Ice skates have been around for no less than 4 millennia and were first developed in Finland from sharpened, flattened bone strapped to the bottom of a person’s foot, enabling skaters to glide across the ice without slipping or falling. Things have come a long way since then and a modern ice hockey shop will offer all the best contemporary designs for hockey use.

Ice hockey boots are designed to offer speed and protection and are made of a combination of materials including leather, moulded plastic and ballistic nylon. Competitive ice hockey players will require a great degree of flexibility, so the upper will not typically be made of moulded plastic. However, for those who are learning or not playing in more intense situations, this can be of great benefit.

Your ice hockey shop should also offer special skates made for those who are playing in goal. Goal keepers require that the ankle be lower cut than normal ice hockey skates, which gives a lower centre of gravity and moves you closer to the ice. Your skate shop will also be able to explain all of the safety features of these skates since they need to protect you from the puck which can come at you travelling at great speed. The heel, ankle and toe should all receive adequate protection. In order to allow the goal keeper to move around easier, the blades have less curvature which also provides greater stability.

Of course, the skate shop should be able to advise you well on getting a great pair of skates regardless of whether you are a goal keeper or not. Finding a pair of skates that are firm and tight is imperative, but they must not compress your feet so much that they cause significant pain or discomfort.

 
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