Toronto Maple Leafs v. Nashville Predators [9/12/2023]

One of the highlights this year was an early birthday gift from my brothers; a Toronto Maple Leafs game! This is a bit of a delayed post, but worth sharing here. They were host to the Nashville Predators.

Just right after one of the 2 goals just scored by Auston Matthews.

Three goals and one shutout later, the Maple Leafs earned their 14th W of the season. If you ever have the chance to watch live hockey in any league, I encourage you to do so. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Santa Cruz Skateboards x Steve Alba "Baby Stomper"

If I like the brand, the deck, the shap, and the price - I'll most likely buy it. Not only does the deck look amazing, but as long as I've been skating, Salba has been seen in almost every magazine I've read and video I've seen.

The Stomping Baby deck measures 10.09"x31.97" and built Cruise Missile II concave.

Powell Peralta x Tony Hawk

Over the years, I've collected and sadly sold vintage and retro Powell Peralta skateboards. This one, I feel, will be a keeper. Timing was key when I came across this ad online for a vintage Powell-Peralta Tony Hawk skateboard complete from 1983. The condition may not be in the most pristine, but you can see the previous owner enjoyed every minute on this.

Attached are a set of red Tracker Trucks and I have to say; these trucks are terrible! Perhaps it's the old age, possibly from sitting around for years, or the factory was loose on quality control. The axles were slipping when I was replacing the old rusted bearings and the baseplate is made of plastic. But nevertheless, they were Tony Hawk's original truck sponsor and kudos to the owner for keeping the complete under his umbrella of endorsements. I'll assume the rails are Rib Bones.

The wheels are a now coned Powell-Peralta 57mm G Bones. As I said earlier, the bearings were replaced with Independent Trucks Genuine Parts because there may be a day I will take it out for a spin. I may just replace the bolts as well over how rusted they are.

The overall dimensions of the deck are 10.4"x30.3" with a 15" wheelbase.

DC Shoes Co. x Manteca 4

Been on a DC Shoes habit this past year since Switch Skate and Snow has placed them on the clearance racks. Had to give the Manteca 4 reissues a try. They fit true to size and feature Super Suede. Although they have the aesthetic of the original Manteca from the early 2000s, they are slimmer and lighter.

The outsole is not as strong as the original model, expect better boardfeel, but weaker construction and harder impact on surfaces.

The skater I associate this shoe with is Ryan Gallant who wore it in most of his video parts and even designed his pro model based on the original Manteca shoe.

Birdhouse Skateboards x Willy Santos "Slasher"

I was so surprised to have seen this vintage Birdhouse Willy Santos skateboard deck being sold online. It was originally released back in 2007 with the Black 6 technology shortly before Birdhouse's fifth video; The Beginning. Willy Santos has been one of my favourite pro skaters and I'm always on the hunt for more of his items.

DC Shoe Co. The Clocker 2 x Bronze 56K

Timing is everything when it comes to a great deal. Switch Skate and Snow is currently having a major shoe sale and grabbed a pair of DC Shoes Clocker 2 x Bronze 56K. The box design itself is really impressive for a shoe collab and reminds of when pro model shoes had their own graphics for the company.

Originally released in 1997, DC Shoes teamed up with hardware/apparel company, Bronze 56K, to reintroduce The Clocker 2. Three colourways were brought into the lineup. Luckily, this colour [the best in my opinion] was still available in my size.

The upper is a combination of suede with a rubber toe, a heavily padded and ventilated tongue, oval laces with 3M reflection and lace ornament, and a cupsole outsole with the classic pill pattern traction. These are very stiff right out of the box and will need some time to break in.

DC Shoes: The Nocturnal Kalynx

Since everything old is new again, I was stoked to come across a pair of the DC Nocturnal x Kalynx at Switch. The backstory to this model was when Josh Kalis desgined his first pro model for DC Shoes back in 1998. He was sent him a sample with the upper he designed and a Lynx [a very popular team model] outsole. When the sample was posted on social media, the feedback was positive enough to release a limited run exclusively at Nocturnal in Pennsylvania and select indy skateboard shops.

The upper consists of mesh, suede, rubber and 3M reflective materials and a lace loop system. It also bares the Nocturnal shop logo on the side panel and the DC logo on the back.

The outsole is a translucent runner cupsole with DC's classic pill pattern. It really combines the best of both worlds for on both the technical and nostalgic side.

Zero Skateboards x Jamie Thomas "Living Dead"

Always been down for Zero Skateboards and the feeling's more satisfying when you can grab a new Jamie Thomas deck at secondhand prices.

Zero or die!