try the forsberg, malkin, iginla, recchi, curve.
pretty standard straight blade.

Most places will have a heat gun and if you ask nicely, will put the stick and blade together for you. With the new composite sticks, you shouldn't, but I still did, use the kitchen range. Just don't put the stick too close to the element, and turn it constantly so the glue has a chance to melt, assuming it is a glue type blade. There use to be the T system, or whatever Easton called it, where they have some rubber catchers that wedge up into the shaft when you insert the blade.

Don't worry about the curve too much. When you get on the ice, you'll be too worried about not falling or catching up to the play.

OK, I'm gonna go stick and puck tomorrow at Richmond Ice Centre.
Anyone else planning to go?

its pretty easy to put on the blade
if you are afraid to use the element to heat it up, you can always hold onto it and stick the glue end into the oven and let it heat up like that

when i first started i used the naslund curve
its a pretty good curve to start off with for wrist shots, not as good for a slapshot though

If you purchase at a sports store selling 2-pieces they will always put it in for you for free. When replacing you just bring you stick when you buy a new blade.

So for a newbie like myself that have never taken a single shot on ice, is it recommended to start with wood or is wood not worth it and might as well move up to composite?

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edit edit is edit working?

btw, did you say sportchek is selling blades for 50% off? Is this some sale or is it a special that you get when you purchase a shaft and blade?

So for a newbie like myself that have never taken a single shot on ice, is it recommended to start with wood or is wood not worth it and might as well move up to composite?

btw, did you say Sportchek is selling blades for 50% off? Is this some sale or is it a special that you get when you purchase a shaft and blade?

I'm going to be purchasing a stick, gloves, and skates at Sportchek tonight. Only problem I see about shaft and blade is that I cannot test it out before I buy it. Since they will be in two pieces until I pay for them. And with lack of experience, I can't tell which shaft+blade is suitable without having an old hockey stick to use as a guideline.

(edit button is messed up...)

How much did you spend in total? for all the equipment so far?

Hey Az, if I were you, I'd keep things simple and buy a cheaper wood-based stick, or if you're really keen, a mid-range composite. That way you can test it in the store for flex and lie. If you're going to invest in a two-piece setup, might as well get more experience first before you sink the money.

Most wood based sticks these days are actually composites with fibreglass, kevlar, and what not anyways, so they're not that heavy (although they'll be noticeably heavier compared to a performance composite).

If you're just getting into ice, there's no point in running around with a $120 stick when you're still working on your shot. Hell, I still use $20 sticks for roller. There's always plenty of time to pick up an expensive stick in the future. Just my 2 cents.

Nothing so far. I have a good helmet I'm borrowing. and I went to sportchek during my lunch break to try on some skates. I really want to keep my skate + gloves + stick around $200. But skates is my top priority. They gotta be comfortable. I was looking into CCM vector 4 which costs $120. That's fine. But they didn't have my size anywhere. It's on clearance. The Vector 7 fits fine, but it cost $200, which is beyond my budget.

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yeah, go with a simple wood stick to work on your shot

don't cheap out on skates, i know you want to keep under budget and that is possible
but don't go out and buy a pair just cuz they're cheap, get something that will be comfortable while you're skating

Hey Az, if you're near a SportMart, might wanna try checking there for the Vector 4's... Never know what you might find.

http://www.sportmart.ca/store/mailer...gs5/middle.jpg

Some coupons here too, knock off another 10 bucks at least if you find anything good.

G'luck with the equipment hunt!

WOW thanks absolutZERO.

I'm definately not gonna cheap out in skates. Just that $200 seems a bit too much for me. But these coupons will definately help. Do I just print them out and use them in the store as if they are cash? Should I buy skates today and use the $20, and then come back again tomrrow, and buy gloves, save $5? Or can I use multiple coupons at once?


wait, is this a public coupon thing, or is it a sportmart VIP member thing, which you happen to be?

Hey Az, I think you can just print them out, or they should have a set of them in the store too... They usually come in the mail but I only saw the online one this time.

You can stack them, too, I think... Cuz one time I bought a buncha of stuff and it was over the sum of two of the coupon requirements so the cashier used both (e.g., I spent like... $130 or so.. so the cashier stacked $5 off $40 and $10 off $80).

Hope it works!

Thanks absolutZERO, I bought skates with the coupon and although when the guy scanned the coupon, it wasn't valid, but he just took a stack he had from the store and used it so I got $10 off.

They didn't have a wide selection of gloves though, so in the end I went to sportchek to get my gloves and stick.

Now I'm set for stick and puck tomorrow... yay!

Hey Az, glad they had the coupons in store... Saving $10 isn't a lot, but might as well make use of it! ;D

Have fun at stick and puck tomorrow... Slim chance I might come out, depends on how tired I am lol.

I forgot what you said about how stong of a skater you are.
You might want to wear some knee/shin pads incase you fall.

Also, you will need to bring your own puck. Some people might bring extra pucks, but you don't want to take that chance.

Oh, it was in the other thread. I thought you meant how strong of a skater as in if I'm a power skater. lol

I'm alright at skating. I won't fall as long as no one bumps me or if I'm not trying to do something I know I'm not capable of, like power stopping or doing figure skating aerial twists. I will get the knee/shin pads eventually, but I didn't do enough research yet to buy them. I did take a quick look today though. Is the calf wrap around really neccessary at my level?

I was in a bit of a rush just to get enough stuff to be able to participate for stick and puck. I was told to get there as early as possible to get a spot at RIC. is it gonna be really packed? Because I heard it was way better than 8 rinks. I don't have any protective gear as of now beside gloves and a helmet with a full face visor (it appearly goes below my chin). Will I stand out as the only guy without the full hockey gear at stick and puck?


I just tried on my skates again because I'm trying to break into them now. I got blade guards so I can walk around the house with them. It's been about an hour now and my right foot feels like it's low on blood circulation or something. My left foot is still perfectly fine. So is this normal ?? Nothing is pinching or hurting or anything. Just my right foot starting to feel a bit numb on the sides as if I'm not getting enough blood flow... When I stand up though, it feels slightly better.

Oh and now as for brands. how is the brand rbk compared to vaughn?

If your foot feels numb, then that is probably lack of blood flow.
It could be one of many reasons. Laces are too tight, poor fitting boot, skate just needs to be broken in.

Just loosen the skates and re-tighten then after your foot is no longer numb. Sometimes when I play, I have the same thing but after a few minutes of play. But I play it out and usually the boot loosens up a bit and it goes away.

imho I believe that MORE protection is needed at a beginner level, especially if you are learning with beginners. Being with beginners the probability of getting hurt (inadvertently mostly) is higher because they cannot control what they are doing. So to answer your question, yes I believe it is necessary at your level :thumbsup:


As for RBK vs Vaughn, they are both top notch equipment makers. Find the pads that fit your needs (and actually fit your legs and stopping style) and judge from there. It's like asking about Honda vs Toyota in the economy car market - both are excellent companies, both have their pros and cons depending on what you need your car to do.

Az, how did stick and puck go? How did you feel out there?

It was great. I had a lot of fun. I stayed for about two hours. At first I just skated around to test out my new skates. Then I started playing around with the puck and just circling along the boards and then started taking some wrist shots at the boards in the side. Most of them just stayed on the ice and they were rather weak. I got a few of them up high in the mid area of the boards. I'm acutally not even sure if I'm applying the correct technique. I practiced a few snap shots but didn't bother with any slapshots. I didn't shoot at the net just because my shots are probably too weak currently, and I needed a board for the puck to bounce back so I don't have to fetch it out of a net all the time. It was good though. A lot of times I lost control of the puck when I was just trying to play around with it. I felt like my stick was too short. But most likely my stickhandling just sucks. I'm using the Nike Bauer Supreme One55 wooden stick.