LadyStanley
Registered User
http://www.vancouversun.com/story_print.html?id=4322205&sponsor=
We now must get on and answer one of life’s biggest questions. Something that has occupied the minds of some of the greatest hockey thinkers in the land. What’s up with all these bruised and battered feet, already?
Contusions and metatarsal fractures — also known as busted toes — broken interior and exterior ankle bones as well as injuries to the instep have been all the rage the past few seasons. So much so, that the NHL raised the issue of what could be done to further protect players’ feet in a forum attended by its product manufacturers in 2009. In the presentation, the league provided statistics that showed about 350 man games were lost a season — or roughly six per cent of the league’s total man-games lost — as a result of skate-related injuries from 2006-07 through 2008-09. And the numbers have only gone up since.
Now, there’s as many theories as to why this trend is on the rise as there are bones in your feet. Some say it’s players not being as tough as they once were while others blame it on composite sticks. Changes to the rules and advancements in systems play can’t be ignored nor can the size of players and the speed of the game. And they’re all good arguments, too.
But one thing that’s not to blame is the new lightweight skates.
