We frequently tweet hockey lingo that we fond on various sources online, so we can share this language with you all.  As the collection grows, we figure it would be great to put up a master list of everything in one spot.  We’ll keep adding to this post, so bookmark this and check back every once in a while.  You can also follow us on twitter to get the latest slang that we come across.  https://twitter.com/#!/HotShotsHockey

Hero – Selfish player. Tries to do everything by them self, and usually messes it up. Usually not well liked by teammates

Sieve – The type of goalie you always want to face. Has a lot of holes and lets pretty much anything pass through.

Shinny – A pick-up hockey game, typically played on a frozen pond.

Gino – A goal

Apple – An assist

Sin Bin – The penalty box. Aka: The Box

Flow – Hair that sticks out of a hockey helmet, and ‘flows’ as the player skates. Hockey hair.

Sniper – Someone who shoots the puck with amazing precision, from any distance

Grocery Stick – Player who sits for most of the game, dividing the forwards and defencemen on the bench. eg: @BizNasty2point0

Enforcer – A player whose role is essentially to protect his teammates, by offering physical harm to opposing players that cross the line

Beauty – A player who is well liked by his teammates. Sometimes also used to describe a great hockey play

Puck Bunny – A woman who is more interested in hockey players, than the game itself

Celly – The act of celebrating a goal http://youtu.be/gUyPlvJ-d5M

Plug – hockey player who isn’t very good, gets pushed around and plugs up the ice

Ringer – illicit practice of using a clearly superior competitor in order to gain an unfair advantage

Chopping Wood – When a player with lesser skill than his peers is trying to dangle, it usually sounds like he is chopping wood

Five hole – Goalies have 5 ‘holes’ to cover. Stick side high & low, glove side high & low. Between the legs is # 5

Wheelhouse – The perfect spot to send a pass, for a player to take their best possible shot. The shooters sweet spot

Lit up – A goalie is ‘lit up’ from the goal light behind him/her, when a large number of goals are scored on them

Dangle – same thing as a deke, but on a higher level of skill and showmanship

Bucket – slang term for a hockey players helmet

Gordie Howe Hat Trick – When a player gets a goal, assist & a fight, all in one game

Yardsale – When someone gets dummied so hard, that all their gear is scattered on the ice. Also seen in bench-brawls & championship wins

Twig – Slang term referring to a hockey stick

Chirp – to trash talk on the ice, with the intention of getting under the skin on your opponent to throw off their game

Wheelhouse – The area around you that is your sweetspot for taking a shot. A perfect pass is one that goes to the receivers wheelhouse

Have something to add to the list?  Got a favorite?  Drop a comment, and we’ll be sure to include it in our list!

Bauer came out with the new Vapor line this October.  Previously the Vapor sticks started at the X:15, and went up to the X:60.  The new ones are numbered as such: X2.0, X3.0……….X7.0 and the APX being at the top.  Having used both the APX and TotalOne, I’d say the APX feels lighter.  This of course is the stick that Ovechkin was promoting when he joined the Bauer team.  I guess it’s not saying much, given the type of season he is having so far, but it’s a really nice stick.

Easton has a new stick called the RS.  They have boasted that 23% of NHL players are using this one.  I think that might be true, because I’m sure you’ve all seen it on TV.  It’s the matte black stick, with yellow highlights.  Sticks just keep getting lighter and lighter, and the RS is no exception.  Probably the nicest looking stick added to the roster this season.

Reebok came out with the A.i.  line.  This has four levels: 3, 5, 7 and 9.  Definitely looks like they put some thought into the technology here.  “Advanced innovation” is right.  Haven’t had a chance to try this guy out yet, but something at the top of my list.

These fine sticks can of course be bought at www.HotShotsHockey.ca, for real low prices

A little over a week ago, I went to check out The Bauer Experience with a few friends.  They had some elite level equipment to try out on the ice.  There was helmets and gloves (X:60 and TotalOne) to try out.  I picked the TotalOne gloves, the helmet w/o a cage t try.  But the headliners of this were the APX skates and sticks.

As anyone knows, skates don’t just fit when you put them on fir the first time.  They need to be heat molded and worn for a few ice times to become broken in.  Having said that, it obviously wasn’t as comfortable as it could be.  With that aside, the APX skates were unbelievable!  I didn’t find myself needing to adjust to them.  Skating just felt very natural.  The weight was not like anything I’ve tried before.  It was like wearing running shoes.  Even our hard-to-impress “tier 1″ buddy fell in love with these skates.  Said it only took him two minutes to get used to them.  Nice skates.  You really get what you pay for in them.  The thing is, not a lot of people can afford to spend that much on skates.  Most guys I know spent less on their entire set of gear (including skates), than the APX skates alone.  Retail for these skates + taxes is almost a thousand dollar bill!

Don’t want to take out a small bank loan for skates?  Mid-range models certainly aren’t a bad alternative.  I recently got myself a pair of the new Bauer X5.0 skates.  They are part of the same line as the APX, just not as fancy (or expensive).  Great skates, and a nice upgrade from my old Bauer Vapor XVI skates.  They are still very light, and quite sturdy.  Blocked a few shots off the side of the skate, and did not feel it as much as I should have.  Even after trying out the best skates Bauer has to offer, I still like my mid-level skates just as much as before.  Elite level skates really are the “creme de la creme” or however that saying goes, but going for something a little lower on line is not a bad way to go.  It’s a heck of a lot cheaper too.

Once we got on all the gear, we headed out to the rink.  They had around 100 sticks lined up against the glass, and they were all APX, with the odd TotalOne in there.  Every blade pattern, flex, and length was there to try.  I tried out the grip, and non-grip version of the APX.  Now, this stick is a beast!  Super light, nice flex and well balanced.  Felt good control when taking shots, and even clocked a 78pmh slapper.  Yeah, not that impressive, but last time I had a radar on my shot, I got 50.  They had someone there run us through some quick drills, to get a feel for the skates and stick.  After that, they had two shooting lanes setup.  One with the radar, one for accuracy shooting.  Nice way to test out the sticks.  I’m probably going to buy one of these bad boys.  Dare I say, I might even like it more than my TotalOne, which I thought was the best stick out there.

There were a few nice bonus’ to this event.  When we got there, they gave us a Bauer lanyard.  Trying out the APX equipment on ice for free was pretty awesome.  After we finished, they gave us a Bauer Vapor fitted hat and a puck with tape on it.  I assume they want to give the impression that APX will make you perform to a new level, and get some other pucks with tape on it (first goal, hat trick, etc).  Last, but definitely not least, they had Cody Hodgson of the Vancouver Canucks show up to skate around.  When we got there, he was already on the ice and passing the puck around with a little 6 year old.  He also played keep away with what seemed like a whole team of kids:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150407805170480

This tour is almost done, but if your city is on the list of upcoming events, it’s worth checking out.  Looks like Toronto, Calgary and Texas are up next.

This might be an obvious statement, but most people want to spend as little money as possible when buying anything.  As with most other retail items, hockey equipment comes in several different grades.  We’ll talk about other pieces of equipment in another blog, but today is going to be all about the sticks.  Might as well, since the last two blog entries were about hockey sticks as too. Let me share my own personal experience on this matter

Are expensive sticks worth the money?

When I first started playing hockey, I just bought the cheapest composite stick I could find.  At the time I didn’t know how much I would be using it, so no point to spend the extra money.  From that point forward, most of the sticks I bought were about $60-$70 each in the discount bin.  This is what I used from day one, so it was good enough for me.  I was so adamant that the low-end cheapies were all you needed, and used nothing but those for years.  Can the extra dollars really be that worth it.  I mean, I know that are a bit lighter, but that’s about it right?  I was the cheap-stick king!

One day, I was given a Bauer Supreme TotalOne as a gift.  If you didn’t know, this is the top of the line Bauer Supreme stick.  A large number of NHL’ers use this, and it is the best selling stick.  First thought: “Wow, thanks!  But what a waste of money.”  Now I usually score one goal per season, and in pick-up games I would very seldom score.  Not for lack of trying, but the puck just never found the back of the net for me.  First game I bust out the TotalOne happened to be in the playoffs.  Did it feel different?  Absolutely.  Didn’t have to focus so much on stick-handling, and had so much more control out on the ice.  Felt a lot more natural moving around with the puck, and pulled off a few dangles that I haven’t been able to do before.  Not just the weight of the stick was different, but the balance of it, the way it flexed when I took a shot and the way I felt the puck on my blade.  My slapshots seemed to have a little more mustard behind them, and they were mostly hitting the net.  Even with all those differences, the biggest indication that this stick is worth the investment was the hat-trick I scored.  Yes, first ever hat-trick, and it was in a playoff game.  Added as assist that night too.

Yeah, it could have been just a really good/lucky night, and that reality was not lost in all the excitement.  But it’s been a few months now, and the goals keep coming.  Still being a skeptic though, I switched back to my low-end stick for a few games.  Man, did it ever feel sluggish.  Once again, I was paying more attention to my stick handling and felt like that one-goal-per-season guy.  Some of the things I was doing with the TotalOne were far more difficult with the cheap stick.   Now I’m not saying that getting an expensive stick is going to make you a superstar.  You obviously need to have some skills to make things happen out there, but it definitely makes playing a heck of a lot easier.  Some sticks can cost you close to $300 each, but I no longer believe that this is a waste of money.  Other than skates, mid-range equipment is can be just as good as the pro level stuff.  Stick however, you certainly get what you pay for. This brings us back to the main question:

Are expensive sticks worth the money?

The answer: Yes!

Click here to check out the sticks available at www.HotShotsHockey.ca

Construction

There are pretty much two choices here: The one-piece, or two piece.  The names speak for themselves.  Good thing about a two-piece, is that if one of the pieces break, you can replace it.  If you took a massive shot and your blade snaps off, you can go out and buy a new one.  This also gives you freedom to try various shaft/blade combos, giving you more customization on your stick.  On the downside, the two-piece is going to be a little heavier and less balanced than a one-piece.

With a one piece, it’s done once you break it.  Some hockey shops out there offer services where they can fix the shaft.  Haven’t tried this myself, but I’m sure it doesn’t feel the same after going through this process.  Another thing some guys do is cut off the blade, thus transforming the stick into a shaft for a two-piece.  This can work, but it gets tricky with all the different tapered shafts.  The open end of the stick needs to match up almost perfectly to the blade, otherwise you will have a loose blade.  Good thing about these sticks is that they work to the best of their intended ability.  The shaft and blade function as one, as opposed to two separate components.

Wood used to be another thing to consider in this category, but the last NHL’er I know of that used wood was Markus Naslund, who is now retired.  Now, pretty much every stick out there is composite.  There are some “old time hockey” guys that still use wood, but it’s getting harder and harder to find them.  They are super durable, but much heavier then any composite stick.

Curve

This part is a pretty big deal.  It is the shape of the blade and dictates how the puck sticks to, and leaves the blade.  A bigger curve will cradle the puck and give you great control for sharp turns and a little added “dangle” power.  A blade that is more flat gives you more consistency with control, weather it’s on the forehand or backhand.  Curves also have variations on the angle of face on the blade.  You can see this when you look down at the blade from directly above it.  You can get one that is totally perpendicular to the ice all the way down, while some are twisted upwards towards the toe.  This is great for guys like me that have a hard time getting my shots off the ice.  That extra angle really helps lift the puck, so I can try to send it where momma keeps the peanut butter.

Keep in mind that all manufacturers have a code and/or player name to identify their curve patterns.  This info is usually printed at the top of the stick, along with the other specs.  If available, remember the code for the curve you like, rather than the player name.  Trust me on this one, it will save you a ton of time in the future.  I used the Bauer “Naslund” curve when I first started out.  As most players do, I cut the stick and taped up a handle (covering the info) on the end of it.  Took a while, but eventually the blade snapped off and it was time for a new stick.  Went to the store and couldn’t find any “Naslund” sticks.  Oh yeah!  He’s retired now isn’t he?  So now who is the stick named after?  Took a little while to research, but thanks to my smart phone I found out that it’s now called the “Backstrom”.  If I had known better before, I could have saved a lot of time looking for a “P92″ curve.  Aside from players retiring, sometimes they change what company gets to use their name.  Ovechkin was the poster boy for CCM, up until this fall.  Now he’s signed a deal with Bauer and rocks their gear.  So what is CCM going to call their “Ovechkin” curve now?

Flex

This one is pretty simple.  How stiff do you want the stick to be?  It’s hard to catch it with the bare eye, but your stick bends when you take a shot.  You may not feel or see it, but trust me, it’s happening.    Higher the flex number, the stiffer (less bend) the stick.  Main thing to consider when making this choice is how hard is your shot.  For a guy like Zedeno Chara who is abnormally tall and has a rocket of a shot, a higher flex number is ideal.  In fact, he uses a custom stick with 120 flex and is longer than regulation size.  Some smaller guys who aren’t as strong will use a lower flex.  I’ve seen some small guys in beer league use intermediate sticks, because they have a lower flex than seniors.  Low flex is great for wrist shots.  You don’t need to shoot very hard, and you can feel the ‘whip’ of the stick at it releases the puck.  This gives it that extra kick.  All depends on your style of play.  If you like to take slap shots, go with a higher flex.  If you like to take quick wrist shots, lower flex. Also keep in mind that when you cut your stick to make it shorter, the flex number goes up.  A lot of sticks have lines at the top to indicate what flex it would become if you cut at that point.

Most new players don’t need a stiff stick.  As we’ve all seen on TV, NHL’ers sometimes snap their stick when they take slapshots.  These guys are pros, and make millions of dollars for their ability to crank a puck at 100+ mph.  Not to say that beer leaguers can’t do this too, but it’s not often that it happens.  At least in the leagues that I’ve played in.  Chances are, as a recreational player, you will not need a Chara 120 flex stick.  However, if you do find that you are breaking shafts often when you shoot, congratulations!  You’ve mastered the art of the slapshot.  Time to get a stiffer stick.

Lie

The lie is the angle at the heel of the stick, where the shaft meets the blade.  A higher lie usually gives the stick a more upright angle to the ice, while a low lie brings the shaft a bit closer to the ice.  A players height plays a big part in matching up the right lie, but your hockey stance if a factor too.  If you are a smaller player and have a really low stance, then a low lie is better for you.  Since they range from 4 to 7, this type of player would be good with a 4. The length of your stick will also affect what lie you should use.

If you look at the bottom of your stick and see that it is wearing down evenly across the bottom, you’ve got the right lie.  If the heel is the only spot showing wear, your lie is too high.  The opposite applies if only the toe is wearing down.  The most common stick lie is 5 or 6.  Sometimes 5.5.  When you want to go to a 4 or 7, its hard to find.

Grip

Most high tier sticks these days come in two flavors: Grip or non-grip.  It’s usually a rubber-like coating on the shaft, to make it stickier.  Helps you get a good grip on the stick, without having to squeeze as hard.  Some sticks have a textured finish to give you a better grip.  Reebok has a “snake grip” that is basically a ribbed shaft.  Bauer has Griptac, which is textured edges down the shaft.  Not usually a game changer, it’s but another option to look for.  Here is a graphic for the Bauer Tac-Spiral technology:

Toe

Not much to say here.  There are rounded toes which are most common, and squared ones.  The square ones are great for doing toe-drags.  Gives you more surface contact on the ice so you’re less likely to lose the puck.  If you don’t know what a toe-drag is, you probably don’t need to worry about this stick feature yet.  Here is Martin St. Louis showing us how it’s done (sorry Luongo).

We have a massive selection of sticks in our webstore.  You prefer to use a one-piece?  We carry Bauer, Reebok, CCM, Easton, Sher-Wood and Combat.  If you like using a two-piece stick, we have replacement blades as well as shafts.  Shipping cost for one stick, is about the same as 10 of them.  Want to to save a few bucks on shipping?  Order a few sticks at once with some friends.  Let us know and we’ll gladly put together a custom package for your order.  We also offer free shipping on most of our high-end sticks.

If you have any questions about sticks that aren’t covered in this article, we’d be glad to help you out!  Just post a comment below and we’ll try to give you an answer.

If you’re ready to shop for a stick, come check us out!  http://hotshotshockey.ca

All brands have their own copyrighted technology put into the sticks, and usually have at least two lines offering different benefits.  I’ve used a few different brands of sticks, and they all felt different on the ice.   This is due to so many factors such as: where the stick is designed to “kick”, weight, core and material of the stick (to name a few).  I’ve grown accustomed to the way Bauer sticks work, and was getting a pretty decent slapshot from them.  When I tried to switch it up with Reebok, the puck never hit the net from slappers, but my wristers were fairly accurate.  Some of my teammates only like Easton sticks, and can’t use other brands.  Not saying one is better than the other, but you can really feel the difference when you get used to the way one brand works over another.

Bauer has two lines: Vapor and Supreme.  Vapor is designed towards puck handling, control and accuracy, while the Supreme is for powerful shots.  Best way to think of it is that Bauer makes the Vapor products for forwards (agility, speed & precision).  The Supreme line is more for defencemen (power & stability).

Reebok has the “K” series (ie. 11K), and the O-Tech sticks.  The “O-Tech” is a unique technology where there are actual holes in the lower shaft of the stick.  This is to allow airflow and reduce drag by 31%, giving faster stick movement.  It definitely looks pretty cool.

Easton has a bigger pool to choose from.  The Stealth sticks have the “S” series (ie. S19) and recently released the “RS”.  Synergy has the SE which is being replaced by EQ models, and the ST.  They seem to offer the most variety of options and technologies.  One of the more noticeable is the TORX technology, where the lower end of the shaft towards the blade is rounded.  It’s purpose is “to help transfer torque from your hands to the blade for unsurpassed velocity.”

CCM is more straight forward.  Their main line of sticks are the “U+”.  The top end sticks they offer are the “Crazy Light” and “Crazy Strong”.  I think the names speak for themselves.  They seem to put a lot of focus into the durability of their blades.

Other big brands are Combat, Sher-Wood, TPS & Warrior.

As you can see, there are a lot of different things to consider when choosing your weapon.  What technology works the best for you, and which ones are all hype.  We haven’t even touched on the specs yet either.  You may have to go through a few before you find the right one.  Because of the abuse we put them through, sticks break quite often, but it’s a blessing in disguise.  Sucks that you have to shell out some more money on a replacement, but it’s exciting because you get a chance switch it up and try something new.  When I break a stick, it’s usually “awww sh*t!”, immediately followed by “sweet, now I can try that new Easton RS”.  A good idea is to do is check out the product websites and read up on their technology. There are new sticks that come out every year, so that one you just broke may no longer be available.

Other players can be a huge resource to point you in the right direction too.  For example, if you watch an NHL game and notice that half the guys on the ice are using Bauer, it’s probably a good brand.  Also have a look to see what your team mates are using.  Ask them how they like it  If you’re nice, they might even let you try it out for a few shifts.

You can see our entire selection of sticks by clicking here.

Next week, I’ll touch on different specs to consider.  In the end, you decide what stick to get, but making an educated decision will bring you the best results, and hopefully the most points!

Skates should be about 2 sizes smaller than your shoe size.

I don’t know if it’s a male ego thing or what (we’ve all heard the ‘small feet’ metaphor), but that first pair of skates for guys always tends to be too big, no matter how many times they are advised to go smaller.  I see so many guys that refuse to accept they are a size 7, so they buy the skates in size 9 because it’s the same as their shoes.  A few months later they realize it’s too big and go buy the correct size.  It’s an expensive lesson to learn.  Here is a guide for helping you choose the ideal fit when buying skates, so you get it right the first time.  Everyone has their own preference on how they like skates to fit, so this is not an exact science, but most experienced players will tell you the same things.

1. When you first put the skate on, your toes should be touching the end of the boot.  Don’t worry too much about comfort at this point.  Ideally, your toes should feel slightly cramped when you first put your foot into the boot.
2. Before tying them up, you need to make sure your heel is all the way in the back of the boot.  Most guys do this by kicking their heel into the floor a couple times.  Now you’re ready to tighten those laces.
3. Some players have the laces tight all the way, from top to bottom.  Others keep it tight across the foot, while loose on the ankle.  Personally, I prefer it looser across the foot, and tight from the ankle up.  You may have to play around with different combinations to figure out what works best for you.  Try one of the above variations for a couple ice times.  If you don’t like it, try a different one.  There is no “correct” way to lace up.  It should be what ever is most comfortable for you, and offers sufficient ankle support.  They will become tighter when you stand up and put your full body weight on your feet, as oppsoed to the sitting position when you were putting them on.
4. Once you have the skate on and fully laced up, your toes should just barely graze the end of the boot.  Keep in mind that it will touch more when you are standing straight up.  When you are in the proper hockey stance and bending your knees, it will pull your toes slightly away from the end of your boot.

When buying skates from us online (HotShotsHockey.ca), you will save bundles of money.  Before you order however, you need to make sure you buy the right size.  Skates come in all sizes & half sizes, and they have different widths as well.  We always advise customers that don’t know their size, to try on the skates before ordering.  Most retail stores have staff that can measure your feet, and advise you what size to get.

I hope this has been helpful for anyone looking to buy some new skates.  As I mentioned before, it’s not an exact science, but this should give you some ideas of things to look for.  For me personally, it took 3 years to figure out what skates were the right fit.  It might sound like a lot of research is needed, as well as trying on several skates, but when you find the right ones, it is worth it! A good fitting pair should last you for years.

As HotShotsHockey grows, so will this blog.  I will be writing about pretty much anything that’s hockey related:

• Hockey equipment guides, reviews and recommendations
• Personal experiences as a hockey player & fan of the game
• Advice for new players
• Big stories in the NHL or other professional hockey leagues

I’m sure other topics will come up in the future, but those are the big ones that come to mind.

Who’s excited for puck to drop in the NHL!?

It sounds so simple, but it’s absolutely critical. If you can’t skate, you can’t play the game. So much of hockey is quick stops and sharp turns, and that’s why working on using the outside and inside edges of skates is so important. For a little extra burst of acceleration, pushing off from a 45° side ankle bend is a helpful idea. Don’t be afraid to use those ankles. Tie the skate a little looser at the top and tighter in the middle. You’re going to want the top of it to be supporting, but not restricting.”
You know the cliché, “Practice makes perfect?” Well, nothing could be more true when doing edgework. Players should set up a cone course and work on both the right and left edges so they can get used to balancing themselves. After balance is achieved, speed can be the next step.

Another good drill is to hop sideways, stepping over your left skate with your right and then pulling your left skate behind and repeating. This practices your edge balance and strengthens up your ankles. Using your edges is crucial in crossovers, which is vital for lateral movement. It doesnt matter how fast you can skate straight if you don’t have side to side movement!

www.hotshotshockey.ca

No slouchers allowed. Skaters need to set their body in a good athletic foundation before developing too many more skills. That means the back should be straight and the head should be still. You should have a slight forward lean while keeping your chest slightly out. No matter what you do from that point, you have to keep that athletic foundation. A person’s inner balance is in the head. In other words, if players are bouncing their head around, they’re not gaining momentum, they’re throwing off their balance.

The same thing can be said for the back. Players who hunch over their skates have a higher chance of falling forward. They also tend to flip backward from trying to overcompensate for their awkward lean.