The Boston Bruins are off to their best start in 36 years and on Sunday, February 24th they can thank Zdeno Chara for his beautiful goal to put them up 2-0 in the first period against the Florida Panthers. The defenseman stands tall at 6’9″, so amazing dangles aren’t typically expected from him, well that’s not the case any more. Chara took a backhand pass that was behind him from Brad Marchand, performed a counter-clockwise spin-o-rama to create space and roofed a beautiful backhand shot beating Jacob Markstrom glove side. Whether the spin or the backhand shot was more impressive is irrelevant, but the fact Zdeno did it so smoothly is the icing on the cake.

Now let’s take a look at what gear Zdeno Chara used:

Warrior AX1 Stick & Franchise Gloves

Stick: Warrior Dynasty AX1 Hockey Stick

Zdeno was using the new Warrior Dynasty AX1 Stick when he pulled off the sick dangle against the Panthers. This comes as no surprise because the new AX1 stick is the mid-kick counter-part to Warrior’s other line of sticks, the low-kick Covert series. While kick-points in sticks should not be decided on a player’s position but rather the mechanics of their shooting, the mid-kick point is the obvious choice for a 6’9″ 255 lb. defenseman. This has enabled him to win 5 consecutive NHL Hardest Shot Competitions and the NHL hardest shot record at 108.8 mph.

Gloves: Warrior Franchise Hockey Gloves

Another excellent choice by Mr. Chara, the Franchise gloves are some of the premier 4-roll gloves money can buy. Warrior constructed the glove using only the finest materials such as TuffTex that does do not hold water. NHL’ers who wore the previous Franchise gloves expressed concern that they wished they could achieve better mobility in the wrist. Warrior listened and delivered with a much more flared-out cuff than the previous years.

Krown Helmet & NXG Skates

Helmet: Warrior Krown Helmet

Since Chara’s such a big guy, he’s a big target also. This could explain his choice of the Warrior Krown 360 Helmet. It offers top notch protection utilizing three different types of foams as well as an adjustable occipital locking system located on the back of the helmet. The three foams found in the Krown 360 is EPP Foam, Impax Molded Foam as well as comfort foam

Skates: Bauer Supreme TotalONE NXG Hockey Skates

Looking to get the most power out of each and every stride, like many others Zdeno chose the Bauer Supreme TotalONE NXG skates. The NXG’s are a common choice for a wide variety of players in the NHL. They offer a contour and anatomical fit to the foot while using a longer runner than the Vapor APX skates to achieve the most powerful stride possible.

All of these items are available at Inline and Ice Warehouse with even more information on each product page!

If you follow the NHL at all, you probably saw or at least heard of the Erik Karlsson incident. For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators suffered a season ending injury against the Pittsburgh Penguins when Matt Cooke stepped on the back of Karlsson’s leg lacerating 70% the Achilles Tendon. Check out the video and then read on.

As the ’11-’12 James Norris Trophy Winner (Best All Around Defenseman), Karlsson is a vital part of the Senators’ organization and arguably the best defenseman in the NHL today. Prior to his injury he averaged 27:11 minutes of ice time per game and second in the points category. As a blue liner the points category is especially impressive. So what could be done to prevent this?

With all the contact and hard hitting, sometimes we forget that we’re skating around with knives attached to our feet; but we are not alone. A few companies make protective socks to avoid cuts like this. One is the Bauer Elite Performance Skate Socks ($28.99). These protective socks are made of 60% KEVLAR fiber for cut resistance. Not only does it protect, but it fights odor and adds comfort. The additional thickness added by the KEVLAR is a small price to pay for safety. The Reebok 20K Protective Skate Socks ($39.99) follow the same principle but use a fiber known as Dyneema, “the world’s strongest fiber™.” Either of these options could have helped prevent the seriousness of this injury and will most likely encourage other players to begin sporting them. John Tavares of the Islanders stated, “Sometimes you just get little nicks where it’s nothing serious, but it could be a lot worse,” Tavares said. “You hate to see that happen, especially to a guy like (Karlsson), and it’s something that could be avoided. So, for sure, guys take recognition to that.”

You can find both of these socks at Ice Warehouse. We wish Erik Karlsson a speedy recovery.

—Update—

IW now carries the Tuff n Lite Protective Products! This includes the Tuff n Lite Cut Resistant Wrist Guards, the Tuff n Lite Cut Resistant Socks, Goalie Socks, Thin Cut Socks or  the Sock/Wrist Guard Combo!

Anaheim Duck’s goaltender Viktor Fasth is off to an impressive start, nabbing his first shutout after just three games in the NHL. Fasth stopped 31 shots allowing the Ducks to win over the Avalanche with a 3-0 game. Fasth was signed as a free agent in the close of the season, making an effortless transition from the Swedish Elite League to the NHL. Now with a 5-0 record, Viktor Fasth is the first goalie in eight years to win his first five starts, two of the wins coming from overtime shootouts.

Let’s take a closer look at what gear makes our Goalie of the Day so impressively Fasth and accurate!

Viktor Fasth like most goaltenders looks for the best gear to fit their individual needs. Starting off with one of the goalies most decorated pieces of equipment, the mask. Fasth’s Bauer Pro 961 mask is hand crafted in Canada with hand-laid Aramid fiber and fiberglass for an extremely lightweight protective shell. Allowing Fasth to make amazing top shelf glove saves is the extremely lightweight Bauer Totalone catchers with the two-piece cuff deign. Viktor’s blocker of choice is the Bauer Supreme Totalone Blocker and for the stick, he chooses to us the Bauer Reflex Rx10 goalie stick. Nothing calls out the goaltenders style of play more then the leg pads and Fasth’s pad of choice are the Bauer Supreme Totalone leg pads with the extremely bright orange outer roll.  Last but not least we are going to highlight Fasth’s Bauer Pro goalie ice skates. The Bauer Pro goalie ice skate is lightweight, protective, and offers the goaltender excellent control on the ice.

Warrior Dynasty AX1 Hockey Stick

New for 2013, Warrior is introducing a new family of mid-kick sticks called the Dynasty line to complement the low-kick Covert stick line. The flagship stick from the Dynasty line is the AX1 and it features excellent technologies to maximize it’s performance.

Warrior Dynasty AX1 Hockey Stick

The AX1 is unique from most fused one-pieces with it’s HiFused construction. Not only does it provide the stick with a great balance point but it also insures an accurate shot by not allowing the hosel to twist when shooting. The StrongArm technology also reinforces the hosel area to provide even greater twist resistance.

Warrior's AxySym Technology

The AxySym construction found throughout the shaft has strategically placed “stretch fibers” on the front portion of the shaft and “compression” fibers on the back & underbelly of the shaft. This allows for a speedy loading process and a powerful return on your shot.

Warrior Dynasty AX1 Blade

The blade on the Dynasty AX1 may look familiar to players using the Covert DT1 sticks and that’s because it’s the same blade! It utilizes two spars that run heel to toe providing the strength needed for accurate shots as well as durability. Hardcore X foam fills the interior of the blade and gives this stick a great feel for the puck, the aramid sole lines the bottom of the blade because of the impact toughness of the material that’s also used in bulletproof vests and finally the face of the blade is lined with a carbon-plated glass fiber to resist cracking and chipping. These Warrior Dynasty AX1 Hockey Sticks are available now at Ice Warehouse.