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When the good folks at Easton sent me one of their new Stealth S19 Z-Shock helmets earlier this year, I was excited to give it a try. Billed as being “the lightest helmet in the NHL” while offering premium protection, it was debuted during the Vancouver Olympics to great acclaim, and given all the concern lately about head injuries in hockey, Easton is clearly trying to provide a product which meets a growing demand in the hockey marketplace. [Read more...]
They say no good deed goes unpunished, right? Recently, a firefighter in Ann Arbor, Michigan was trying to help an accident victim, but had his hockey gear stolen for his trouble. This, from AnnArbor.com:
Maguire was off duty and was driving home in rural western Washtenaw County when he saw a car on its side burning near the intersection of Dancer and Jackson roads in Lima Township late on the evening of Sept. 25.
The car had sped off an I-94 bridge overhead, landed in the street and burst into flames. Maguire kicked out the back window, and, together with others who had stopped, pulled the woman from the car and to the side of the road.
Despite their attempts to stabilize and save her, 57-year-old Michelle Adriann Stoj of Willis was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:30 p.m.
While Maguire had worked to save Stoj’s life, someone made off with his hockey gear. The bag full of roughly $500 worth of hockey equipment fell out the back of the truck and was taken from the scene.
I can’t imagine what would compel someone to steal a rescue worker’s hockey equipment like that, but the great news here is that the community rallied together and replaced Maguire’s gear through a variety of donations. Maguire even received enough to pass on almost $1,000 to the family of the lady who perished in the accident. Shame on whoever took Maguire’s hockey bad, and kudos to the folks who helped him out.
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In an article from the Des Moines Register, Mark Emmert raises an interesting question regarding hockey helmets and their ability to help prevent concussions. The context here regards a concussion suffered by a member of the Des Moines Bucaneers of the USHL:
The current helmets the Bucs wear, manufactured by CCM and patterned after the ones NHL players sport, have an inch of padding and more sophisticated jell packs that adhere to the contours of the head of the person wearing them.
“It just basically sticks to your head; it’s like another layer,” [defenseman Austin] Coldwell said.
But the hockey equipment hasn’t advanced quite as far as football helmets, [Dr. Ned] Amendola said. Those helmets actually have air pockets that allow for a tighter fit.
“The hockey players like to have loose-fitting helmets,” he said. “They like to be able to take them off quickly.”
I find two interesting issues here for hockey players – first, obviously, is whether there might be design improvements made to existing helmets to build off the experience from the world of football. But perhaps more importantly, there is a serious cultural issue among hockey players with regard to fit. Whether it’s a loose fit in order to remove the helmet at the start of a fight, or the loose chinstraps that remain all-too-popular, it seems like a disturbing proportion of players view their hockey helmet as a nuisance rather than the most critical piece of their protective equipment.
It doesn’t matter how much technology and innovation the equipment industry brings to helmets if players don’t use them properly. Education and culture are points where strong emphasis might pay off in immediate dividends.
Get the latest updates on sales on hockey equipment, accessories or apparel by subscribing to our email newsletter using the form in the right-hand sidebar (and receive hockey coupon codes just for signing up!). You can also find me on Twitter at @HockeyGearHQ to get updates when the latest articles are posted, or contact me with any questions.
The good folks at Easton recently sent me one of their new EQ50 hockey sticks, and I’ll have the review for you in this space shortly. For now, however, I’ll share with you a video from Easton which shows just how much “control” is the buzzword surrounding this new high-end composite stick:
You can find them online at HockeyMonkey or Amazon
Current Hockey Monkey Coupon Code: Save 5% site-wide on items at Hockey Monkey, by using the special offer code MAY2012 during checkout. Offer good until May 31, 2012!
Get the latest updates on sales on hockey equipment, accessories or apparel by subscribing to our email newsletter using the form in the right-hand sidebar (and receive hockey coupon codes just for signing up!). You can also find me on Twitter at @HockeyGearHQ to get updates when the latest articles are posted, or contact me with any questions.
The good folks at MLX Skates recently sent me a pair of their new hockey skates to try out and share my review, and while the review isn’t complete, I have to say I’m impressed so far. The basic idea behind MLX Skates is that they bring some features over from the world of speed skating to provide something that feels and performs more like an athletic shoe than a typical hockey skate, while still offering the protection needed. Until my review gets posted here (probably another two weeks as I want to play in them at least a couple times), check out this video and head over to their site to get more information:
Easton Hockey today announced a multi-year contract extension with San Jose Sharks right wing Dany Heatley, a five-time NHL All-Star. Heatley will continue to wear Easton Hockey Gear exclusively along with being active in the development of future Easton products.
A dynamic scorer, Heatley is also an Olympic gold medalist, after leading the 2010 Canadian team to victory in Vancouver. During the Sharks 2009-2010 season, Heatley led the team to the regular season Western Conference championship scoring 39 goals and dishing out 43 assists.
“Dany Heatley is the kind of player that is smart on the ice. His hard work and tenacity pay off game in and game out,” said Chris Zimmerman, president of Easton Sports. “He’s a proven scorer that intimidates opponents with his physicality and puck skills and is a great guy to keep on our roster.”
As a continued Easton Hockey endorsee, Heatley will not only wear and market Easton Hockey gear, but also be involved in the development of future Easton designs.
“Season after season, Easton Hockey offers the lightest, most durable equipment that has the kind of advanced technology that you just don’t find in other brands,” Heatley said. “Easton Hockey truly gives me an advantage over the competition.”
Terms of the multi-year deal were not disclosed.
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Heatley is off to a solid start for the Sharks this season, with 6 goals and 9 assists through his first 12 games, leading the team. Given the number of players who are starting to come out of California’s youth hockey leagues, he makes for a valuable Easton spokesman in what is rapidly becoming a key market.
Get the latest updates on sales on hockey equipment, accessories or apparel by subscribing to our email newsletter using the form in the right-hand sidebar (and receive hockey coupon codes just for signing up!). You can also find me on Twitter at @HockeyGearHQ to get updates when the latest articles are posted, or contact me with any questions.
