Canstar Sports Group Inc.

Other

Bauer Nike Hockey Inc.

T Blaine Hoshizaki

Rene Bourque

Gerald Black

Jeffrey J Acheson

Rodrigue McDuff

Bernard Daoust

Daniel Chartrand

Jacques Durocher

Stephen D Murphy

A skate boot is described in which a one-piece plastic ankle and heel counter insert is employed, positioned between the various layers which make up the skate boot. In sequence from outside to inside, the boot includes a conventional outer, the one-piece plastic insert, suitable cushioning, and a lining. The insert has a heel counter portion which is generally U-shaped and which cups around the heel area from along the lateral side, across the heel, and along the medial side, and an integral ankle portion which extends upwardly from the heel area of the heel counter portion and which includes forwardly projecting wing portions which cup around the ankle area from over the area of the lateral malleolus, across the rear and over the area of the medial malleolus. Preferably, the plastic insert extends up most of the height of the back of the boot, and includes lateral and medial cuff portions which extend partially forward along the sides of the skater's upper ankle. The one-piece plastic insert provides improved performance and rigidity over conventional separate inserts, while avoiding the tendency of the ankle portion of the skate boot to slump down onto the heel portion with time.

Skate boot construction with integral plastic insert

Skate boot

A shin pad is described in which the shin shield is in two pieces, namely an upper piece which is secured to the lining of the knee cap, or to the knee cap itself, and a lower piece which is slidable up and down relative to the upper piece, and to which a lower liner is secured, the lower liner being independent of the knee liner. Preferably, the lower piece is slidable with respect to the upper piece by virtue of one or more slotted holes in either or both of the upper piece and/or lower piece, with bolts and T-nuts being used in the slots to secure the pieces together in the desired position. Preferably, there are three such slotted holes, namely a front central one and two side ones, namely one towards either side of the pad. Preferably, there is sufficient sloppiness in the slots to provide a varus/valgus adjustment, i.e. an adjustment of the angle of the shin shield, in the vertical fore-and-aft plane, relative to the orientation of the knee cap, by permitting the lower piece to be secured with one side higher than the other relative to the upper piece.

Adjustable shin pad

The shin pad, for use in ice hockey and possibly other sports, includes a lower brace element positionable along the front of the player's shin and securable to the player's lower leg, and an upper brace element positionable along the front of the player's lower thigh and securable thereto. A shin shield is secured outside the lower brace element. The lower and upper brace elements are pivotally connected to each other by pivotal connections on lateral and medial sides thereof, the pivotal connections being positionable on lateral and medial sides of the player's knee, in general alignment with the axis of the player's knee joint. To restrict or prevent hyperextension of the knee, the shin pad includes a stop arranged to prevent rotation of the upper and lower brace elements beyond a selected maximum permissible extension angle. To maintain protection when the knee is flexed, the upper and lower brace elements preferably include overlapping arcuate kneecap portions, one on each of the brace elements, arranged such that no gap between them when the knee is flexed. As the stop, the upper arcuate kneecap portion may come into contact with the shin shield when the maximum permissible extension angle is reached.

Shin pad with lateral support

Skate boot overlay

Sports helmet

An improved fastening system for the axles of wheels of in-line roller skates is disclosed. This tri-axle system includes a multi-position spacer which is mounted in a spacer aperture in the skate chassis, which spacer has an axle aperture to receive the wheel axle. Both the spacer and the spacer aperture are generally triangular in shape. The axle aperture is offset from the geometric center of the spacer so as the spacer is rotated in the spacer aperture both the vertical and horizontal position of the axle may be altered with respect to the chassis. This allows a user to adjust both the wheelbase of the skate and the rocker easily and quickly.

Tri-axle system for in-line roller skates

A skate boot is described, having a plastic overlay sewn or otherwise secured to the boot of the skate, wrapping around the heel of the boot from the medial to the lateral side of the ankle. The overlay increases the rigidity of the rear of the skate, to restrict pronation and supination, while adding impact resistance. Preferably, in order to permit dorsal and plantar flexion, the plastic overlay has several cut-out areas which allow for a controlled amount of flexion about a lateral axis, namely a heel flex cut-out area and side flex cut-out areas on either side in the instep area. Flexible inserts are preferably installed in the cut-out areas, to maintain extra impact protection while permitting flexion.

Skate boot with molded plastic overlay

A hockey stick handle being substantially rectangular in transverse cross section and has front and rear faces generally parallel to said faces of the blade, and narrower top and bottom faces being generally perpendicular to the faces of the blade, with the top face being on the same side of the handle as the blade. The rear face of the handle is convex, a central point on the rear face being at least 0.010' from the plane of outer edges of the rear face. A variant includes a concave front face. The hockey stick handle also has a significantly rounded corner between its top and rear faces providing superior ergonomic fit and enhanced control for the user.

Hockey stick handle

Goaltender's mask for ice hockey

An in-line skate is shown, including a rigid plastic chassis having a main portion and integral wing portions extending upwardly therefrom on either side adjacent the heel end of the chassis, with an integral heel portion between the wing portions. The main portion, heel portion and wing portions together define a heel box area. A plastic boot is secured to the chassis inside the wing portions and against the heel portion, and extends forwardly along the chassis. A plastic cuff wraps around either side and the rear above the boot, and is pivotally connected to each wing portion. A soft flexible padded sock-like liner is positionable inside the boot and the cuff. Straps are provided to secure the cuff, boot and chassis around the liner to firmly secure the user's foot, the straps preferably including at least one strap passable across the front of a user's ankle, the opposite ends of the strap being directed generally towards the heel box area, such that tightening of the strap pulls a user's heel directly into the heel box area. Preferably, the boot is adjustable to toe in or out relative to the chassis, and the pivotal connection between the cuff and the wing portions includes a ribbed adjustment on at least one side, whereby the height of the cuff relative to the wing portion on that side may be adjusted. The cuff is positioned inside the wing portions, and the boot and the cuff are generally complementary in shape and thickness, thereby presenting generally flush interior surfaces to the liner.

Growing community of inventors

Montreal, Canada

T Blaine Hoshizaki