The hockey player's guide to skate sharpening (2024)

FAQs

How do you test if skates are sharp enough? ›

A quick test for a sharp edge is to hold the skate upside down, place one thumbnail on the edge of the blade and gently pull down and away from the blade on three or four parts of the blade. A good, sharp blade will easily scrape a layer of your thumbnail, leaving the remnants on the blade.

Connor McDavid uses custom Tydan Performance Blades. Connor McDavid runs a 10' profile. We sell Tydan Performance Blades.

The most common skate sharpening radius we see for ice hockey players is a 1/2″ inch or 5/8″ inch cut.

The higher the number, the flatter the cut. Players used to regularly ask for a 3/8ths or half-inch cut (pointy, high); now it's commonplace for them to use a much shallower hollow. Montreal's Jesperi Kotkaniemi skates on 11/16ths. NHL refs, for whom glide is paramount, typically sharpen at around an inch.

How many passes should I choose when sharpening? If you are freshening up your blades after every skate, 1-2 cycles will usually be enough. If you're sharpening your skates after every 5-6 hours of ice time, you'll typically want to run 4 cycles.

Sharpen them too often and your blades will wear out prematurely. Not frequently enough, and you'll find yourself losing an edge when trying to turn, or being unable to control your skates.

IW offers Sparx Sharpening Services that deliver the most accurate and consistent sharpenings available. That's why more than 25 NHL teams including the Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane use the Sparx machine. Sparx delivers precise results to the 1/1000th of an inch every single time.

Used by more than 25 NHL teams, the Sparx Sharpener produces professional results with ease.

Many players, minor league and NHL alike are claiming that the flat bottom V feels like your are gliding on top of the ice, allows you to glide longer, allows you to turn easier, and skaters will not fatigue as fast because it takes less energy to skate.

The blades are sold pre-sharpened. Jochen Hecht of the Buffalo Sabres, Dennis Seidenberg of the New York Islanders, Marcel Goc of the Nashville Predators, and Christian Ehrhoff of the Buffalo Sabres are NHL players who use T-Blade skates.

How often do pros sharpen their skates? ›

Generally skates should be sharpened every 20-40 skating hours. This depends on a few different factors such as how many times a week a skater is on the ice, which elements the skater is working on, and the build of the skater.

You can get your skates sharpened anywhere from 1/8th of an inch to one inch. 1/8th would be the sharpest, and one inch would be the least sharp.

5/8 (Shallow) grind is what most figure skaters skate on. This gives you a good flowing edge and has little friction on the ice. 1/2 (Standard) grind will be a lot more forgiving when landing a jump giving a sharper edge to land on.

The larger the radius, the better the straight line, top-end speed and stability. The shorter the radius, the better the maneuverability. The blade can also be contoured with a forward lean or a backward lean — the former enhancing speed, the latter stability. More than two-thirds of NHL players wear Bauer skates.

Skates should typically be sharpened after 8-10 hours of use on an indoor rink. This timeframe shrinks when skating outdoors. If you find yourself struggling to skate smoothly or falling down doing a typical skill you'd be comfortable with it is a sign that you may need to get your blades checked.

Most skates are sharpened by cutting an arc in between the two edges, known as the radius of hollow (ROH). This is measured in inches. Hockey player and goalie skates are often sharpened with a ROH from 3/8” up to 1-1/2”.

In the end, there is no “right” or “wrong” radius, it all comes down to what is most comfortable for you and your skating style.To begin, let's take a look at what different radii look like on the bottom of your skate blade.

They sharpen every skate in the afternoon before every game, a process that takes them about an hour, each manager with their own sharpening machine.

Some players will sharpen very frequently, such as every 2-3 hours of ice time, while others go for an entire season without sharpening. If you're unsure of where to start, try getting them sharpened after 10 hours of ice time, and then adjust as you feel is necessary.

How long do ice skate blades last? ›

Done frequently enough, a blade should last 5 to 8 years for the average recreational skater. Generally, the frequency should be every 20-30 hours of skating. FACTORS: Hardness of the steel used in the blade, and how much and how aggressively you skate.

Other superstar forwards like Patrick Kane, Pavel Datsyuk and Wayne Gretzky have also used mild curves throughout their careers... none of which had any trouble scoring.

YES. Flare Blades can be sharpened on the Sparx® machine.

Over time, the blades on your hockey skates will get dull and worn down. This can happen in the span of one game or a few months. When your blades get dull, that is your indication to head over to your local MonkeySports store to get them sharpened.

McDavid is well-known for using the original SuperTacks graphic, and will likely end up using it again this season. As one of the faces of CCM Hockey he is often seen using new releases in practices and ads - CCM also features McDavid's name on their P28 curve despite it being quite different from his pro pattern.

Some hockey players simply wear whatever socks they wear for everything else; others buy special socks that are super thin or extra thick; still others wear no socks at all.

Kris King, the NHL's senior manager of hockey operations, said the league approved the heated blades after determining that the blades were safe. The league did not test them for performance.

Some players will take a shower during the intermission to feel revitalized for the upcoming period. Other players choose to meditate, closing their eyes, staying silent and visualizing their success for the remainder of the game.

The Stanley Cup playoff beard has been an NHL tradition since the early 1980s, when the shaggy New York Islanders won four straight championships. It represents the players' singular focus, as if even personal hygiene is sacrificed in pursuit of hockey's holy grail.

Some reporters suggested that enforcing uniform rules was the National Hockey League's attempt to reduce freak accidents where a player's body was cut by skate blade while others said the league was laying down rules for eventually selling advertising space that would display prominently on the entire jersey.

Why do hockey players put tape on the blade of their stick? ›

Adding tape improves the contact between the blade and the puck. The taped surface of the blade makes it easier to control the puck and accurately shoot a pass across the expanse of the rink to a speeding teammate.

Bauer custom made the new sticks for only seven players in the NHL, including DeBrusk, the Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov, the Senators' Brady Tkachuk, the Avalanche's Cale Makar, the Canucks' Quinn Hughes, the Devils' Jack Hughes and the Blues' Brayden Schenn.

Featuring one of the most revolutionary innovations in the history of hockey sticks, the Bauer Nexus ADV features the new Slingtech Technology, a hole found in the stick's blade. The basic principal of Slingtech Technology and the hole in the blade is to create a slingshot effect when releasing the puck.

Each player also has his own preference as to how often his skates are sharpened. Some players may go a couple of games between sharpenings, while others may even request that their skates are sharpened between periods. Occasionally, a player will even change the depth of his hollow depending on ice conditions.

What is a triple axel in figure skating? It's one of the toughest jumps in the sport. Only a handful of women at the Winter Olympics in Beijing can do this type of jump.

Forwards generally prefer smaller radius than defense men of the same weight. Goalies generally prefer very large radius so that they can "kick out" without catching an edge. Figure: Most beginner and instructional skaters can skate on a 1/2" radius. A 5/8" radius will take care of most recreational skaters.

Your hockey skates should be sharp enough to ensure the blades have bite and allow you to turn and stop with confidence. Sharp edges mean that the inside and outside edges of your skate blade are razor-thin, clean and without burrs or nicks.

Different Types of Skate Sharpening Hollows

For example, a lighter player can benefit from a deeper hollow (7/16" or 3/8") by providing them with the ability to cut deeper into the ice. This type of sharpening provides more bite for the user, allowing for more responsive turns/stops and quicker overall acceleration.

While your skates can never be too sharp, they can certainly be too dull and that can take a whole lot of fun out of the game. For those skaters who do feel their skates are too sharp at times, we recommend reviewing our post on selecting an ROH. You should experiment with a slightly shallower radius.

Is Crosby a grinder? ›

“How I like to describe Sid is he's a skilled grinder — the best skilled grinder ever, basically,” former NHLer and current ESPN analyst Dom Moore said, noting that's the utmost compliment at this time of year.

How Often? For optimal performance in terms of feel, your stick should get new tape for every game. Many pros re-tape for every practice. But, for most amateurs, protection is the primary goal and, therefore, tape needs to be replaced only when it is showing wear (fraying and the like) along the bottom edge.

Connor McDavid uses custom Tydan Performance Blades. Connor McDavid runs a 10' profile. We sell Tydan Performance Blades.

The longer blades help speed skaters go faster because they provide more pressure into the ice. These blades also help speed skaters have more grip on the ice while they skate. It's very similar to track and field athletes wearing spikes on their shoes to have more grip while they run.

So why use taller blades? They provide a more aggressive “attack” or “push” angle to the ice before the cowling makes contact and there is risk of slipping out. Taller steel allows goalies to get their knees lower to the ice before the cowling makes contact.

Bring the skate blade to eye-level and look down the blade towards the coin. If there is a significant height difference between the inside and outside edge, it will be visible; you'll see one side of the coin will be higher than the other.

Make a hole in the ice using an ice chisel, auger, or cordless drill. Insert a tape measure into the hole, hook the end onto the edge of the ice, and take the measurement. If your reading is at least four inches, proceed with caution.

Almost all skaters worry about their toes touching the end when they first put on skates. This is perfectly normal. The first three things you do when you go skating all help to make a skate feel better: Tap your heel into the back of the skate - be firm!

Try not to rise up as you finish each stroke; keep your hips low and think of it more as a side-to-side push with each edge, pushing off the one foot and extending it out as you push off onto the other foot and shift your weight to the other hip. Press the blade into the ice constantly.

Your toes should barely touch the front toe of the hockey skate. The skate is too small if your toes are bunched up or pressed hard against the front of the skate. Try a smaller size if your toe doesn't touch the front of the boot.

Do skates expire? ›

Anywhere from 1 – 20 years. It totally depends on quality of components, upkeep and maintenance, the type of skating you do, and how often you skate. The wheels may be the first to go, but they can be changed. The key is to clean and maintain your bearings, wheels and other parts to help them last.

However, if they are really dirty, you can also use the WD-40® Multi-Use Product on them. Make sure the seal is thoroughly dried before inserting back into the bearing.

Generally skates should be sharpened every 20-40 skating hours. This depends on a few different factors such as how many times a week a skater is on the ice, which elements the skater is working on, and the build of the skater.

Should I mount the skate heel-to-toe, or toe-to-heel when sharpening? Though it isn't bad form to choose one way or the other, Blademaster always recommends that you sharpen from heel-to-toe.

Skates should typically be sharpened after 8-10 hours of use on an indoor rink. This timeframe shrinks when skating outdoors. If you find yourself struggling to skate smoothly or falling down doing a typical skill you'd be comfortable with it is a sign that you may need to get your blades checked.

Minimum ice thickness should be:

15 cm for walking or skating alone.

Less than 4 inches: Stay off the ice. 4 inches: Walking, ice fishing, ice skating, or other activities on foot are permitted. 5 to 7 inches: Snowmobiling or riding ATVs are safe. 8 to 12 inches: Driving a car or small pickup is allowed.

How tight should hockey skates fit? Hockey skates should be snug, but not uncomfortably tight. When unlaced, your toes should just barely touch the toe cap. When standing in your skates with them fully laced, you want your heel snug in the heel pocket, so your toes have a bit of space at the end.