Reebok RBK 6K Stick Review (2011)

This is my first time using a Reebok hockey stick, or any Reebok equipment for that matter, and I am pleasantly surprised. First off, I’m not one to drop $200+ dollars every time a new stick hits the market, so I am always looking for the best value – price to quality ratio. The MSRP on the 6k is $99.99 (knock off 20% ‘cause I work in the pro-shop). Some other sticks in my shop with the same sticker price are the CCM U+10, the Bauer One60 and the Easton S7. After comparing the feel of all four sticks, the 6k won pretty much hands down. The closest competitor was the CCM, but I went with the RBK because it felt slightly lighter and the U+10 has a rounded shaft and I’m used to the more traditional square shaft. My last stick was the Bauer One80 ($119.99), which was great, but the One60 can’t hold a candle to it feel/performance wise. The S7 feels clunky and boring, however its replacement, the Stealth 65s feels much more promising – I’ll have to give that one a try.

Anyway, enough background, let’s talk performance. I went with the 85 flex, Hedman pattern, a nice mid-curve. The stick shoots well and feels pretty responsive on slap shots. I can feel the puck “pop” off the blade, and the shaft feels strong and reliable. No need to hesitate before leaning into your shots. I don’t have the greatest snap-shot technique, but I can feel the stick doing some of the work for me with its low kick point. The low kick sticks really do help with shot release quickness – try using a wooden stick to take a quick snapper when the puck is in your feet and you’ll see what I mean.

The backup twig I use between breaks is an old Warrior Johnson with a wooden blade so it took a minute for me to get used to how light the bottom half of the 6K is. It felt weird at first but an hour of ice time later I was fully accustomed to the lighter weight.

It seems that the weakest point on the 6K is its blade. After about three months (skating 2-3 times a week) my first 6K’s heel busted open after working a bantam goalie with a ton of shots. My younger brother (who skates most every day) busted his 6K in the same spot. He still had time to get a warranty replacement, but the blade on that one busted in a different way after only a weekend of games. It split down the middle, starting at the toe. The blade could be held together with tape, but it’s just not the same.

That doesn’t mean the 6K is a bad stick, it means if you get it be SURE you are using the proper lie and stick length for your height. When you shoot the blade needs to hit the ice evenly. If you use a lie that has your blade banging the ice heel first on every shot, it won’t hold up for long.

In the end, it’s not a question of whether the 6K is a good stick, but rather if it’s the right stick for you. If you’re a high level travel player who’s equipment takes a severe beating then I’d advise going with something of higher quality, but for the once a week rec player who won’t drop $200 but still wants a decent twig the 6K is the value you’ve been looking for. In my humble opinion, the RBK 6k is the best hundred dollar stick out right now.

Heavy Hit

{see my little disclaimer about this post in the comments}

The body of NHL player David Booth lay motionless, face pressed against the ice. Moments before the Florida Panthers star forward had skated the puck into the offensive zone and dished a drop pass to his teammate when the shoulder of Mike Richards, of the Philadelphia Flyers, came from the blindside and struck Booth square in the jaw, knocking him unconscious before he even hit the ice. Now he was leaving the rink on a stretcher.

Richards received a 5 minute major penalty for interference and a game misconduct for the hit, Booth missed the remaining 45 games in the season with a concussion. This incident was a major topic of discussion between NHL rule makers last summer, resulting in the NHL Player's Union approving a temporary rule change concerning hits to the head. Rule 48 states, “Illegal Check to the Head – A lateral or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact is not permitted.” Basically, it means a player can't come from behind or the side where the target cannot see (blindside) and check them in the head. Players can still make hard, blindside hits, but they must target the body of their opponent. Players are also still technically allowed to check an opponent in the head, but the hit must come from the front.

That rule change was the first of what will likely be a lot of action taken to circumvent a dangerous new trend in contact sports – devastating, concussion inducing hits. The NHL isn't the only sport losing players; concussions have spread through the NFL like an epidemic this season, sidelining over fifty players so far. The NFL has taken some action against the increasing violence by imposing hefty fines, and releasing a video for the players showing examples of what will be considered illegal hits. The league, however, has taken criticism as some claim the fines have not deterred the hits while others state that the sport is built on violence, and hard, violent hits are part of the game. In a Sports Illustrated Special Report on concussions, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking, speaking on these devastating hits said, “It's what makes the game so popular, people love the battle! People love the violence!”

As barbaric as that sounds, Brooking does have a point. On YouTube, there are dozens of hard hit videos that have well over one-hundred thousand views. The footage of David Booth getting his concussion has over 250,000 views. The numbers don't lie; people like to watch the violence, and the argument that the sports could lose viewership if the violence is reduced is a valid one. It's a familiar argument but fans, players and sport legislators all seem to be at a stalemate on the issue.

Dropping the Gloves

“I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.” As an employee at an ice rink and a hockey player myself, I can't tell you how many times I've heard that joke. It's no secret that a fair amount of fighting takes place in ice hockey at its professional levels. As a result, fighting is often the first thing that comes to mind when one mentions the sport. This has long been a topic of controversy and debate, yet the rules on fighting have remained fairly consistent throughout the sport's history. Sadly, violence has given the sport a bad rap and outsiders often view the sport as brutish and uncivilized. I argue in defense of fighting's place in the sport because it actually serves to discourage dirty play, resulting in fewer serious injuries; furthermore, hockey fights reflect an important code of ethics amongst its players.

First off, a common misconception is the belief that fighting is allowed in hockey. Fights are not allowed; in fact, fisticuffs is expressly outlawed in the rulebook. The difference is, rather than subject our offenders to the authority of police and file assault charges, they have to sit in a box for five minutes while their team suffers. Fighting in the beer league I play in will earn you an additional two game suspension.

The main response from hockey fighting's advocates to those who call for the elimination of fights from the sport is that without the possibility of having to fight as a deterrent, the number of “cheap shots” will rise, resulting in a rise in injuries. Basically, that means when a player is not allowed to fight the opposing player he has taken exception with he is more likely to take out his frustrations during the play – in the form of: elbows, slashes, cross-checks and hits from behind. To put it even more bluntly – when you run the risk of getting beat up by a player or his teammates, you tend to play a cleaner game.

Some say that fights as a deterrent for cheap shots is just using violence to prevent violence. While that makes sense in theory, it's really not that simple. Hockey is the fastest full-contact sport out there and in addition, the athletes are also carrying a potentially deadly weapon. They skate over 30 miles-per-hour on a rock-hard ice surface that is surrounded by unforgiving boards and tempered glass. Lets say an opponent doesn't like the way you just checked him and you know he's mad. Would you feel safer squaring up with him as a ready and willing participant in a fight, or continuing to play, knowing that the guy is gonna take you out next chance he gets. As a player, I can tell you there is greater chance for serious injury when you're checked from behind head-first into the boards than exchanging a few punches before falling to the ice and being separated by the referees.

At its professional levels, there are players known as enforcers. Enforcers are paid to protect the team's star players. Everyone has heard of Wayne Gretzky, but what about Dave Semenko? He was the Edmonton Oilers' enforcer, and Gretzky's bodyguard back in the 80s. Players knew that if they messed with “The Great One” there would be hell to pay. Semenko's play had a large role in creating the space for Gretzky to score all those goals.

While some critics claim that hockey and its players are more barbaric than other sports and their athletes, I argue that they are more honorable. Hockey players settle differences with their fist, on the ice – not with Twitter insults over the internet. Held in higher regard than the rulebook, hockey players play by “the code” – an unwritten, yet widely known set of conventions that govern violence in hockey. This code is hockey's own unique system of policing itself. The rules are mutually agreed upon by the players, and enforced by, well, the enforcers. To break the code is to lose respect in the eyes of your fellow athletes, a fate far worse than a two game suspension.

By now, anyone who is not intimately involved with hockey is surely confused. Even though books have been written on all the intricacies of hockey's code, I'll see if I can outline some of the more common conventions, as they pertain to fighting.

The most common, and recognizable, convention of hockey fighting is the removal of the protective gloves worn by players because the hard leather or plastic padding on the glove would increase the damage inflicted by the blow. Wait a minute, doesn't common sense tell us the best way to win a fight is to inflict the most damage possible? Sure, but would you want to get hit it the face with that same gauntlet? Of course not, I guess the driving moral behind the code is a rule we all already know – treat others the way you'd like to be treated.

While it may seem that hockey players would have bad blood with each other after a fight, more often than not that isn't the case. Hockey is a game of respect, and believe it or not enforcers have a great deal of respect for one another. A hockey fight between enforcers is like a duel between gentlemen. Even though the game is violent in nature, being a class-act is encouraged. You will rarely see a player hit another once he has fallen or is in a vulnerable position and you will never see a two-on-one fight. Watch video of any hockey fight, after the initial scrum the players always pair off. Both players know it is their job to keep one another out of the fight that's going on. Most of the time the uninvolved players will end up standing next to one another watching their teammates battle. Sometimes these couplings break out into their own fights, but nowadays it is rare to see multiple fights taking place at the same time in the NHL.

The rivalry between Krys Barch and Brad May is a perfect example of respect between enforcers. The two fought each other six times over three seasons, and developed a great deal of respect for one another, even a friendship. Thanks to hockeyfights.com, a blog that chronicles all fighting in professional leagues, you can watch all six fights. The respect they have for each other is made apparent on numerous occasions. In one bout, Barch points at a glove on the ice so the backwards skating May doesn't trip on it. May looks down at the glove, skates over to the right a bit, the two nod at one another, then engage. After over a minute of throwing punches, neither has fallen (generally deciding the “winner”) the two pull in close, and as the officials step in, they can been seen patting each other on the arm as if to say “good job.” The energy increase from both teams and the fans is unmistakable.

In a later fight between the two, the commentators point out a clip of May wearing a helmet with the optional protective visor attached, talking to Barch. When they fight later on in the game, May is wearing a helmet without the protective visor. Those visors can seriously hurt your opponent's hand and fighting with one on is generally looked down upon. One commentator says, “They knew. That's part of the code too, he came out with a different helmet, had the shield off, ready to fight.” and the other commentator says, “Barch likes him (May) so much he wanted to go in the Redwings penalty box with him!”

After retiring from his playing career, Brad May spent some time co-hosting “Hockey Night in Canada Radio,” and one night Krys Barch called into the show and the two joked with each other and retold their old fight stories. It was the first time the two have spoken off the ice and May said, “Ya know what Barchy? I swear to god, in nineteen years you're the most fun, and my most memorable fights are with you.”

So next time you see replays of a hockey fight on television, know that there is much more going on than the rock em' soc em' commentary coming from those talking heads who don't know the game. Those two athletes, those warriors, are putting it all on the line for their team, they are sticking up for their teammates, they are honoring tradition, but at the end of the day – they're just doing their job.

In professional hockey, the officials understand the workings of the code as well. To an outsider it may be hard to understand why sometimes the players are allowed to fight, and other times they are broken up. It's solely up to the head official's discretion. When the referee feels that a fight will help settle the game down he lets it go, otherwise they break it up. Once there is a fight, it tends to wipe the metaphorical retaliation slate clean. A player might be looking to take a shot at an opposing guy who is playing on the edge physically, but once a fight takes place the matter is settled. The offenders are penalized or thrown out, depending on the situation and the official's discretion – then game plays on.

To wrap things up, though the violence may seem abrasive to the uninitiated, I say that fighting is a necessary evil because it prevents more serious injury and keeps the game honest, while highlighting hockey's little spoken of code of ethics. While undeniably violent, the respect between athletes is refreshing – something our more mainstream sports could take cues from.

Article about Barch and May from hockey fights.com:

http://www.hockeyfights.com/quickhits/entry/barch-to-may-we-want-to-be-1

First video is the one where Barch points out the glove so May doesn't trip, the second is the fight where May switches to a helmet without a sheild, and the third is the last fight between the two.

the Hat Trick

The hat trick is one of hockey's most famous traditions, and in a sport that has been using the same trophy since 1892, tradition means a lot.

In hockey a hat trick is when a player scores three goals in one game, not an easy feat. I've only done it once or twice, though I'm not that good anyway. According to the Old English Dictionary, the term originated from the sport of cricket, but it is unclear exactly how the phrase “hat trick” became associated with hockey. Researching the origin of the hat trick yields several conflicting stories but seemingly the most creditable is the story involving the Montreal hat store, “Henri Henri.”

Back in the day, when there were only six teams in the NHL, the store's owner promised to give a free hat to any player who scored three goals in a game. Nowadays when a player scores three goals it is customary for fans to throw hats onto the ice. When it's a home game you can expect to see hundreds of hats, when it's a sold-out home game on free hat night – thousands.

The hats start raining down at 1:50

I've heard the players will usually autograph all the hats then donate them to be sold for charities.

Some teams take it further than hats. In Florida they used to throw rubber rats onto the ice, and fans of my favorite team, Detroit, like to throw dead octopuses onto the ice during the playoffs -- though they have to sneak them in. Weird right? That's hockey.

So what's this blog gonna be about?

I've toyed with the idea of maintaining a blog for some time now. Way before this class, so in a way I'm glad to have the incentive to keep up with one. My problem was always trying to find a driving topic to write about. I would always have these ideas that sounded like a good post but when writing them up it seemed out of context, not relevant to anything I had written in the past, or anything I would likely write in the future. As a result, the length of time between postings got longer and longer, then stopped altogether. Before this class, my last post was almost a year ago.
This time around I want to have a subject that is at least semi-consistent from post to post. When brainstorming for a topic that I could really get into writing about one thing kept coming to mind -- hockey. I know, kinda lame right? That's what I kept telling myself as I searched my head for deeper, more meaningful topics, but the more I thought about the role the sport has played in my life, the more I started liking the topic. Hockey has been about the only consistent thing in my life since I was 15 years old. I have been playing for going on seven years now, coaching on and off for about five. I actually did my senior project on the sport and coached a team of eight year olds to a second place finish. I've worked at the rink for years now, doing everything from cleaning bathrooms to driving the Zamboni.
Literally all my close friends either play hockey or work at the rink. I mean every single one. Fun fact: Three of the four girls that I have ever been in long term relationships with, I met at that rink. Plus, the fourth one works there too (I just met her before that) but we're cool. Wow, got a little more personal there than I expected, but I guess I'll leave it -- I keep it real.
My parents moved to Michigan three years ago when my dad got a job managing a rink up there. Almost a year ago now, I was sitting in my apartment when my mother called to tell me my father had a heart-attack at work and was in the hospital. He was walking on the ice while one of his employees drove the Zamboni. His heart stopped and he fell face first to the ice, hitting his head. He laid on the ice, technically dead, for around five minutes. The rink's defibrillator and the quick response of the EMT's saved his life, but he remained in a drug induced coma for almost two weeks. Later the doctors told us he had a 10% chance to live.
I didn't know what to think at the time, but having not seen my family much in the last two years, I didn't have too many memories to pull from. One of the last things I did with my dad was play in a father/son game in Michigan when I visited for Christmas the year before. Thanks to Facebook, here's a picture from the game. I'm #15, Dad is #4 and my younger brother Zack is in the orange and black. We were playing against my youngest brother and the rest of his travel team. We won like 12-9 or something, owned those little kids. There's my little brother on the left. He's the one on his knees getting worked by the dynamic father-son-son offensive power line. (and I'll be sure to show him this post.)

Anyway, it's fun to joke about now because that was a year ago, my Dad is fine now and they have even moved back to Wilmington. My Dad hasn't played since then, but we do have plans to play next week, though under dark circumstances. Almost two weeks ago a 47 year-old man named Rich had a heart attack during his hockey game and died on the ice. His story is enough to fill another post (which I will likely do) but the first time my father will play since his accident will be with his kids, at the memorial game next Saturday, held to raise money for the Rich's family. Sad as it is, it almost feels like things are going full-circle.

I don't really know exactly how I feel about that, but I do know that hockey and its culture is a major part of my life, and it will always provide some topic for me to babble on about.