Equipment related injuries?

[shnuggs 0]

Man...I've never heard of peoples skates tearing feet apart like you guys are describing. You skating barefooted? I have CCM Vectors and never had any sort of discomfort such as you are describing. They feel like sneakers.

You must be from the CCM Forum :lol:

[Project824 0]

One of the girls on the team I work for was wearing a H5000 in practice, she took at shot in the ear piece, 40+ stiches later her ear was back attached !

She is in the process of sueing Bauer

Just out of curiosity, how would Bauer be liable for her injury? Not sure exactly what you mean by 'shot', but if she was blocking a shot and got hit on the ear piece, it was faulty technique. If a stick or an elbow caught her, well it was definitely not the helmet's fault.

Equipment doesn't eliminate injury, it only limits the chances for it. You could put an ankle skater in $2000 worth of equipment and there's a good chance he would hurt himself.

[chippa13 1844]

One of the girls on the team I work for was wearing a H5000 in practice, she took at shot in the ear piece, 40+ stiches later her ear was back attached !

She is in the process of sueing Bauer

If she got 40 stitches with the ear piece in, just think about what the damage would have been if she didn't have it.

This sounds like getting into a car accident and suing the manufacturer because the airbag scraped your face.

[jjtt99 0]

I know that one of the biggest reasons we spend money on gear is so we can play a fast, hard game confidently. I'm wondering if any lack of protection/breakage/failure on the part of any gear has cause you guys injury. Also, if you could include what you have done to migitate against the problem (and ensuing injury) from re-occuring. I guess the old adege, "fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me) would apply here.

I'll start: I had a pair of CCM Vector 4.0's with the standard e-blade holders and pretty standard rocker/profile/hollow. They were about a year old but in very good condition (I'll say that for years CCM has been the holy grail of durability for me and the Vector line was up to that moment, no exception). The skate totally give out on me about 6 weeks ago while I was skating after an icing that had been called off (for a stupid reason but let's not bash refs right?). The holder cracked in half and the bottom of the boot got a big crack as I shifted all my weight to it right behind the net (I was moving fast but the guy chasing me was at least 5 feet behind me, my fall was not at all caused my contact). I wound up going into the boards, couldn't feel anything in my lower limbs for about 1 minute, walked it off for 10 minutes, and then joined the game in the next period. Coach told me to go to the hospital the next day. I couldn't walk for about a week, got a prescription for some really good pain medication the name of which I can't spell. The hospital bill was $400USD for x-rays of my tailbone, medication and some therapy (yeah these American's aren't much for social healthcare eh). I know that you can't guarantee equipment failure, but in retrospect I would have rather spent that $400 dollars on a pair of holders that I basically KNOW would survive the toughest games that a d-man like me could throw at it.

Ouch...but in some small defence of the skate, it sounds like you're playing pretty intense hockey for a lower end product.

Just a thought. I don't mean them to be fightin' words. :P

[Ti-girl 0]

I have a few.

Well when I was younger, about 16, I bought a pair of the Mission Betty Flyweights. I went in hard on the forecheck and the goalie came out to play the puck. I turned sharply and felt my holder "give." Give it did. It snapped, took part of my boot with it and I went flying into the boards.

I broke my leg in three places.

I will NEVER buy ANY Mission gear EVER again. I don't care if they have improved, I was off of skates for over a year, missed Canada Summer games because of it and missed Canada Winter games because of it.

I also lost out going on the World Tour and I missed out on a scholorship.

Yes, I am still VERY bitter.

I also had a pair of easton shoulder pads, don't know what make they were, but I blocked a shot in the chest and broke my sturnum.

[gavin 0]

One of the guys who used to be on my team got a hairline fracture in his leg when his Easton ultralight shin pads broke the first time he blocked a hard shot. I've seen a lot of injuries to people using them.

The fact they are called ultralight should tell you there not for blocking shots.......

The fact that they are shin guards tells me they should protect (maybe less than a pair of Joffa 9060's but still some level). Sure maybe he was playing with the wrong kind of pads but for goodness sakes they BROKE... I don't want equipment that breaks, leaving my body to take the brunt of whatever hit it.

[gavin 0]

One of the girls on the team I work for was wearing a H5000 in practice, she took at shot in the ear piece, 40+ stiches later her ear was back attached !

She is in the process of sueing Bauer

WOW did she have the ear protector taken out? Did the helmet crack/break? Did it cut in the canal of the ear? Was the damage cosmetic or are there any hearing problems or anything? I know when I got my ear sliced up, it would feel a lot colder than the other ear in -10 or colder weather, and so I made sure it didn't get frostbite whist I was playing pond hockey. I bet damage like your friend got could cause some serious blood circulation issues.

[gavin 0]

Basically, any "injury" resulting from equipment, is usually the fault of the skater. Either they didn't buy the correct level of protection for their level of play, didn't get proper fit, had a piece of equipment for 15 yrs, or... they didn't inspect their equipment before using it to discover problems. Granted there will be freak occasions of equipment failure, but a holder falling off is not a skate problem. It was likely the the skater didn't dry the skates properly and the rivits rusted. I can't tell you how many come into my shop with hardly any rivits holding the darn things in place.

You're right... USUALLY, but this thread is not about those cases. I'm looking for examples where the equipment was appropriate and in good condition. For instance, my skates were:

1. Correct level of protection? CCM Vector 4.0's should be more than enough for my level.

2. Proper fit? Best fitting pair of skates ever. CCM and Vector in particular feel like they were made for my feet. I wore that specific pair for a year, VERY comfortably.

3. Too old/worn out? Well maybe but they were in great condition and a year doesn't seem too long for a pair of skate with no signs of wear + tear.

4. Didn't inspect the gear? I inspect my skates before/after every skate and rub down the blade with a stone. That's how I noticed the hole in my CCM ZG130's the MINUTE I took them off: I was inspecting them.

5. Didn't dry the skates? I have a skate holder built into my bench in my locker room. I just leave them there, and there are 2 vents with fans, making our locker room the best ventilated room around. Rust was not even a factor here.

That being said, I agree with you, a holder falling off is not a problem with the equipment. I'm tring to limit this conversation to problems with the equipment. For instance, I remember my Swiss Grafs falling apart my 11th grade in High School. The top of the boot ripped off of the bottom of the boot, leaving me with a boot with no sole on it. I had my bare foot standing on the ice! Trust me, my only concern was getting off the ice without getting my toes chopped off. Of course, I didn't get injured in the event, I bought a pair of CCMs the next day and that was that. But had I been injured, that would have been a case of "equipment problems cause injury."

[chippa13 1844]

I have a few.

Well when I was younger, about 16, I bought a pair of the Mission Betty Flyweights. I went in hard on the forecheck and the goalie came out to play the puck. I turned sharply and felt my holder "give." Give it did. It snapped, took part of my boot with it and I went flying into the boards.

I broke my leg in three places.

I will NEVER buy ANY Mission gear EVER again. I don't care if they have improved, I was off of skates for over a year, missed Canada Summer games because of it and missed Canada Winter games because of it.

I also lost out going on the World Tour and I missed out on a scholorship.

Yes, I am still VERY bitter.

I also had a pair of easton shoulder pads, don't know what make they were, but I blocked a shot in the chest and broke my sturnum.

Word of advice, don't block a shot with your chest. If it hits the right place at the right time, it is lights out, game over.

[Ti-girl 0]

Yeah, I didn't mean to.

We were on the PK and they were passing the puck around the perimeter and their one girls, whom we nick named Mother Earth (she was freaking HUGE), took a shot. I went down to block it, but it deflected off my stick and into my chest.

Yes, I saw stars. I was winded and if it was a few inches over it would have been lights out.

[gavin 0]

Yeah, I didn't mean to.

We were on the PK and they were passing the puck around the perimeter and their one girls, whom we nick named Mother Earth (she was freaking HUGE), took a shot. I went down to block it, but it deflected off my stick and into my chest.

Yes, I saw stars. I was winded and if it was a few inches over it would have been lights out.

That is FREAKY my dad accidentally got a stick hit him in the chest between the cracks of his ancient shoulder pads. He is 54, and while he didn't think anything of it at the time (about a month or 2 ago), he felt like he was having a heart attack a few hours later when we were playing puckup at the outdoor rink.

He went to the hospital the next day and it wasn't too major, just some separation in the tissues. But it makes you realize ... if I'm buying new stuff (of course his gear is not new), I sure want to have the protection I'm paying for.

[Ti-girl 0]

I now have the Itech women's shoulder pads.

This weekend we were playing and I got slammed into the boards, right at our bench and it didn't really hurt. Then, again, I blocked a shot. It went off our centre's stick and hit me square in the sternum.

I lost my breath for a second, but I was still able to chip it out. After that shift, we checked my pads and there was a mark, but not on me.

These pads are sold plastic not just the foam. I paid an arm and a leg for them, but they're worth it.

[Ti-girl 0]

These are the ones that I have now. Solid pastic.

[gavin 0]

I know that one of the biggest reasons we spend money on gear is so we can play a fast, hard game confidently. I'm wondering if any lack of protection/breakage/failure on the part of any gear has cause you guys injury. Also, if you could include what you have done to migitate against the problem (and ensuing injury) from re-occuring. I guess the old adege, "fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me) would apply here.

I'll start: I had a pair of CCM Vector 4.0's with the standard e-blade holders and pretty standard rocker/profile/hollow. They were about a year old but in very good condition (I'll say that for years CCM has been the holy grail of durability for me and the Vector line was up to that moment, no exception). The skate totally give out on me about 6 weeks ago while I was skating after an icing that had been called off (for a stupid reason but let's not bash refs right?). The holder cracked in half and the bottom of the boot got a big crack as I shifted all my weight to it right behind the net (I was moving fast but the guy chasing me was at least 5 feet behind me, my fall was not at all caused my contact). I wound up going into the boards, couldn't feel anything in my lower limbs for about 1 minute, walked it off for 10 minutes, and then joined the game in the next period. Coach told me to go to the hospital the next day. I couldn't walk for about a week, got a prescription for some really good pain medication the name of which I can't spell. The hospital bill was $400USD for x-rays of my tailbone, medication and some therapy (yeah these American's aren't much for social healthcare eh). I know that you can't guarantee equipment failure, but in retrospect I would have rather spent that $400 dollars on a pair of holders that I basically KNOW would survive the toughest games that a d-man like me could throw at it.

Ouch...but in some small defence of the skate, it sounds like you're playing pretty intense hockey for a lower end product.

Just a thought. I don't mean them to be fightin' words. :P

Good point! But aren't the Vector 4.0's equipped with the same holders and the 5.0's the 6.0's? I thought that the Pro is the only one to move up to the "E-blade Pro." And maybe that is the reason we should have a thread like this: to make people realize that if you skate on some equipment (poor quality brand or lower end models), you could take a hit in you wallet, just at the hospital, not at the hockey shop.

As for myself, I did buy a top of the line skate (CCM Vector ZG130) to replace the broken pair. Right now I'm putting effort/money into getting good, high end equipment, although it's different from when I was in High School: now I'm more concerned about protection, performance than I am about looks.

[warrior37 0]

i kind of dont get this thread, ill take a stab at it: if you get hit in the ear piece of your helmet and it hurts you blame the helmet? or like if i get slashed in the spot where my elbow pad doesnt cover, do i blame the elbow pad or the guy who twigged me?

in a league game i was hit in the sternum by a slap shot from john vigilante of the plymouth whalers, it hurt like a bitch, the puck went in the net as my goal, i had an awful bruise. i want to say i have jofa 9800 shoulder pads, but i dont blame them, i mean couldnt you blame everytime you get hurt on your equipment

with the exception of some the skate issues, what happened to just sucking it up?

[chippa13 1844]

The problem could have been that you needed a stronger, higher quality outsole than the 4.0's provide. Hence, the holder had to take more of the stresses that the outsole couldn't.

[gavin 0]

i kind of dont get this thread, ill take a stab at it: if you get hit in the ear piece of your helmet and it hurts you blame the helmet? or like if i get slashed in the spot where my elbow pad doesnt cover, do i blame the elbow pad or the guy who twigged me?

in a league game i was hit in the sternum by a slap shot from john vigilante of the plymouth whalers, it hurt like a bitch, the puck went in the net as my goal, i had an awful bruise. i want to say i have jofa 9800 shoulder pads, but i dont blame them, i mean couldnt you blame everytime you get hurt on your equipment

with the exception of some the skate issues, what happened to just sucking it up?

No, Ti-Girl made the good point that if you have better shoulderpads, sometimes the same thing will happen to you with different results (no serious injury). So she proved what I practise: I have a set of CCM Pro shoulderpads (a few years old... my Dad's friend gave them to me after he stopped playing semi-pro) and they cover EVERYWHERE... down past my belly button even. And so I expect to get hurt less and less often than I would be with a smaller set. Sometimes we can't blame the gear, but our decision to buy it.

[ktang 34]

I think another point to this thread is to make sure that your equipment is properly maintained and in good repair after every use. I.e. removed from the bag, aired out, and checked with the Mark-I eyeball.

I could have had my skate holders unzip on me a few times, but I check their rivets.

I catch some kids with loose helmet and cage screws before games, too.

And, about gear selection, there always seem to be kids with a big gap between the glove cuff and elbow pad because they outgrew them.

[Chadd 916]

And, about gear selection, there always seem to be kids with a big gap between the glove cuff and elbow pad because they outgrew them.

No that's for MOBILITY.

[jrhky36 1]

had jones 3 piece eblow pads. was checked and on contact with the glass the cap pad broke off. had to get 3 stiches in the elbow because of it.

yes equiment will fail from time to time. that is why proper sizing and level of protection is so important.

[Jbone 0]

Meh stepped on my ankles and knees a couple times and got a little cut.

[whbd18 0]

I missed one. In Nov. 2005 I was skating pretty hard during practice and hit a knick in the ice.I fell on my right elbow and it still wont bend straight.I have fell on my elbow multiple times after that and it still hurts everything I fall.I have Nike V10 elbows.

On a side note,Does anyone have any good recommendations for elbows that fit similar to the Nikes?

No Jofa or RBK,they dont fit my elbows right.

[gavin 0]

Meh stepped on my ankles and knees a couple times and got a little cut.

I'm sorry I don't understand.

[sdh 0]

cage chipped my tooth in a beer league game the weekend before my wedding (why are the biggest goons in beer leagues?) this one was my fault since my cage was lose ... and I should have dodged.

a weirder injury was when I tripped innocently and fell forward on the ice onto my hands (still holding my stick). well, my easton 1350's kept my thumb straight or something and I drilled it into the ice. ouch. that was over 10 years ago and it still hurts!

I didn't have a buttend in an aluminum stick and got checked into the boards. I tend to hang my pinky finger off the end of my stick and it got caught between the boards and the open end. nearly cut a big piece of it off.

when I breaking in a pair of bauer skates I remember getting this weird pain on my ankle bone. If felt like a nerve was getting pinched or something and I basically couldn't skate for a while until it completely healed. very painful. This was before heat molded skates.