The concept of an ice skate in general was first conceived in Finland over 5,000 years ago. As a
means of improving their ability to hunt during that country's winters, a skate was made mainly of
animal bones.
The game of hockey itself started to evolve in Canada in the 1860's. A concept whose early beginnings
traced back to Scotland, the "Stock skate" (aka "Block skate") started showing up in Nova Scotia,
Canada in the 1800's. By today's standards, these stock skates were very simplistic. They were
basically steel blades embedded into wooden blocks, affixed to regular boots with rope or leather.
The first iteration of
In 1866, skates specifically for the game of hockey were developed in Nova Scotia by Starr Mfg. Co.
Ltd. They were essentially self-fastening blades (wider than a typical stock skate blade) that anyone
could fasten to their existing boots. These blades were quickly adopted by players of hockey in
Canada and became a critical part of the early evolution of the game.
Still in Nova Scotia, in the early 1900's Tube Skates were introduced by Starr. Evolving from the
idea of a self-fastening blade, these were sold as a boot and blade combination. An aluminum-finished
blade was riveted to the boot. The bood itself featured solid toes and thick felt tongues, more
suited to hockey than the standard boots that had been used in the past.
Also in the early 1900's, Starr recognized that a goaltender had different skating needs than a
regular hockey player. These included what was known as a "puck stop" on the blade.
In 1905, CCM transitioned from manufacturing bicycles into producing hockey skates and other hockey
equipment.
In 1927, Starr would partner with Bauer to manufacture the "Bauer Supreme" skate- using a Bauer boot
and an attached Starr blade.
This skate gets the official footnote in history of being the first to have a blade attached directly
to the boot. It made Bauer the first big name in skate manufacturing.
Also in 1927, the NHL introduced a rule outlawing "fancy" skates. As a result, tube skates were the
only type that could be used by NHL players.
In 1937, CCM introduced it's first "CCM Tack" skates- skates that used their blade and a boot
developed by Manitoban George Tackaberry. CCM Tacks would become the dominant skate in hockey, with
over 90% of hockey players using them some time. In fact the leading NHL scorer in the NHL wore a CCM
boot from 1939 through 1969.
Bauer would return to prominence in the 70's after having introduced the popular TUUK holder and
acquired the services of NHL star Bobby Hull to endorse it's skates.
Skates would continue to evolve over the years to the point we're at today. Current day manufacturers
include CCM, Easton, Graf, Itech, Mission and Nike Bauer. With plenty of competition, one can be sure
that the way is paved for further innovation in years to come!
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