The position of the goalie in an ice hockey skate game is most important. The goalie has the responsibility of saving a goal hit by the opponent team. The job of a goalie is risky, and proper equipment and skates are required to show the best performance and reduce the chances of injury.
Here we are with tips on buying the right ice skates for goaltenders to upscale his/her performance in the game: Keyword: buying the right ice skates:
- Sizing and Fitting of Goalie Skates
A goalie’s skates should fit well to the foot from all four sides. The skates of a goalie and a player are sized in a similar way, which is picking skates 1.5 times smaller than your usual shoe size. Carry the socks that you will wear on the rink with the skates to check the skates wearing the sock. Tie up the lace and take a few steps after wearing the skates to prevent any pressure on the toe or heels. There should be one finger space in the skates to avoid the skates’ negative pressure on your foot. Check whether the skates’ blades are sharp and get them sharpened after every 6-8 hours of practice.
- Styling and Preferences in Goalie Skates
There has been a lot of changes in the style and preferences of goalie skates in the last few years. The goalie skates are more expansive and a shorter tongue as compared to the player skates. Changes have been seen in the cowling and holder of the skates. New trends in goalie skates show that they are now cowling free and comes with a reinforced toe cap making it easier for a goalie to attack and grab a push edge to move quickly during the game. With these newly styled skates, goalies can dig their blade in from more extreme angles before its inside edge makes contact with the ice, thereby improving the overall goalie’s performance. Another innovation seen in the goalie skates is that manufacturers are making it light weighted and stiffer than the player skates to reduce lost energy transfers during movements. An innovative release system is designed to remove and replace steel with fresh steel in seconds.
- Usage and Maintenance of Goalie Skates
Different levels of protection are provided in the Goalie ice hockey skate game designed to hold for further usage. These protections are made of certain materials. Other goalie skates have different usage periods, like pro skates should be worn 4-7 times a week, senior skates to be worn 2-5 times a week, and lower old skates can be used 1-3 times a week. Goalie skates need maintenance, especially from the edges, because they are on the feet using cutters, and they tend to wear out after few weeks of usage. You can maintain and improves its life span by taking care of the footbeds and dry them out, wiping the blades and cowlings after every use to avoid potential rusting and blunt edges.
Conclusion
For a goalie, goalie skates are among the most important factors to count on in winning a game. With different ranges and features available in the market to make the game more interesting, it has become easier for a goalie to choose the right ice hockey skates and put his/her best foot forward. Customizations are done in sizes, eyelets, stiffness, thickness, heights, tongue, and steel size to broaden the range of skates to choose from. These options make a goalie more connected with the ice and give the best feel to the game.
