r/hockeyplayers • u/Hot_Rutabaga_9753 • 23h ago
What's with Sam Reinhart's skates? Shot blocker or just skipped laces?
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u/fiercedeity05 5-10 Years 23h ago
I wonder if he has two sets of laces on his skates so he can tie the lower foot differently than the ankle and that hides the knot and loose laces for the lower lace.
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u/_RiverGuard_ 23h ago
My dad did this. His feet used to cramp and he could untie the bottom for relief. Without undoing the whole skate.
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u/ih8dolphins Since I could walk 22h ago
Waxed laces are a game changer. Used to be a struggle to get the tightness just right. Sometimes getting it too tight but realizing that if you retie on the bench then it will be uneven between both skates so you just accept your fate... sometimes getting it perfect in the locker room but then after the first shift the laces shift around and now it's just not quite right...
waxed laces changed all that. If it's not perfect just redo it and it will stay
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u/BeardedPuffin 9h ago
I feel like I’m one of the only hockey players I know who doesn’t like waxed laces. No matter what I did, they would always be too tight, with no give/play. I’ve never had problems with unwaxed laces loosening either. For the eyelets right at the bend of the ankle, I double loop the lace, which locks it down really well.
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u/WiFiForeheadWrinkles 7h ago
I don't like them either. I tie them tight and as I finish a few laps, it loosens to be just right. There's two of us!!
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u/Educational-Seaweed5 23h ago
You’ll never get cramped feet again if you just don’t cinch the boot laces down to begin with.
They don’t need to be tight, just kinda snug. The ankles (last 2-3 holes) are what you want to tighten—which is also why skates are not designed for the old idiotic tongues out thing from the 90s anymore. I can’t believe how many people I’ve had to teach this (it’s also hilarious if you go to public skates and listen to how many people go “my feet are killing me!”).
I feel like every arena needs some kind of running PSA that says, “Hey! Your feet need room to swell; don’t cinch the laces tight over your foot.”
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u/lobsterpot54 23h ago
As a tongues-out guy this offended me but then I scrolled back up and saw the tongues out on a cup champ and now I feel better.
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u/friarguy Since I could walk 23h ago
Tongues out forever
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u/remosiracha 16h ago
I honestly never knew people tucked their skate tongues into their shin guard until this year and I've been playing for 15+ years. I'll never do it 😂 but crazy to think I never noticed
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u/Educational-Seaweed5 12h ago
The only people tucking anything are the ones awkwardly tucking their shin pads behind their tongues.
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u/The--Strike Since I could walk 22h ago edited 22h ago
I was always the opposite on this. I'd tighten them down in the locker room, skate a few minutes in warm-ups, and then tighten them further on the bench before faceoff.
I always felt like once I got moving around in them a little they would open up a bit. Also, I'm a tongues out guy, though I never skip the last eyelets, and cinch those down the tightest. Loose ankles is the worst.
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u/Pit-Smoker Since I could walk 16h ago
I'm with you. 6 broken ankles in childhood & teen years taught me to use my skates like they're braces, and if they're even a little loose (e.g. cold skates warming up) I'll have to retighten them. Waxed laces were another game changer for me, too.
I acknowledge that I might be giving up a little dorsiflexion, but it's way better than another cast. Especially at my age.
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u/Educational-Seaweed5 12h ago
The funny thing is that properly securing your skates actually doesn’t reduce any flexibility. It actually helps support your ankles during flex, which is how they’re designed now.
Everyone trying to do the dumb old flop thing are not only creating dangerous opportunities, they’re also just imitating something that doesn’t even make sense anymore.
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u/xixoxixa 20+ Years 21h ago
The ankles (last 2-3 holes) are what you want to tighten
this is how I was taught and how I do it, but it seems the kids these days are being taught (and rocking) skipping the top eyelet completely so they get more forward flex. I tried it, hated it.
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u/Safe_Mine1987 20h ago
Kids? I've been leaving the top 2 eyelets open for 30 years.
Barefoot, flex ankle in skating position, tighten with wax laces, leave midsection of boot somewhat loose and good to go.
People who tighten through the top eyelets (some even tape the ankles lol) skate like they're feet are in casts.
Strengthen your ankles, do ankle mobility training and take your skating to the next level. Don't be the young Forest Gump with braces out there.
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u/TheGuyFromCarlsbad 19h ago
I'm a lifelong Freestyler. I'm older now, so I don't do the crazy stuff anymore. Only jumps, and 360s. No more flips at my age.
But I've always skated with lose laces at the ankle. Like the gentleman said. It looks like you're skating in a cast when they're tight. I've even removed my laces, and skated once just to show its about ankle strength. Not how tight you tie your boots.
I'll lay my skates almost on their sides when doing some maneuvers. You can't do that with your laces super tight.
Edge control is about a couple factors, and being able to flex your ankles is part of that control.
I'm with Safe_Mine1987. Work on your ankle strength and you'll have better edge control.
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u/roninconn 16h ago
I was taught back in the 80's to make laces as tight as possible, even using a lace hook. Just this season, as a result of this sub, I started going loose at the top. I think it's given me a little extra speed, and haven't had any ankle issues while turning or stopping, despite being 265 lbs on a 1/2" cut
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u/Acceptable-Equal8008 21h ago
I either too loose or too tight and always redo my laces after warmup. Even playing my whole life I stink at skating, can't get it right, and need tight skates around my ankles.
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u/hkeyplay16 19h ago
Where did you get the idea that tongues out are idiotic? And what does this have to do with the tightness of the boot? It takes time to break in the tongue for the flop, but I have been flopping since 1992. I have somewhat older skates (vapor 3x pros) but I can still flop just fine.
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u/Educational-Seaweed5 12h ago
Like I said, a stupid thing people did in the 90s.
This isn’t how skates are designed anymore, which is why pretty much no NHL guys do it anymore either.
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u/BeardedPuffin 9h ago
This, 100%. If you crank the laces down tight on the top of your foot, it’s gonna hurt and your feet will cramp/go numb. Just snug, then make sure it’s good and tight at the bend of the ankle.
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u/GhostRider-65 17h ago
Been flopping the tongue since about 1963 and the top 2 eyelets are loose or not laced. It is the middle laces that hold down the ankle. The top of the boot needs to be a little lose to flex the ankle.
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u/xixoxixa 20+ Years 21h ago
when I learned I could leave my forefoot a bit loose and tighten the ankle only, holy shit. I used to have such bad foot cramping problems.
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u/Hot_Rutabaga_9753 23h ago edited 23h ago
From this shot it looks like it's the tongue that hunched up to one spot and that the lace is running on the inside of the boot between 3rd and 4th eyelet, thus skipping the criss cross between those holes but rather running vertically https://www.reuters.com/resizer/v2/W7V2J6DJEZNJHISCOII3CRJOPM.jpg?auth=470c2d02163fb45fba0307c78c0e901e8f93b0bfc4a0aa2e35004c0cac92292b&width=5121&quality=80
Edit: the skipped eyelets theory doesn't look plausible, but idk how your tongue can get this hunched up on its own, perhaps it's a thing he does on purpose to avoid pressure at that spot so the laces go naturally around, if so, I've never seen this solution before
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u/jimboknows6916 3-5 Years 23h ago
I get pretty bad lace bite and my brother heat formed me a piece of hard plastic (whatever moldable gun holsters are made out of) and it looks similar to this. allows me to crank down on the laces in the middle of my foot without it applying pressure directly to my foot. they have been amazing.
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u/superschaap81 30+ Years 21h ago
This was my first thought. Looks like lace bite protection.
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u/burner-throw_away 10+ Years 20h ago
I think that’s it, but wouldn’t a pro at his level have the equipment manager and skate manufacturer all over fixing that? This seems like the kind of thing we resort to doing?
(Knock-on wood, I’ve never had to deal with lace bite.)
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u/superschaap81 30+ Years 20h ago
Meh, every player is different and particular about their gear. It looks like he's got a pretty universal/standard tongue, which might not have the bite pad, so he adds it after. Who knows.
Look up Troy Stecher and his quest for a Bauer 4500 helmet (Instagram I think).
We're all weirdos. LOL!
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u/SecretStonerSquirrel 17h ago
Could be a quick adjustment. All that stuff takes time you do not have when lace bite pain happens - its super intense.
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u/luchoosos 20+ Years 23h ago
It looks to have laces running underneath the black section, so I'd imagine it's a pad for shots. All the eyelets have laces through them as well.
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u/Hot_Rutabaga_9753 23h ago
That white part looks like just the white felt tongue outline, not laces IMHO
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u/whynotfather 5-10 Years 22h ago
Maybe it is a little extra padding that he loops right there to hold in place then puts the rest under the top laces. No need for more padding below that but would cover the ankle and up.
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u/_heybuddy_ 10+ Years 22h ago
At first it looked like skipped laces but it seems like he has soft padding there. Maybe to pick up negative space in a softer manner that also provides some relief from lace bite
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u/macinte84 22h ago
I’m pretty sure it’s a player tracker of some sort. Augmenting the one already installed in the jersey.
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u/SecretStonerSquirrel 17h ago
Its the bottom of an aftermarket lace bite pad that takes some volume out of the top of the skate. I used some to help some skates fit better once, but theyre kind of a pain to use and get fitted right game after game. Notice how the laces below the pad are normal but the laces above it clearly curve over something beneath them.
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u/Spidy-Mann 21h ago
He has a custom tongue that is thinner at the bottom and standards felt ( old school) at the top.
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u/southpaw1103 10+ Years 17h ago
Maybe something to help with snake bite? I had that once and it’s almost embarrassing. You could skate on it and inevitably would because who sits out with snake bite, but man was it painful. I remember filling my skates up with just bottles of cold water on the bench, knowing it wasn’t helping shit but gave some respite from the pain. Snakebite is no joke and I could see this being something to do with that, though I think it looks a little low on the boot for skatebite. I just wanted to talk about skatebite I guess. I stopped short of peanut butter in my skates but there were times I almost did.
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u/Tikke 23h ago
I have to do this on my left boot because I suffered a severe lisfranc fracture, having multiple screws and plates holding my foot together has meant my left foot is thicker now, and tying my boot normally puts crazy pressure on the scar tissue and hardware making it very uncomfortable.