Guy Incognito

today I got a new shaft in the mail, one I got off ebay a few weeks back. It's unique because it is decieving. It is a t-flex aluminum shaft, just like today's Synthesis shaft, made for Jeremy Roenick of the Philadelphia Flyers. The cool part is that it is painted to look like a Z-bubble shaft, much nicer looking and more common in the NHL. The old aluminum t-flex shafts were quite nasty to look at, so no wonder he requested a different look. Anyways, I've got it now, and I'm running out of room on the stick rack. Time to rethink my racking methods.

The New Synergy ST

Here's some new pictures of the new Easton Synergy ST grip, (ST = Super Tough). This is a 2005 model that is not released to the public yet, but is being used by pro's for testing. Judging by the number of sticks I saw break at an OHL game friday, it's about time that someone made a more durable performance stick.

Many companies claim to have more durable sticks with the 1-piece technology, however, none of those sticks can match the performance and light weight of the Synergy. This stick weighs in at 450 grams which is the same weight as the original Synergy, and still a standard to match for light sticks. Other sticks that claim to be the most durable come with extra weight, usually well over 500grams in weight, which is a significant difference in feel. The ST boasts new triple I beam construction in the blade, apparently making it stronger. I would imagine that this would probably cost somewhere around $249-$299cdn.

I'm not too keen on the goober green colour, but would not complain if I was given one of these. It all sounds good to me, and I would expect that when these are on the market, we'll see less crying teenagers due to less breaking sticks.

Broken Hearts Club

I went to the Sarnia Sting vs Kitchener Rangers OHL game last night at the Aud... I, of course, was cheering loudly for Sarnia, because I grew up there, but, more importantly, they weren't the Rangers and it's oh, so fun to cheer against the home crowd...

Sarnia looked good, controlling the first 2 periods of play, but a few penalties killed them in the third. The eventually tied it up, but lost in OT. I took my mockery like a man, and went out for slurpees with Matt. I had noticed that #7 on the Sting was skating like me all night(which is not a complement) and on the play that ended the game, it was he, #7, who could not catch up with his man to stop the 2 on 1. What a chump.

All in all, it was a good game, much more entertaining that last weeks Brampton game. The Sting were almost all using Easton Synergy Grip sticks, bright yellow to match their jerseys. One guy used a stick that appeared to be one of the new Synergy SL or ST's that are still in their product testing phase (Danny Syvret used one at WJHC), but as the game wore on, I think he just spraypainted the bottom part of his synergy black...

On the night, I believe the broken stick count was 7 in total... So, if those sticks were bought for retail price, it would have cost the teams about $1750... Luckilly, they get pro stock sticks (probably made lighter/making them less durable) which come quite cheap to them.

On another note, there were 3 occasions where someone lost his mouthguard on the ice. The ref didn't want to pick it up, so he just kicked it into the net. The goalie appeared to be anal about having anything in his net, so the next whistle, he made the ref get it off the ice.

All in all, it was a good time, and a nice distraction during the NHL lockout. OHL hockey aint that bad.

Pappa's Got a Brand New Bag!

Well, I got a new stick in the mail today... It's an Easton Synergy shaft with a Sherwood Crosby pattern blade. The shaft was a pro stock 1-piece stick from Adam Deadmarsh, and the blade broke, so this guy put in a new one. I got it on ebay for $30us plus shipping/duty. I think I may sell the shaft on ebay, but who knows, it's the first silver synergy in my collection, so I may keep it.

Last year I used a Sydney Crosby Blade for a good chunk of the ball hockey season, and got to quite enjoy it, so I figure it should work out this season, which looks to be starting out in March. I played Defence all last season, and got to be quite good, although the goal column on my stat sheet was a little dim. I think I ended up with 10 assists over the season. I'm looking forward to this season because we're joining a new team, and I learned how to put some real "mustard" on my slapshot. Our team last year was good, however we rarely had enough guys to compete due to all the running and being too exhausted. Ah well. I think my stick count is up to 15... I'll have to double check.

Sponsorship Scandal

Hey, I was at a Kitchener Rangers Jr A game the other day, and realized that most of the players from each particular team were using the same stick brands. Kitchener used almost entirely Easton Synergy's with the exception of Michael Richards who uses a Bauer Vapor XX. On the other side, Brampton used almost all CCM Vectors, with the exception of a few Koho shaft/blade combos and One guy, #9 SNOW, who used the new Easton Stealth.

Easton's Stealth is the lightest stick on the market today and costs a pretty penny, even with pro team suppliers, so I figured this guy must be good, or else the team would have told him to use the relatively inexpensive vector like everyone else... well, he never saw a second of PP or PK time, and I think I only saw him on the ice once in the whole third period... Theory exposed... If I ran that team, I'd tell him to take his medicine like a good boy and use the cheaper stick, but then again, i'd probably order the Stealth for myself... just thought you'd like to know.

Where it Began....

Well, I guess I'll start off with my favorite stick, the one I use for Church League hockey. It's my Easton Synergy Grip stick. I bought this in December 2003 on sale at $110 off the reg price. This is a "one piece" composite stick, weighing in at a whopping 450 grams. It has a hydrophobic grip coating on it to make it nice and sticky even when wet. Some players you may have seen using this stick would be Matt Stajan of the Leafs, and Dion Phaneuf of the Canadian World Junior Team. Many people copy Easton's design, but not many can match the feel of the synergy.