Hockey Equipment When I Was A Teen

When I was a teenager, I discovered my love for the sport of hockey. It's no surprise then that I soon gathered myself with the knowledge of all the hockey equipmentthat was out there. In my view, the hockey gear from around the time I was a teen, was in a transitional period. It seemed like it was getting out with the old and in with the new. At this point all the old hockey equipment companies started to get bought out by high profile shoe and sports companies. Bauer bought out Cooper. Then Nike bought out Bauer and made Nike Hockey a brand. Reebok then sought to buy out Bauer's old competitor in hockey gear, CCM. So today, the two top companies for the equipment used in hockey are Reebok and Nike. This is of course only my opinion but I've been playing the game since I was a 13.
In today's hockey the tech is a lot better for the player. Most kids starting out playing inline or roller hockey have it better than I did when I was their age. The best hockey skates now have awsome wheels and bearings that will make the player go fast, but even beginner skates have these too now. In the old days it seemed more like an advanced players skates. Sticks are now most popular in the solid one piece composite form. These can be very expensive, but they are lighter than ever.
In short, when I was a teen, I had fun with hockey, but I had to progress to where I am today. Most players want to rush right into the tech that Reebok and other companies have made for pro hockey players in the NHL. That's good, but they should learn the ins and outs of thesport first to fully utilize the gear that they have access to. I played roller hockey which was very tough and expensive to get into, but I steadily progressed up the ladder. Today's kids are starting off at a point that I had to advance to in terms of hockey equipment.