The RinkFor the not so ready for prime-time players, coaches, referees, and the people that have to live with them. Discuss experiences in local leagues, coaching tips, equipment, and training.
Hey guys, so as you know i've been looking for the Peter Bondra curve for some time. I got a company to take a picture of the curve and it looks nasty.
Apparently the dimensions are like this:
Mid
Deep Slightly Open (or Closed?)
5.5 Lie
Square
Long
That's not slightly open or closed, that's wide open.
Very similar to Lidstrom
It looks wide open from the picture but if you look closely the shaft is tilted to open the blade. I've heard from others it's closed and other's open. So i'm probably going to see slightly open.
Would be nice if they didn't tilt it like idiots. I want to see the curve not the inside of the blade.
EDIT: Look at the top of the blade. It's tilted left and you can see the reflection at the top.
Yeah haha. From what i've heard it is pretty close to Lidstrom as in length but has the curve of a Shanahan.
I'll post some pictures in game below and let me know what you think. Also going to ask the guys at How To Hockey since i'm pretty cool with them and they play overseas.
The curves players actually use are almost always nothing like the curves in the store.
That was his game used stick that I posted haha. Probably forgot to mention that. I rang up a Sports Collector place as they had one for $150 signed. I don't want to buy it since shipping is too much and it won't sell for above $300.
The reason why i'm wondering what the curve is because i'm going to use the two piece and do Eleven Hockey like you said. The blades look really durable plus I like the feel of a wood blade. Also like having some shafts and not some blades.
Trying to find this is a pain in the butt haha. I'm a hockey player first but I like to collect crap like this.
Thanks for your help and hopefully you can identify it more from the pictures or I could ask someone else if needed.
I added last image, other than the ones above, that shows the comparison between this curve and the Bondra one. If these are both the way they should be, the Bondra curve is straighter than the Lidstrom curve as the Lidstrom has a sharper turn. If it's tilted, God knows what it is like.
Got Eleven Hockey to sign off on the Bondra curve. Said it is do-able and they can definitley make it. I'm getting it with a 5.5 lie and the specs posted
I made a diagram that is easy to notice where the blade curves. I used a drawing of the curve from a site that specialized in hockey curves to show how the blade curves and it's actually mid. You can visualize it better by looking at the diagram I made haha.
They also suggested the blade be open but not as open as Lidstrom's, which works out as best as possible for the Bondra curve.
Really friendly guys, very helpful. I definitley recommend them and will post pics when I get it. Might try the Briere curve next time
Hopefully you had them make multiple blades for you. With my luck, after going through all the trouble of having a blade like this made, it would break the first time I used it.
Hopefully you had them make multiple blades for you. With my luck, after going through all the trouble of having a blade like this made, it would break the first time I used it.
Haha, the minimum is 3 so I just did that. Very pricey at that, though. The one time blade customization fee isn't fun, but hopefully it's a one time deal so if I order more I can just ship the one I didn't use back without having to pay the extra fee.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarick
How many did you get made? Definitely let us know how you like them, I'd be curious to try them out sometime.
Will do, they should be nice! I'm going to probably try the Reebok 16k shaft, I found it pretty cheap.
Probably my favorite curves (haven't used, but seen) are the Bondra and Briere. Briere is just.. mm..
Honestly I'd just spring for a Bondra stick if you want it on your wall and then find a pattern you like from retail sticks that helps your game.
Good advice. Not sure why you'd go way out of your way to get a custom curve for game purposes if you've never used it before, as it could easily end up not working for you. Unless you're a pro who can get custom curves made up whenever you want, it's normally best to find a retail curve that works for you, as it lets you use readily available sticks/blades.
Good advice. Not sure why you'd go way out of your way to get a custom curve for game purposes if you've never used it before, as it could easily end up not working for you. Unless you're a pro who can get custom curves made up whenever you want, it's normally best to find a retail curve that works for you, as it lets you use readily available sticks/blades.
Haha true but I was using a Stastny so it can't get much worse. Plus Bondra is my all time favorite, so I might just suck it up if I don't like it.
One of those things that if I don't try it, i'll never know. Completely unrevelant but i'm ordering some Pineapple Crush for my Dad for Christmas, freshly canned in Hawaii. I'd never get it if I didn't try, but it's $60 per 24 cans. Sounds like bull but live and let live!
Looks like a more open-faced Lidstrom to me... why not just try one of the wooden Lidstrom blades? And that first picture is definitely what I would consider a "wide open" curve... don't know how anyone could call it "slightly open". LOL.
Haha true but I was using a Stastny so it can't get much worse. Plus Bondra is my all time favorite, so I might just suck it up if I don't like it.
One of those things that if I don't try it, i'll never know. Completely unrevelant but i'm ordering some Pineapple Crush for my Dad for Christmas, freshly canned in Hawaii. I'd never get it if I didn't try, but it's $60 per 24 cans. Sounds like bull but live and let live!
Fair enough, if it's just for kicks and you're willing to eat the cost if you don't like the curve, then there's not much harm in giving it a shot. It'll kind of suck if you DO love the curve though, then you'll have to stick with custom wood blades, or shell out for expensive custom OPS sticks. Either way you'll never be able to, say, pick up high end retail OPS stick when they go on clearance for great prices. I know I personally went on a long "quest for the perfect curve," trying out many pro stock and unconventional curves, but I eventually decided to just find the retail curve that worked best for me, and stuck with that.
As for the comparisons between the pro Bondra and retail Lidstrom, both are open curves with square toes, but otherwise I see some pretty major differences. The Lidstrom is a heel curve, while from the BradD's picture the Bondra appears to be a mid-toe curve. I agree that the curve shape looks reasonably similar to the old Easton Shanny, except a bit more open. I do agree with most of the responses in terms of the curve being quite open, looks similarly open to a Drury/Lidstrom (maybe even a touch more), I really don't think it's just the angle that the blade is being held at. The rocker looks absolutely huge/ridiculous though, way bigger than any retail curve (including the Shanny, which had a moderate rocker).
