"Socks are part of your protective gear"

[TheRedShadow]

Coach at my low level rec team tonight noticed a bit of leg showing above my socks. That's cos I tuck the top of my socks down into my shin/kneeguards. I also don't wear head to toe sweats so there's bare flesh showing when I'm sitting on the bench and sometimes on the ice if I'm down on one knee.

He said socks are a) there to hold the top of my knee guards up, y'know, the little flappy bit on top, in place (and protect from pucks), and b) help me stop getting cut if I get slashed.

My view is that he's talking absolute BS. What do you think?

I reckon people think it's odd to see a flash of leg when nearly everyone covers themselves in socks taped up to the armpit or are head to toe in sweats (a good name for em I reckon). I prefer to dress as coolly as possible while having essential protection.

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[mikitas donut]

Karlsson and Bolland will say otherwise. And they got cut through their under socks and hockey socks. In the end though, it's up to you.

 

[soireeculturelle]

any skin showing in the ankle area is a recipe for disaster. even a small cut from a stick blade or a puck could get infected, with all the dirty locker room stuff.

google mikael renberg

 

[TheRedShadow]

any skin showing in the ankle area is a recipe for disaster.

It's not there. It's above the knees, only visible when sitting down or a knee down on the ice.

 

[damack]

don't your jock shorts have velcro to attach the socks?

 

[MattGTI]

Well, I mean technically they are part of your protective gear.
However, I know plenty of guys that still wear garters as opposed to jock shorts and have some of their thigh exposed. It's under their pants though. So unless they are really stretched out or something on a play, the area isn't really exposed. I'm guessing this is somewhat what is going on with you.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Coach at my low level rec team tonight noticed a bit of leg showing above my socks. That's cos I tuck the top of my socks down into my shin/kneeguards. I also don't wear head to toe sweats so there's bare flesh showing when I'm sitting on the bench and sometimes on the ice if I'm down on one knee.

He said socks are a) there to hold the top of my knee guards up, y'know, the little flappy bit on top, in place (and protect from pucks), and b) help me stop getting cut if I get slashed.

My view is that he's talking absolute BS. What do you think?

I reckon people think it's odd to see a flash of leg when nearly everyone covers themselves in socks taped up to the armpit or are head to toe in sweats (a good name for em I reckon). I prefer to dress as coolly as possible while having essential protection.

The only part of your leg that needs protection from the socks is your Achilles tendon. Coach is talking BS, but he's concerned about your safety, so you can't blame him. It's unlikely that you will ever get a cut on the thigh. Even if you do, it won't hurt badly.

However, pay a close attention to the uncovered part of your forearms, between the gloves and the elbow pads. Your forearms are full of veins and blood, and if you get a cut there, you'll lose your blood pretty fast.

 

[TheRedShadow]

I think it's BS too. I think over here in the UK people are used to there being only one way to dress for hockey and that's all based on hockey gear co.s' marketing, ie full sweats, socks on a garter or velcro on the shorts.

Practically, the only difference we're talking here is a layer of sock on my lower thigh above the knee on the odd occasion it's exposed.

 

[shoeshine boy]

does the sock not sag in the back?
I know a few guys in my rec league that don't wear garters or apparently jock shorts and when their socks sag in the back it exposes the back of their thigh. some of them have rips in their pants too and are close to "showing brain".

 

[wils5150]

thanks I spit my coffee on my keyboard lol

does the sock not sag in the back?
I know a few guys in my rec league that don't wear garters or apparently jock shorts and when their socks sag in the back it exposes the back of their thigh. some of them have rips in their pants too and are close to "showing brain".

 

[forbs02]

Pull your socks up and get a garter or jock short. No one wants to see your hairy man thighs sticking out of your uniform. It looks bush league.

On a side note, I have seen a number of players get cut on the thigh, and most of them required stitches.

 

[damack]

I guess I'm curious about why you want to do it different than the standard way of dressing?

 

[TheRedShadow]

I guess I'm curious about why you want to do it different than the standard way of dressing?

It's in an effort to stay cooler. Airflow up the breezers onto bare skin. Also can't be bothered taping up every time so I just tuck the socks in.

It works for me.

 

[connor35]

I think it's foolish to show skin.

Socks ARE protective from skates. Of course you can get a skate to cut through your socks and into your skin. But any energy that gets dissipated cutting through your socks is energy that doesn't end up cutting into your body.

 

[TieClark]

This seems like a very weird thing to do...

 

[Torquenstein]

However, pay a close attention to the uncovered part of your forearms, between the gloves and the elbow pads. Your forearms are full of veins and blood, and if you get a cut there, you'll lose your blood pretty fast.

Happend to me. Got cut right between the glove and the pad. Fortunatly the cut missed a big vessel by a fraction of an inch, so it didn't bleed a lot and I could finish the game.
Scary stuff but now I have a killer scar

 

[buddhaknows]

does the sock not sag in the back?
I know a few guys in my rec league that don't wear garters or apparently jock shorts and when their socks sag in the back it exposes the back of their thigh. some of them have rips in their pants too and are close to "showing brain".

Nearly pissed myself!

Seriously, wear your socks properly. Get a garter belt or jock shorts and strap em up. Socks do perform a small bit of protection against skate cuts. Cut resistant socks do a better job than the old fashioned knit socks. I think Erik Karlsson had his achilies tendon cut by a skate a few years back.

Another reason to wear socks properly - bare skin sticks to ice. Try it.

 

[SlingshotVv]

Coach at my low level rec team tonight noticed a bit of leg showing above my socks. That's cos I tuck the top of my socks down into my shin/kneeguards. I also don't wear head to toe sweats so there's bare flesh showing when I'm sitting on the bench and sometimes on the ice if I'm down on one knee.

He said socks are a) there to hold the top of my knee guards up, y'know, the little flappy bit on top, in place (and protect from pucks), and b) help me stop getting cut if I get slashed.

My view is that he's talking absolute BS. What do you think?

I reckon people think it's odd to see a flash of leg when nearly everyone covers themselves in socks taped up to the armpit or are head to toe in sweats (a good name for em I reckon). I prefer to dress as coolly as possible while having essential protection.

That's how I did it when I was a kid, but geeez are people still doing that? I would've thought everyone moved to compression pants and rash-guard shirts by now.

On a side note, I played one game in high school in a pair of ****ing jeans and no shirt because I got stuck at school and didn't have a chance to grab any other clothes.

 

[cptjeff]

It's in an effort to stay cooler. Airflow up the breezers onto bare skin. Also can't be bothered taping up every time so I just tuck the socks in.

It works for me.

Get some edge socks. The traditional ones are indeed hot as hell, once you try the newer stuff you'll never go back.

But yeah, you really should wear them up. They provide some degree of cut protection, and that area does catch the occasional stick or even skate.

 

[shoeshine boy]

isn't there a femoral artery in your thigh that if it gets cut you're in big trouble?

 

[mzm119]

However, pay a close attention to the uncovered part of your forearms, between the gloves and the elbow pads. Your forearms are full of veins and blood, and if you get a cut there, you'll lose your blood pretty fast.

As someone who has always tucked the bottom of my sleeves into the bottom of my elbow pads.. thanks for that! Haha

 

[Boulder Avalanche]

Has anyone tried any cut resistant skate socks? I heard the Reebok 20k are the best in terms of comfort and thickness is that true?

 

[rh71]

I think there's some level of protection even if it's thin. When I had standard hockey socks, I got cut by a goalie's skate crashing the net as he flopped to make a save. The cut was on the inside of my right knee/thigh where the pants end. It wasn't actively bleeding so I left it and continued on. I'm sure it would've been worse if it was bare skin. Now I wear the really thin Reebok Edge nylon socks because they are so easy to put on and light - it's essentially just aesthetics. I know I'm taking a risk.

 

[College Cage Hang]

Just to clarify, you tuck your hockey socks into the top of your shin pads as opposed to using a garter belt or velcro socks?

That's the stupidest thing I have ever read on this board!

 

[TheRedShadow]

I'll get pictures next time I'm dressed. It's really not that crazy, especially given a skate to my exposed neck and face are a bit more of a scary prospect. Maybe I should wear socks over them too.