True Pro Return Goalie Sticks

Well, they've got a ton of pro returns is if you follow their social media, and if you don't, I would highly advise you do because they also go over as much as we do here with our gear segment, New Gear, they highlight stuff that's coming in. And and I gotta say, it's been remarkable to watch the transformation of the industry. How much new equipment is coming in even in September, October. We've got a new launch from Brian's coming up soon. We've got a new stick sort of holiday season stick from Bauer coming in.

There's always new product coming in. This time of year added bonus pro returns. We get into it on true, but they've also got a a a great selection of CCM pro returns. You get a unique chance at times to try out different styles, different shaped shoulders, trigger grips are quite often part of the equation. And as we find out this week with the true pro returns, you might even be able to grab one that belongs to a future first ballot hall of famer.

Oh, There is a large variety of shoulder shapes on our laps right now, and some of the biggest names I see a three time Vezina trophy winner. Might have a heart trophy now. Kind of a dead giveaway there. One of the goats, like, he's he's flirting with he's flirting with that what do they call that with the, you know, the the four statues and the faces and the Goalie Mount Rushmore? Mount Rushmore.

Thank you, Cameron. It's been a long morning. There's a two time cup winner. Man, there's a lot of talent on my lap right now. It's true.

Oh, nicely done. Welcome back to The Hockey Shop Source for Sports where we have the Pro returns from True, including one that I'm sure InGoal Magazine readers are gonna recognize the very unique shoulder shape on the top of the paddle of one recently retired Marc Andre Fleury. And, of course, if you're an InGoal Magazine subscriber, ingoalmag.com, you've seen Fleury demonstrate on video to InGoal why he switched to this and how it helps him get his blocker sealed in a butterfly. That's the biggest reason. So you've got that video on ingoalmag.com.

We've got some unique ones here from

I do.

Kevin Lankinen.

Yes.

Connor Hellebuck. I talked about three time best trophy winner and a heart trophy. Yes. You see Saros and this one. This one will be popular because even though he never actually used true or that I'm aware of in a game, he switched from CCM to Bauer this season.

This is the Bobrovsky paddle shape that everyone wants, and that is Bobrovsky's name on the shaft. Cam, where'd you get all these great Pro returns from True? I'm guessing from True. Good question. Is why I'm the journalist, buddy.

This is why I'm the journalist. Hard hitting questions.

Did you get these from True? Yes. It's True. I got them from True.

Good job, Kev. So walk me through outside some of the unique, like, like, great chance to try some different shapes. We hear a lot about Bob

Yes.

And his. We hear a lot about people shaving theirs down to try and be like him. Don't shave anything down. Just get one of his sticks. So So there are

multiple lines that are crossed, like, in terms of for, like, versions of the stick. Mean, we have a nine x three. We have a As

it is nine x four.

It it is what you see what

you get because quite often at the pro level, they get skinned as the latest, but they have old style preferences.

There's there's some wacky things going on here, and I think So

you may not know what you're getting.

To a little bit of a degree, and I think the best highlight of that would actually be what I'm holding right here in Connor. Hello. Connor stick. I mean, a guy to Heard him. Use things that aren't necessarily what they look like right a 100% off the bat, sighting his pads in particular.

This would go for the stick as well. This feels like a sandwich of their old, like, hair trigger six point o sticks. Like, there's a lot going on in here. I mean, takes a little bit of a deeper dive and that might be something that you would you know, between him and his actual stick manufacturer itself. But that said, it's definitely different.

I I can't compare this to anything else that's on the wall as of currently right now.

So lots of different colors, lots of Oh different my goodness. Look at that. That's pretty clean. I like that. And

a little bit of that shorter shaft too as well. 24 inch paddle for those that are actually super, super curious. There are some various different paddle heights in here, and that is gonna be player to player dependent. There's not a lot of consistency here in that sense. In terms of overall feel wise, in general, again, as what they are listed as as a starting point, that can give you a bit of a generalization.

But being the inherent nature of Pro Returns, yes, there are gonna be some different materials and different feels than you would find off a standard stick off the wall in the comparable. Mine.

Now Pro returns. We've been down this path before, but let's remind our audience, you're saving money. It's cheaper than buying a nine x four Hzrdus off the rack new, but does not come with a warranty. That's correct. Just

like the NHL guys. You break it,

you bought it. Well, you've already bought it, and then you break it. But that's you need you know what? It doesn't matter. That's okay.

So if you have some more questions about them, you can give me a call. (604) 589-8299 or 1805677790. There or check them out at the hockeyshop.com. However, there are some various different curves here. We can try our best to kinda compare it to, you know, what else is stock on the wall.

There are some custom curves here for sure. So, yeah, you wanna chat more about it?

This this is one of the ones that are like, Cam will help you out to find one that you like. Man, if you had a chance to come in here, I could spend all day just going through the stick rack with the Pro returns they have. There is a there's some fun stuff in here.

He's already made a mess of the stick rack.

We gotta ask Kevin Lankinen about this unique. Kinda reminds me a little bit of, like, Philipp Grubauer has one of these that we've also got at ingoalmag.com about sort of the staggered inner paddle. So just some great stuff here and your chance to own the same stick the pros use at the Hockey Shop Source for Sports.

That's pretty good. You could almost be a collector. Like, somebody that's that's just, loves their hockey gear with, like, jerseys or pictures if you get a a Fleury stick.

I I mean and and especially that one. Right? Because, again, refer to ingoalmag.com. Like, we have video of Marc Andre Fleury explaining the unique shoulder shape that he adopted in the final year, year and a half of his career that's on that true pro return at The Hockey Shop Source for Sports and how he got the idea from Carey Price. And so another good video at InGoal Magazine.

If you watch that one and you're like, I think that would help me, you could go stock up on Marc-Andre Fleury pro return true sticks. Now, also, I'm with you, Daren. Like, if you think you're gonna see Marc Andre Fleury at any point, like, to have one of his twigs actual made for him twigs and get a little scribble on there, like, that's the kind of stuff that ends up on the wall in the office for sure. I mean, one of the all time greats.

I've been, working on my sticks with a saw.

Oh, really? Yeah. A little home repair.

Cutting down the shoulders, putting in trigger grips where I could. It's harder now with the sticks than it was with the foam core and even the way back when with some of the wood ones, but it's it's unique. It's fun. I'm not an expert yet, but I've become more adventurous with it.

Okay. So what are the what are the guys in the room think when they see us or any of the other goalies seeing your your in your inventions?

Oh, I I have a I have a buddy who who we we wrote the rec league, and he thinks he calls me Frankenstein.

Okay. See, think that's not a bad nickname to have. There's a lot of guys that wear that with pride in our industry.

Frankenstein sticks. And every time one breaks, he's like, that's because you're saw I'm like, it wasn't even where it broke. So But but I'm trying everything. I've tried the Bobrovsky, really, slanted shoulder.

They've got those at the Hockey Shop.

Oh, nice. Yes. And I've done a couple of trigger grips. So yeah.

Just so know, the word is steep, not slanted. Steep shoulders. Now I have a couple questions here. Having broken more sticks than I care to admit, even though I use my warm up stick. That's right, folks.

Carbon there is nothing worse than carbon fiber slivers.

Yes.

How how do you do you wear gloves when you handle these things or when you're using power tools? And and I ask this as someone who's not allowed to use power tools for fear of trips to the emergency room due to my own incompetence. Does it cut clean, or do you have to worry about the the slivers and then get some tape on there quick?

Oh, I I I have to worry about slivers, but I try and keep my hands clear, and then I'm taping it immediately. And if I don't cut all the way, I've got a pair of pliers there that I just snap it and then file it down.

Alright. We're gonna be doing, like, you're gonna be like Tim the tool mantel. I love it. Tool gonna time with Daren how to how to grind down your sticks.

It's one of my favorite things. I've sewn up my upper body gear so far this year. I patched my pants this year with

You heard the

patches and glues.

You are the Ryan Miller of the InGoal Radio Podcast.

I love it. I enjoy getting deep into it. Our equipment staff is amazing because I'll say, I need I need a needle, and they'll give me a needle and thread.

Oh, do you get the big, like, the big Yeah. The big, like it's like a c curve knee yeah. Like a hook needle, but it's like it's like I feel like it's it's not a half a centimeter thick, but it sure I remember the first time one of the equipment guys shared one of those with me to repair something, and I was like, this looks like something out of a horror movie. You sew things with this?

And you realize really quickly, it's great. I fixed my blocker because it was coming separated just from glowing paddle down. Sewed that up. It's not pretty, but it's fun.

It's Frankenstein, baby. Daren Frankenstein Millard. New nickname.

I I enjoy doing it. That's our Gear Segment this week. Let's get over to Vizual Edge ProReads. Talking to Dustin Wolf, but before we get to that, a message from Vizual Edge.