I am closing out on a season and beginning a new one in the next few weeks. We didn’t do so hot in the playoffs this time around. I am going Iron Man this season. I am slated to play in 4 leagues, one of which will be as goalie for a C level team.  I make my debut in net tonight!

Anyways, I made an investment in a pair of skates today. My old CCM Tacks have lasted 8+ years but they aren’t going to hold out much longer. The blade holder is seperating from the boots, the toe caps are deteriorating, I am running out of steel, and the entire boot is mush. I figured now would be the best time to make a change. I spent a good two hours at Hockey Monkey today. It came down to the RBK 9K’s and the Bauer Vapor XXXX’s. They both felt nice, but the 9K’s have two features which helped sway my decision. They have these simple lace locks halfway down the boot which are designed to lock on to the lace such that your laces from that point down can have a different tension then those above. Very simple but really cool! The other item that pushed me towards these the pump. I always thought the pump was kind of gay. Well, I have a new opinion now. The pump kicks ass! It’s really cool how the upper portion of the boot fills around your leg/ankle to provide the additional support. It makes the boot that much more comfortable. The best part of the 9K’s may not be the features/comfort but the price. All manufacturers have their own sizing. I wear a size 8 shoe and a size 6.5 CCM skate. In the Vapors I would have been in a 6.0. In the 9K’s I was actually in a 5.5 which is the cutoff between a Senior and Junior skate and that equals BIG TIME saving ($539 vs $299). Take that you tall mo fo’s!