Some of the most frequent questions I get about my sport involve the equipment we use. While the protective gear is standard issue hockey stuff, there are some major differences that make this an “adaptive” sport. Here’s a rundown of my personal gear that I’ve accumulated over the past several seasons.
Throughout this post I’m going to refer to “program” equipment. This just refers to the equipment the team has on hand for players to use. Because disabled people are often on a fixed income, we often can’t afford all the equipment. And it’s not practical to have people buy all kinds of equipment when they want to try sled hockey for the first time. So teams usually have a stash of basic equipment on hand.
When a player get serious, they usually buy some or all of their own gear. Almost all of my gear is my own, except for my helmet and gloves, which tend to expire or wear out and need to be replaced more often.
Protective gear is available at Pure Hockey or any sporting goods store, but sleds and other sled hockey specific things are usually purchased from Mobility Sports in Indiana or Unique Inventions in Canada. You can get some sled hockey sticks at Pure Hockey.
The Sled
My amazing and trusty sled
My first program sled was from Mobility Sports, but when I bought my custom sled it was from Unique Inventions. Their sleds are more customized and seem to be more high end. At one of the big tournaments, I visited the Unique Inventions booth and had them take all my measurements, then they shipped me my sled about a month later.
The sled has a tubular aluminum frame. On that is the bucket (seat), under the bucket are two skate blades, and in front is a plastic front piece called a skag.
The cover
The bucket should be as tight and form fitting as possible. This will prevent you from shifting around when you fall over or get hit during a game. At that point you’re unbalanced and pretty useless. I had to go down to a kids’ size to get one that fit right. It has a protective cover that goes over my lap, and this held on with a pair of ratchet straps. If you have the money, or Team USA or the VA will pay for it, you can get a custom bucket built that is made from a cast of your body.
My sled cost about $650 USD. When I initially ordered it I didn’t realized they quoted me in Canadian dollars, so it was a nice surprise when I got my credit card bill.
Blades
The blade width set to the minimum 1″
For a long time I used the blades that came with my sled, but this summer I got a pair of blades from Blade Tech, and they make a huge difference. They don’t keep their edge as long, but they really bite so I can make really sharp turns.
You can adjust the distance between the two blades. Further apart (up to 4″) is more stable, and closer (down to 1″) is for better turning and maneuverability but less stability. I currently have mine set at 1″.
Sticks
The sticks. All the sticks.
Players use two sticks with a blade at one end for handling the puck and shooting, and metal picks at the other end for pushing off the ice. (Yes, those picks are sharp, especially when they’re new). Program sticks are usually made of wood, but those are heavy and most players prefer to buy their own composite sticks.
I’ve gone through a few types. My first sticks were from Mobility Sports (top). These are much lighter than the wooden ones and they lasted me several seasons. That is, until I found sticks from Warrior (middle). The blades on these are a lot wider, which helps puck control, and I like the curve a lot more. These come in two parts that are put together with hot glue: the blade, and the shaft (which is my case came from a broken hockey stick). The nice thing about these is that if a shaft breaks, you can use a heat gun to melt the glue and replace it. But of course, Warrior stopped making them this way, and now they only sell their sticks molded into one piece (bottom). These are lighter and feel great to use, but at $125 per stick they’re expensive to replace. Luckily my team had some grant money and some of us got these.
The length of the sticks is pretty important. Too long or too short and it will be hard to skate. The rule of thumb is that when you’re sitting in your sled, and the pick end is on the ice, the end of the blade should just reach your shoulder.
 Picks |
 My preferred tape method |
Like regular hockey sticks, you add tape to the blade to help grip the puck. Most people wrap their tape around the traditional way, but one of the Team USA guys showed me how to tape as shown. This uses less tape, and leaves the sided of the blades smooth so it’s easier to change my hand position from skating to shooting.
Protective Gear
Standard hockey stuff
This is standard hockey stuff: Shin pads, elbow pads, shoulder pads/chest protector, and a helmet. Some people wear hockey pants, but I don’t because the cover of my sled does a good job protecting me. Some wear a mouth guard, and some wear a neck protector (these are required by Team USA for their games).
You do need a full face shield of some sort on the helmet. Most have a cage, but I got a hand me down half shield/half cage from one of the Team USA guys and I really like it.
Gloves
Treated gloves
Gloves always take a beating. The knuckles often come in contact with the ice, so they get ripped up and it’s not uncommon to see a piece of knuckle padding on the ice during a game. There are various things you can put on the knuckles to make them last longer, like Shoe Goo or epoxy. This year I found that Flex Seal works great. It’s waterproof, tough, easy to spray on, and it goes on with a smooth finish so it looks good too.
In all, a setup like this would probably cost about $1200, which is why sponsorships and grants are so important to sled hockey programs. Luckily most of this stuff is pretty durable and can last multiple seasons.
Not shown: protective gear for TOK’s brass balls.
+1
+2
+3?
?
In addition to a “shocker” emoji, we also need a “huh-huh” emoji.
Take my money!!!!11!!
Do you have the shop use a machine to sharpen the blades or does a disinterested teenager do it?
The newest sharpeners are pretty bulletproof. When our kids were in the thick of it, my buddy bought a sharpener and learned how to use it. He sharpened my skates for years, but the new equipment does a better ob.
I love sharpening my own skates. When I worked at Play It Again Sports I talked my boss into buying the machine. It benefitted me and about 5 other people.
Is there another kind of teenager?
meh
Dude,
You are at least, what, 29?
The second digit is a 9…
Obligatory
Apropos (sorta)
*snort*
Heard of that but I have literally not seen one single second of it until now.
Obligatory
Hey Nineteen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NNn6Fc_R6E
Nice!
Shaw looks good!
Skate a little lower now!
The Cuervo Gold
The fine Columbian
‘da fuck is wrong with you? Are you new here?
No, I just know how much you like Steely Dan! ;^)
I do love Steely Danzig
The Steely Danzig link is hilarious.
Best article of 2022 so far!
Most have a cage, but I got a hand me down half shield/half cage from one of the Team USA guys and I really like it.
Every time I think about going back to a half-shield, someone clears a puck into my face. I’m too old to get out of the way!
Thanks, Kevin!
This one will definitely stop pucks. I trust me.
Put some Vaseline on the outside of your glove and face wash anyone wearing an itech.
Lol.
I wore one for fewer than 2 games. It looked like a greenhouse in winter.
So none wears “Jason” hockey masks anymore?
I love these glimpses into the things people get into. There’s no end to them, and they are all interesting in their own way.
Thanks, TOC.
Hockey in the desert Southwest is rare but when I was in college there was a semi-pro team in Albuquerque that we would watch. I discovered that hockey is best watching live rather than on teevee. If the camera focused on the puck then you could not see the formation set up; if it pulled back to the full rink then the puck disappeared.
Interesting article. Thanks TOK!
I have a hard time following the puck if it’s not on tv. Also the cheerleaders at the live games are distracting (in a good way).
Anyone else remember the shitty special-effect pucks on I think it was Fox a couple decades ago lol?
The glow puck….got how terrible thay was. Hire better cameramen and get better angles.
I’m no expert at following the puck and even I thought it was dumb. I didn’t follow the game then but I sort-of do now so I’ve gotten better at it but I still lose it now and then.
Yeah you have to have a feel for the game.
It was before high-end definition. No sport has benefited from HD more than hockey.
I think you’re right.
I prefer to sit about 15 rows up in the corner. You can see everything.
That’s true, but there is something cool about sitting on the glass.
It’s amazing how fast it is, although you do miss some stuff.
You and I Tundra…we can be friends.
We already are. Now we can watch games!
Yes! My first time at a live game totally changed my opinion of hockey. I got fairly close seats on advice of a buddy and wow. When players slam into the wall and the whole thing shakes, it just doesn’t compare to tv. But I’ve gotten into watching it on tv after that as well.
Also, the ice girls before the NHL went woke.
Same with floor seats at an NBA game. Completely different feel than watching it on a screen.
If you have any major junior hockey or AHL around check them out. Those games are a blast.
I bet. I love minor league baseball.
I love minor league stuff – smaller egos and they seem to be having fun.
Junior hockey is great. The players are skilled, but they’re not over-coached at that stage. They make mistakes, which lead to lots of odd-man rushes.
It was funny to watch the goalies surreptitiously checking out the ice girls shovelling the snow around their net during the TV timeout.
Ha ha ha! +4 Bud Ice Girls.
Dooby-dooby-doo
Look who is flaunting his skinny ass
Thanks for the article, TOK.
That’s what I got out of this too.
/fat ass
Thanks Kevin, this was interesting. I love getting a glimpse into things I would never otherwise be exposed to.
You sure you want to be exposed to the hockey players here?
I grew up around hockey players. You don’t scare me.
*runs for the bunker*
https://youtu.be/SWM-fNJ1dO8
Fashion show..
Go with the Flow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEWpRjhtHko
Thanks, TOK,
Until I met you here I never knew such a thing existed. It’s great that you are a player (and play hockey, too)
Interesting piece, TOK! Very cool setup!
Does anyone use sticks in opposite hands to whip backhanded? Those works be a pain in the ass to stop.
I’ve never seen that. I’m not that skilled, but the Olympic guys can fire backhand shots off the ice right over a goalie.
Good stuff TOK.
If you ever play anywhere around eastern VA, I would definitely go watch.
Me too! That would be a blast!
I just realized Mike Rowe = Micro.
Order some sex wax for your stick. It will waterproof cloth tape and give you some extra tack. I used to apply it, give it the best gun to infuse it, then just reapply for stickiness.
Best=heat
But it is “the best for your stick”, no?
Eh. Tape up, rub the puck against it and get on the ice. If you have hands you don’t need tacky tape to handle the puck.
OK, I ordered the sex wax and applied it to my stick. What is supposed to happen next? When does the sex happen?
Ask Spicoli, or the guys at the surf shop?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKrpl-KBTzQ
My thoughts about the football game. Katie Perry’s boobs are still doing just fine.
Does she still have the haircut that pairs well with plaid shirts?
I can pretty much smell this post.
It’s like a boxing glove full of pennies, amirite?
That also describes most women I met from CL personals .
“You do not want to open that hockey bag”
Well well well. It seems Nancy has been gumming up the works so Congress was unable to revoke the OSHA mandates as per Federal Law.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/congressional-action-shows-osha-vaccine-mandate-is-a-bald-faced-power-grab/ar-AASCq5v?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531
I am not sure who will be sent off to the camps for leaking this tp the press.
The more I think about this, the more I will laugh at Nancy if the Nazgul negate the OSHA business mandate and rule that Chevron was overbroad, and Congress actually has to actually legislate. (I know, but a man can dream.)
If it does go the authoritarian way, I hope that Thomas has the balls to write a one sentence dissent: “Rulings like this breed civil wars.”
That said, given all the grandstanding from the lefty justices, I expect a 6-3, possibly with some “eff you” change to jurisprudence to make clear this should never happen again.
YouTube is giving me a bunch of Portishead videos right now and I’m disturbed by how the singer resembles Jen Psaki.
I hate myself, but wood.
Also, Wasserman-Schulz (have you seen her ass?)
You may need an intervention.
I don’t even have to look to know you’re correct. That never registered before.
I’m not going to let that ruin it for me – I love Portishead.
‘Tis only the haircut. Beth Gibbons is blonde and unfreckled.
My best friend was obsessed with them a couple decades ago but for the life of me I can’t remember a damn thing of theirs. I don’t think it registered despite multiple hearings.
Nobody LOOOOVES me, it’s true–?
mayyyy
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2u6lo3
That trip-hop sound was just what I was looking for when it came out.
Tho Tracey Thorn is my downtempo chanteuse of choice
https://youtu.be/Epgo8ixX6Wo
Oh, right.
Yeah, I hate “trip-hop”. That explains it.
De gustibus
?
Don’t know if this has been posted earlier.
https://notthebee.com/article/bee-prophesy-fulfilled-canadas-minister-of-jobs-actually-tweeted-this-
The responses are hilarious. Icing on the cake is his wife logging on to say, “All I wanted to do was shovel.”
At the risk of drugs falling out my ass, the Bee abso-fucking-lutely savaged that Wise Retard Latina today. Multiple articles referencing her (and other justices’) idiocy. But mostly hers.
enact my links?
Oral Arguments Postponed As Justice Sotomayor Gets Gavel Stuck Up Her Nose Again
Nation’s Fate Now In The Hands Of 8 Dummies And Clarence Thomas
Legal Experts Ask Justice Sotomayor To Recuse Herself From Case Due To Her Being An Idiot
9 Key Moments In Today’s SCOTUS Vaccine Mandate Hearing
Danke.
Er, vielen dank.
Judge Nap describes her as a friend (who gets this wrong). ?♂️
Bitte.
Also; I have dumb friends. I’ll give the Nap a pass.
Uhhhh, why, at our age? loyalty? need references?
Love? Devotion? Loyalty?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119578 ?
(Not vetted, but Jason Alexander.)
Wikipedia reports that Lani Guinier (remember?) died recently.
I remember. I was going to post something about an actual no shit unrepentant racist is dead, but decided to look at puppy videos instead.
Tundra; if you are still awake, please text me.
If not, no big deal. Get in touch with me tomorrow.
Tomorrow
Text is there.
Go Dawgs, I guess (I have no dog in this fight)
suh’ fam
Im on (compulsory) vacation, but still in that 3rd shift mind-set. So Im doing laundry while Jugsy snores and farts in bed.
yo whats goody
Tall, uh, cocktails!
compulsory?
the “company” gets pissy if you carry vacay over from the year prior. It doesnt accrue.
So here I am.
Slightly drunk and ready to pass out and face another day.
I do the same, just around 15.00h
Now Im faced with “how old is this chicken, and can I use it for chicken soup if I leave it in the pressure cooker long enough?”
And, I dont have any carrots.
If the chicken doesn’t stink, you’re good. Pressure and heat will kill most things.
Lack of carrots will hurt a bit, flavor wise
At 15 psi(g), everything should be heated to around 250ºF from what I remember from my B&W Steam book. So you’re right- anything this side of cryptosporidia should be dead.
Even CoVID.
Duff Gardens, hurrah!
Relevant?
Or this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cETeBova_iA
So….you did see me when I was sick, trying to get down a beer (for the fluids & carbs).
(Bart hangs from upside cart on roller coaster)
Selma: Surly, can’t you do something
Surly: Hey, Surly don’t do nothing unless it helps Surly.
Selma: Mmm. Sorry, Surly.
Surly: Shut up.
Georgia are the national champs of college football. Big fucking deal! They will never be First!
You have something in common with them, it seems.
NCAA is more crooked than my dog’s back leg. They always want, and get, SEC teams for the playoff.
They can suck my ass.
Yawn, they’ve fundamentally ruined the college football postseason.
That happened twenty years ago when BCS was introduced.
I wonder if Mojo is still awake:
Decaf Coffee Condemned As Heresy
“Pumpkin spice was also almost condemned, but that motion was narrowly defeated by the summit’s female attendees.”
I LOL’d. It’s funny ’cause it’s true.
Based on my polling (n=1), Jugsy is an absolute whore for Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice creamer.
Pumpkin ain’t got nothin to do with it. You sure they aren’t just in it for the nutmeg? It’s probably not real cinnamon, ya know. And what of poor step-sibling cardamom?
Maybe she’s just a whore anyhow. I mean, I got her off Craigslist 8 years ago, and she wont leave.
Uh, true story? forums?
There was a time in my life (ironically about 8 years ago) that wasnt really “dark” but more a twilight. Like Samuel Taylor Coleridge, I like to think I wrote some of my best prose under the influence (Miss Mojeaux has many of the original texts).
I liked to troll Craigslist with some of my expository writing. Honestly, it got me laid a lot.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/small-fries-japan-mcdonalds-flooding-1.6293768
“They took out spuds!”
*”They took our spuds!”
https://www.thewrap.com/audie-cornish-joins-cnn-amid-exodus-of-nonwhite-hosts-from-npr/
This may come as surprise to Ms Cornish and the rest of the everything is about skin color, but I had no idea that she was a PoC. Maybe I needed a new woke radio to tell me those sort of things.
Radio Shack sells those. Nick Cannon is the spokesperson. Or was.
ORLY? The left seems to think you all have the same thoughts.
Uh… never mind.
Yeah, I always assumed she was a rich white girl. Lol.
A 76 year old with no underlying conditions?…. right…
Tres Sr, a rabid vaxxer, was always on my ass about avoiding the jab. He even took it to the level of “Jesus Christ, Tres- youre a selfish asshole. These are the things you do to protect those around you! Im 82. Are you going to be laying in the bed I need when Im having a stroke?”
Oh, how I love irony. While I was here at Chez Tres sick as a dog with Gook Gripe, HE was in a bed (CoVID (-)) with bronchitis that put him on oxygen. The old bastard smokes 1-2 packs a day.
“Dad? I was laying on my couch with 103º fever for 3 days. You were in the bed that maybe I needed, since you wont put the smokes down. Selfish prick*.”
*SLD- I adore Tres Sr. But he eats up anything Fauci, CNN, or the MSM feed him
My parents just got boosted. ?
But they respect our #pureblood stance. Up to the point where we’re going to visit them this weekend.
Gf’s mom has so far evaded the clotshot, but she’s in rehab for falling. They may ninja in some poison.
YT just terminated the account that was streaming sumo live.
*shakes fist at sky*
I wish those dumbasses in small fry land would realize that there’s a market among the intestinal length challenged set.
Salted caramel is for deluded fools who would gladly suck start a shotgun if they thought it was the latest hipster flavor. Bring back butterscotch.
*continues shaking fist*
Thanks reddit.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/sperm-was-removed-from-harambe-the-gorilla-after-he-died-so-that-he-could-become-a-father-a3260541.html
The first dick out was his own.
God, I just want to sleep.
*clicks through channels*
Well I’ll be damned, the female anchor on ABC World News Now used to anchor the local news and was a chick I used to see at house parties when I was a kid. She was the rich hot girl we’d sigh over then go back to our drugs. Good for her.
https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/lehighvalley/dr-oz-films-campaign-commercial-at-diner-in-south-whitehall-twp/article_3b163a1c-7257-11ec-bcbe-a3b2af164534.html
Go away, fuckstick.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/10/business/arbys-diablo-dare-launch/index.html
Needs Sean’s special pepper blend.
https://www.nj.com/news/2022/01/multiple-wall-high-school-students-charged-with-hazing-sex-crimes-in-locker-room-prosecutor-says.html
Not ok.
Yikes, anytime a broomstick’s involved it’s over the line.
Gaaaaaaaay
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/high-levels-of-abnormal-sperm-found-in-socal-mountain-lions-inbreeding-indicator-that-shows-extinction-threat/
Good Morning All:
I have to go into office today, so i will probably miss all of the fun discussions.
bur, i saw this on red state. Cant tell if smoking gun, or epic troll.
https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2022/01/11/new-us-military-report-states-covid-19-was-created-by-a-us-funded-ecohealth-alliance-program-at-wuhan-institute-of-virology-n504679
Yeah the tweet i linked also calls out specifically ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as effective treatments…..
They just claim its fake and it all goes away, just like Hunters laptop.
Probably, if they can make leaked video of a president’s kid and business associate banging ladies of the night and smoking crack disappear they can make anything disappear. Their real power lies in what they don’t cover.
So apparently Project Veritas made another drop re: Fauci and DARPA before their account got banned. I’ll look for the vid on YouTube later.
https://twitter.com/LibertyLockPod/status/1480855101153677314?t=uxhRZVP5nxuCh6gnWp5uGg&s=19
[Unrelated] ACLU tweeted that they filed an amicus brief in support of the NYT publishing Veritas privileged [stolen] lawyer-client communications- because “freedom of the press”.
If that really is the case it’s huge but remember, even though PV does good work they do tend to overpromise and underdeliver. That’s suspicious though because it’s too on the nose.
Well then, I think we should steal all of the ACLU’s privileged comma and publish them.
Someone at our local cable company apparently hates college football. Our cable and internet went out late in the GA/AL game. (We weren’t watching, but I was occasionally checking the score.) Same thing happened during the Rose Bowl that we WERE watching.
I thought for sure it would be back up by now. It isn’t. ?
Morning.
Good morning, U! And… all the rest of you!
Typing on my phone is… a challenge this early in the morning.
Scary. Was listening to some Congressional testimony of a nominee to federal district court judge(to fall asleep, actually I woke up to it, after falling asleep). One of the senators asked her to define ‘rational basis’ as it relates to conditional review, which I learned about in highschool, and she couldn’t do it.
This NPR a few weeks ago was talking about how Biden was appointing 75% female and 50+% minority judges. I was a little surprised there would be so many qualified at that level, but didn’t think much more of it, until happening across this lady’s testimony.
This is the problem of taking people’s inherent attributes into consideration before their competency. It’d be a nightmare to be in her courtroom if she can’t even explain basic law terms.I’m sure politics comes into it as well, obviously. But that’s really appalling. Obviously she passed nomination and is now a judge at the second highest court in the country.
Deborah boardman https://youtu.be/gOLoF3VpVPM
48:30 in the above.
Good lord, one 10 second ad followed by a three and a half minute ad. No wonder YouTube’s not as watched as it used to be. I’m just going to assume that opposing her would be racist or sexist or both.
Just sexist, at least, she looks white to me, but you never know these days.
I’ve not seen an ad on youtube for years.
/adblockers for life
That’s normally what I do too but it broke through somehow.
https://mynorthwest.com/3296653/rantz-washington-laws-permit-teen-gender-reassignment-surgery-parental-consent/
I did all kinds of stupid shit because of peer pressure back then, thank God this kind of stuff wasn’t around. I wonder if they can get tattoos, my guess would be no.
This is complete madness.
So when parents see an “Explanation of Benefits” they’ll wonder who took the cat to the vet to get “fixed”?
Ha!
“ SCOTUS Transcript Revised to Fix Gorsuch Quote. Liberals Most Hurt.”
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2022/01/10/scotus-transcript-revised-to-fix-gorsuch-quote-liberals-most-hurt-n1548314
It was hundreds, thousands not hundreds of thousands.
“This is a banana!” and also “Would you like some of my popcorn?” How stupid do they think we are? Never mind.
A billion here, a billion there, you know the drill. I wonder what kind of math/English education goes on in the class room today.
Hee hee! Dancing a drunken jig right now! Overnight shifts have ended at the big plant so I can resume what I refer to as “normal life”. Yaaaaay! More drinking and glibbing on the weekend!
Sure, if that’s what you want. Now you’ll understand the trauma the rest of us face as we go through the boring time periods that we call “life”.
Feck, just got partial confirmation from supervisor that we have officially lost all of our contracts. This is not good.
Ooof.
Sorry dude.
Yay Festus!
Read above.
Thanks, anyway Sean. You are my friend.