Hollows of the Penguins

Click to enlarge.

I came across a photo on a hockey discussion board and thought I’d post it here.  It’s a list of the sharpening hollows for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

What’s interesting to me is how most players on the Penguins use a sharpening hollow of 1/2″ or greater.  They also tend to use Bauer skate holders (Light Speed 2 or Tuuk) more than other brands.

I’m obviously not a great skater but, on the insistence of our previous hockey director some time ago, one of the best changes I made was going from a 3/8″ hollow to 1/2″.  My skates had less bite but there was also a lot less friction, which meant my gliding speed was much faster (he also gave me some tips on what stick length I should go with and how I should tape it up – he was just a wealth of information).

I’ve also contemplated swapping out my current skate holders (RBK E-Pro) for a Bauer model, as Bauer holders are said to have a more neutral pitch (i.e. they put the player more on their heels rather than toes) and I think that might suit me better.  For a short time,  I had skated with skates that had t-blades, which also have a neutral pitch.  I felt very comfortable with those and I seem to recall that I skated better.  Incidentally, it was those skates that had the equivalent of a 3/8″ hollow that got me going with that cut in the first place.

So, perhaps a holder change will be something I will mess around with in the near future.

Singh10.

NHL rule changes

New rule changes at the NHL?

NHL Tries To Woo Fans By Increasing Scoring With Bigger Nets, 3-Point Line

The “stand up” goalie

A recent post on GreatestHockeyLegends.com included a video clip of Canucks goalie Kirk McLean during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final against the New York Rangers (who won in a great seven game series) back in 1994.

A couple of things interested me about this. Obviously it was about the Canucks’ run to the Stanley Cup final, and after their choke job to the Chicago Blackhawks in round two this year, it was nice to reminisce about some of the glory days.

But, what really intrigued me about the clip was watching McLean’s style of goaltending, known as the stand up style. Stand up goaltending is all but lost now in the NHL, forsaken for the butterfly style (made popular by Patrick Roy), a hybrid of the stand up and butterfly (e.g. Martin Brodeur), or what I like to call the gumby style (e.g. Dominic Hasek, Tim Thomas). Since you never see it anymore, watching McLean’s technique in making all those kick saves while staying on his feet really caught my attention. Being up on his feet also allowed him to play the puck with his stick much more and so it was no wonder he was known for being one of the best at it.

Check it out:

Singh10.

The Playoff Beard

Chris Mason

The one thing I’ll miss about the St. Louis Blues after the Canucks swept them out of these playoffs is St. Louis goaltender Chris Mason’s substantial mane.  That thing was just magnificent and it’s too bad it was hidden for most of the time behind Mason’s goalie mask.

Hockey legends are not just in its personalities, but also in its traditions.  The playoff beard is one such tradition, and GreatestHockeyLegends.com does some exploration:

Mike Commodore

A common question I get is where did the playoff beard superstition-turned-tradition originate?

I’ve never got a 100% for sure answer on this one, but it seems to be a relatively recent trend. The New York Islanders dynasty of the early 1980s featured several players who grew or maintained beards come playoff time. Ken Morrow, Butch Goring, John Tonelli, Clark Gillies, and Gord Lane all had big, itchy, black beards. It was said to be a good luck charm, and it delivered four consecutive Stanley Cup championships.

Scanning through photos of Stanley Cup champions in the years past, it is pretty hard to find any player with a beard, even back in the 1800s. So the Islanders suggestion seems to hold great merit.

But perhaps the playoff beard, which is now crossing over to NBA playoffs, originated in another sport entirely. Bjorn Borg superstitiously grew his beard prior to Wimbledon. Borg had five straight Wimbledon victories from 1976 through 1980 in that time.

Another article on the significance of beards in sports from Popsense really gets into the thick of the matter:

The logic behind the dominance of hair in sport is one that has been debated for years. Some say there is an intimidation factor the surrounds the fact that your competitor, while bearing down on you, resembles a wild animal that could kill you in two bites or swipes. Others argue that facial hair, especially the concept of a playoff beard in hockey, does help to foster team unity. Take into account, for example, the collective suffering experience by everyone on a hockey club when sweat drips into their beards prompting an overwhelming desire to itch. Remember, though, the ultimate irony that hockey players wear gloves which, unless taken off, are too bulky to allow for a quenching chin scratch. Remember, too, that a hockey player seen by the opposing team with their bare hands deep in their beards will be seen as a failure and a wimp and will be ridiculed mercilessly. Regardless, the choice is yours.

Not surprisingly for the internet, a whole website has been created that is inspired by the playoff beard, even less surprisingly at PlayoffBeard.com.

As for me, I’m still waiting for my playoff beard to pay off for the Puck Hogs.

Singh10.