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Hockey players have long memories and definitely have a good enough memory to recall when Buffalo Sabres netminder Ryan Miller was plowed over by Boston Bruins Milan Lucic earlier in the year, sparking a media frenzy over the cowardliness of the Sabres. It seems the Sabres were doing good record wise before that point, but have fallen down to near bottom of the Eastern Conference. Perhaps all that media attention was too much.

Last night saw the Bruins at the Sabres. Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff was not behind the bench after breaking a rib earlier in the week to a freak accident in practice. Sabres fans were worried.

Have no fear for Ryan Miller and the Sabres stepped up their game, nearly unrecognizable to the Sabres of late, but more to the Sabres that were expected to play this year. The final score, 6-0 in favor of the Sabres. Miller was solid, Tyler Ennis, Ville Leino, Jason Pominville and Andrej Sekera all had two point nights, and Lucic of the Bruins had a target on him all night long.

The two teams went back to old-time hockey; three fights and four 10-minute game misconducts assessed. It’s good to know the Sabres still have some fight left in them and that playoff hockey is around the corner.

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Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks got the scoring started against the equally red-hot Nashville Predators. The two teams fought hard, taking the game to a shootout. Six rounds in found Alexander Edler of the Canucks netting the game winning goal.

As stated, the two teams have been red-hot as of late. Both can be attributed to their netminders. Pekka Rinne of the Predators, who had a 11 game winning streak was, beat by Roberto Luongo who made 37 saves of 40 shots.

Seen above, Ryan Kesler of the Cancucks screens Pekka Rinne. I could be mistaken, but it looks like Kesler received his new Bauer Nexus 1000 hockey stick. Must be that new stick that picked him up the first goal. Is he wearing the Bauer Nexus 1000 ice hockey skates too?

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You have to hand it to the Anaheim Ducks who, despite being bottom dwellers in the Western Conference, have strung together an impressive 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games.

The Ducks have been a unique story this year…. but then again a lot of teams have. Head Coach Randy Carlyle was fired, to be replaced by Bruce Boudreau who was fired by the Washington Capitals. One might of thought the move was a bad choice, but then again, we’re not running an NHL organization.

The Ducks are on a roll, going 9-2-1 in the month of January. That is 19 points of a possible 24. February is off to a slower start, 1-1-1, but with 12 more games this month and a possible 24 points to be won, the Anaheim Ducks are capable of closing their 10 point out of playoff contention.

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Losing back-to-back games over the weekend, the Philadelphia Flyers are in a temporary state of free-falling. This is largely do in part by the combination of struggling net-minders.

Seen here, Sergei Bobrovsky passes while being replaced by Ilya Bryzgalov after letting 6 goals in midway through the second period against the surging New Jersey Devils Saturday night. The loss was followed up by another one against the New York Rangers Sunday night. Together, the two goalies allowed 10 goals on 68 shots faced for a .853 save percentage.

Sure, the Flyers are still sitting comfortable within the Eastern Conference standings, currently in 4th place, but going 4-4-2 in their last 10 games needs to come to an end or other suitors will gladly knock them out of playoff contention.

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Quite a night for the Edmonton Oilers as they win 8 – 4 over the Chicago Blackhawks. The team is still a bottom dweller in the Western Conference, sadly, but they can celebrate a little bit.

Center Sam Gagne had a hand in everything last night with 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points. The feat has not been done since 1989 by Mario Lemieux against the Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs. Lemieux also had the last regular season 8 point night which was on December 31, 1988.

If you happen to think Lemiuex is a big name, Gagne now joins the ranks of Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey, Peter Statsny, Bryan Trottier and Rocket Richard in having scored 8 points in a night.

A little bit of luck, a lot of skill, and crazy stuff like this happens.

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You know things are rolling well when backup netminder Scott Clemmensen comes in and posts a win against division foe the Washington Capitals. Main goalie Jose Theodore is currently day-to-day with knee soreness.

Clemmensen is now 7-2-5 with a .915 save percentage and the Florida Panthers climb to 1st overall in the Southeast Division with 57 points. One of the weakest divisions within the league, still, the Panthers have surprised everyone with their winning record and ability to win clutch games. The Panthers have not qualified for the playoffs since the 1999-2000 season and hope to do so this year. Remember the rubber rats?

On a different note, anyone else reminded of Fruit Stripe gum when looking at Clemmensen’s pads?

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Lead goal scorer Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning added to his lead with an overtime winner against the Washington Capitals. Stamkos, who has 33 goals to date, is possibly the only one on pace for a 50 goal season. That is however overlooked as the team currently sits in 11th place and 8 points out of 8th in the Eastern Conference. Not quite sure if they are playoff bound this year with their goalie woes early on, but the team is currently riding a 5 game winning streak that could be extended when they play a struggling Winnepeg Jets tomorrow night.

Model: Bauer Supreme ONE70

Skill level: C/B league player

Modifications: None

Appearance and Design:

Bauer provides two models, the Vapor and Supreme line, both having different market points. The Supreme tends to run wider in the toe box while the Vapor is a bit narrower. Bauer also targets that the Supreme line is for more power strides while the Vapor tends to be for the more agile. Maybe a bit of a marketing ploy, still, both skates offer excellent performance. Summing it up, whichever fits your foot best is what you should go with, and for me, the little bit wider toe box Supreme line does the trick.

The Supreme ONE70′s have that patented black with yellow accents that is distinct of the Supreme lineup. Catchy to the eye, but still not as flashy as their Vapor counterpart. That is however the case until the new Bauer Supreme Total One NXG ice hockey skate comes out mid year, then the Supreme line might rival that of the Vapor.

Feel:

As noted previously, when it comes to skates, in my mind, it is all about feel. With that, you need to try on every skate you are thinking of purchasing and make sure that it is the right fit for you.

The Bauer Supreme ONE70 ice hockey skate feels really good on my foot. It was tough, as my previous skate truthfully did feel like wearing a sock. I will not go as far to say that the ONE70 have obtained that feeling, but they do feel well.

Breathing room in the toes at the widest part of my foot yet snug in the heel. As long as you get the sizing right, the skate should fit your foot and offer the support you need.

I have however noticed that at times the tongue of the skate can rub your ankles the wrong way. Oddly enough, this happens on my right skate and not on my left.  This leaves me with the belief that it’s just a unique case and most likely has something to do with my foot. Easy fix though, all you have to do is shift the tongue a little bit until it stops rubbing the wrong way and you are fine.

One big thing to note is I have chosen not to bake my skates. Perhaps a little more of a traditionalist, I’ve always just broken the skates in normally. I think this is a bad thing however, and after playing on them for some time and still have some stiffness throughout the boot that I would like to fit a little better, I think I am going to bake them a couple times throughout the week. I hope this will also allow the skate to form to the top of my foot a little better as I currently run into my foot going numb if I tie them too tight down low. Odd, but I sometimes feel that my skate is too loose at times depending on how tight I tie the laces, yet at the same time they perform just fine and I have no issues of support. I notice the feel really only when I am at the start of the game and on the bench and it could merely be a routine I have gotten into.

Note: If you choose to bake them on your own, always make sure to be careful on the eyelets and not rip them out.

Durability:

When looking for a new skate I narrowed my search to two models, the Bauer Supreme ONE70 and the Bauer Supreme ONE60. Both offered the same good fit, weight indistinguishable to my insensitive legs, but the exterior of the boot is what tipped my favor.

The ONE70 offers a more rugged boot in comparison, providing a more durable skate. A fellow friend that I skate with has the Supreme ONE60′s, and although he has had them for a longer period of time than I, considerable wear is showing in comparison to the ONE70. As the old saying goes, “you get what you pay for.”

All else of consideration when it comes to durability, the stiffness of the boot itself has held up strong, just like the first day I skated with it. This has allowed me the ability to use the skate to its potential, able to push off with a solid response, also the ability to take corners knowing my skate is not going to give out. When pushing off on a stride, it almost feels like doing a sit-up with someone holding down your ankles instead of on your own. Simply put, the support is there for any stride and any cut, allowing for a smooth transfer of motion without losing any energy.

Overall Impressions:

If you have not noticed already through the review, I love my skates. I’m a Bauer fan for gear and their skates are my main reason for such a love. The Bauer Supreme ONE70 ice hockey skate offers a top-of-the-line type boot but without the cost. No durability issues as of yet and I do not expect any for a few years. I would highly recommend anyone looking for skates to check out the Supreme line, if not the Vapor line depending on your foot structure. The new Supremes come out near April. It is always nice to get the newest gear because of the technology, but those looking to save a few bucks on last year’s model may want to pick up the Bauer Supreme ONE70 when the pricing goes down.

Thinking of buying a new skate? Be sure to visit Pure Hockey before you buy and use the coupon code HOCKEYWORLD at checkout to receive 10% off your purchase!

Trade rumors are starting to heat up with the trade deadline close approaching. The deadline, Monday, February 27 2012, will be an interesting one as in all years. Teams like the Carolina Hurricanes are nearly out of the playoff contention and are rumored to be looking to deal forward Tuomo Ruutu pictured above. The skilled winger has 14 goals and 21 assists 35 points in his 54 game splayed this season. A concern for teams may be that of his health, only finishing a full season in two of his eight years as a professional. It is rumored that the Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks are all interested.

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Keith Yandle of the Phoenix Coyotes checks Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins during the first period of the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Game. Chara with a big smile showed exactly what the NHL All-Star festivities is about; fun. From the heckling at the draft, neat shoot-out moves in the skills competition to the pick-up friendly All-Star game, the event was a success.