An attachment means for connecting a goalie pad to a skate. Has a string which has elastic characteristics and which is retained substantially at its mid-point by a pad attachment member and which has its two distal ends capped with a hook means and a loop means. The string is wrapped first under and then over the skate (or vice versa) so that the hook and loop means can mate and thus securely retain the lower part of the pad onto the skate.

An attachment means for connecting a goalie pad to a skate. Has a string which has elastic characteristics and which is retained substantially at its mid-point by a pad attachment member and which has its two distal ends capped with a hook means and a loop means. The string is wrapped first under and then over the skate (or vice versa) so that the hook and loop means can mate and thus securely retain the lower part of the pad onto the skate.

A boot form for a hockey skate is made of multiple plastic materials having different hardness properties, or different flexural moduli, and is formed via an injection-molding process or another similar process. One or more of the plastic materials may be reinforced with fibers of glass, carbon, aramid, or another stiffening material to strengthen one or more regions of the boot form. For example, pellets of a first plastic material having a flexural modulus of approximately 190 MPa (e.g., a polyamide elastomer block amide) may be injected into a mold to form a softer upper region of the boot form. And pellets of a second plastic having a flexural modulus of approximately 20,000 MPa (e.g., a Nylon 12 with long glass fibers) may be injected into the mold to form a stiffer lower region of the boot form. Additional skate components may then be attached to the boot form.

A boot form for a hockey skate is made of multiple plastic materials having different hardness properties, or different flexural moduli, and is formed via an injection-molding process or another similar process. One or more of the plastic materials may be reinforced with fibers of glass, carbon, aramid, or another stiffening material to strengthen one or more regions of the boot form. For example, pellets of a first plastic material having a flexural modulus of approximately 190 MPa (e.g., a polyamide elastomer block amide) may be injected into a mold to form a softer upper region of the boot form. And pellets of a second plastic having a flexural modulus of approximately 20,000 MPa (e.g., a Nylon 12 with long glass fibers) may be injected into the mold to form a stiffer lower region of the boot form. Additional skate components may then be attached to the boot form.

A skate blade sharpening system used to sharpen the blades of ice skates. The skate sharpener can include a housing that includes an elongated slot for receiving the blade of an ice skate for sharpening, and clamp jaws for retaining the skate. The housing can include at least one slot cover to engage the skate blade. Engagement of the skate blade can be sensed by a controller to enable sharpening operations to proceed. The skate blade sharpening system can automatically operate a grinding wheel and move the rotating grinding wheel back and forth along the lower face of the skate blade a desired number of times to sharpen the skate blade.

A skate blade sharpening system used to sharpen the blades of ice skates. The skate sharpener can include a housing that includes an elongated slot for receiving the blade of an ice skate for sharpening, and clamp jaws for retaining the skate. The housing can include at least one slot cover to engage the skate blade. Engagement of the skate blade can be sensed by a controller to enable sharpening operations to proceed. The skate blade sharpening system can automatically operate a grinding wheel and move the rotating grinding wheel back and forth along the lower face of the skate blade a desired number of times to sharpen the skate blade.

A skate (e.g., an ice skate) for a user (e.g., a hockey player). The skate comprises a skate boot for receiving a foot of the user and a skating device (e.g., a blade and a blade holder) disposed beneath the skate boot to engage a skating surface. The skate boot may be constructed by molding (e.g., injection molding) so as to have useful performance and/or characteristics (e.g., reduced weight; enhanced fit, comfort and range of motion; enhanced appearance; etc.) while being cost-effectively manufactured.

A skate for skating on ice, in which a blade holder and/or a blade of the skate may be designed to: improve skating, including speed, power, agility (e.g., turning), and/or other performance aspects of a user while skating, such as by providing enhanced stiffness characteristics of the blade holder (e.g., an improved stiffness profile in a longitudinal direction of the blade holder, better torsional stiffness of the blade holder, etc.); facilitate replacement or other installation and/or removal of the blade (e.g., by allowing toolless installation and removal of the blade from the blade holder while protecting against accidental release of the blade from the blade holder upon the blade holder and/or the blade being impacted in use); enhance retention of the blade by the blade holder; improve an appearance of the blade and/or the blade holder (e.g., at an interface of the blade with the blade holder); and/or otherwise enhance the skate.

A skate for skating on ice, in which a blade holder and/or a blade of the skate may be designed to: improve skating, including speed, power, agility (e.g., turning), and/or other performance aspects of a user while skating, such as by providing enhanced stiffness characteristics of the blade holder (e.g., an improved stiffness profile in a longitudinal direction of the blade holder, better torsional stiffness of the blade holder, etc.); facilitate replacement or other installation and/or removal of the blade (e.g., by allowing toolless installation and removal of the blade from the blade holder while protecting against accidental release of the blade from the blade holder upon the blade holder and/or the blade being impacted in use); enhance retention of the blade by the blade holder; improve an appearance of the blade and/or the blade holder (e.g., at an interface of the blade with the blade holder); and/or otherwise enhance the skate.

A skate boot having a tendon guard partially delimiting an opening of the skate boot. The tendon guard includes a lower member, a connecting member extending upwardly from the lower member, an upper member extending upwardly from the connecting member and an intermediate part. The upper member is abuttable against a rear bottom portion of a leg of the user. The upper member is resiliently displaceable relative to the lower member in a forward and a rearward direction. The intermediate part interconnects the upper and lower members and may encase the connecting member. The intermediate part is made of a material having one or both of a greater flexibility and a lower hardness than that of the lower member, the connecting member and the upper member. A method of manufacturing a skate is also discussed.