GongShowHockey.com Contributing Writers
By: Sean Boychuk

With camps and a new season soon approaching its time to start thinking about getting your gear ready to go.  The first thing you’ll probably want to check out and the most important too is skates.  With so many new technologies in a very competitive market, skate manufactures are pumping out some unreal skates for this year.  I decided to check out my local sports store and try some out. Â

Lets start out with Bauer.  This year they’re back with the “Bauer Supreme 8080”.  A very traditional looking skate with some very high high-tech lightweight feel.  Also the Vapor XX series is going to be another huge hit this season.  Being the #1 skate in the show, the lightest skate, and its unreal looks makes it a #1 contender for sure.CCM is back with their “Vector Pro” model.  With CCM’s F-I-T System® it combines heat and pressure for a “gapless” fit.  It’s lightweight, easy to break in, and is pretty stylish also.  Nike has expanded their “Quest” line up this year, leading the Quest line is the “Quest V-12”.  Nike says it offers its “ultimate” technology with this skate, and fits like a slipper, but in my opinion was far from that.  Not to mention it’s damn ugly too.  The Easton “Z-Air Comp” leads their line up being a very lightweight skate.  With its uni-body construction (shaped together rather than in separate parts) it makes for a very durable skate.  Easton’s patent Dry Flow technology lets moisture and heat out during a game.  And again, this skate has got some killer looks.  Last but certainly not least is Graf.  Graf released a new series of skates this year, the G-Series.  This is their most high-performance series yet and some of the largest amount of time and money put in to the research and development for this series.  In ways it’s a lot similar to the 700 series but the G-series offers a new “Integrated Teclite” construction.  This new construction is a new design, which uses the same heat moldable Thermolam platform from the 700 series but brings with it the new Carboframe construction combining a carbon fiber insole, aramid counter and carbon fiber outsole.  I thought the 700 series fit good…these new G-series boots are unreal.  After trying all these skates out my pick goes to the new Graf’s.  Nothing comes close to the new G-series fit wise.  A close second is the new Easton Z-Air Comps, an unreal lightweight skate with tons of comfort too. And in Third comes the Vapor XX’s.  Wicked all around skate with a cool looking boot.  So head down to where you get your gear and check these out.  You gotta remember, even with all this cool new technology mambo jumbo that most of you don’t even understand, every skate fits different for different players.  It’s all about what you like and what fits you the best…not what the pros are wearing.  Till next time…

Boychuk