Back in November 2011, Easton made a huge stride in game-changing engineering for their skate department with the purchase of MLX Skate Technology. The MLX skates have been around for a while now, and we’ve seen many pro’s use their innovative design that targets the optimum skating stride. MLX founder Dave Cruikshank with his 16 years of speed-skating experience and research was brought on board with Easton as the Chief of Speed in the newly created Easton Speed Institute. The Speed Institute was designed to develop a new approach on making skates that optimize speed and to create the ideal “skater’s skate” like never before.  In 2013, we’ll be seeing the first-born baby of the Easton Speed Institute, it’s name, the Easton Mako skate. It’s purpose, to provide a player with the optimal skating stride utilizing strategies seen in speed-skating for over two decades.

The Easton Mako skate employs a radical approach that they call the “Art of Speed” to make a player faster and more efficient.  The general idea of this skate is to veer away from the traditional stiff boot that limits movement by providing a new sense of freedom achieving an optimized natural stride. If you look into the running shoe industry we are currently seeing a similar transformation. Nike is headlining this push with their FreeRun shoe that provides support in only the necessary areas so that the uninhibited natural stride may be achieved.

The most noticeable MLX-related mechanic that has been incorporated into the Mako skate is the Extendon™ guard. At the peak in the stride where a player’s leg is fully extended, a traditionally stiff tendon guard will prevent completion of a full stride by inhibiting the toe snap extension.  The pivoting Extendon™ tendon guard was created to be completely unrestrictive during the toe snap process as well as aiding in a speedy recovery to the original position, promoting improved stride frequency.

The next aggressive strategy towards the perfect stride in the Mako skate will be the Asymmetrical boot. The outer parts of each quarter package are elevated higher on the ankle area than the inner parts of the quarter package.  The raised portions of the quarter packages on the outsides of the boots provide extra support when cutting or cornering, while the lower portions on the inside of the boots allow for full rotation and extension in the toe snap process. This asymmetrical pattern of the boot was designed to allow speed and power to be generated through cornering in any direction.

The boot is a hybrid construction with a thermoformable tongue that eliminates any negative space within the boot. The materials Easton used throughout the boot and tongue turn to “mush” after 16 minutes of baking, providing for the ultimate personal fit even though they come quite comfortable out of the box. Another example of how they eliminated negative space is the continuing of the tongue all the way into the toe cap. This provides a great snug fit and decreases negative space as well as lost energy.  Besides the toe, the mid-foot and heel area have a snug comfortable fit that is not the least bit overwhelming. The upper ankle area is not nearly as stiff like the other high-end skates. Easton did this due to the feedback of professional players that claim they either have their skates made without the top two eyelets or they simply refrain from lacing up that high in order to achieve a loose upper fit that allows for a full stride. With that being said, Easton designed the Mako skate to operate freely in the upper-ankle area by using a deep v-cut in front of the tendon guard and by not extending the eyelets too high in that area.

The front portion of the outsole is engineered differently from what is seen in other high-end skates.  Unlike every other skate that has some degree of concavity where the balls of the feet and toes rest on, the Easton Mako will feature a completely flat platform.  This even surface allows you to exert the maximum energy transfer possible through every stride as well as an improved feel of the ice. The brand new CXN holder’s position has an aggressive blade pitch that capitalizes on the newfound range of motion to enable the player to really get over the front of the skate producing a powerful thrust time and time again.

Look for the Easton Mako skate to have a limited release in early 2013 at Ice Warehouse.

Alkali plans to start October off strong with the launch of the RPD line early in the month. We were able to take a close look at the new gear as well as play with some of it, so here’s the inside scoop on the RPD stick and skates in the lineup.

Let’s start with the skates this year: the top of the line CA9 RPD. While it shares similar features to the 2011 CA9 skate, Alkali made some impressive technological improvements. The main focus of the improvement are the carbon fiber fully reinforced heel & tendon pieces.

The reinforced tendon piece allows for better energy transfer and a stronger build with better control and feel.  The boot’s EPP foam and surlyn construction creates a very lightweight design that is heat moldable. Since the trend with roller players recently is to wear stiff, ice hockey-like boot, Alkali responded with the RPD. As a result of the tendon piece and a redesigned structure of the boot, the RPD is significantly stiffer than the previous models. Another feature Alkali added is new and improved internals designed for comfort and better fit. For all you floppers out there, the RPD features an extended tongue length for premier flop.

The RPD rolls on 4 x 80mm Labeda Addiction wheels which will provide incredible grip and durability. Though this setup leaves the skater noticeably higher off the ground, it’s a design to which one can adjust.

Next let’s take a look at the CA9 RPD stick. In previous years, Alkali sticks failed to impress me but the RPD really stepped it up. Alkali designed this stick specifically for roller hockey players (surface & pucks).

The stick has a matte finish with small Alkali logos providing textured grip and an overall soft feel. After shooting with the stick, we found that the blade didn’t need tape. The soft, chalk-like feel of the blade complements the plastic floor and puck to provide excellent feel without the added weight of tape. Overall, the CA9 RPD stick seems like an ideal choice for the roller hockey player looking for a high quality, roller specific stick, without the 200+ price tag.

These items will be available at Inline & Ice Warehouse in early October.

Here we go again with another sad day for hockey fans. The 2012 NHL lockout has sure been unfortunate for players and fans alike with limited information as to if or when the season will start.  It’s been 8 years since the last 2004-05 NHL lockouts that canceled all of the games for the season and forced the NHL All Star game to be played in non-Winter Olympic years. Other recent lockouts happened during the 1992 NHL strike postponing 30 games and the 1994-95 NHL lockout with canceled a lot of the games shortening the season to 48 games without inter-conference games.

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck

Why is this happening? Well, the short answer is of course money. With many of the teams in the NHL lacking in finances and many others just breaking even, a majority of the revenues comes from the top ten franchises. The collective bargaining of five items that need resolution before the season starts are: Player’s Share, Salary cap “Floor”, Guaranteed Contract, Escrow Payment, and Revenue Sharing.

During the 2005 NHL lockout negotiations a salary cap was established ensuring a salary cap floor. A percentage of the NHL revenues were agreed upon and the player’s share began at 54% in 2005. As leagues revenues increased over the years the percentage has now reached an all time high for the 2010-11 season at 57%. The NHL feels that player’s share is too high and compared to other professional sporting franchises the percentage is high.

Tom Hanson/AP file photo

The Salary Cap “Floor” is the minimum season payroll for any NHL team, $16 million below the salary cap. Teams that are not making a profit would like an option of lower payrolls so they don’t lose even more money. The league might lower the salary floor in relation to the cap or get rid of the floor.

The NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement established in 2005, a player is guaranteed every dollar of a signed contract unless his team buys him out. Buyouts can be pricey as a team is required to pay two-thirds of the remaining contract value and takes on a long-term salary cap hit. Player contracts can be as long as 15 years with huge price tags as well as salary cap issues. The league might push for non-guaranteed contracts or term limits of 10 years or less.

The Escrow payment ensures every team and player receives the correct amount at the end of the season. During the 2010-11 season the NHL withheld 12.5% of a player’s salary in an escrow account and was paid at the end of the season with the rest of the revenues earned throughout the season. The problem is that players are concerned that league operated teams such as the Phoenix Coyotes drags down the overall revenues leaving less escrow money. Players don’t like the idea of losing revenue to teams that can’t support themselves.

AP Photo/The News & Observer, Ethan Hyman

Revenue sharing in the NHL is designed to level out every team financially. Money earned by high revenue franchises is distributed to low revenue franchises ensuring an even financial playing field. The current system is not considered to be overly generous but the high revenue teams are reluctant to give away more money to the teams in need. Since NHL revenues have increased substantially does it make sense that wealthy franchises share with teams that are losing money during the season? Players will most likely suggest increased revenue sharing as a sound solution but we will have to wait and see.

Either way the owners and the players need to come to an agreement and stop this nonsense because we all suffer in the end.

Hey what’s up guys, this is your newest web editor at Inline and Ice Warehouse Chase. I took a trip to Easton Headquarters last Friday to get an inside look at the RS II stick line. Upon arriving, I got to see first hand that the Easton staff literally eat, sleep and breathe hockey; I was honestly a little jealous but I can’t complain one bit working here at IW. Product Manager Mike Mountain ran me through the ins-n-outs of the RS II stick line, dissecting each and every piece of their design. His expertise and comprehensive knowledge made for a far more than an eye-opening experience.

Since I first started playing the great game of hockey, I have always used an Easton shaft or stick.  From the Ultra Lite Shaft, the Z-Bubble shaft, the first generation Synergy one-piece, the first generation Stealth one-piece, the S19 one-piece to today’s Mako one-piece; Easton has been held by my gloves for the 10+ years I’ve been playing.

Photo taken at Easton HQ

As we all know, Easton has continually been pushing the envelope to develop cutting-edge technology in their equipment. The first generation Synergy one-piece stick forever changed hockey.  I still remember using mine for the first time, I was so excited when my dad got it in the mail during a club ice practice that  when he handed it over the glass I didn’t even tape it up. I knew from the first shot, even though it was too tall for me because the end-plug was still in, that this stick was a game changer.  Easton has not strayed from the ideology of game-changing advances to make the hockey player able to be better and better. From the elliptical taper used in the RS II stick line to one-piece Gyro fit E700 helmets, Easton is persistent to staying true to it’s cutting-edge developments. The advances we see in today’s sticks were not of thought as remote possibilities in the past but today they are taken as common commodities and we look to the future thrilled to see what’s to come next in stick technology.

Lets talk goalie equipment for a second… With so many companies and options to choose from it can literally make your head spin! I sometimes get the question, who is the best? Well, figuring out who produces the best goalie gear is like asking the question what fruit tastes better, apples or oranges. Finding the right goalie gear for myself comes down to fit, and that comes with years of experience playing the game. I’m guessing goalies will never come to an agreement on which company is the best, but at least we can figure out who is producing the most popular equipment in the NHL. After all these are the professionals and following in there footsteps is not a bad idea.

Source: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images North America

Goalie masks protect one of the most important parts of our body, our head! Goalie masks have come a long ways since first worn by Jacques Plante in 1959. Today, Bauer is the leading company protecting over half of the NHL goalies, 51 to be exact. Bauer’s most popular model is the Bauer Pro 961 goalie mask and is worn by such goalies as Henrik Lundqvist, and Miikka Kiprusoff.

Reebok is clearly the most popular when talking about the goalie catcher. In the NHL, 32 goalies are using Reebok catchers. Out of those 32 goalies, 26 of them are using the Reebok P4 Pro catcher. Vaughn is nipping at Reebok’s heels with an impressive 27 goalies, and Bauer has 16 goaltenders wearing their catchers. Bauer’s most popular catcher models are the Bauer One 100 and the most current version the TOTALONE.

Goalie blockers not only protect the back of your stick hand but also offer an excellent blocking surface for saving and deflecting the puck. Reebok is clearly supplying the majority of the blockers in the NHL at 32 goalies. Reebok’s most popular model is the Reebok P4 Pro, worn by an incredible 25 goalies. Vaughn’s protective blockers are used by more then 25 percent of the goalies in the NHL, goalies like Marty Turco, and Jonathan Quick use Vaughn just to name a few. Bauer supplies 16 NHL goalies with their blockers, the most popular models being the Bauer One 100 and the Bauer TOTALONE.

When comparing goalie sticks, Reebok is once again the most popular with 31 goalies using their sticks, 25 of them use the Reebok 11K Pro goalie stick. Goalies like Roberto Luongo, Ryan Miller, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Jonathan Bernier, and Marc-Andre Fluery all sport the 11K Pro. Bauer has a strong presence as well with 24 goalies using their goal sticks. The Bauer Supreme 7500 is Bauer’s most popular and preferred stick with the pros. Warrior is quickly becoming a strong contender in the NHL goalie stick market with 18 goalies, all using the very popular Warrior Swagger.

Last but not least is the largest portion of the goalies protective gear, the leg pads. Reebok, Vaughn, and Bauer’s leg pads protect over 75 percent of the goalies in the NHL. Reebok once again is the most popular, protecting the most goalies at 29. Out of 29 NHL goalies, 25 of them choose to wear Reebok’s P4 Pro series leg pads. Vaughn, being a goalie only company also has a very strong presence in the NHL, outfitting 27 different goalies. Recent 2012 Stanley Cup Champion Jonathan Quick wears Vaughn’s Velocity series pads like the VPG 7800 leg pad.

Well, we might not be any closer to figuring out who makes the best pads but at least we have some direction as to what the pros are using. Additional product information can be seen here at Inline and Ice Warehouse.