There are many aspects to the game of hockey froma mental, physical and equipment standpoint and none of it would matter withoutthe actualhockey skate. Pro skates come in a multitude of options from thetongue to the liner or even the amount of eyelets a skate has but further morebeing perfectly dialed into all of those details only helps you push into thattiny steel runner at the bottom of your skate holder helping power you throughthe ice. Needless to say your steel is pretty important... And when it comes toit you have a few options stock steel, step steel and Black edge are the mainsteel offerings you will find.
All skates wether purchased througha retail store or custom ordered on your team account come with a fairlygeneric stock steel offering. The stock steel varies by manufacturer but formost it is normally fine.
Bauer hockey has a few differentstock steels that they offer depending on the model. For years Bauers top endskate came with the Bauer Fusion runners. This steel was essentially half ofthey're signature ls2 steel fused with a lighter aluminum steel at the tophalf, that would fit into your skate. While this did save a fairly noticeableamount of weight It created a "soft" steel that didn't retain an edgevery long. You would end up needing to re sharpen these blades so often that itwould wear down to that aluminum layer faster than most would like. This steelalso suffered some bending and durability issues but the weight it saved didattract some. Most notably Peter Sykora of the Devils was a big fusion steelsupporter.
Recently in the new 1X model and moving forwardBauer is not sending their skates out with fusion steel. Skates now will comewith Ls4. Ls 4 is a much higher grade cut of steel in addition tobeing a better quality steel it comes at a taller height than previous Bauersteels such as the fusion and traditional ls2, Ls4 comes at the same height asLs3 which with the added height provides a bit more longevity and a greaterturning radius. Ls3 and Ls4 both come profiled out of the box at a 10' radius.Ls4 however is improved on the ls3 by being finished with a polished mirrorcoating that helps it retain an edge longer and bite the ice a bit more in eachpush.
Hundreds of NHL players use Ls4 and Ls3steel, it is the highest grade of steel offered on the Bauer light speed edgeholders which is being heavily recommended and borderline mandatory on someteams. Players include Jamie Benn and Steven Stamkos.
CCM hockey stock steel has taken major leaps forwardin recent years. Top end CCM RBZ line skates now come with HyperGlide steelwhich is another polished steel. This steel however was finished with thepolish and is actually embedded into the side walls. This allows the steel tobe stiffer when gripping the ice and creates a nice smooth finish whilesharpening helping the steel glide through the ice. It also helps resist knicksand retains an edge better however this steel can not be stoned aftersharpening with a traditional hand stone. If your local shop does not have thespecial hand stone for coated steels it is best left in stoned but stoning canremove the mirrored coating which ruins the steel.
CCM ribcore model skates now come with SpeedBlade Black runners. This blade is based upon after market steel company Blackedge. It is a regular steel again coated in what is almost like a carbon typeof Finnish. This blade feels soft to the touch but is the easiest of all tosharpen and provides what I consider to be the best bite into the ice even atthe shallowest of cuts. The carbon coating is one that again helps maintain anedge and prevent abrasions to the blade and absolutely must not be stoned. Thiscoating wears off the steel very easily one improper stoning can ruin theblades. Hyper glide and speed blade black are inter changeable between models,both fit speed blade 4.0 holders.
Step steel was one the first and has been the largestafter market steel company. Step originally got started by providing higherquality cuts of steel under a Trusted Canadian brand. Step originally made anystock steel in a better quality and taller to increase turning radius andattack angle out of stops and starts. Step also offers a full mirror finishcoated steel called step velocity steel, It is the steel CCM's hyper glideblade is mimicked after. Step has recently taken a hit due to Bauers patent ofthe light speed edge holder system which does not allow them to manufacturerunners to fit the edge holder system. Step however has some loyal followerswho have elected to get light speed 2 holders on their new Bauer skates ratherthan the edge holders to accommodate their step steel, these players haveincluded at times Tyler Seguin and Ryan Johansen.
(Step velocity pictured)
Black edge steel is another after marketsteel brand with a loyal following. Black edge was the first company to make acarbon coated runner. This runner plays much stiffer than any traditional steelreally gripping through the ice when you push but allowing a seamless glidewhen moving straight up and down the ice. The carbon coating allows for a thinalmost water like channel to pass under the hallow of the blade allowing for amuch smoother and easier glide. This steel is also not to be stoned as it canand will ruin the carbon coating. Black edge makes their own steel for avariety of skate holders and while the Bauer patent does not allow them toproduce a steel for the light speed edge holder they are allowed to coat preexisting Bauer steel. You can take your Ls3 blades to black edge hockey andhave them carbon coated in black for the same performance you've come to expectfrom them without sacrificing the ease of you're edge holders.The entire Boston Bruins team are very fond ofBLack edge steel especially Brad Marchand and Daniel Paille.
After market steel used to be much more popularand sought after when the only stock offerings were Ls2 and E-pro blades. Dueto the market share after market steels started taking however hockey companieshave since started producing their own versions of them to help keep customersin brand name products. It has worked for som but some still swear by theoriginals. Only way to know for your self Is to try them all and see where yourpreference lies.
My steel rankings would be as follows
1. Bauer Ls3 edge coated by Black edge
2. Step velocity steel
3. CCM hyper glide
4. CCM speed blade Black
5. Bauer Ls4 edge
6. Standard Step Steel
7. Bauer Fusionsteel
