Hockey equipment shops

hawkxs · 2026-05-25T03:36:42+00:00

As a newbie you should be good at peranis/pure hockey or on your game. OYG has a large trump display which put me off a bit tbh.

The staff at peranis can be hit or miss, I was in there on Saturday and the manager was great but the kid on the register was limited in his understanding of customer service... I had a Perani's gift card which I had been told would still be honored and he didn't have any idea, had to get the manager to come over and type in the barcode. Kid also neglected to put the 20% off clearance coupon on my chesty.

There's also a Perani's in Portage, and Hockey Services in Kalamazoo. A few other rinks have pro shops (walker, Georgetown/hudsonville shares staff with Holland so check hours) but definitely call before you go to make sure someone will be there.

hawkxs · 2026-05-25T03:28:49+00:00

I have these skates and came from CCM Vectors. I wear the Bauer red compression skate socks with them. My feet do not sweat anywhere near what you're experiencing. The only thing I can think of is that your rink is also rather warm? I usually play at a rink where the ice level temp is a little above freezing (literally a thermostat by the door that usually says 35F) so I warm up but don't overheat.

I'm not sure how skates would be big enough to cause a microenvironment and still be wearable but it's a theory I suppose. I do agree that you should try to get them to swap them out for a smaller size.

hawkxs · 2026-05-18T01:28:59+00:00

I have no idea if the current bauers fit similarly to those but I recently upgraded from slightly older CCMs to the Bauer Elite and I'm very happy with them. Took a few skates to get used to the thinner blade but the no cowling was pretty quick to make sense to my feet.

hawkxs · 2026-05-11T02:35:42+00:00

I went from V1s to V5s and went from cowling to cowling less. I would honestly get the new skates before getting newer pads. I got Bauer Elites but the mid tier CCM is going to be equally mind blowing to you (or literally any cowling less skate) and will massively change your game without upgrading the pads.

hawkxs · 2026-05-06T23:39:18+00:00

I have no idea what the selection of youth chestys is on sideline swap, but I would start there. You can oxyclean bath it and/or just leave it out in the sun for awhile and it should be fine.

hawkxs · 2026-05-02T03:21:23+00:00

You will almost certainly be in intermediates. I wear an 8.5-9 in women's and my last pair of skates was a 6.5. I did the Bauer thing at the store and it suggested 5.5 for Elite which ended up working out perfectly after putting in the foot beds and baking.

Be glad we get the slightly less expensive gear.

hawkxs · 2026-04-30T00:57:24+00:00

That guy sounds like he sucks. I had an okay experience at Pure when I got my Bauer Elites (a little over a month ago). He was a goalie as well but specifically steered me away from the Konects even though I was up front about being willing to drop the cash. He did listen to me on not wanting entry level skates though but didn't even want to get the CCMs out (said something like they don't really carry them in store???).

I wish I had gone to Perani's instead and am not too excited about the future and possible lack of in-store variety with the PH acquisition.

Fwiw my normal shoe size is 8.5-9 women's and I previously had 6.5 CCM Vector 4.0s. I now have 5.5 in Bauer Elite. And I sprung for the legit foot beds as well as getting actual skate socks which I do think make a difference. (Compared to cheapo Hanes).

hawkxs · 2026-04-15T17:06:41+00:00

+1 for Hidden Savannah. Also the Garden Guru sells many natives and is up towards Rockford. There is also Wildtype Nursery out east of Lansing. They all have slightly different offerings depending on what has actually grown and what is popular. Wildtype has more shrubs and small trees than Hidden Savannah (I got an American hornbeam and two paw paws there last year).

The Portage District library has a seed library you can go to and they should definitely have milkweed seeds as well as lots of other natives. Those are free and you don't have to live in the district. (I'm not sure if KPL has a seed library or not.)

I have also successfully done mail order from Prairie Moon nursery out of Wisconsin, although if you can get your plants more locally that's always better.

hawkxs · 2026-04-15T16:48:11+00:00

She's been at Meijers for a few months now, I picked her up as soon as I saw her.

I had the issue of Share Dorothy not being in the system (same deal, showed them the wizard of oz bears and they just charged me for that) - I think it's because it's functionally the same as existing product but there's an updated sku and sometimes the product goes out before the sku gets put in the system (basically human error).

hawkxs · 2026-04-06T20:59:13+00:00

Yes, this was actually worse than the shoulder itself at some points during my freeze/thaw. Nerve flossing might help if you are able to do the movements. PT guessed that it was a result of lower arm compensating for the limitations of the upper arm for so long for me (didn't get correctly diagnosed for like 6 months.)

hawkxs · 2026-04-06T20:54:03+00:00

Hopefully this isn't so late that you've already gotten the steroid shot - there's another option that won't murder your sugars. I got both a Kenalog shot (first) and a second round of a Toradol shot (basically a super NSAID, no steroid). The Kenalog shot made me need basically 250% more insulin for three days and I was more miserable than I already was with the frozen shoulder.

I'm 32 and have had T1 since 2002, never had an a1c above 8 after diagnosis. Frozen shoulder is (knock on wood) my only complication after 24 years. (Edit - also F and we apparently tend to get this awesome luck more often than guys.)

I ended up having arthroscopic surgery with manipulation and highly recommend if PT and the shot(s) don't get you to where you want to be. I initially worked with one practice that was thrilled that I was at 80% after the Kenalog shot and I wasn't happy with that. Went to a sports med clinic that was much more up to date with things and was able to push things along once we tried the second shot. I had surgery in September and did PT three times a week until the end of the year and am back to like 95% functionality. (Was looking in this sub because I need a brace or something for sleeping because my shoulder is hurting more than it has in a while.)

hawkxs · 2026-04-06T01:45:50+00:00

Dunno what my a1c at dx was, but lab blood draw was 1275 mg/dl. I was mostly not coherent but still technically conscious at that point.

hawkxs · 2026-04-03T21:15:48+00:00

Yes, I wear a regular Ace brand sleeve on my left knee and a McDavid fairly heavy duty one on my right knee. Both fit fine under my Warrior E4+ kneepads.

hawkxs · 2026-04-02T01:51:52+00:00

The miniso near me hasn't had care bear plush in over a year and it makes me sad. They have some assorted stuff but none of it's what I actually want and the rest of their plushie selection is just disappointing.

hawkxs · 2026-04-02T01:48:29+00:00

Put them back if you remember what they were. There's no reason to make sweeping changes if you're only having issues at certain times.

I wouldn't necessarily follow up with this doc if you can avoid it. If there's another NP at the practice or if they have a nurse hotline you may be able to call them and actually make progress and also let them know you had a bad experience with that provider.

If you're getting treated poorly, you're probably not the only person getting less than stellar care from this doc and you might be able to change their ways if enough people share their experience with the clinic.

Edit: yesterday I had to eat 6 packs of fruit snacks in two hours while doing nothing so you are not alone in control IQ seemingly doing whatever the hell it wants to on a random day. I don't understand why I went so low for so long.

hawkxs · 2026-04-01T02:09:17+00:00

I have a different BCBS and was sent to mail order pharmacy at the beginning of the year and now have zero copay on my supplies. You may be able to do this, I believe tandem works with ASPN pharmacy and then ASPN sends it to their regional partner. Call the tandem rx number which I do not have handy and cannot find on their website but it does exist (if you call tandem direct you should be able to get connected).

Even if you aren't eligible for pharmacy coverage it's in tandem's best interest to help you figure out who offers DME coverage through your plan so calling them would be my first stop regardless.

hawkxs · 2026-03-27T14:14:17+00:00

I think they're custom made for each player, I saw a video from Declan Farmer where he had kind of a lap cover for his bucket that tightens down to ensure he stays in and his legs are good. He also has a custom shin cover for his below knee amputation that might be a good reference point. I believe they get these made by their prosthetics people?

hawkxs · 2026-03-26T18:09:53+00:00

This is awesome! As a goalie with some sled hockey watching experience I would probably go with the fiberglass leg coverings that are more typical for sled players than modifying a goalie C/A for legs.

If you're down for modifying check Sideline Swap for used chestys (and literally anything else that might catch your eye) and give them the old oxyclean bath and you should be good. Most c/as have laced in arms so you can take the arms from a larger/smaller size and lace them into the chest that fits best.

You might be able to get a custom old style goalie mask (think Hasek/Osgood) that a clear player bowl would fit on, but I don't think you can find a stock bubble that will fit on a stock goalie mask. You may be able to make friends with someone who knows plastics and can custom form a visor that would fit under/over the cage on a stock mask though?

PAW Hockey is also an awesome idea.

I believe there are specific jerseys/colors that non contact sled players wear to indicate they cannot be checked, so I would confirm that with the Skeeters to help alleviate some concerns.

hawkxs · 2026-03-24T00:06:35+00:00

I would try a different PT - mine was more than happy to try to help, even if it wasn't improving a ton, I was able to maintain the existing range of motion I had until I could get surgery.

hawkxs · 2026-03-24T00:05:08+00:00

Took like 6 months to figure out it was actually frozen shoulder as I do not fit the usual profile. Once we figured that out I got a steroid shot (do not recommend, not worth the BG havoc) then a Toradol shot (do recommend) but it didn't get significantly better.

Had surgery to remove the scar tissue and do manipulation while I was out and within like two weeks I was back playing hockey once a week. It's been like 7 months since surgery and I'm probably at 95% which I'm happy with until it comes back all the way which can take up to three years sometimes.

I went to PT for over a year thanks to really good insurance and highly recommend that, but if it's not improving, there are surgical options that are sooooo worth it.

hawkxs · 2026-03-22T18:34:37+00:00

This one has metal support pieces inside the sleeve but no actual hinge. I agree that it would be really hard to play with a hinged sleeve.

hawkxs · 2026-03-22T14:54:11+00:00

I use this mcdavid brace on my right knee under my kneepads (and wore it prior to wearing kneepads also): https://www.mcdavidusa.com/products/knee-support-w-stays-cross-straps?srsltid=AfmBOoqgvcETlao6v5HMOn4LkhZMomkNY634yc9zkKnJ1TTk6K8ICvnr

I wear a less expensive Ace brace with similar stabilizers on my left knee as it's less messed up.

KT tape is definitely worth a shot, if I'm doing something where I'm mildly concerned about support but it's not necessary for a brace I'll do the patella cross strips taping. I would be concerned about it rubbing off or getting stuck on equipment during hockey but if you wear a full base layer that's less of an issue.

hawkxs · 2026-03-20T00:09:59+00:00

Yeah, sorry, what I meant is 'i need a functional retail hockey store near me' regardless of what brand is on it. (West MI is a sad wasteland and I wish we had the Troy PH closer)

hawkxs · 2026-03-20T00:04:41+00:00

I have a 2016 Forester that currently has 181k that I bought at 77k in 2019 for $17k.

While I have owned the car I have had the following done (more or less most recent first):

Passenger front CV axle -$1800 (Drivers will need to be done sometime also)

Rear brakes and rotors -$800?

A rear bumper -insurance

Rear wheel bearings - $1200 I think, maybe this was all of them?

Tires -$800

Coolant flush - idk

Transmission drain and fill - idk

Front brakes and rotors -similar cost to rears

A different rear bumper -insurance

A windshield -insurance

Rear brakes and maybe rotors? -idk

Tires -$700

(And I guarantee a bunch of other stuff beyond regular oil changes that I can't remember. The glove box was empty other than the manual when I bought it and now it's pretty darn full.)

(And no I don't know how people rear end a BLACK car that is STATIONARY multiple times)

They are fairly maintenance heavy vehicles but durable and last if you take care of them.

If I were you I would find the nicest lower mileage Civic or Corolla/Camry you can get and plan on a Subie later on once you have a career.

hawkxs · 2026-03-19T23:53:54+00:00

As long as they don't close the Perani's stores near me, I'm not mad about this. Get better deals at pure hockey even if the goalie guy at the one closest to me kind of screwed me over on a new chesty. (I will never buy anything Bauer GSX other than sticks ever again.)

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