Starting the app
ShutoutDeals came to me as more than just a way to find deals on hockey and other sports equipment and bring those to everyone who was fighting the same struggle I was. Its an acknowledgement that while hockey (as well as many other sports) is a very specialized sport when it comes to its equipment not many people understand how to get what they truly need for themselves or especially their children who are young players and can highly benefit from the right equipment.
I’m a volunteer coach for my local association and have been involved with youth hockey for the last 8 years. I grew up playing the game and until my oldest got involved hadn’t had to buy much equipment for nearly two decades. I can still remember when Itech, Jofa, Cooper, Easton, and Louisville were still very relevant hockey equipment companies. What I found when I took my 7 year old into a hockey store was a very different reality.
The equipment looked similar but the names were different. The size ranges appeared appropriate but I had to relearn the difference between Youth, Junior, Intermediate and Senior sizing for some product types but not others. I remembered how much my last pair of skates had cost in 2003 but had no reference for todays prices.
As someone who grew up around the game, understood how something was supposed to fit and feel, I received an all new appreciation for the steepness of the learning curve after a short talk with some new hockey parents who had never had the opportunity to enjoy the game as youth but wanted very strongly to provide the right opportunity for their own children.
The parents I’m referencing knew they wanted to get their child new skates but didn’t know where to start looking. We have a hockey shop in our county but unless you have been involved with the sport you may not even know its there. The parent began asking what they should do about their child who was growing out of their first pair of skates that they had purchased used from a friend. I had began by naming off a handful of different websites and pointing them in the direction they should head downtown and then it occurred to me that while word of mouth is one of the best tools we can provide, the reach isn’t as far as it needs to be.
ShutoutDeals is that solution. We provide the information needed to know what questions to ask and what kind of equipment you might want to target to help you or your player be the best hockey player they can be. As someone who has used the app themselves to find great equipment deals I can tell you first hand how easy it is. You can search by specific type and you can also in many cases search by the specific size range. The prices are right there for you and you can even save the listing for a future date if you make sure to log in.
The mission will always remain to bring each person the best opportunity to find what they need for a price they can get no where else and have it fit, feel, and perform at the highest level.
