CCM 760 & 860 Leg Pad Review

Customer service is the name of our game, here at The Shop. We strive to make sure you purchase the right products from us, whether it’s your pad fit or your skate sharpening. With large growth as a company and membership with the Source for Sports buying group, we have a great opportunity to bring exclusive equipment to our customers. When cruising through our website, you will see these products referenced as Source Exclusive or The Hockey Shop Spec (THS Spec).

So, exclusive from CCM, we are fortunate to carry our THS Spec Extreme Flex 760 and 860 equipment!

CCM Extreme Flex 760 – THS Spec

The CCM Extreme Flex 760 line offers a product similar in design to the E-Flex Pro II, all while keeping the cost reasonable for any amateur goaltender.

The core of the 760 leg pads are constructed with a layering of high density and low density foams, that are laced together to keep their structure. CCM’s biggest change in this year’s Extreme Flex series came in the foam construction of the boot; by changing the layout of HD and LD foam, the boot is much softer which allows for better torsional flex and a stronger push when transitioning.

CCM does a great job of making the 760’s play out just like the Pro’s, by using the same specs. Similar to the E-Flex Pro II, the E-Flex 760 uses the same leg channel tight fit leg channel and strapping set-up. The leg channel allows the pad to sit close to the shin and give the best control to the goalie, while the strapping is four leather straps—most importantly two calf straps—that keep you locked in. The leg channel has an optional Velcro calf strap to keep the pad even tighter to the leg. However, to ensure the rotation of the pad, the exterior of the leg channel is nylon which is slick and causes little friction.

What differentiates this pad from any CCM ever built are its knee rolls. Flat knee rolls, that is. Rather than traditional round knee rolls, our THS Spec 760 leg pads use flattened knee rolls to provide a more predictable rebound, and making your post-save transition much easier.

CCM Extreme Flex 860 – THS Spec

The CCM Extreme Flex 860 line offers a product both similar in design and structure to the Extreme Flex Pro II, and provides many pro features seen on the Pro, but is sold at a lower price point for the up and coming goalie.

At first site, whether you see the two in photo or in person, it is hard to tell the difference between the E-Flex 860 and the E-Flex Pro II. Like all the CCM leg pads we carry, the 860 features the tight fit leg channel, which has two leather calf straps and an additional Velcro calf strap to tighten down the calf wrap at your desire. The exterior of the calf wrap is nylon to allow for smooth rotations into the butterfly. Conversely, the actual leg channel has CCM’s Suregrip nash material to offer a more cushioned feel on the goalie’s shin.

The strapping system for the pad, as mentioned, is two leather calf straps, as well as one knee strap and boot strap. This is all the strapping you need. The most important strap on this pad, according to Sonya Di Biase of CCM, is the top calf strap. The top calf strap controls the rotation of the pad going in to the butterfly, because it determines how the pad sits in relevance to the top of the goalie’s calf. Another cool strapping is the removable boot strap. To tackle the size of his now smaller pads, Carey Price removed his boot strap and tightens his bottom calf strap to pull his pads higher up on his legs. Another bonus to a no boot strap set up is the ease of ankle mobility, which makes skating easier.

A single break is very common with CCM and for good reason. In the opinion of our goal experts, the pad doesn’t need a double break (unless that is absolutely what you prefer) because of how soft it already is. Optimally, you want any of the E-Flex pads to “spring” back up to normal shape when getting up from the butterfly. This affect is nice to have because it ensures a tight seal on the ice, which isn’t common for softer leg pads.

To further the performance of the pad when in the butterfly, our THS Spec 860’s feature flattened knee rolls. Flattened knee rolls are a nice touch for this pad, because A) they still give the classic look of knee rolls, and B) play out like a flat-faced pad. Why is it beneficial for the 860 to play out like a flat-faced pad? Rebounds become more predictable because the puck will bounce off the flat surface on a perpendicular angle, rather than an unpredictable angle from a rounded surface.