The Silverback Chrome prior to skating with it for the first time earlier this week.

The newest stick I’ve had the opportunity to use for review is the Chrome composite stick from Silverback Hockey. Their mission is to provide the best quality hockey sticks for players of all ages and to have the best, strongest, goalie destroying goalie stick ever constructed. From the first couple of times using this stick, they are well on their way. Check out the initial impressions of the Chrome, where we lay out the specifications and features. Check back after a few weeks of first hand, in-game use for a more in-depth review.

Stick: Silverback Chrome

Weight: 428 grams

Curve Specs: Columbus Curve/5.5 Lie/Mid Curve Depth/1/2″ Curve Depth/Neutral Face Angle/Round Toe

Similar To: Easton Iginla/Bauer Lindros/TPS Messier/Warrior Draper

Shaft Style: Matte finish with Grip

Flex: 90 (Also available in 80 and 105 Flex)

Price: $150 at Silverback Hockey

Aesthetics:

The stick has a white base with blue and gray  writing along the middle of the shaft. The bottom half of the stick has blue and gray trim before turning to black at the blade. The middle of the shaft features the “Gorilla Skin” grip texture that is designed to provide the same consistent grip for your bottom hand. The gripped area of the stick is 25″ long and encompasses the entire “SILVERBACK” word mark as seen in the photo above. The finish is smooth just like the rest of the stick. Most companies have been going with dark colors and a matte finish. This stick uses uses a color combination not commonly seen which I like a lot. It speaks volume with the white/blue/gray color but it doesn’t have the visual noise seen here.

For those who have read our reviews in the past, it feels exactly like the BattleAxe BX7 stick we reviewed last year. I still play with the BX7 and outside the differences in name and curve it feels exactly the same.

Features:

Along with the Gorilla Grip, Silverback prides their stick on Gorilla Armor. Gorilla Armor features 100% Toray Industries Carbon construction throughout the stick, delivering some of the same technology seen in sticks made by major manufacturers.  The low-kick flex point provides the shooter with consistency in any shooting situation.

One feature I like is the Silverback wordmark is in white on the forehand side and blue on the backhand side. There is no mention of country origin on the stick. With the shaft, it is concave on all four walls for extra grip. I like the concave walls because while playing with the stick, it feels more stable and stronger while taking harder shots.

Balance:

This stick feels very balanced in my hands. The first time I used this stick I noticed how light it is. I know they make sticks lighter than 428g, but at 62″ this is the lightest stick I have ever played with. Handling the puck up and down the rink isn’t a problem. I was even able to cradle it while coming in and out of the corner without losing the puck. The low kick-point meant my slap shot went significantly lower (just under the crossbar versus sailing above the net from the point). This stick is ideal for both defensemen and forwards.

Ending Notes:

Overall, I’m looking forward to using this stick more and writing more reviews on it. It’s going to take another skate or two to become comfortable with the curve as it has a more neutral face than the BX7 I used prior to receiving this stick. I became more confident as I was able to fire a couple slap shots inside the crossbar during warm-ups of our weekly inline skate last week. Because of the length, I am not sure if I am going to cut 1.5 to 2 inches off the top like I did with my previous stick. I’ll make that determination after using it a few more times.

Check back in a few weeks when this stick has seen more in-game action. For more information on this or any of the gear Silverback has in their arsenal, check out their website.

If it weren't for the Ontario Reign of the ECHL, the Seattle Reign would be a nice play on words should an NHL Franchise play in Seattle.

With one NHL relocation out of the way, the next target that for potential movement is the Phoenix Coyotes. We already know this, considering the NHL owns the team. With no ownership group lining up to buy the team with plans to keep them in Phoenix, something has to be done to get them either a new city or a new ownership group.

There has been old news and rumors of them being moved to Quebec City (which won’t happen unless a new arena is 100% privately funded) or Kansas City (Why?)… the new hot rumor, at least according to a post on Pro Hockey Talk, is Seattle, Washington.

While Seattle has never had a NHL franchise, they could be appealing to an NHL franchise to take advantage of the northwestern United States and media markets of Seattle (13th largest in the country) and Portland, Oregon (22nd largest) in a similar fashion that Major League Soccer did with recent expansion teams Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers.

The NHL had the opportunity to play in Seattle, as they were awarded a franchise to begin in 1976-77. The deal was pulled as the potential owners were unable to secure a $180,000 deposit and a $6 million franchise fee by the deadline.

However, there are a couple of problems that could stand in their way before a puck drops in Seattle:

The Vancouver Canucks: While separated by three hours driving time and 141 miles, there could be some sort of interference between the Canucks with an attempt to move a team into their television and media market.

The Western Hockey League: This isn’t the only instance of major junior hockey in the same local area as an NHL franchise. The Seattle Thunderbirds and Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League could be affected by this move. Other teams in the umbrella of the CHL that share the same hockey market with an NHL franchise in the OHL are the Plymouth Whalers and Windsor Spitfires (Red Wings), Ottawa 67′s (Senators), and Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (Maple Leafs).

Teams in the WHL that are in the same situation are the Calgary Hitmen, Edmonton Oil Kings, and the Vancouver Giants. Coincidentally, the Hitmen and Oil Kings share the same arena as their NHL counterparts while the Giants skate out of the Canucks former home the Pacific Coliseum.

No Modern Arena: It’s going to be hard to convince the casual or diehard hockey fan that hockey will work in a city that couldn’t support a somewhat successful NBA franchise in the Seattle Supersonics. In 2006, the ownership group wanted the Washington state government to kick in money to improve and modernize Key Arena. The government balked at the move and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz sold the team to Oklahoma City businessman Clayton Bennett. Bennett tried to have a new arena built in the city in an attempt to keep the team in the city but after those attempts were unsuccessful, he moved the franchise to Oklahoma where they are now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder. After one playoff appearance in their last six seasons in Seattle, the Thunder played in the conference finals in their third season in Oklahoma last year. However, the city did hire a sports-facilities consultant at $19,500 per month in an attempt to determine the feasibility of having an NBA (or NHL) franchise in Seattle.

It will be interesting to see what happens this summer when the league will start shopping around a home for the Coyotes.

For as long as I can remember when Cherry makes his weekly appearances on Coaches Corner after the first intermission of the early game, his wardrobe is about as off the charts as his opinion on various topics related to hockey. It’s well known his love of Canadian players and his distaste for European players. When I was a kid, one of my favorite things about Cherry was his yearly Rock Em’ Sock Em’ Hockey videos that highlighted the best goals, saves, and hits of the previous season. You can find them on DVD if you haven’t already seen em.

His appearance at today’s NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa was no different than usual. If words speak a thousand  words. Check out the photo below.

Don Cherry (Left) and Ron MacLean have been together since 1987 on Coaches Corner.

Shanahan explained in a three minute video and in the video he hits on several points:

• While Ovechkin had Michalek lined up for an ideal body check, Ovechkin’s feet left the ice.
• It violates Rule 42 on Charging, when a player skates into or jumps into an opponent in any manner.
• While Ovechkin aimed for shoulder-shoulder contact, because he launched himself into Michalek, the point of contact now became Ovechkin driving his shoulder into the head area of Michalek.
• While Ovechkin wasn’t filed as a “Repeat Offender” under the rule, Shanahan did note that Ovechkin has been fined twice and suspended twice during his six-season NHL career.
• No penalty was called, and Michalek did not miss any playing time.

In my opinion, I believe the suspension was justified. This is something that has been on the books in the lower levels of hockey for several years. Under the USA Hockey Standard of Play and Rule Emphasis, the hit could have been penalized under Interference because Michalek was no longer in possession or control of the puck. If Ovechkin would have slowed down or even made a hard left turn to avoid playing the body and skated towards the puck, he would have saved himself some money as well as helping his team by appearing in the team’s next three games.

When it’s all said and done, his suspension without pay will cost Ovechkin $154,677.75. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. Wrapped around this weekend’s All-Star Game, Ovechkin will miss today’s home contest versus Boston and next week’s Florida swing when Washington will travel to Sunrise, Fla. and Tampa to play the Panthers and Lightning, respectively. He will become eligible to play Feb. 4 on the road in Montreal.

Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater

Five players from each team compete, four All-Star skaters and one rookie. The fastest skater will consist of five preliminary races, with the player posting the fastest time from each team meeting in one final match race. New addition this year: one skater from each team is positioned side-by-side on the start line. Both skaters race toward the same end zone, both turn outward, skate to the opposite end zone, turn back and skate past center ice to the finish line. Please NHL, spare us having to watch goalies in the fastest skater. It’s like watching a fat lineman run the 40-yard dash. It’s never a pretty sight.

Six team points are available — one each to the winner of the six individual races.

Allstate Insurance NHL Breakaway Challenge

This event has belonged Alex Ovechkin has made this event his own, winning the title in each of its first three years. Similar to the NBA Slam Dunk contest, three shooters (one rookie, two All-Stars) and one goaltender from each team will participate. Each skater will attempt three shots — with no limits. Shooters can start their attempt from anywhere with full access to the offensive zone, including behind the net. NHL penalty shot rules do not apply. Fans inside Scotiabank Place and those watching on television in Canada and the United States will be able to vote for their favorite player by texting the number that corresponds to the player of their choice to 81812. The shooter with the highest fan vote will score one point for his team.

It’ll be interesting to see what players come up with, considering what Vladimir Tarasenko did in the KHL shootout Friday night (video below).

Canadian Tire NHL Accuracy Shooting

Four players from each team (one rookie, three All-Stars) will participate, with four additional All-Stars from each team serving as passers. From 25 feet in front of the net, a shooter will take aim at four foam targets attached to the inner side of the goal posts, one target in each corner. The objective is to hit all targets in the fastest time. The player with the fastest time from each team will go head-to-head in the final round for the title of the NHL’s most accurate shooter. Five team points are available, one to the winner of each individual matchup. If you remember last year, Daniel Sedin went 4-4 in the span of time it takes a person to wash their hands.

Gatorade G Series NHL Skills Challenge Relay

Introduced to acclaim in 2011, this event will feature 16 players from each team (two rookies, 14 All-Stars) and showcase a host of skills that include the “one-timer,” passing, puck control, stickhandling and accuracy shooting. In the “one-timer” event, three shooters (with the assistance of one passer) must score three goals over an eight-inch barrier; in the passing event, one passer must complete a pass into each of six nets placed around the rink; in the puck control event, one skater will skate through a series of cones while keeping possession of the puck; in the stickhandling event, one skater will control the puck through a series of obstacles.

Rounding out the relay is the accuracy shooting event, where one player will take aim at four targets. Two groups from each team will go through the relay — one from each team in a pair of heats. Each skill must be completed before moving on to the next skill in this timed relay event worth a total of three points. The fastest team in each heat will earn one point and the team with the fastest combined time will earn one bonus point.

BlackBerry NHL Hardest Shot

Just like Ovechkin has owned the Breakway Challenge, Boston’s Zdeno Chara has owned the Hardest Shot. It’s sorta unfair that he’s the tallest player in the league at 6-9, meaning he can generate a lot of torque and flex on his stick leading to a harder, faster shot. Chara not only won his fourth consecutive NHL Hardest Shot competition in 2011, but his blast of 105.9 mph broke the all-time record of 105.4 he set in 2009. Four players from each team (one rookie, three All-Stars) will compete in five head-to-head matchups. One contestant from each team will square off in each round, valued at one point each. The highest recorded shot (by radar in mph) of two attempts will be scored. The player from each team with the hardest single shot will meet in a final match to determine the NHL’s hardest shooter. Five team points are available — one to the winner of each of the four preliminary matchups and one to the winner of the finale.

Tim Hortons NHL Elimination Shootout

The second-largest event in terms of participants from each side, the battle between Team Alfredsson and Team Chara will be decided in this competition, when 15 participants from each side (one rookie, 11 All-Stars, three goaltenders), compete in a time-honored game of “hockey survivor.” Shooters who score will move on to the next round in the shootout, with the All-Star goaltenders rotating after every third shooter. The event will continue until one player scores and the other(s) do not in a single round — last goal wins. Every goal scored will count as one point for the goal-scorer’s team.

Editor’s Note: NHL.com was used as a resource in this article.

Todd Bertuzzi has been on a tear after starting the season off slow. In the first 14 games of the season he had only three points. But he’s turned it on as of late with 20 points in his last 24 games. In tonight’s game he had a goal and two assists and one of the best goals you will see this season as he slid a backhand spin-o-rama past Ryan Miller for the fourth goal of the game. He was pulled seconds later when Darren Helm scored 13 seconds after Bertuzzi. Miller didn’t have a good stretch of hockey between the first and second periods as he allowed four goals in a goal of 6:21 between the first and second periods.

Hometown Love

There is a great crop of forwards in the game. As seen every year in the All-Star game, there will be a ton of goals scored and this will not disappoint. Leading the way are fan-vote leaders Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, and Daniel Alfredsson. All three are from the host Senators and they rallied a lot of the fan vote mostly because they are having one of their best seasons in a very long time behind first-year bench boss Paul MacLean. Also representing the Sens on the blue like is Erik Karlsson.

Making his return to Ottawa is Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks. Hossa was drafted by the Senators and spent the first seven years of his career there. He was the 12th overall selection in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and he still ranks sixth in all-time points and fifth in all-time points per game.

Leaders of the Pack

The usual statistical leaders are also playing, including goals leader Steven Stamkos. Those not far behind him are also playing and those include Phil Kessel and Marian Gaborik. Other notable statistical leaders include Daniel Sedin (assists), his twin Henrik (points), Jonathan Toews (face-off wins), and Jimmy Howard (goalie wins).

Original Six Representation

The top team in the East, the New York Rangers, have three players selected. In addition to Gaborik, defenseman Dan Girardi and goalie Henrik Lundqvist will participate in the game. Boston, who won the Stanley Cup last season, will send players at the same position as their Original Six partner in Tyler Seguin, Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas. Segin also leads the league in +/- at +33.

In addition to already-mentioned Hossa, Towes and Howard, the Original Six was well represented with Patrick Kane, Pavel Datsyuk, Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, and Carey Price.

I Call Captain

I have four projections as who could be captain. It’s simply a educated guess but I could see Spezza getting hometown love. And to keep them on separate teams for the second-time ever, I wouldn’t be surprised if one or both of the Sedin twins are named captains. If there were any other Canadians who could get selected, look for Toews.

Not Even Picked 

The first two big snubs were legends who are in what could be their final seasons are players. Last year’s captain Nicklas Lidstrom is currently 14th in points and sixth in +\- among blue liners. You’d think it would be enough to get him in, but reports say he turned down the invitation to Ottawa so he can use the extra weekend of rest with his family. On the other hand, Teemu Selanne has 41 points on the season and leads the Ducks in assists and points. He could have been the victim of being on the second-worse team in the league.

Other snubs of note include Pekka Rinne and Craig Anderson. Both have 22 wins in goal, and as of Thursday night when the teams were selected joined Howard (25 wins) as the only goals with more than 20 wins.

Behind the Benches

The bench bosses for this game will be Boston’s Claude Julien and the duo of  John Tortorella of New York Rangers and San Jose’s Todd McLellan. The coaching spots are determined this year by the Stanley Cup winning coach and the top team that has the greatest points percentage in each conference. Julien will be joined by his usual assistants and team assignments are unknown, however it was determined by a coin flip last year.

The one bright spot the Ducks have had this season was last night’s shorthanded goal by Ryan. At New York, he was able to use his stick handling ability to skate around the defense and use a beautiful sweeping move from his backhand side to his forehand to score for the Ducks. It was the teams first shorthanded goal of the season, leaving Calgary and Detroit as the only teams not to score while shorthanded.

After spending many hours in hockey rinks across southeastern Michigan officiating games, I have  put the skates through enough of a test to evaluate the first few months of skating in them. I also had the opportunity to skate in them as a player for the past couple weeks as I took a couple weeks away from playing goalie in our weekly Hockey World Blog skate. Featured below are the specs as well as an evaluation in my opinion in a few different categories.

Specs:

Size: 10.5

Width: D

Baked: Yes

Price: Currently on sale for $349.99 at Pure Hockey*

Aesthetics and Durability:

As someone that skates normally 2-3 days per week, they have held up very well for as high up the Easton product line they are. They still look fairly new and clean. Starting at the blade, there has not been any rusting of the ELITE stainless steel blade. I’ve kept it pretty dry and clean with a towel after skating as well as keeping it in a soaker-style skate guard. Moving up to the blade holder, the Razor Bladz II holder has impressed me. As someone who has used Tuuk holders most of my life, I was weary of using something different but as far as I have seen, I have not noticed anything different between the two. They are in very good shape with exception of a few puck marks that comes with normal use.

Moving onto the boot, it is one of my favorite things about the skate itself. The outside is still solid and has absorbed normal wear and tear without much breakdown. There is a small chips of the solid plastic around the toe but it is not noticeable unless you have the skate in your hand. The boot has done a good job of taking on water from snow and ice without entering the skate or breaking down the material.

In the first review, I raved about how I love the thick felt inside liner at the tongue. There’s a decent amount of black lint coming from my hockey socks or Shin-Tights attached to the felt, but nothing to lose any sleep over. Comes with the territory of the skates. The tongue didn’t take long to break in. Leaning over to take more aggressive power strides made the tongue stiff the first few times I skated in them, but over time it has broken in quite well. If you have your skate/socks setup as “tongues out”, you wouldn’t have  a problem quickly breaking them in. The anti-lace bite material in the tongue is a solid innovation in the skate. I’m able to tie my skates tighter without the repercussions of lace bite.

The stock laces have shown zero signs of breaking down at the tip. They are just as fresh and new as the day I bought them. Same goes for the eyelets on the skate.

Performance:

They are some of the most comfortable skates I have ever worn. Because I had them baked before skating in them, it allowed me to quickly speed up break-in time as it closely molded to my feet.

The replaceable runners is a feature I have never seen in a skate. When it comes to skating on ice, I have been able to go longer between sharpenings with  regular maintenance and care. In addition, using handheld stones have given me an increased edge. That’s allowed me to dig into harder ice surfaces without feeling like I don’t have an edge.

One runner design feature I don’t like is that it leaves two small openings mid-blade between the actual runner and the blade. The result is a loud chattering sound when striding or stopping. Somewhat nontraditional by design, but some players may prefer this. In addition, I’ve had to use a different cloth towel to dry my blades off because of constant snagging between the small hole and the towel.

Another suggestion I have read was to remove the insole to allow the insole to dry quicker. That has helped maintain the dryness of the insole as well as the shape.

The Dry Flow feature at the bottom was a great innovation in this skate. It has allowed my feet to avoid getting sweaty by removing the built up heat while allowing cool air from the ice into it through a small vent.

Closing Notes:

This is a good skate for the price. This is perfect for those who want something a top skate without the top skate price point. At $349.99, it is a large price point between this and the top skate in the Easton Synergy line, the EQ50 at $529.99. Going further down, the EQ 30 is $199.99. While a large gap in price between the three, the features and style of the EQ40 is closer to the EQ50 than the EQ30.

Check back later this season for another review of the Easton Synergy EQ40 skate. If you have any questions, feel free to drop us a question on Facebook or Twitter.

*Use coupon code HOCKEYWORLD at checkout and save 10% on select products at Pure Hockey.

Entering the game was the questionable goal by Flyers bench boss Peter Laviolette to start Sergei Bobrovsky instead of Ilya Bryzgalov. While both players are solid in their own right, it was Bryzgalov who played the most entering the contest.

The players and teams did not disappoint the 46,967 who attended the game. Most of the crowd was pro-Philadelphia and they were loud and rowdy near the midway point of the game when the first goal of the game was scored by Brayden Schenn when he found the back of the net off a rebound from Matt Carle. Schenn’s first career NHL goal came at 12:26 of the middle period. The Flyers soon took a multi-goal advantage 1:55 later when Claude Giroux scored his 18th goal of the reason. He tied Henrik Sedin for the NHL lead with the lamplighter and was assisted by Scott Hartnell and Max Talbot.

The lead didn’t last long as the Rangers were able to storm back with wrist shot goals from Mike Rupp. Rupp wishes every game was played outdoors as he scored twice in the annual NHL showcase and one time this season coming into the game. The first goal Rupp scored came when he took a pass from Brandon Prust near the player benches, skated into the zone fired a shot from between the circles that beat Bobrovsky with 5:09 to play in the period.

Rupp was gutsy to celebrate with a salute after the goal- something opponent Jaromir Jagr has done throughout his career as well as this season. Jagr didn’t see much ice time in the Winter Classic for unexplained reasons. In the first two periods he played two shifts for a total of 68 seconds.

The second goal occurred when Rupp took a wrist shot near the goal line and was able to sneak it between the hip of Bobrovsky and the goal post. The goal that tied the game came at 2:41 of the third period.

The goal that turned out to be the game winner was scored by Brad Richards at 5:21 of the third period. Happened to be at the right place at the right time, Bobrovsky made the mistake of directing a Brandon Dubinsky rebound into the slot as a streaking Richards was approaching the net. Also assisting on the goal was Ryan Callahan.

The biggest save of the match came in the final minute when Henrik Lundqvist turned away a Danny Briere penalty shot with 19 seconds left. The penalty shot came when a Rangers player appeared to cover the puck inside the goal crease with his hand. The save by Lundqvist was his 33rd of the game. Bobrovsky made 30 saves in the losing effort.

The win by the Rangers gives the away team a 4-1 record in the Winter Classic. Ironically, the only home team to win was the Boston Bruins in 2010. They defeated the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park.

Check out the finale of 24/7: Flyers- Rangers Wednesday night at 10:00 p.m. EST on HBO.