Mission is back at it again with an array of new gear being released.

Mission Inhaler Helmet

Mission took the Bauer 5100 helmet and redesigned it specifically for the inline hockey player with the fact that roller hockey rinks are on average 26 degrees hotter than ice rinks in mind.  Due to this, numerous ventilation ports in the front of the helmet and exiting air vents in the rear insure great airflow during the hottest of games. The other great inline-specific feature is the Hog Sweat Band. It is an easily removable sweatband that “pops” into two vent holes that can be seen in the interior of the liner. The Hog Sweat Band is not necessary to use so it can be taken out if desired, if it needs to be washed or even replaced. One of the best specs about the Mission Inhaler Helmet is that even though it may be roller specific, it is completely certified to be able to be used in any ice hockey league.

The Mission Stir D1 and D5 Roller Hockey Sticks

Mission is diving back into the stick business once again with their new Mission Stir D1 and D5 hockey sticks. The Stir D1 is the premier stick out of this line up, featuring an Amped-Up Mid-Kick profile that is very similar to what is found in the Bauer Supreme Amplified Mid-Kick. The D1 has a great balance point due to the Aero Foam II blade core and 3k carbon composite shaft construction. The D1 allows a customer to choose between matte and gloss finish, as well as the PM9, P92 and P88 curves.

Mission Pro Series Customizable Protection

For 2013, Mission updated and added to their roller hockey protective lines. The Pro Series of Compression Shirt and Compression Girdle are the most intriguing of the new releases.

The Pro Compression Shirt looks like a hybrid of a low-profile shoulder pad and compression shirt. The customization includes individually removable shoulder caps and bicep guards; meaning you can wear caps and bicep guards, just caps, just bicep guards or none of the above. The shoulder caps are not very large; they are a low-profile cap geared for roller hockey.  The Vent Armor foam that is very protective as well as breathable protects the chest and back areas. The shirt liner uses the premier Thermo Max+ lining for its soft touch and excellent moisture wicking abilities.

The Pro Compression Girdle is similar in style and customization to the Pro Compression Shirt. It has removable thigh guards with protective and perforated Vent Armor foams. The kidney and tailbone pads are high-density foams but are also customizable like the thigh guards.

Mission Elite Compression Protection

The Elite Protective line is essentially a toned down version of the Pro Compression Line. The Relaxed Compression Shirt uses the same structure as the Pro Shirt, but uses lighter density foams and does not include the bicep guards or shoulder caps. The Elite Relaxed Compression Girdle again is a lightened up version of the Pro Compression Girdle. It has a slightly looser fit, but uses perforated Vent Armor that is very protective and breathable.

Look for all of these new Mission products to be out in the Fall at InlineWarehouse.com

2013 Bauer Gear

Ladies and Gentlemen, the new 2013 Bauer is available to be purchased and shipped as of today! There is a ton of new and exciting gear for both players and goalies.

For players, we have a whole new line of Supreme protective gear; including shin guards, elbow pads, shoulder pads, ice pants (adaptable core) and gloves. For Nexus, we see new gloves that took over the 2012 4-Roll line as well as new line of ice pants that took over last year’s Supreme Pants. The first helmet of the new IMS helmets (Impact Management System) is released as well, called the IMS 9.0. Last and not least for players, the much anticipated new Vapor Skate Line including the APX2 has arrived as well.

For goalies, we have a re-introduction of the well-known Reactor line that includes catchers, blockers, sticks, ice skates, and leg pads. For facial protection, goalies get a new line of masks known as the Concept Line.

All of these great products will be available at Inline and Ice Warehouse, be sure to stop by and be one of the first ones with this new gear!

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!

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.

Whether you want to match your helmet to your team’s colors or just want to add some flash, I.W. has you covered. I went ahead and put together two different custom looks using parts that Ice Warehouse sells.

The First is the matte white Easton E700 Helmet.

-White Easton Helmet Ear Loop and Chin Strap Kit
-White Easton E700FM Cage
-White Helmet Chin Strap Snap Buckles

This combination was pretty basic and easy to set up, but it looks awesome. It has a smooth look (especially with the matte white helmet finish) and can go with just about any team’s color scheme. The Easton E700FM cage also comes in a sleek gunmetal grey finish, while the Helmet Snap Chin Buckles comes in black as well.

The next is the Black/Red Reebok 11k Helmet.
-11k Red Chin Cup
-Red Chin Strap w/ Single Snap

This set up rocks a whole different style than the all-white E700 helmet, it is primarily black with red accents in the helmet shell, chin strap and cup. The 11k chin cups come in Black, Navy, Red and White while the chin straps (single snap) come in Back, Navy, Pink, Red, Royal, White and a Skull Print. A set up like this can match more consistently with a color pattern as well.

These helmets and custom accessories are available in a group discount, separately or together! We would love to see pictures of your own custom set ups, so send them in to feedback@inlinewarehouse.com, tag us in an Instagram photo @IceWarehouse, or post on our Facebook Wall!

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to the Limited Edition Bauer APX hockey stick! This bad boy has all the same specs and technologies as the original APX hockey stick, but with a blacked out color scheme. The large Bauer logo on the side of the shaft is in a bright pearl white, so it really stands out and looks sweet. The APX Limited Edition shaft has the popular TeXtreme® construction and Monocomp technology that makes this stick as lightweight and responsive as possible. The flex profile utilizes the premier dual taper for exceptional torsional deflection and shot control. The Vapor line’s signature Intelli-Sense shot technology provides for a “variable” flex point to allow for maximized loading for quick wrist and snap shots. The APX LE hockey stick comes in grip and non-grip, so be sure to pick one up at Ice Warehouse.

It’s that time of the year around the Warehouse where sneak peeks are coming out left and right. Well here is the exclusive sneak peak at the 2013 Tour Fish BoneLite Pro skate. This bad boy is going to be headlining the 2013 Tour Skate line with the BoneLite 750 and Bonelite 725 following suit with somewhat similar designs like the BoneLite Pro.

The Fish BoneLite Pro skates are going to come in two color schemes. The first one is dark themed; black quarter package and black Labeda Eviction frames with bright green accents. The second color scheme looks like it will be a “limited edition” colorway; whited-out quarter package and whited-out Labeda Eviction frames with bright green accents as well. Sitting inside of the Eviction frames regardless of color, there is four Labeda Addiction wheels with new Bevo Gold 9 bearings. The all-white look seems as if Mission might have rubbed off on them, nonetheless it’s an aggressive clean look. Using history as a reference, the intricacies of the stitching on the quarter packages raises some questions about durability but only time will tell.

For 2013, Tour went a new direction with the liner and tongue construction. The tongue uses a nice HD foam insert for protection but they redesigned the tongue’s shape in order to flex and move better than previous models. The eyelets were also moved forwards in order to get a better “wrap” around the ankle. The liner got a nice upgrade with the Accu-Aire liner that increases ventilation and breathability throughout the boot. Working together with the Accu-Aire Liner, the addition of lower heel vents should help increase the ventilation a good amount as well.

Look out for more information and details on these Fish BoneLite Pro Skates as well as the BoneLite 750 and Bonelite 725 coming soon to InlineWarehouse!

Hey there everyone, it’s the “sneak peek” season around The Warehouse and that’s just what I have for you today! I’d like to introduce to you the CCM RBZ 60 Stick. This new addition to the RBZ line has some of the same features found on the flagship RBZ stick with a few exceptions.

Like the RBZ, the RBZ 60 will have the completely unique “custom” kick point. This means wherever your lower hand loads the stick, the stick will flex at that point unlike anything else out. The IntelliSense Technology in the Bauer Vapor sticks are the closest thing to this custom kick point, but Bauer only achieved it by predetermining the Vapor sticks to flex near your upper hand instead of a variable kick point like the RBZ’s. This variable kick point makes this stick ideal for any player; from the quick wrist/snap shot style to the more powerful slap shot/one timer style.

As for the shaft, the RBZ 60 has less concave side walls (almost straight) than the original, so it will have a more traditional feel. The graphics are nearly identical, so you get top-notch graphics (and specs) at a great value. At this price point, it might be hard to beat the combination of lightweight feel and solid performance that the RBZ 60 stick has to offer. These bad boys will be ready to ship on November 16^th, so be sure to pre-order ahead of time at Inline or Ice Warehouse so you’re the first one to have it!!

A couple of weeks ago, the IW Crew got the chance to venture out to Palm Springs for the much anticipated unveiling of the new gear that will be released in 2013 at Bauer World. Bauer World is a week long event that gathers the world’s biggest Bauer retailers so that we can get to see and use never seen Bauer gear before it hits the shelves next year. It was also a great learning experience being able to personally interact with the very insightful product managers, picking their brains about the most specific details possible. The most exciting part of the trip was testing out the 2013 products, seeing and feeling the how the new technologies can enhance your performance.

The headlining product for next year is the Bauer Vapor APX2 skate. With an all-new Tuuk Lightspeed Edge holder with a quick “trigger” release and a brand new lacing system, expect this skate to make some noise in the industry. The Tuuk Lightspeed Edge holder is going to add versatility and reassurance to players everywhere with this quick release option. By compressing the trigger and using a wedging tool to pop out the end of the runner, it takes no time at all to do a swap especially compared to the traditional way that can take a player completely out of their game. This quick-release mechanism gives a player peace of mind knowing that if a runner breaks in a game that they won’t miss a shift. The Lightspeed Edge Holder gives the player an option to carry runners sharpened for different ice hardness too, elevating the level of preparedness just that much more. The holder is overall 3mm taller to provide a sharper and tighter turn by preventing the player from “bottoming out” when the boot meets the ice. While 3mm does not sound like much, after skating Easton RS’ and Bauer Supreme ONE100 LE skates a few days prior, the APX2 skate felt like it was the most aggressive skate of the bunch. Extremely tight turns were possible without much effort and leaning cross-overs felt much more gravitationally-assisted than usual. With the gain in distance you can lean one side or the other, it does take a little more distance to recover to a neutral stance but I definitely believe the positive outweighs the negative. The injected stability lacing system is an all new one-piece design that helps to maximize energy return and stability. Unlike the traditional design, this one-piece construction reduces the amount of energy lost providing more power through each and every stride. The one-piece eyelet system is built out of the same material found in the Tuuk holder making it much more durable and stronger than a single-eyelet system.

Earlier in 2012, Bauer made a move to purchase Cascade helmets in order to continue to expand and grow. While Cascade was leading the lacrosse market, their newer hockey department, which includes the M11 helmet, was co-developed by NHL legend and 6 time Stanley Cup winner Mark Messier. Bauer’s acquisition of Cascade brings Mr. Messier on board as well, which will continue to be an exciting journey for both parties. Mark was at Bauer World, hanging out and answering questions like the product managers.  The IW Crew got the chance to shoot some pucks and small talk with him, reminiscing on past times and getting excited for what’s to come.

The first helmets Bauer will release stemming from Cascade will be the IMS 11.0 and the IMS 7.0. These new helmets will have a more streamlined look than the original Cascade helmets with the addition of some of Bauer most popular foams. The IMS 11.0 is essentially Bauer’s spin on the Cascade M11 Pro helmet that uses the adavanced Seven Techonolgy™ along with the addition of Bauer’s Poron XRD™ foam that was seen in the Re-Akt helmets. The IMS 7.0 also incorporates the Seven™ Technology but not the Poron XRD™ foam and doesn’t have as much of a low profile as the IMS 11.0.

That was a quick peek at the 2013 Bauer gear, when it gets closer to their respective launch dates be sure to check back for even more detailed analysis and reviews of all the new gear coming out. Next week look out for more unreleased sneak peeks!

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.