Rocket Skate

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Ten things you didn't know you should have in your hockey bag

Before you head off to another state or even out of town for that big game or tournament, you probably do certain things. Making sure your skates are sharp, that you have at least one backup stick and double checking that you've packed all of your gear before hitting the road is obvious. But the odds are you're forgetting to pack a little insurance. There are ten things you might not have thought about. Having everything on this list won't assure a victory for your team, but it could eliminate a lot of frustration and disappointment for you.

1. A spare set of skate blades
This one might be the least obvious and possibly the most important. There are a few reasons why sixty bucks to keep a spare set of runners in your bag is a great investment:

Rocket Skate stocks Step Steel, the #1 choice of NHL teams. We carry runners for Bauer, CCM and Graf. Titanium blades (pictured), goalie and Easton runners are also available by special order (approximately 5 day turn time).

First, it's no fun to be on the road, amped up for a big tournament just to break a runner in the first period of the tourney. It's even less fun if the two shops within an hour of the rink don't have proper size in stock. Years ago, I was working at another rink side shop when a kid broke his runner on the first day of a weekend tourney. We didn't stock replacements for his brand of skates there. Having flown in from California to skate they weren't too happy about being forced to decide whether to miss his games or break in a new pair of skates during a four game weekend.

Second, when you step on something and lose your edge, you don't want to end up at the mercy of the fifteen-year-old who sharpens skates two days a month. Blown edges in hockey are pretty common, often as the result of bumping another player's skate blade on the ice. However, a bad sharpening can be worse than a blown edge and there's no guarantee you're getting a good sharpening at enemy ice. Buy an extra pair of runners, keep both pair sharpened up by someone you trust. You can change the blades on most skates in about 10 minutes and you're good to go.

Third, Most skates outlast at least one set of blades. By having a spare, you can rotate between the two pair of blades. This way you don't have to worry about suddenly being taller on the ice when you do have to replace your blades. It's amazing how difficult adapting to 3/8-inch of height can be for many skaters.

2. Skate Hardware

Bauer, CCM and Graf Screws always in stock

A broken runner is a sad reason to miss a game. Something as small as a missing or broken screw is even sadder. Keeping a couple of the appropriate screws in a repair kit in your bag is an excellent idea. I'd recommend a little box with the tools you need to replace your runners as well as the hardware. At a few bucks, this investment is a no-brainer.

3. Helmet Repair Kit

We're fans of Sport Mate's
Helmet repair kit - $9.99

Loose screws don't only affect your skates, there's also your helmet to consider. My first helmet was literally one screw from completely falling into two pieces by the time I realized that there was an issue with it. At Rocket Skate, replacing helmet screws is second only to skate sharpening in the services that I provide. It's just one of the facts of hockey--helmet screws fall out.

Some helmet repair kits are better than others, but they typically have one or two of each part and some tools. A repair kit is something that everyone should have in their bag.

4. A helmet with current HECC CSA Stickers
These Stickers are imperative. If you're playing in Canada they won't let you on the ice unless your helmet has a current CSA sticker on it. Any USA Hockey sanctioned event will also require every player under the age of 21 to an HECC certification sticker. Many leagues outside of USA hockey also require one of these stickers for play in the US.The most important, and overlooked portion of this equation is that the stickers have dates on them. HECC stickers are most important for events played in the U.S. and have an expiration date on them. CSA stickers are most relevant for Canadian events and will have a date of manufacture on them.

You'll need to get a new helmet if your stickers are expired or missing.

Now call me crazy, but having a helmet that isn't certified seems like a dumb idea anyway. That's your brain in there. Check your helmet's expiration date and get a new bucket if you need to do so.

Howie's Laces are as good as they
come. That's why we sell them.

5. Spare Laces
Laces break, and usually seem to do so at the most inopportune times. the odds are good that the local shop has your size. Of course that doesn't mean that the local shop is conveniently located in the rink, or that you have your wallet handy when you snap one right before the game, or that you have time to stand in line re-lace your skates and get on the ice before warm-ups are over. Last time I broke one it was literally as I was thinking, "These are great laces. I cannot believe how long they've lasted." Had anyone else broken a lace just then they might have been out of luck. As it was, I happen to have the key to Rocket Skate, which is conveniently located rink side.

We've got a multitude of colors in Howie's
tape available. Only the best!

6. Tape
Tape is essential, this you know. You probably also know the guys on your team are tired of you borrowing their tape. Even if you don't care about being that guy, there are a lot of tape brands out there and the quality of the stuff varies frighteningly. Without dropping names of the offenders, the top couple brands commonly stocked at shops, are there because they can be sold at a higher profit margin, not because they are good quality. Grab a few extra rolls before you hit the road so you know what you're getting into instead of once again being at the mercy of the selection where you're playing.

All-in-one jock shorts starting
at $21.99 jr, $23.99 sr. Or go old
school with a cup and
supporter - $11.99

7. Undies
Remember the advice your mother gave you and always wear clean undies in case you're in an accident? . . . OK, this has nothing to do with that sage advice. Owning a rink-side shop, the most common emergency purchase is made after uttering the words, "I forgot my cup," or "I forgot my supporter."
Two things here:
1. This isn't something that you want to borrow (or loan).
2. This isn't something that you want to play without . . . just saying.

Make sure your neck guard is
BNQ approved

8. Neck Guard
If you're playing in Canada you will absolutely need one of these. While USA hockey doesn't yet mandate the use of neck guards, many US events may still require the use of a cut resistant neck guard. Further, USA hockey does highly recommend the use of a neck guard. It only makes sense too. While a skate blade cut to the neck is a rare occurrence, it has the potential to be life threatening. A $20 investment will not only assure that you won't be scrambling to make sure you can participate, it could literally save your life.

9. Tape Tiger

Seriously, this is easily the most clever hockey
invention since ice. At $9.99, there
really isn't a good reason to not own one.

The Tape Tiger is just about the coolest hockey invention in the rather large, but otherwise mundane, "doodad" category. This handy little device offers several helpful tools that you should have at your disposal. Its main purpose is to cut the tape off your stick, this it does amazingly well. It will cut through blade tape like butter and with a small effort even the thickest knob comes off in seconds. The best part is that it actually curls the tape back making removal of the old tape incredibly simple.

As if this feature wasn't cool enough by itself, the tape tiger has a built in edge stone. I don't recommend any of the hand-held "sharpeners" on the market as all of them work much better at un-sharpening skates. However a side hone can be very handy to take out burrs if you kick a skate blade or step on something. There is also a screw driver built in. Rounding out the utility of the Tape Tiger is a lace hook (which you probably won't need unless you break a finger) and a bottle opener, which might come in handy for post game . . . er, soda pops.

10. Spare mouthguard
Another required item, if you're under 18, the odds are good that you're not going to sneak on the ice without a mouthguard. This is another item that has people running into my shop at the last second in a panic. This seems to be due to the tendency of mouthguards to escape from hockey bags when no one is looking. A spare mouthguard in the bag makes pretty good sense. Again, it's not something you're going to want to borrow and even more importantly, it is something that you're going to want to fit first. You might be able to find a new mouthguard 5 minutes before your game, but are you going to be able to find boiling water to mold it?

Mouthguards from XO, which feature the highest level both custom fit and style on the market. These feature 8 color chips which can be inserted to match your team color - $11.99. We also stock selected Shock Doctor styles - $18 and up

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Friday, June 29, 2012

Too Disgusting to "Stay in the Room"

The locker room is supposed to be a hallowed place where guys can be guys and not worry about the repercussions of their actions. There's a saying, "What's said in the room, stays in the room." Really depending on the context of that, it isn't a bad thing. If we're looking at hockey as therapy being able to vent your frustrations without fear of having someone tell your boss you want to punch him in the eye, it's kinda like doctor/patient confidentiality. Honestly, we're hockey players. A broken foot or knocked out tooth is only worth missing a few minutes of hockey (even if we're only watching on television). If we're gonna just tape up a major physical injury to get back on the ice why would we go see an actual therapist for our mental issues when we can just grouse about them to our peers? In that context, "what's said in the room stays in the room," only seems like common sense.

Pee here, not in the shower please!

That in mind, I'm not going to break the rules. Instead I'm going to address the elephants in the room. I'm not gonna name any names, but you know who you are and maybe there's more than one of you. So take this to heart: hockey players, we can be a disgusting bunch, but you've taken it too far.

Disgusting Guy #1 - There's a urinal 15 feet from the shower. It's that thing mounted to the wall that you pass on your way to the shower, in fact. It's white, made of porcelain and if by chance it is being used, there is a toilet right next to it. The shower is not a urinal. Are you so lazy you feel like you need to multitask? Do you think that it's OK to pee in the shower because you do it at home? Do you think we just don't notice the smell of urine and the yellow tint to the water? The three other guys in the shower would appreciate if you acted less like a three-year-old.

Disgusting Guy #2 - Spitting goes in sports for some reason (especially if you count baseball as a sport). In hockey spitting on the ice is apparently kosher. The floor of the team bench is a pretty gross place for it . . . but you, Disgusting Guy #2 have taken spitting to a new level. You're the guy who hocks loogies on the locker room floor. Do you like stepping someone else's phlegm? Do you spit on the floor in your bathroom? Ever heard of meningitis? Think man! There are people walking about in bare feet and somehow you think spitting on the floor is okay. We'd almost rather have you hit us upside the head with a hockey stick than spit on the floor.

Disgusting Guy #3 - The only good thing is that you leave the room to engage in your odd behavior. It's also the bad thing. The street behind your car in broad daylight is not the proper place for you to change your clothing after hockey. Did someone pee on you in the shower? Did you step in some spittle in the locker room? Are you actually trying to be tagged a sex offender for flashing children and women with your odd decision to change your clothes in public? There's a private locker room which you can use if you have issues with the people and/or actions taking place in the public rooms. Don't terrorize the locals please!

Guys, please think about where you pee and spit please! I'm pretty much the last guy to get angry, I've never punched anyone in all my years of hockey, but Disgusting Guys #1 and #2 make me understand why people get punched. If you don't think that your bodily fluids are disgusting (even though they are), the last thing the world needs is a bunch of old men getting dressed in the street after hockey. Disgusting Guy #3, as long as you didn't tell someone's boss they were about to get hit in the eye, the locker room should soon be safe for you again.

This has been a public service announcement. It might save your life . . . probably not.

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Saturday, June 2, 2012

New Hockey Skates, tougher than your feet?

OK hockey players, you might have felt left out when I posted about the horrors of breaking in a new pair of figure skates. We all know that breaking in a pair of hockey skates isn't a picnic either. So if you were thinking, "Hey! Where's our article? I wanna know how to make breaking in hockey skates go smoother," well, sob no more. Here it is:

Das Boots

OK, so that's probably grammatically incorrect German for boats, but hey as far as some of your feet go boats is accurate. Yeah, I've seen you out there in your size 13 skates and it's like a pair of kayaks on the rink. But I digress here . . . we're talking about that part of the skate that troubles almost everyone--the boots.

Bauer Vapor X:05 - In stock at Rocket Skate

The conundrum of hockey boots is that if they start out comfortable, they're likely to brutalize your feet for a long time thereafter. Comfortable generally translates to one of too things in skate boots: too big, or too cheap. Here are the issues: Skates have to fit tight to perform properly and they have to offer the appropriate level of stiffness.

So yes, you can find a pair of skates that feel like slippers right out of the box. However, they are going to probably going to be about 2 sizes too big for that to be the case. Skates this big will allow your feet to move around. When your feet move around in the boots, you spend a lot of money on blister pads and a lot of time using the belt sander to remove callous build-ups in odd places on your feet. I have no idea how you're going to treat your bone spurs when they develop. On top of having really ugly feet, your skating is going to suffer since a huge portion of your stride energy will dissipate in the wrenching, twisting motion of your boots as they oscillate in protest on your swollen red feet.

So, the first step in making life easier it to buy the right size of skates. If you're an adult, you need to make sure that your toe touches the end of skate when you're standing straight up. With your knees bent, a perfect fit will have you just lightly brushing the toe cap or pulling slightly off or if. Kid's should be up 1/2 to 3/4 size from a perfect fit so they have room to grow while keeping the skates from completely spinning around their feet.

Reebok 8K - Great heatmodable skates in stock

The other fitting issue is width. You should have some pressure on the sides of your feet, but you definitely don't want to have so much pressure that it feels like the ball of your foot is scrunched up. Make sure that the new skates lock your heel in place. If there is some ankle discomfort, that's not normally an issue. Most people need to have the ankles punched out and it's pretty easy to do. Just make sure you're buying a skate that can be punched out.

Any decent hockey skate these days is heat-moldable (or at least claims to be heat-moldalble). Don't try to bake your skates at home. I've seen a pair that someone melted in their oven--not only was it ugly, but they ruined the batch of cookies they were trying to bake at the same time. Odds are that you're going to get your skates too hot and ruin them, or not hot enough and waste your time. Buy your skates somewhere that fits you properly and have them baked there. Any shop worth their salt offers a free heat-fit with skate purchase. Rocket Skate offers that and lifetime boot punching. (I had a customer a couple weeks ago who would have spent about $180 on skate fitting alone if they hadn't bought their skates from me).

Punching and heat-molding aren't going to complete the break-in process for you. However, they will knock a great deal of time off the process. You should still expect at least 4 or 5 hours of skating before the boots move from mildly annoying to somewhat comfortable.

Holder and Runner

Pretty much every brand of skate has their own blade holder and runner. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but they are all slightly different. Graf Cobra Holders have the most aggressive forward pitch of any brand on the market today while Bauer's TUUK Lightspeed puts the player back on their heels more than its competitors. CCM/Reebok products fall right in the middle. Runners vary as well with different rockers. Rocker describes the average radius of the curve on the bottom of the blade from toe to heel. The three major brands on the market all use different rockers: Bauer - 9-foot, CCM 10-foot, Graf 11-foot.

This translates to a number of issues that you're going to have to face as a hockey player. Your legs develop muscle memory (gross motor skills) that become a natural part of your skating motion. You don't have to think about how it works, you just do it. When you change the blade and holder combination, it takes some time for your gross motor skills to adjust. The pitch issue is the big issue for a lot of players, especially those moving from a forward pitch to a more rearward one. This issue is pretty easy to fix and is one of the most common customizations that I do in the shop. A pair of heel lifts between the holder and outsole of the skate have improved or flat out corrected the issue for dozens of skaters that I've installed them for.

The rocker isn't as big a deal for most skaters, but expect the performance of your skates to vary slightly with a rocker change. A longer rocker is going to glide better. A shorter one will turn and accelerate faster. None of these rocker lengths offer significant advantages or disadvantages. If you're currently the slowest thing on ice, switching from an 9-foot rocker to an 11-foot rocker isn't going to suddenly turn you into Marian Gaborik.

Insoles can make a huge difference

Sole custom insoles - $39 with
heat molding & adjustments

Insoles can also change the way your skate feels. An increase or decrease in the arch support height may or may not be uncomfortable. However, it will change the relationship between your foot and blade. An arch that is too low can cause pronation (where the skate tilts inward). One that is too high can cause supination (skate tilting outward). Even if these issues don't manifest, we're right back to the muscle memory issue--you've adapted your skating to compensate and other things will feel odd. A pair of orthotics or custom insoles can knock a huge amount of time off your adjustment period to new skates.

In a sport that punishes the competitor's feet between the requisite tight fit of the boots and quick direction changes there's nothing that I can recommend more highly than a quality set of insoles. I've used custom insoles for the last 10 years personally. When you're spending $300+ for skate that come with 10 cent insoles, this is a no-brainer upgrade.

Shock Doctor insoles - $25 at Rocket Skate. These are a nice upgrade from stock insoles.

Alignment Issues

Alignment isn't a common problem with hockey skates. About one pair of skates out of every 20 to 30 has the blade mounted improperly. Further the vast majority of skates that need corrections are the cheapest models. Still, once in a while even a skate that is set up properly might cause alignment issues for players with um . . . unique feet (that's my nice way of calling your feet freakishly deformed).

A blade that's out of alignment can cause several issues: supination, pronation or yawing (slipping sideways).
If you're experiencing any of these issues you might need your blade adjusted. However in hockey it's always important to put at least 5 hours on the new skates before jumping to this conclusion. If you have serious concerns after you've put some hours on the skates, it's best if the skate technician can observe you skating.

Most shops will look at you like you have carrots in your ears if you walk in talking about needing a blade alignment on your new hockey skates. I've been doing blade alignments for more than ten years. If you have an alignment issue I haven't fixed in the past I would be amazed beyond words.

Bottom line

Breaking in a good pair of skates is probably the most unpleasant thing about skating. Keep plugging away at it and they will get more comfortable. Most skates will take at LEAST 5 hours of skating, but the time frame may be significantly longer with a skater's skill level, aggressiveness during break-in and weight. I generally recommend minimal boot punching and fitting until a couple hours of break-in are completed, but if you are having severe pain, you should have your skates worked on sooner than that.

Most importantly, buy your skates somewhere convenient to have them worked on. If you have to drive an hour to get your boots punched you might as well be on your own. Any good shop will offer free boot punching at purchase. I personally offer free boot punching for life. If you decide you'd like heel lifts or major alignment work, I offer considerable discounts when the skates were purchased from me. Does it make sense to drive across town to have your skates worked on by someone with little or no experience?

Hopefully understanding better what's going on when you are skating in a new pair can contribute to a less agonizing experience.

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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Decaffeinating the Horror of New Figure Skates

Getting new skates is a terrifying experience for most people. Anyone who has had a pair of decent skates is well aware that they take some break-in time. Sadly, sometime after your skates become comfortable, they start wearing out and need to be replaced. High level figure skaters commonly replace their boots at least once a year. But beyond breaking in boots, there are a number of other factors you should be aware of when getting a new pair of skates, boots or blades. When you're aware of these factors, you can make the transition much less horrifying.

The boots are the worst part, get some help

Obviously breaking in new boots is inescapable. Even if you buy the same model boot you just wore out, you're going to have some level of break-in time. Heat-fitting and boot punching can help to make them comfortable in a reasonably short time. Heat-fittting helps the overall shape of the boot conform a little more quickly to the shape of your foot. Punching is especially effective in fitting of small area such as ankles, toes and ball of the foot. But even if you get the same model you've skated in for the last 10 years, you've got a bit of work ahead of you.

With a heat-fit, expect a minimum of five hours skating time in new boots before they start feeling like something you can live with. That might not sound like good news, but you can pretty much double that amount of time if your boots skip the oven. Make sure you are lacing the skates tight whenever you are on the ice. It's not uncommon to have to stop and lace them up tighter during a session until they start to form to your feet a little better.

Even custom boots costing twice as much as off the shelf models are brutal to break in. Many skaters have had a harder time breaking in a custom lasted boot than they have with name brand models like Jackson and Riedell. With long wait times, low customer satisfaction levels and exorbitant prices, it's no wonder that custom brands like Klingbeil and Harlick have struggled to stay afloat in recent years.

Stiffness is an issue you should consider carefully in selecting new boots. It takes ice time to get your skates to flex forward to accommodate your stride. If you're moving into a stiffer boot, this will take more time. Selecting the proper boot is almost as important as the fit. If you pick a boot that is too stiff it might never break in properly. A boot that isn't stiff enough will break down prematurely. Your coach and pro shop can help with selection, but the major factors weighing into this selection are your weight, what jumps you are working on and how frequently you are skating.

Lastly heel height should be considered. If you've been skating in one brand for a long time, switching is going to add new challenges. Different skate boots have different heel heights, varying by as much as a 1/4-inch. This differential changes the pitch of your skates on the ice. While a 1/4-inch might not seem like a big deal, it can be a huge adjustment. In fact I've done dozens of pitch adjustments for skaters who were struggling with new skates. A correction of 1/8-inch has almost always fixed the problem so consider what a difference twice that might make in a negative way.

The reason this heel height/pitch is such a big deal is motor skills, specifically muscle memory. When you're skating you develop muscle memory. Essentially, parts of skating become second nature, like walking. Boot flex is going to cause some issues with muscle memory as well. However, changes cause muscle confusion. It's not unlike those poor kids who grow a foot in three months and spend half a year looking awkward and off balance in their own body (not to mention that their pants are all too short). Some people adapt to skate changes in a few days or weeks. Others might take months.

Beyond utilizing your skate shop to make sure that your boots fit as well as possible, there's not much you can do to expedite the issues caused by changes in boot pitch. You can wear your skates around the house with your guards on in order to get used to the boot and accelerate the break in process. However, the biggest tool I can offer here is the knowledge that there will be some adjustment time. You might have some issues skating, but rest assured you are not losing your mind or your ability. You're just adjusting.

Insoles can make a huge difference

Sole custom insoles - $39
at Rocket Skate, including
heat molding & adjustments

In a sport that punishes the competitor's feet between the requisite tight fit of the boots and repeated impact of landing jumps there's nothing that I can recommend more highly than a quality set of insoles. When you're spending $300+ for skate that come with 10 cent insoles, this is a no-brainer upgrade.

Shock Doctor insoles - $25 at Rocket Skate. These are a nice upgrade from stock insoles.

More things change with Blades than you might expect
There is one "no-duh" item when switching blades--a bigger toe pick is going to increase your odds of face planting. But do you know there are three other major factors that will take adjustment in a new blade? These are: rocker, bulge and toe lift. You might not have a lot of control over these factors when you're moving to a new blade, but at least you can feel a little better about knowing what's going on when you have a few tough days.

The rocker of a blade describes the average radius of a blade from toe to heel. A shorter rocker will make the blades feel less stable from front to back . . . more rocky if you will. A long rocker is more stable. Most figure skate blades feature either a 7-foot or 8-foot rocker. However, while the average radius might be the same as your old blade, the areas where it is most curved may vary. Changes in rocker will require slight muscle memory retaining. Which brings us to the bulge . . .

The bulge is the raised area about two inches behind the toe pick. This is sometimes also referred to as the "sweet spot." The bulge is the area you balance on while spinning. While the rocker of two given blades might be the same, the aggressiveness of the toe pick can significantly change the bulge. A bigger toe pick tends to make the bulge much smaller, while a smaller toe pick offers a bigger area for spinning. The exact placement of the bulge will also vary slightly from blade to blade changing you center of balance slightly on a new blade.

Toe lift can be a big adjustment as well. Toe lift describes how far forward the blade can lean before the pick contacts the ice. It is measured by tilting the blade forward on a flat surface until the pick touches. With the blade in this position, the measurement from the flat surface to the heel of the blade is the amount of toe lift. Toe lift will vary with the length and model of blade. Further than that, most brands of blades are at least partially handmade and the toe lift vary slightly even within the same model and size (sometimes you will even find two different measurements on the same pair). Eclipse is the only blade band I know of that has standardized this for each of it's blade models. So, if you buy the same size and model Eclipse blade, the toe lift will always be exactly the same.

Alignment Issues
Alignment can be a tricky issue. In most cases the blade is simply put where the center of the skater's foot will be in the boot. But all feet are not the same. I've looked at enough to tell you that if yours are normal, that's an anomaly. While 95% of the blades that I mount don't need any adjustments, you might be a five-percenter. That doesn't mean you're weird, it means your special.

A blade that's out of alignment can cause several issues: supination, pronation or yawing (slipping sideways).
If you're experiencing any of these issues you should have your blade adjusted. It's always best if the skate technician can observe you while skating, but if that isn't possible, your coach should be able to give you enough information on what is happening to get adjustments on the right track.

Most skaters who are proficient enough to require separate boots and blades will adjust for a small variance in center of gravity on the skates almost immediately. Larger issues will require an adjustment (this is why we always start with a temporary mount). Extreme issues might require some sanding of the boot to adjust the angle of the blade to the boot.

Bottom line
Breaking in a good pair of skates is probably the most unpleasant thing about skating. Keep plugging away at it and they will get more comfortable. Most skates will take at LEAST 5 hours of skating, but the time frame may be significantly longer with a skater's skill level, aggressiveness during break-in and weight. I generally recommend minimal boot punching and fitting until a couple hours of break-in are completed, but if you are having severe pain, you should have your skates worked on sooner than that.

Most importantly, buy your skates somewhere convenient to have them worked on. If you have to drive an hour to get your boots punched you might as well be on your own. Any good shop will offer free boot punching at purchase. I personally offer free boot punching for life. Expect to make a minimum of three trips to the pro shop for your skates, one for fitting and ordering, one for pickup after mounting and one for your final mount. Between blade alignments and boot punching, it's not unlikely to make six visits.

Hopefully understanding better what's going on when you are skating in a new pair can contribute to a less agonizing experience.

Stay in the loop with other cool people who know what's happening by liking us on facebook -www.facebook.com/rocketskate

Find us on the web at www.rocketskate.net
Authorized dealer for Jackson, Riedell, Klingbeil, Eclipse, MK, Wilson & more.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

5 ways you didn't know you were going to get hurt

If you play hockey long enough, you're going to get hurt. I don't want to discourage anyone. That's not just the nature of the game, it's the nature of things--Murphy's law if you prefer. Even if you merely played chess, I suspect if you did it long enough, you'd be bound to have some sort of injury. Perhaps, you'd have a contusion from an angry opponent beaning you with their king or you might end up accidentally poked in the eye with the chess board.

Regardless of how safe or unsafe chess might be, there are things you do in hockey to lower your odds of ending up in the ER. Many of these are common sense. Only a daredevil or moron would play without shin guards and elbow pads. Helmets are simply required. Anyone who enjoys the use of their hands once in a while wouldn't play without gloves. While we know the basics, there are some ways to get hurt that maybe you haven't considered.

1. Lindrosed

How good is your Helmet really? Both Eric Lindros and his brother, Brett, were forced to leave the NHL early as the result of post concussion syndrome. Many believe if they'd played with their heads up, they would have had longer careers. Maybe a better helmet might have helped as well. Certainly avoiding Scott Stevens would have been a good idea for at least one of them.

Even with the likelihood of being bulldozed by Scott Sevens being pretty low the use of a helmet in itself is pretty obvious. Still, there are some details that you might not know about helmets. Perhaps the most overlooked of these details is the fact that your helmet has an expiration date. There are two stickers on the back of approved hockey helmets today. These stickers indicate the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC) approval.

The HECC sticker is found on every approved hockey helmet sold in the United States and has an expiration date approximating when the helmet will no longer offer an approved level of protection. This is 6 and 1/2 years from production date for all helmets, but typically ranges about 4 or 5 years from consumer purchase to expiration. You probably didn't know that anyone under twenty-one years old could be barred from participating in a game as the result of an expired HECC sticker. All players in leagues and venues following USA Hockey rules are required to wear an HECC approved helmet.

The CSA sticker indicates the year that the helmet was produced and is found on all helmets sold in Canada. The lack of the CSA sticker will automatically preclude a player from participating in a youth hockey game in Canada. While CSA stickers do not have an expiration date, the 6 year rule is still a good one to follow.

If your helmet doesn't have either of these stickers it is probably close to fifteen years old. For the last ten years HECC has been putting the expiration date on their stickers, so if you have an HECC sticker without an expiration date, your helmet is definitely expired. The CSA stickers have only shown the manufacture year since 2008. While some of the items below are pick and choose, I cannot think of a single good reason to play in an expired helmet or to skimp when buying a new one.

2. Sakiced

You might not remember Joe Sakic missing almost half the season the year after the Avalanche won their first Stanley Cup. My reference here has nothing to do with the notorious snow blower incident. Rather, it was the result of a skate blade cutting his calf nearly to the bone. Whether you remember or not, pro players are aware of this and numerous similar injuries. Over the last several years many NHL players started wearing socks made from Kevlar, the same stuff as bulletproof vests.

Again, I know you don't play NHL hockey. But here's a tip: even a total novice can step on your leg with sharp skates. Lucky for us, there are a couple types of Kevlar socks on the market today. One is a skate sock with Kevlar protection from the ankle to the knee. Despite my pessimism about how comfortable a bulletproof skate sock might be, the Swiftwick pair I own is far and away the best pair of socks I've ever owned.

The other type is a cut resistant hockey sock (over the shin guards). There are a few brands making these.
Because Kevlar cannot be dyed, these socks feature either a traditional, yarn-knit exterior or a polyester shell. While you can get pretty much any team colors, I find that the Kevlar skate sock makes more sense than the Kevlar hockey sock. The exterior section of your Kevlar lined hockey socks is going to get torn up and you're going to have to drop $40 to replace them. Your skate socks, made mostly of Kevlar are going to last longer and cost less.

3. Maltbyed

In the glory days of the Avalanche/Wings rivalry (go ahead Wings fans, email me how it wasn't a rivalry since your team was too good to have rivals. It won't dampen my opinion that they hated each other) . . . Kirk Maltby gave Valerie Kamensky a hard whack with the lumber and broke his wrist. I remember watching that game and finding it one of the most gruesome sports injuries I ever saw.

Slash guards are a great piece of gear to bridge the gap between gloves and elbow pads. Would they have saved Kamensky from missing two months of hockey? Is someone going to get mad and slash you like that? Got me, but after seeing Kamensky's forearm folding up in a rather unnatural way around Maltby's stick, I don't care. There are angry guys playing hockey at every level I've seen. Slash guards are a good idea. A pair of slash guards goes for about fifteen bucks. I'd guess a trip to the ER for a broken wrist goes for at least 100 times that much.

4. Malarchucked

Our friends north of the border (I'm talkin' about Canada, not Wyoming) require all youth hockey players to wear a throat guard. There's a reason for this. If you didn't believe that skates cut skin when I was mentioning Kevlar socks, you should google Clint Malarchuck (don't say I didn't warn you, the pictures and video are graphic. They show a former NHL goalie nearly bleeding to death on the ice). Miraculously Malarchuck survived, but how many army, combat-trained paramedics are hanging around your game to save you?

Yes, that's a plastic toy in the picture above commemorating Malarchuck's near death experience. There are plenty of pictures on the net of the actual event, but frankly I think they are a bit to graphic for my purposes. My goal is to educate, not horrify. I've actually met two people who have had near death experiences with huge gashes just missing their carotid artery or jugular while playing recreational hockey. Ten to Twenty dollars for a Kevlar neck guard could literally save your neck. Seems like a tiny price to pay.

5. Sedined

Skates have never been great for absorbing or deflecting the force of a fast moving puck. Daniel Sedin (the funny looking of the Sedin twins) missed several games in 2007 with a foot injury after being struck by a puck. In 2009 a slapshot from teammate, Alex Elder, broke his foot. (Who needs opponents with a teammate like that, right?) In true hockey player fashion, Sedin did finish the game with 3 assists after the injury, but then missed five weeks while it healed.

Skate fenders are a pretty new invention. They've become increasingly popular in the NHL over the last few years, with skyrocketing numbers of players this season. Just google, "NHL broken foot" and you'll get an idea why everyone is running out to buy a pair. After three weeks in a row of taking a slapshot off the laces, I sprung for a pair. They are well worth the $80 price. Made of lightweight Lexan, it's impossible to tell they are even on my feet when I'm skating. More importantly, I haven't felt the sting of a puck on my feet since picking them up.

Do I really need all that?
I'll be the first to admit that not everyone needs everything on this list. I use Kevlar socks and a neck guard when I play goalie. I'm loving the skate fenders when I skate out. I do have a $180 helmet which I will replace before it expires. There's no excuse for not having a good helmet.

My advice is to consider how you play and be preemptive. If you block a lot of shots, pick up some boot fenders. If you make a lot of people angry you might invest in wrist guards. If you lay down at center ice for frequent naps, you might want everything on the list. But consider this, if you spent the money for everything on this list, it still wouldn't cost 10% of what an ER visit might. Further, there just isn't enough good television to keep anyone properly entertained while they convalesce for several weeks on the couch. Just a thought.

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Monday, March 5, 2012

Take care of your skates, you know you hate breaking in a new pair!

Do you like your skates?
Let’s face it, skates aren’t cheap. A good pair of hockey skates sells for up to $800 and a pair of competitive figure skates can easily top $1000. Even at these prices, skates that aren’t carefully maintained will deteriorate in a very short period of time. I have seen a pair of $450 skates last less than six months; that has to be a painful investment. Even if the cost of the skates doesn’t make you blink, breaking in a new pair in that period probably should.

So what can you do to make your skates last longer? Read on, the answers for both hockey players and figure skaters lie below. (For easy reference, figure skating info is in red, hockey in blue and info that applies to all skates is white).

Take care of your blades

The cheapest hockey runners costs about $50 a pair with the most expensive topping $120 a pair these days. Some hockey skates entail replacing the carrier with the steel at $50 each plus installation. Even with broken holders featuring bonded steel, you will normally have to purchase them by the pair. Unless you break a blade after only a couple of sharpenings, they will be different heights.

For a figure skater, a pair of inexpensive blades is over $100. The price can easily be $300 to $500 for a pair of blades and the most expensive blades on the market are close to $1000 these days.

Clearly it's an expensive proposition replacing blades for either type of skate.

So what can you do to keep your blades in prime condition?
First and most importantly, dry your blades. Any time you are done skating get the steel as dry as you can with a towel and put them in terrycloth blade guards (aka soakers). This is the only way you should ever store your skates, in terrycloth. Terrycloth soakers will wick the moisture away from the steel.

Plastic blade guards are for walking in, not storage. Any moisture left on the blade gets trapped by plastic guards further promoting rust. Even if your blades are dry, condensation can become trapped in the plastic later. While these are highly recommended for walking in, they should never be used for storing skates. Figure skaters should use plastic guards when walking to the ice and back in their skates. Anyone skating outdoors should use a pair of plastic guards to keep their blades from getting dinged up.

Once blades start to rust, there is often no stopping it until the steel resembles dirty, metallic Swiss cheese. No matter how many times you sharpen a blade permeated by rust, it will be rusty. This gives the blades a much slower glide and makes the edges rough no mater how many times they are sharpened. If you do get rust on your blades, you will need to have them sharpened and the sides of the blades stoned as soon as you can. Wiping your blades with a towel saturated with WD40 can help to stop the rusting process if you cannot get them sharpened promtly.

Keep your steel tight on hockey skates, but don’t over tighten it. Almost all types of hockey carriers are prone to stripping out if over-tightened. As a general rule on TUUKs, TUUK Light speeds, and Graf Cobras, tighten the blade until you feel it seat and then no more than one turn further. If the screw turns inside the carrier the blade can call out while skating. Further you might damage the holder to the extent it needs to be replaced. CCM and Easton carriers are not prone to this particular problem, however the screws will break if over tightened.

Don’t over-sharpen your skates
I have some customers who get their blades sharpened every week even though they might only put an hour on them. I'm not complaining mind you, if it makes you happy to pay me weekly, please feel free. However, as a rule, most people don't need anywhere near this frequency. Of course if you lose an edge before that, get them sharpened. (If you aren't sure if your skates are dull, feel free to ask and I will give you my honest opinion).

As a general rule of thumb, you don’t want to even think about sharpening hockey skates until you have skated for five to ten hours on indoor ice. Cut that in half for outdoor ice which will chew up your steel more quickly.

Figure skates generally use carbon steel blades which are softer than the stainless in most hockey skates. However with a wider blade, less sticks, goals and other skates to strike, most figure skaters will go 10 to 20 hours between sharpening on indoor ice. Once again, outdoor ice will make your skates dull in 3 to 6 hours of skating time.

Choose who sharpens your skates carefully
This brings us to the next item on caring for your blades--choosing a good tech to sharpen them. It takes most people a year of consistent practice to become a mediocre skate sharpener. I've been doing it for 11 years and as far as I'm concerned there isn't anyone aside from myself and my employees qualified to touch my skates. The only way to figure out if a potential shop has the experience to sharpen your skates is to ask some questions.

Do they use an automatic or vertical sharpener?
If so, RUN! Automatic sharpeners seem like a good idea as consistent pressure is an important aspect of a quality sharpening. However, automatic sharpeners are the quickest and most effective way to ruin a pair of blades. Pressure while sharpening needs to be varied carefully to avoid changing the rocker. Automatic and vertical sharpeners use gravity to provide pressure which is consistent, actually ruining the contour by rounding off the blades. This method can destroy your steel in a matter of a dozen sharpenings. It's not a sharpener you should find outside of Dick's Sporting goods or Play it Again. Any competent sharpener is going to use a tabletop sharpener.

Blackstone table top. This along with the Blademaster (pictured below) comprise the best quality skate sharpener brands on the market today and are the preferred sharpeners of pros everywhere.

Do they cross grind skates?
This is, at best, a questionable method which ruins skates quickly. Skates are ground nearly flat for a reference marker before putting the hollow on. The advantage to this method is that a mediocre tech can get the hollow centered (assuming things are calibrated properly). However, this is done at the cost of your blades. Cross grinding will take an average of ten time as much steel off the blade as conventional sharpening and drastically change your skate rocker very quickly. I would avoid shops that cross grind. Rocket Skate never cross grinds. Heck! We don't even own a cross grinder.

What other skate services do they offer?
A full service shop is often more likely to offer quality sharpening. Techs that are more experienced in other aspects of skate repair are generally a little more conscientious when sharpening. Look for a shop that can mount and align hockey and figure skate blades, repair boots, and offers custom-fitting services before you settle for one that only sharpens. We offer full skate fitting, alignment, mounting and repair services at Rocket Skate.

How many skates do they sharpen a day?
Are lots of people bringing in skates to sharpen? A busy shop is going to have more sharpening experience than a slow one. The more practice a sharpener has, the better they get at sharpening. Doing a few pair of skates a week isn't enough practice to improve most people's skills no matter how long they sharpen. On the other hand, if they are so busy that they have to rush their work, it could be a problem. Sharpening skates should normally take about 5 minutes a pair at most. I typically sharpen an average of 120 pair of skates weekly, and can finish most skates in 3 minutes without rushing. Even my part time employees average at least fifty pair of skates a week, which is more than many small sharpeners will do in a month.

Maintain Your Mountings
Loose rivets on hockey skates and loose screws on figure skates can wreak havoc on the rest of the boot and blade.

One or two loose rivets on a hockey skate might not seem like a major issue. However, the forces that one loose rivet normally takes have to be redistributed throughout the entire carrier and boot. Where there is one loose rivet, more will follow. With each successive loose one, the force on the others increases. Next thing you know, you're falling down and have no idea why.

Now I’ve never seen a carrier actually fall off, though I suspect it has happened on rare occasions. With a large number of loose rivets something eventually has to go. Most skaters will feel like their blades are not sharp when they have enough rivets loose that the carrier begins to tilt. Make sure to check your rivets regularly so this doesn't happen. Once a month, or more often, simply wiggle your carriers to make sure that they are firmly in place. If any movement is detected you will need some rivets replaced. Any rivets sticking out are bad. Rivets are about $1 or $2 apiece. You should also check for cracks in the plastic holder on a regular basis. If a holder is cracked, replace it.

On figure skates, screws will sometimes fall out. Most blades will have more screw holes than required to firmly attach them, so don’t panic if you have a few holes on your mount that don’t have a screw in them. Typically the toe plate will have 4 or 5 screws and the heel will have 3. (This is done to preserve the possibility of making blade adjustments in the future if needed). However, if there is a hole in the base of your boot with no screw, that is an indication that one is missing and should be replaced.

Just as in hockey skates, a missing screw will cause forces to be distributed to the remaining ones Increasing the possibility of more screws pulling out. With a leather sole, you’re also looking at increased issue with the sole rotting if you do not replace a screw in a timely manner. Further, if the blade is loose, it creates forces on the boot in directions that the boot isn’t designed to take stresses which can contribute to premature breakdown of the boots. If a screw is missing because the hole is stripped out, be sure to add another screw to a nearby empty hole on the mounting plate if possible. Taking it to your local skate professional so they can plug the hole is a good idea as well. (Make sure to pre-drill a small hole on Graf figure skates and other composite sole brands before putting a screw in). Be careful to never over-tighten the screws, they strip out fairly easily.

Care for your Boots
Many competitive skaters in both hockey and figure skating don’t wear socks when skating. While I won’t try to talk anyone out of this, it is much harder on skates than wearing even a thin pair of socks is. Any type of sock will absorb some of the moisture from your feet and keep it from entering your boots. Moisture is the number one enemy of skates.

For anyone, but especially barefoot skaters, I recommend always removing the insoles from skates as soon as they are taken off after skating. In dry climates, leaving the skates out of the bag between uses will normally be enough to allow them to dry. In humid places or for skaters on the ice so often that boots do not dry out, I highly recommend the use of a boot dryer. Those without heat are best to keep your skates in top shape; heat will actually cause the boots to break down more quickly. This site has a half a dozen types ranging from $30 to $700 - http://www.cozywinters.com/bootdryers

Drying your boots out will lower the stink factor and protect the materials from premature decomposition.

In hockey skates drying your boots will greatly lengthen the life of your rivets. It also keeps the inside of the boots including the liner and padding drier and in better shape. I have even seen cases in hockey skates were the amount of perspiration in the skates actually caused TUUK hardware to rust and seize.

Leather soles on figure skates should always be snow sealed to keep moisture out. If using a wax snow seal, this should be re-applied every 6 to 12 months. If you have a spar varnish or other marine grade finish, you should not need to re-coat your skates. However, make sure to put a dab of silicon caulk on any screws you replace so moisture doesn't sneak in from the screw hole.

Another good practice is to tape the toes of your skates. You can do this yourself with SK8tape. If you prefer a nicer finish, the skates can be taped with a special clear tape by many figure skate shops including Rocket Skate for a fee. Either type of tape will protect the leather from both scuffs and moisture.

On that note, it is good practice to wipe the outside of the boot after each session. Especially important for figure skates and the rare, real-leather hockey skate, this ensures that the moisture on the outside does not penetrate the boots. Leather that remains wet will eventually rot. Waterlogged leather can harden and even crack when it dies.

If you have a loose eyelet in hockey skates, get it fixed right away. Waiting to get a repair made will almost always make it worse. Eyelets that are not repaired quickly cause the hole to become enlarged to where they will not hold a new eyelet any longer. At about $3 an eyelet and two minutes to fix, there is no reason to wait. If you have to have your eyestay rebuilt because the hole is too big, you are looking at $30 or more and not having your skates for a couple days at least.

Tears in any pair of skates will continue to grow until repaired. I have seen people wait until the entire portion of their skate was ready to fall off before bringing it to the shop. What might have been $5, in stitching the initial tear, runs $60 to replace and re-stiffen part of the boot. Rocket Skate does boot repairs for both hockey and figure skates on our industrial shoe patching machine.

Most new hockey skates have a solid plastic toe. Some brands still use a fabric-covered toecap on their boots. This is one of the weakest links on the entire skate, prone to cutting and tearing from other people stepping on them. I highly recommend a toe paint (Protect Toe) to keep them looking nice.

Lastly, never ever wrap your laces around your ankles. This creates a pressure point on the boot that will cause a crease to form there. If you aren’t getting enough support from your skates, buy a new pair. If your laces are too long, buy a shorter pair. Wrapping the laces is a common cause for hockey tendon guards to break and will invariably shorten the life of any boot upper. Watch the pros some time - none of them wraps their laces.

Most hockey players will get at least a few years out of their skates if properly cared for. Figure skaters doing double jumps might only get six months to a year before a boot starts to break down, but blades should last for years.

The most important thing for any skater wishing to keep their skates in top condition is to keep the them dry and don’t let them fall into any disrepair. With skates, one problem begets another. While it might be difficult to part with your skates for a few days for minor repairs, it is always easier than breaking in new skates and much cheaper as well.

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Experience counts . . . sharpening, mounting and aligning skates since 2001, owner of Rocket Skate since 2006, Scott Noble, has worked with and learned from several highly regarded skate sharpeners. These include the assistant equipment manager for the Colorado Avalanche on the hockey front. On the figure skating side he worked with the Technical Sales Representative of GAM skates and the lead technician for Fleming Gray Skate Sharpeners (who sharpened for several Canadian Olympic skaters). Two of Scott’s articles on skate sharpening are part of the permanent collection in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.