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The Martin PaddleFlex blocker leaves few people indifferent!
The Martin PaddleFlex blocker leaves few people indifferent. Since its very first public appearance at the Montreal World Hockey Trades Expo in Janyuary of 2000, and then in the 2000-2001 London Source for Sports catalogue and Buying Guide, it has generated a lot of attention and been the subject of quite a buzz on the Internet.
Much of it initially consisted of negative criticism and dire predictions about the blocker’s future, posted on the equipment forum of a large manufacturer’s bulletin board. Here is a sampling of those early postings:
- “…this is a gimmick, it won’t last…”
“This product is gonna flop… lol, man it makes me laugh. A blocker that bends, what a joke…”
“Hinged blocker? It sounds pretty stupid… the durability of it can’t be good…”
“…that hinged section looks like it would flop all around if you make quick hand movements…”
“…if you ask me, the product’s a bunch of crap… you couldn’t pay me to wear one…”
Ironically, that bulletin board is now defunct. It’s also interesting to note that those comments had all been made by goalies who had only seen a picture of the blocker or even only heard about it. None of them had ever held a PaddleFlex in their hands, let alone tried one in play.
Through a different bulletin board, that of The Goalie Store in Vancouver, I then offered to send out some sample blockers for goalies to try, so they could form a firsthand opinion based on actual experience rather than on apprehension or speculation. This resulted in quite a radical change of tone. Here are some excerpts of the typical favourable comments we get from goalies who have actually used the PaddleFlex.
This comment was posted November 17, 2000:
- “Got my Paddleflex tester today and at first let me say this thing is soooooo much nicer than Mr. Martin made it out to be… the balance is real nice and it really fits like a glove… the looks are real nice… all the names and logos are embroidered… I have to say it is one sharp looking piece of equipment but as we all know looks can be deceiving. I get to use it tonight so I will post on the performance soon.
Then, from the same goalie, posted that same night:
- “Just got done using it for the first time and what a piece of equipment!!… The added sweat pads on the inside of the palm and the back of the hand give the glove a tighter fit. The finger protection is great. I had a slap shot travel up the shaft of my stick and hit my fingers...hardly felt it… The board had very little vibration when taking a direct shot. When going paddle down it is amazing how natural it feels. Your stick is flat on the ice from the heel the whole way to the end of the paddle. I found myself making sevaral saves that would have gone in if I was using my Vaughn 4000. While down in a butterfly position at the top of the crease I was able to bring my stick down to the side and place it between my right pad and the goal post so that there was a wall with no gap between my stick and the ice… Shooting the puck was a breeze…”
Another goalie posted this on November 24, 2000:
- “…the blocker is a gorgeous piece of work: materials and construction seem first-rate… This thing lets me form a brick wall on blocker-side wraparounds: zero place for the puck to go…”
…and concluded by saying:
“…and I bet we’ll all be playing with something like it in five or ten years.”
And finally this, posted by another goalie on June 14, 2001:
- “This blocker is the best...Ive been using one for a while now and love it! Even without the flex it would be a topnotch blocker. Its superlight, and easy to shoot with. Cumfy too. The flex is just a BIG added bonus, and its not real obtrusive, I stopped noticing it, and just take it for granted after a few games”
Show us your PaddleFlex
If you have a PaddleFlex or have had a chance to use one, send us your impressions, along with a photo of you with your PaddleFlex, in action, if you can. We will post your entries as they come in and build up a PaddleFlex Gallery.
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