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Pro Stock Hockey Blog
Skate Guards or Skate Soakers?
Not everyone uses hockey skate guards. Not everyone uses skate soakers. Yet when it comes to skate blade covers (and yes, as far as we’re concerned, guards and soakers are two different items under the umbrella term, “skate covers”), hockey players should probably use both. Quality versions of either can be had for less than $20. In the end, [...]
Can Ovechkin Break Gretzky’s NHL Goals Record?
The NHL goal record shouldn’t be in anyone’s reach. Wayne Gretzky set the mark of 894 in a goals-happy era, 93 goals past the previous leader. In subsequent, decidedly less offensive times, no player has mounted a realistic run at the Great One’s career total. Yet, heading into the 2019-20 season, here sits 33-year-old Alex Ovechkin, 13th among players with the [...]
Ranking NHL Mascots
Hate Gritty, the newest and most inexplicable NHL mascot. It only makes him stronger. Introduced in September to howls (and at least one description as “toxic masculinity incarnate”), the Philadelphia Flyers’ byproduct of Oscar the Grouch’s electric Kool-Aid acid trip to Grimace’s McDonaldland boudoir has rapidly been embraced by Philadelphia and the mascot-loving world at large. In an age where a five-figure [...]
Which NHL Player Has The Craziest Curve?
Ever since — and probably before — Stan Mikita first broke a blade in the boards at a Blackhawks practice and he and Bobby Hull started strafing the top shelf, crazy hockey curves have been a part of the NHL. Some NHL player curves are outrageous, dancing along and at times skipping blithely over the league rule that says, “the distance [...]
NHL Goalie Equipment Changes
The grumbling was immediate. The latest volley in a storied battle between goalies in search of any competitive edge and a league mindful of the fan-appeal of scoring came prior to the 2018-19 season, when the NHL moved to restrict the size of chest, shoulder and arm protection in goalie gear. Goalies feared more than bruised feelings. “You get stingers and bruises and [...]
Worst NHL Tape Jobs
Hockey stick tape jobs are, for many NHL players, a sacred ritual. It must be done precisely, even obsessively, so that the results produce a comfort with their consistency. Sidney Crosby, for one, is so notably particular (read: “superstitious”) about his tape jobs that no one is allowed to handle a stick he has finished taping, lest the Pittsburgh superstar be forced [...]
Stick Insight: Ryan Dzingel
Ryan Dzingel has always been good with the stick. Of course, growing up outside Chicago, the stick was frequently a baseball bat. And Dzingel, the son of a father who played collegiately at Louisiana Tech, was an all-state shortstop for Wheaton Academy. But then, Dzingel had also been playing hockey since he was 5 years old, and nobody was certain [...]
Hockey Stick Handedness
While World Is Right, Hockey Leans Left Ninety percent of the world is right-handed. Yet, in the NHL, more than 60 percent of the players have a left-handed shot — i.e., with their right hand on the top of the stick’s grip and the toe of the blade curving to the right as you look down on it. Manufacturers generally sell [...]
Remain Flexible When Considering Hockey Stick Flex
The moment anyone starts talking about hockey stick flex, Zdeno Chara’s name comes up. The 6-foot-9 Boston Bruins defenseman is known for having the stiffest stick in the NHL, typically playing with a 150 or 155-flex stick in a league where anything in three digits is considered stiff. But there may be an evolution underway for Zdeno Chara, a 250-pound behemoth who in [...]
Best Goalie Masks For Current NHL Season
Major League Baseball endured a months-long controversy during the 2018 season, springing from the Cubs’ Ben Zobrist deciding to wear black spikes in violation of the league’s uniform policy.In the NFL, players are routinely fined for such violations, as when the 49ers’ Frank Gore took a $10,500 hit for wearing low socks in the 2012 NFC Championship game.Thankfully, the NHL encourages [...]
