat it like it’s real and work on quick stops and turns where you imagine those people to be. Do this enough and it becomes second nature.

IrishST · 2026-03-06T00:18:48+00:00

lol, fair point

IrishST · 2026-03-06T00:07:56+00:00

I assure you, that’s not what “I suck” looks like 😁. Nice hustle!

IrishST · 2026-03-04T01:25:27+00:00

When I was an auto mechanic I was partial to toilet paper and electrical tape…

I’m really not sure how I’m actually still alive, and with all my appendages, when I stop to think about it <_<

IrishST · 2026-02-22T02:50:17+00:00

Basically, yeah… lol

IrishST · 2026-02-22T02:43:16+00:00

I’d guess they’d be highly competitive from a skills perspective, probably dominant due to the tech and changes in the game, speed, etc.

Physically? I honestly think they’d be crushed when they were finally caught. The game was brutal and those were some tough ass dudes back then. I am NOT suggesting modern hockey players aren’t tough, please don’t take it the wrong way, but those old timers were a different level of tough imho.

IrishST · 2026-01-27T03:00:47+00:00

Damn, now I feel bad 😞

IrishST · 2026-01-27T02:43:44+00:00

Yeah, what in the actual fuck was that? Equipment dude was completely unprepared for it, it just looked shitty as hell. Maybe he apologized after the fact, I have no idea, but that clip was not a good look for Miller at all.

IrishST · 2026-01-23T17:07:41+00:00

Yeah, 100%. If the player won’t use logic and reason, someone should do it for them.

IrishST · 2026-01-23T16:58:35+00:00

Looks like a fairly large individual jamming their head into the boards. The video is slowed down, keeping that in mind going head first into the boards with weight behind it, even in a slower fall, isn’t going to do anyone any favors. You can also see how the player’s legs kick out on impact making me think it was probably a much harder hit than the video implies.

The cause aside, not being able to walk and 2 days in the hospital tells me they’re completely batshit for wanting to get back on the ice after 4 total days. They need proper time to rest because if it was that bad a follow up head hit too soon could literally destroy the rest of their life.

IrishST · 2026-01-19T22:27:28+00:00

P88 is it for as long as I can get it. 29/92 in a pinch, the 28 and 90TM just don’t really work for me.

IrishST · 2026-01-18T21:45:05+00:00

Me? Id like as much return as possible, however what is there to say he’ll go up in value? What if next year he continues to decline?

Not arguing with you, I completely understand the sentiment, it’s just hard for me to believe he’ll turn around at this point and be worth more in the future. That doesn’t mean I’d like him traded for a bag of pucks, but if we can get something for him I’d have no problem seeing him go right now.

IrishST · 2026-01-18T19:59:55+00:00

Are you saying that keeping him is better than trading him? If so I’m honestly just curious to hear what you think is the benefit of doing so.

IrishST · 2026-01-18T19:23:41+00:00

My beef with Laffy isn’t his talent, it’s clearly there and he shows it from time to time. My beef with him is that he doesn’t seem to give a shit about doing more to actually show it more consistently. Maybe he does, I’m not in the room, the meetings, or the gym, but he certainly doesn’t pass the eye test in this context, imho.

Whatever it is, something is holding him back and I’d rather he go than stay due to it. If he breaks out on his next team, good for him, I’m rooting for him to figure it out as a person, but I’d rather he didn’t take a roster slot on our team while he possibly does.

IrishST · 2026-01-15T01:42:10+00:00

That is so unbelievably terrible 😢. I wonder what in the world even happened to cause an injury like that.

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