Vet88 674 Report post Posted July 22, 2020 If I see this right, Doughty laces the top 3 eyelets under the tongue? Anyone ever heard him say why? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hills 712 Report post Posted July 22, 2020 Looks like a shot blocker on top of the tongue. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xstartxtodayx 343 Report post Posted July 22, 2020 They're Shot Blocker XT's, they attach to the laces and protect the laced area and have a thick flap that sits in front of the tongue to protect that area. I tried them because I had a spurt when I got hit, in both feet, in that exact same area multiple times (3x in one game at one point), unfortunately they didn't work well since I put my shins over the tongue and they kept coming out or pushing the shins up, if we ever play again I may try them upside down attached to the bottom of the shin instead (I think I've seen a handful of payers wear them like that, or something similar). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VegasHockey 1280 Report post Posted July 22, 2020 14 hours ago, Vet88 said: If I see this right, Doughty laces the top 3 eyelets under the tongue? Anyone ever heard him say why? That girl in the background is making a hilarious face. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caveman27 208 Report post Posted July 22, 2020 Looks like he does skip the top eyelets, with shot blocker on top. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vet88 674 Report post Posted July 23, 2020 12 hours ago, xstartxtodayx said: unfortunately they didn't work well since I put my shins over the tongue and they kept coming out or pushing the shins up Thanks to all for the replies. I'll have to look into these as I have an exposed area beside the side of the tongue. Maybe thats why doughty wears them that way as it looks like he goes tongue under shins. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flip12 715 Report post Posted July 23, 2020 (edited) He does go tongue under. If you search him on GettyImages and sort by oldest first you’ll see he was lacing loosely to the top until partway into his rookie season in the NHL and then started skipping the top eyelets. He continued with that setup for a while before adding the shot blockers. My guess is it was the best way to add protection to an otherwise prone area, since he had a few inches of ankle protected only by the skates’ tongues, while avoiding adding too much bulk, since mobility has always been one of his key assets. Speculating further, maybe he lets the top of the shot blocker flap out to avoid messing with his forward flex. I’ve tried a lot of different tongues in my skates and have surprisingly found that tongue stiffness is one of the most important factors to how a skate feels and responds. My preference is for the softest tongue possible if the boot has any stiffness at all. My Graf 701s have minimal stiffness, so they pair better with a stiffer 703 tongue. Edited July 23, 2020 by flip12 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flip12 715 Report post Posted July 23, 2020 Looks like Doughty started skipping the top eyelet in March 2008 and added the shot blockers in April 2012. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krisdrum 233 Report post Posted July 23, 2020 He also runs short tongues and no socks. Got to see the team practice a few years back in NJ. Looked like the tongues are short enough to not really need to be tucked under. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
