A Significant Evolution in Hockey Equipment - Essay Example

In 1961 CCM introduced the Prolite skate with the “Pro-Guard” that included a hard plastic cover on the heel of the skate blade (National Hockey League 8). Later on, companies started to manufacture cuffs on gloves. The short cuff gloves exposed the wrist to potential injury prompting players to start attaching specially moulded plastic to the front part of their elbow pads to protect the lower part of their forearm. The evolution depicts the significance of plastic material in making hockey skates where plastic pads and fibreglass replaced leather shoulder and elbow pads to enhance protection.

manufacturers use plastic material to make hockey pucks through modern technologies like vulcanization. Most specifically, plastic materials advanced hockey skates that initially had leather with metal blades (Canadian Plastics Industry Association 1). Unlike old skates, the modern skates have a protective plastic cowling made of a major polymer, high-end polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (Canadian Plastics Industry Association 1). Indeed, the PVC is dominant in covering the lower half of the hockey boot (Canadian Plastics Industry Association 1).

Modern manufacturers of hockey skates rely on PVC polymer subject to its good insulation properties. Indeed, PVC can only start decomposing when the temperature exceeds 140 °C since it has a melting point of about 160 °C. Moreover, the polymer has a small linear expansion coefficient and good flame retardancy that enhances the sliding action of the skate blade and skating speed. This relates to its high hardness and good mechanical properties. Indeed, with a thermal coefficient of expansion of 80 x 10-6 and a density of 1.

38 g/cm3, PVC promotes the production of hockey skates that generate less frictional heat (Lenntech 1). Moreover, PVC is cheaper than other materials like wood or glass used to make old skates. Indeed, PVC costs about $ 0.5 per Kg. Notably, the thick plastic padding and the plastic cowling used in making modern hockey skates define the speed, protection, durability, and stability of such hockey skates compared to old skates (Canadian Plastics Industry Association 1). Additionally, Scott Olson’s skate design is another technological advancement that replaced the metal skate frames and leather boots with plastic material (O Connor 82).

The design entailed the replacement of lighter-weight urethane wheels with plastic cores (O Connor 82). Polyurethane refers to a thermoplastic polymer that replaced materials used to make old skates. Polyurethane has a diameter that ranges from 42 to 110mm and a hardness that ranges from 74 to 100A that makes it convenient for making skating boots and wheels (Online-skating 1). Moreover, polyurethane has a high R-Value that helps in insulating skates by hindering the conduction of heat between the skate and the ground.

Indeed, since 1979, all models of skate boats and skate wheels depict polyurethane as the standard material (International Sports Group 1). Today, most skates have polyurethane wheels. The durability, flexibility, and resilience of polyurethane allow polyurethane wheels to connect with polyurethane frames used in making modern hockey skates. Moreover, the resistance offered against the cold by polyurethane makes it convenient for making ice skates. The polymer equally has a high load-bearing capacity of about 3,000N that enhances the braking at high speed and low temperatures.

Moreover, hockey skate designers and manufacturers adopted the CAD design to make an ice hockey skate blade that is light in weight and produces less frictional heat. Using, polyamide/metal composite the manufacturers designed an ice hockey skate blade that is 140g lighter than a traditional skate (Plastics Today 1). Today, the polyamide skate blade is the lightest blade system subject to its reduced wall thickness of about 1.5 mm. The modern hockey skates manifest how plastic material has enhanced the effectiveness, protection, and durability of hockey equipment.

In fact, plastic allows the production of diverse hockey skates that address children and adult needs in this sport. We have adjustable ice skates and adjustable ice skates for children with plastic ankle protection for the boot, frost-resistant plastic toecap, and a monolithic plastic shell (International Sports Group 1). Notably, the plastic ankle protection and toecap are made of polyurethane polymer discussed herein. Hence, plastic is one of the high-quality materials that make modern hockey skates (International Sports Group 1).

Therefore, it is clear that plastic material has played a major role in the evolution of hockey equipment especially hockey skates.