When To Get Your Ice Hockey Skates Sharpened. Because Sometimes they ARE To Blame.

We’ve all heard it before. Maybe we’ve said it ourselves. “Man my skates are dull, I can’t move anywhere tonight.” – which is more or less a way to say that I ain’t all that great, but TODAY especially because I am playing bad and my skates are handicapping me. And whether or not we’re the ones saying it or hearing others say it, we know the garbage we’re telling ourselves or others. While skate sharpness does performance if not properly maintained, it is easy to blame the skates for poor play (or stick). Partially because skate maintenance is pretty easy in most cases.

All of that said, taking good care of your skates will help with the control you are used to in turning and gliding, help you in your transition game, and also prolong the life of your skate blades to say nothing of the safety benefits of being able to control your feet and body as to not take unnecessary falls or run into other players. 

The question most often asked is “How often should I sharpen my skates?”. Well, we will talk about the things that cause skate blade and damage and how you can prolong your times between sharpening by doing some simple maintenance things yourself.

What Is Skate Sharpening?

At its basic level, sharpening of the skates involves grinding out a hollow on the bottom of your skate blade to give you better glide and edge control over your movements. Typically there is a person or persons at your rink that do most skate sharpening using a grinding stone or skate sharpening machine such as the one pictured below depending on the pro shop you are going to.

Contrary to what you might think, ice skate blades are not flat surfaces with sharp edges. Even though you may have some sharpness to the edge, a flat blade would not allow you to have any control on the ice. Your feet would go from side to side without being able to catch and ultimately result in falling right out of the gate. It’s pretty similar to going on the ice with your blade protectors on. We will talk about that in a moment.

The way a hollow or cut of your skate is determined and measured is, if you think of a circle. The hollow value represents a fraction of the circle circumference. So the higher the number, the wider the hollow. Hollow will increase or decrease your grip and cut into the ice on turns and glide while pivoting or striding. As with anything else, there are trade offs. A lower hollow means your skates cut more into the ice, giving you overall control but at the cost of speed and flexibility. Higher hollows increase your stride and ability to pivot, but require better leg strength in order to make sharp turns. This is, of course, all dependent on the level of the skater, but at its basic level for beginner and recreational skaters, this is a good reference.

The cut or size is a matter of personal taste but can be influenced by your body composition in terms of height vs weight, your age and your conditioning level and the hardness of the ice. Typically the harder the ice, the deeper cut you will want. Here is a list of the skate hollows you can have your hockey skates cut to:

As you can see what are seeming subtle changes are in actuality quite significant differences from cut to cut, which is why they are in such small increments.

Four Factors That TELL YOU When It is Time To Sharpen

You can tell when your skates need sharpening somewhat instinctively. It is more subjective than objective, but there are a few things you can look for. 

1. How many skates/games have you been involved in since your last sharpening?
2. Have you been playing in games, or just practicing? Game playing usually works your blades harder than practice for recreational players.
3. It’s how it feels to skate. I have a lot of bite in my skate, so when I notice I am gliding too much, especially on the outside edge of my left foot (weak side for me), then I know it is time to visit the pro shop. The same is true if stops taking longer or your are losing balance on the edges. Stops are a big part of the dulling of your blades. If you’re gliding more than normal when stopping, then that may also be a sign of blade wear.
4. What is your body composition? The heavier you are the more stress it puts on your blades when walking or on the ice. ESPECIALLY when stopping. (See #3 above)
5. Ice conditions. Different rinks have different ice quality. If you consistently play on bad, choppy or bare ice that doesn’t get resurfaced as well, then you will have to get your skates sharpened more frequently. Pond hockey games typically have the worst ice. By this I mean TRUE pond hockey games. Not those played on regular sheets of ice.
6. The blade material also plays a role. The cheaper the blade, the softer they are and the more frequently they will require sharpening or other maintenance. The bad news is that blade prices are proportional to their quality, material, and hardness. Most people don’t know what kind of blades they have. In that case, rely on 1-5 above.

You can look for other things as well. Make a habit of inspecting your skate blade between games or practices. If you notice nicks, rough edges or metal spurs, then you should get your skates sharpened.

You’ve been there. Your skates need sharpening but you are too busy during the week and your game starts at 11pm – well after the pro shop is closed. Well you can take steps to do some self maintenance of your blades between sharpening.

Keeping a skate edger in your equipment bag is a life saver. I use an A&R re-edger. These are tools that have ceramic edger in a V shape and most have a honing stone for cleaning off burs and rough edges on the outside of your skates. Note, do not use the honing stone on the bottom of your skate. That will dull the edges which is a recipe for a really bad time. Remember your blade bottoms are hollows. Flattening them will actually cause problems.

Three Ways To Prolong The Time Between Sharpening?

To keep your blades in tip-top shape and lengthen the time between sharpening, there are a number of things you can do:

1. Dry your blades after every skate. This also includes the bottom of your boot and the blade holder. Moisture from these areas can find their way onto your blades even after you have dried them with any kind of towel. Yes, the one I use is the same as the drying towel for my face. Obviously after the game.
2. Use blade covers. Put these on after drying skates. Keep them on when you are walking on your skates before the game. Of course, remove them before stepping onto the ice. That happens more than you may realize. And it can be really funny to see someone (or yourself) crash out due to a lack of doing this step, but can also cause injury.
3. Do not walk with your skates on when walking across any hard surface. One step on concrete or asphalt and your blade sharpness is gone.

CONCLUSION

Regular skate sharpening  is an important part of maintaining your skates which help your skating ability, skill on your feet, and the overall safety on the ice. Nobody wants to be taking falls or pulling muscles because they are fighting with dull edges. 

Always be mindful of the conditions of your skates, the ice you are skating on, and the floor you are walking on. Always use skate guards when walking distances between the locker room and the ice if it is more than 20 feet. 

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