We understand that life can be unfair, but the truth is we need your help. We still owe around $110K on the loan we took against our house to start the distributorship, as well as owning $80K (at our cost) worth of hockey equipment. The equipment is excellent but it could slowly become obsolete before it finally sells, so we're hoping you might consider picking up good equipment at great prices. Just click here to see the products, then contact us to confirm whether we still have inventory.

Then please forward this link to all your hockey playing friends! If enough people see this site, we should be able to quickly sell out the remaining equipment with just enough profit to help our family become whole again. You can also send the link to your team managers or hockey retailers, as we’re willing to discuss volume purchases.

During the past few weeks we've received emails repeating the same questions, so it will probably be easiest to answer them in one place.

Will Salming still be available in North America? We have our doubts. We know they are working on it, but when we last spoke to one who was involved, we were told that funding and reps could be an issue. We don't know what the result will be.

Would you work with Libro/Salming again? If that question had been asked immediately after we received the bad news, the answer would have been "Sure...." After finally beginning to turn a profit, we wanted to have the opportunity to really grow the business.

But after discussing this with others in the hockey industry, we began to learn that too many of the business practices of Libro/Salming or the proposed new distributor weren't as efficient or ethical as most would expect. So, regardless how good the product might be, we now realize we don't want to be associated with that.

Before you go, we’d like to call your attention to the following people or products we’ve come across while we’ve been in the hockey industry. We highly endorse the following:

• IceHockey World:  “IceHockey World” is without peer in the hockey world. Glitzy and glossy, the most common response is “Wow, this magazine is beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like it.” Paul Henderson, famous for scoring the winning goals in the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th games of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the USSR, saw the magazine and said, “I am currently holding the most beautiful hockey magazine I’ve ever seen.”

• Funk Free:  Funk Free breaks down odors caused by sweat in all athletic equipment and bags, including camping gear. We’ve never personally used competitive products, but we know numerous skate sharpeners who keep a bottle handy to spray nasty boots, so we know that Funk Free is among the best of the deodorizers.

• Oggie Grips:  Oggie Grips are extensions with built-in flex. The best testimonial occurred this year at the IHIA tradeshow in Boston . Al Iafrate was involved with the shooting arcade sponsored by Black Beauty sticks. When he saw the grips he was quite interested and ultimately asked for two grips to add to the sticks in the arcade. Before the end of the show, he visited the Oggie booth to let them know that shot speeds were up across the board for the sticks with the grips.

• ModSquadHockey:  ModSquadHockey is one of the Web’s most active, addictive hockey sites. Countless players, coaches and manufacturers visit the site to get feedback on equipment, the NHL, hockey in general and other topics. We are quite grateful to the members for spreading awareness of Salming’s products throughout America .

• Got Puck? Promotions:  Got Puck? were our first reps in the US . They helped build a thriving presence for us in New England , but they did something more important. Over the past year, Got Puck? almost single-handedly created the Hockey Expo New England. At this point, Got Puck? is as well connected in the New England hockey world as any firm -- with ex-Bruins and major manufacturers programmed into their cell phones.

• Chadd Sullivan:  Chadd Sullivan became a rep for us in the early part of 2006 and quickly booked a number of new clients before the plug was pulled. He's a former shop manager who knows the nuanced differences between different brands’ products as well anyone we’ve met.

• IAMG:  The Imonti Athlete Management Group handled our sales to elite teams – juniors, college or pros. They are quite connected in the competitive hockey world, so if you’d like help in furthering your hockey career, contact them.
• Puckmugger:  Scott Noble, AKA Puckmugger, is a former shop manager who became one of the web's most popular reviewer of equipment on Epinions. He then compiled his knowledge when he wrote a humerous and informative book: Hockey For Weekend Warriors.