OCTOBER 2022

LET’S TALK GEAR!

Hockey is a gear heavy sport and it isn’t cheap. Maintaining your gear properly is crucial in lengthening the life of your equipment.  

We sat down with our Gear Boss, Lindsey, to talk about cleaning hockey gear. Lindsey is responsible for all of KCWHL’s gear in the gear library.  We have 9 complete bags!  She maintains the gear, washes it, and checks it out to players. Here are some tips she has about how to keep your gear clean and smelling good.

Tip 1: AIR IT OUT!

Air all your gear out including skates. Take all items out of your hockey bag.  Some players use hockey trees to hang up and air out their gear. No matter what you do, just make sure to open that bag and remove the gear to air out. Airing it out will dry your sweaty gear and decrease the chance of mold and mildew growing. Trust us, your teammates will appreciate this.

Tip 2: WASH IT!

You don’t want to be the smelly player that no one wants to sit by on the bench. Washing your gear is crucial, and yes you can wash almost all your gear including your gloves, shoulder pads, elbow pads, breezers, shin guards, socks, jerseys, hockey bag and jill shorts. Make sure to fasten all velcro straps before washing so they don’t stretch out, tangle, or snag other items.  Don’t put your gear in the dryer, let it air dry. 

The only things you can’t wash are your skates and your helmet.

Tip 3: DRYER SHEETS

Even though you can’t wash your skates, there are things you can do to make them smell better. Be sure to let them dry out after each session. Then, you can stick a dryer sheet inside each skate to freshen them up and make them smell better.

Tip 4: SHARPEN YOUR SKATES!

Skates need to be sharpened after every 10-12 games/practices.  After this the edge begins to wear.  The frequency of sharpening will depend on the type of blade or steel on your skates.  Talk to your local skate sharpener to determine how regularly you need to get your skates sharpened.  

Did you know there are different options when getting your skates sharpened?  Most players skate with a ½ inch radius and this is considered neutral.  You can go sharper or flatter from there depending on what you prefer.  A tighter radius (3/8, 7/16) gives you a sharper deeper edge and more bite on the ice.  The flatter edge (5/8 or 3/4) will give you more speed.  Talk to your local skate sharpener to determine the right edge for you.

Follow these easy tips and your gear will smell good and help you play your best game.