The Bench Boss got DKM rolling once again yesterday with a fun little clip from the movie Youngblood. Although I still can’t get over Keanu Reeves’ acting ability, I’m here today with an update regarding how a small-community business can impact hockey at its highest level of competition. Today, we look at Kingsville, Ontario – a community of about 20,000 – and home of the hottest new development on the ice, the Blackstone Flat Bottom V. The FBV takes skate-sharpening to a whole new level, revolutionizing the way the blade of the skate is cut down. The FBV began catching on at the NHL level last season, with teams like the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Columbus Blue Jackets using the machine. Word has spread amongst players and teams, and more locker rooms are expected to be equipped with these machines for the upcoming 2009/10 season. For those readers interested, click here for the link to Blackstone’s website. Below, here are a couple links to various articles regarding the FBV, as well as a video clip featuring the FBV on Global News.
The following link is earliest online article I could find on the FBV, posted back in February. Still a burgeoning technology, it shows how veteran forward Cory Stillman acted as the Panthers’ guinea pig for the FBV.
Link: http://www.thespec.com/Sports/article/515417
This article was recently published (July 23) in the Ottawa Citizen, and acts as a nice follow up to the early article, as it discusses the results of the testing (referred to in the first article). The article also includes comments from more players who use the technology, such as Maple Leafs’ winger Jason Blake and St. Louis forward Alex Steen.
Link: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/like%20being%20train%20rails/1818583/story.html
Finally, here’s an article published a few days ago (August 1) in the Windsor Star. Blackstone co-founder Steve Wilson discusses the results of the testing done at the University of Ottawa on the FBV.
Link: http://www.windsorstar.com/story_print.html?id=1851989&sponsor=true
As promised, here’s a brief video clip seen on Global News in Ontario:
