Why are hockey boots so much lighter?

[sue123]

The other day, my dad's friend and his 15 year old son stopped by our house to drop off my senior pictures. They had just come from the son's hockey practice, and I hadn't shown them my new skates yet (these people are like family to me, we go on vacation together, they changed my diapers when I was a baby, so of course I had to show them). They were so surprised at how heavy they were compared to the kid's hockey skates. He's a good player, he's right now being scouted to go play junior hockey, but he's a year younger than most of the players on his team. Anyway... his skates are some top of the line model, but they're so much lighter. I figured the heavier boot provides more ankle support, which is needed when you're landing jumps and the like, whereas hockey players can get away with lighter skates because they're more concerned with speed, and obviously aren't jumping.

But his skates seemed stiff anyway. Just lightweight. Obviously, I don't know how a figure skate made using similar materials would hold up, but it's an interesting concept, no? I know there are light weight boots out there, but I keep hearing they're for light weight skaters. Just curious really.

Then I got into a fight with his dad when he was so shocked that I pay $20 to get my skates sharpened, because I need to get them sharpened by someone who knows what they're doing, otherwise they would ruin the rocker. He keep telling me it's impossible, blah blah blah. Alex gets his skates sharpened for $8 and it's fine. So I actually had to get my skates back out and show him the blade, what would happen. So then he conceded that I should get them sharpened by someone who know's what they're doing.

[russiet]

It's plastics.

The blade is thinner and it is held in place with a plastic blade holder. The outer soles are all plastic as well.

Jon

[Summerkid710]

Plastics are the key to how skates are getting lighter. Any lightweight boot is going to have less leather and more synthetic materials as well as a hollowed out heel (filled with cork or some other lighter material for weight reduction). Graf, Riedell, and Harlick all use these techniques for making their competitive boots lighter.

[Leda]

to add to the point that they are plastic if you turn you boot over and look at the bottom the metal blade is being held on by more metal which is also one of the factors for being so heavy.

[Hollow Ground]

I agree with the other posters' points above. There is much less steel on the underside of a hockey boot. The blade attaches to a plastic 'Tuuk' (holder), which then attaches to the underside of the boot, unlike with figure skates.

Also, in recent years there has been a heavy focus in the hockey community on very light skates. Top manufacturers, especially Bauer, now have two hockey skate lines: "Supreme" (sturdy, but not light-weight) and the "Vapor" line (very light but seriously lacking in durability).

Owners of Vapor skates praise their low weight but also complain that they have to replace skates much more frequently.

(One hockey player said he didn't mind doing so because all he cared about was performance, not durability.)

[skaternum]

Because hockey players just aren't as strong as figure skaters, so they need lighter boots! :lol:

[Hollow Ground]

A coach at my rink says, "people want to play hockey, but they don't want to learn how to skate first!" This may well be true. Everyone who earnestly commits themselves to hockey needs to do some figure skating, too, but how many hockey players are willing to? (This forum may have it's first ever hockey player post-er here... ;)

[sue123]

A coach at my rink says, "people want to play hockey, but they don't want to learn how to skate first!" This may well be true. Everyone who earnestly commits themselves to hockey needs to do some figure skating, too, but how many hockey players are willing to? (This forum may have it's first ever hockey player post-er here... ;)

The kid I mentioned in the first post actually wants to take some figure skating lessons. Not to learn to jump or spin, although he says he has tried it in his hockey skate, but to control the power and maintain speed, things like that. He's 15, and will actually refuse to get into the figure skates, but he wants to take lessons from a figure skating coach to help improve his skating. I guess if they're really serious, they'll do what htey have to do.

I actually read somewhere that one of the top power skate trainers, who works with a bunch of NHLers was a figure skater in a former life, and she transferred a lot of what she learned to the NHL.

[sk8er1964]

A coach at my rink says, "people want to play hockey, but they don't want to learn how to skate first!" This may well be true. Everyone who earnestly commits themselves to hockey needs to do some figure skating, too, but how many hockey players are willing to? (This forum may have it's first ever hockey player post-er here... ;)

Welcome! I'm a figure skater, but my son is now at Peewee A (in our state it's age based, not skill based). He likes the checking LOL - although he did get a bit of it when we played in Canada last fall, since they start two years before we do in the states.

Anyhoo, to the topic at hand, we haven't had any problems with the Vapors, but just like figure skates, they have different strengths. He's in the XX's, and with his lighter weight, strong knee, and ankle bend, they are good for him. They'd be too strong for some kids, so I have heard, and not enough for others. Fortunately, he grows out of them before he breaks them down. (Incidentially, I discovered that the new light weight figure skates just do not work for me -- I'm too hard on the boots.)

As for the skating, he's one of the best skaters on his team. I joke that it's because it's in his genes, but the reality is that we go open skating, and I teach him figure skating stuff that he adapts to his hockey skates. He's been on figure skates a few times, and can do simple spins and jumps. There are people that cannot believe he's never in his life had a hockey power skating camp or lesson. (He finished USFS learn to skate at age 5.) Now, as for stickhandling, shooting, checking and strategy, please -- Mr. Hockey -- help!!! He's been to those, because I haven't got a clue! :P

[Thin-Ice]

I actually read somewhere that one of the top power skate trainers, who works with a bunch of NHLers was a figure skater in a former life, and she transferred a lot of what she learned to the NHL.

A couple seasons ago the San Jose Sharks required their players to take power classes from Sergei Ponomarenko (OGM in dance). It was amazing how much faster they could turn and how much more powerful their skating was. I THINK the first year they made the classes mandatory was the first year the Sharks made it out of the first round of the NHL playoffs. The Sharks are partial owners of the rink where Ponomarenko coaches.