Not only does Bauer have a bunch of new player gear coming out this Spring, but they are also refreshing their goalie lineup as well. We recently caught up with Spencer Freer, Global Brand Manager for goaltender equipment at Bauer Hockey and asked him some questions about the new line. Check out what he had to say:
Hockey World Blog: Tell us a bit about the Reactor 9000 goal skate. What’s new and what can we expect?
Spencer Freer @ Bauer: The New 9000 goal skate is something we are extremely excited about as it is the second family in the goal category and having 2 top end composite skates is big for the goal category. We took a lot of feedback from the pros to set it apart from our competition. The 9000 features lightweight Curv composite quarter with build in structure ribs for stability. Also we noticed that we had a lot of request for a loop on the back of the skate once goalies saw Henrik Lundqvist using it on his bottom boot strap, so we have added this on the entire new Reactor line. We also added in Poron Xrd into the ankle pads for comfort and ease of break in.
HWB: How does the 9000 goal skate differ from the 7000 and 5000?
Bauer: The 9000 goal skate main difference from the 7000 and 5000 would be the full composite boot but the fits remain the same. We up spec’d the 7000 skate as a high end second price point as it is extremely comparable to the 6000 from last year which was our top end. The 7000 goes head on with our competitions top end skate in all areas (weight, technology, and fit).
HWB: How about compared to the Total One NXG goal skate?
Bauer: The main differences of the 9000 to the NXG are the fit of the skates. Both skates feature a curve composite quarter, with Poron Xrd, and the Vertexx 2.0 cowling. That being said, the fit of the 2 skates is significantly different, the NXG is an anaform fit along with asymmetrical shoulders for goal specific fit for in the butterfly and stance. The 9000 skate is a tapered fit with a vapor style ribbing and shoulders.
HWB: What should a player look for when deciding between the two? What style of play fits with each skate line?
Bauer: Goalies should look for proper fit of the ankles and the forefoot such as in player skates. Making sure that the ankles are in the right spot is extremely important as the goaltender is in crouched position more than any other player and ankle position allows for proper mobility in the net. Our skate line is designed for fit not as much style of play, that being said we have put a few attributes to compliment style. The Reactor skate is tapered fit so it allows for lots of quick movements. And the NXG has the asymmetrical shoulders to compliment butterfly and proper stance.
HWB: Tell us more about the new goal sticks. One is the Reactor Hybrid and the other is the Reactor 9000? What are the differences? What style of play are they for? How are these new sticks different from the Supreme line of sticks?
Bauer: We felt that we were missing out on a lot of demand for Bauer foam core and wood goal sticks as they are extremely popular in Pro, Junior, and NCAA so we have decided to bring back a full line of Reactor sticks. At the top of the line is the Reactor Hybrid which is a newer style of stick that features a full comp handle and our top end foam core paddle. The 9000 goal stick is a full foam core stick that features carbon reinforcements and also our reinforced shooter strip on the blade for playability and durability. The sticks aren’t designed for style of play more the preference of the goalie, the Reactor line is an older technology with foam so this appeals to more a traditional goalie. The Supreme line of sticks is a lot different from the reactor line as it is a full comp line up that figures innegra technology and Ergo paddle shape for puck playability.
After trying these skates on Wednesday night, I do have to say these are the insanely comfortable skates with no need to heat mold. The Poron on the ankles gives these the perfect fit out of the box. I appreciate them keeping standard runners on these skates. Being a bigger battlefly tendy, I had a lot of warping out of the narrower steel in the last pair I used. If you want great comfort with the benefits of a stiffer boot, look no further. These skates hit it out of the park like Subban on Stone’s wrist!