What Is Special About Hockey Skates?

Hockey skates are special in how they protect the user against injury and how they are designed to assist skaters into maximizing their ability to skate. The protection hockey skates offer is unrivaled by any other kind of skate available, while the speed and comfort they allow for are also better than other skates. However, these features do have drawbacks for new or inexperienced skaters. While experienced skaters will often prefer hockey skates, it is best to learn to skate with figure or recreational skates.

  1. Protection

    • Some professional stock hockey skates are bullet proof.

      The most special feature hockey skates offer is the protection built into the skates. This is to protect hockey players from hockey pucks, sticks and other skate blades. While figure and recreational skaters also have to worry about skate blades, sticks and pucks can be much more damaging. Some professional model hockey skates contain enough Kevlar that they are actually bullet proof.

    Weight

    • Hockey skates are much lighter than figure skates and moderately lighter than recreational skates, despite the additional materials included for protection. This light weight gives hockey players less resistance (from gravity) in moving their skates while at high speeds. The lighter weight also allows for skaters to skate faster.

    Blades

    • Hockey skates have no toe pick and have thinner, shorter blades compared to other skates. The blades on hockey skates allow players to skate faster and increase the response time of the blade, which allows skaters to turn and stop faster. The faster response time is crucial because even amateur hockey players can reach speeds of 30 MPH. However, the smaller blade makes it harder to keep one’s balance and can be difficult to use while skating at slower speeds. Hockey skate blades are also sharpened differently and continually arch to maximize speed, unlike figure skates which flatten to improve a skater’s balance.

    Comfort

    • Because of materials used for protection (heavy foams and memory foam) hockey skates are much more comfortable than figure and recreational skates. Hockey skates use the material mostly for protecting feet from the forces applied to the foot during turning and stopping. The foam also prevents feet from getting pinched between the heavy padding of the tongue and the wall of the skate.

    Soldered Blades

    • Because of the importance of speed in hockey, hockey skates are designed to maximize how much speed is created by the force applied to the skate. The blade mounts are soldered directly onto the boot which prevents energy being lost due to loosing and distorting of screws and rivets. This system, however, works in reverse as well, increasing risks of ankle and foot injuries caused by jumping in hockey skates or blades hitting the boards.