The single most important piece of equipment is a hockey player's skates. A player must be comfortable in his skates as every movement has to come naturally. If a player is thinking about issues with his skates instead of playing instinctively, he is lost before the first puck is dropped.
Hockey skates should fit closely, but they should not be too tight. Most players recommend that the big toe should reach the top of the skate but there should be about 3/8 inch of space between the end of the big toe and the front of the skate. Most players will wear normal sport socks while wearing hockey skates but some will go barefoot in order to have a better feel for the skate and ice. While this is not recommended, Bobby Orr regularly skated without socks during his brilliant Hall of Fame career with the Boston Bruins and a number of players have followed his example. A general rule of thumb is that hockey skates are either a size or size and a half smaller than normal street shoes. A man who wears a size 11 shoe should wear a size 10 hockey skate.
What to Look for
Players have to be concerned with the stiffness of their skate as well as the size. A general rule of thumb is that the bigger the skater, the stiffer the skate should be. The process of turning on the ice is largely the result of flexing the skate and leaning into the turn. If a bigger man uses a skate that is overly flexible, he will go through the skates quickly and need to replace them in a matter of a couple of months. Conversely, if a young boy or a smaller man uses a skate that is too stiff, he will find that it is way too difficult to negotiate turns on a regular basis. Skates also need to be sharpened on a regular basis. There are two edges on a pair of hockey skates and the fastest way to fall behind an opponent is to play in unsharpened skates. Every team has an expert who can sharpen skates so players have edges to negotiate turns. The skates are usually sharpened on an every-game or every other game basis at the professional level.
Common Pitfalls
Hand-me-down skates are common in most families and there is nothing wrong with the younger brother using the older brother's skates at the beginning of the learning process. However, once a player has begun to skate regularly, it is important for both health and comfort for a player to get his own skates that fit properly and become molded to the feet. Wearing skates that come close to fitting or are just a couple of fractions off can cause long-term foot problems.
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