Brians

 

I think it would be a good idea to take a closer at ankles because there have been a number of high profile sprains lately and a proper understanding of this new problem could save you a lot of pain. I've mentioned elsewhere how Overdrive can help reduce sprained ankles so I'll just look at how the problem applies to all goalies, whether they wear the blade or not.
We all know what a sprained ankle is; we've all had one. On the ice it happens when the foot is sliding out or trying to slide. The blade locks and your pushing power rolls the ankle over, pulling the whadyacallit or stretching the doohickey.
Above is a front view of the left foot. Pressure on the foot is in the direction of the big arrow (the foot has to slide out). At some point in the move, the outside edge catches and locks. Since it happens so quickly, you'll still be applying the pressure (big arrow) for the move, only now it'll be used to roll the ankle over. Sprained ankles are caused by the outside edge and if you look at the page on skate sharpening, you'll understand another reason why I prefer the 'offset' cut where the outside edge sits a little higher.

 

But goalies never sprained their ankles at the rate they're doing it now. What the bejeebers is going on!?
Well, goaltending has become more strenuous and the equipment has not compensated with better protection--protection not from the puck but from self inflicted strains (sound familiar? The 'Safety Movie' linked off the main page also looks at this idea in relation to other injuries).
What has changed is the sliding out move that causes sprained ankles is exactly what goalies are doing a lot more of now. It's not just that there is much more lateral movement now but that it is also of a certain kind.
On a lot of the old moves, the foot would glide out with the blade but now,
the pad must stay face out for better coverage.
Keeping the pads face out means the main blade must slide out against the grain, increasing the chances that it will catch. The potential damage is much greater on the big moves like the butterfly slide of front splits.
Another important factor is that goalies play with their skates much sharper now. A lot of goalies get their skates done after every session and no one uses the crosscut anymore. The strong lateral moves require a solid footing to avoid slipping out and that means sharp skates. However, when the skate is sliding out against the grain, a sharp skate has a much better chance of catching.

 

So goalie movement is now more dangerous-how has the equipment not compensated? Well the equipment in question is the skate boot and it's ankle coverage. The ankle is only going to roll over and sprain if it can. Let's look at an example.
Imagine wearing a pair of high heels, say a modest pair of evening pumps (kids, DO NOT try this at home!). With zero ankle support when the foot rolls the ankle will roll as well.

Now imagine something a little more sensible. With the ankle properly supported, it won't be free to roll over when the foot rolls. You may go down like an axed oak but since ankle movement is restricted, you won't pull your thingamabob.
On the ice it's a little different. If the ankle was properly supported (long red line), it wouldn't bend when the blade catches . The buildup of momentum that would have rolled the ankle over will be directed into the foot and the ice will likely give way (small red lines). If your foot has caught a major rut then you'll keel over and people will think you're imitating Cujo.
The problem with goalie skates as they are now designed is that the ankle support leaves plenty of room for the ankle to roll over and sprain. Why is this?
Compare forward and goalie skates and you'll see that goalie skates have one eyelet less so they sit lower on the ankle.(10 vs. 9)

I suspect this was originally done to facilitate leaning forward. When a goalie goes into his crouch, it creates an acute angle at the ankle. A higher boot would resist the goalie and make it harder to lean forward. Also, two side effects of this can be:

-lace bite at the front of the leg-(red X above) as you lean forward a tendon tightens and sticks out a bit (try it, you'll feel it). If it meets resistance it hurts.

-the dreaded heel spurs- (red Y above) tightness at the top of the boot pushes the heel back and as you lean forward it rubs harder against the inside of the boot and hurts as well. You can develop a calcium buildup from this that can cause all kinds of ugly problems.

Lowering the height of the boot makes it easier for the goalie to lean forward and can reduce the other effects.

 

Instead we get less ankle coverage which can create looseness at the top of the boot, giving the ankle the room to roll and sprain. One thing I've noticed about the new skates is that the ankle padding is so stiff that it is almost impossible to tighten the skates so that they are snug around the ankle. You'll start the game with that loose feeling and as you know, skates laces tend to loosen or stretch or shift a bit as you play and this will create even more room around the ankle.

 

So given these changes; new movement, sharper skates, stiffer skates,
it's not surprising that goalies are spraining their ankles more.
Is that all? Of course not! Poor ankle support is not only a safety issue but also presents mobility problems (once again safety and mobility are tied together).
Imagine running in loose shoes. Imagine trying to round first base in loose shoes. Obviously, looseness is going to soften your moves as some of the transmission of power will be lost in the 'wobble'. Similarly, looseness in the ankle on goalie skates can soften your moves. When you go to push off, they'll be a slight delay as the transmission of power is interrupted to allow the skate to roll and fill in the gap at the ankle.
So in the drawing to the right, imagine you're trying to push to your right. As your start the push (1), there's a gap between your ankle and the boot. The push does not really start until that gap is filled in (2). Not only is there a slight delay as the skate rolls a bit to tighten up at the ankle, but it also changes the angle that the blade bites into the ice. This higher angle offers a less secure grip.
What can be much more annoying is 'skate wobble' when you need control for intricate moves. If instead of doing one big push you're doing a series of smaller moves, each time the skate leans from one side to the other you'll get wobble.
Of course these drawing don't show a proper boot but they should demonstrate the idea. On moves where the skate is straighter, the boot will roll to fill in the gap on one side (1) but that will open up a gap on the other side (2). On some complex moves you could end up wobbling from side to side.
For instance, imagine a shooter cutting in on the wing, possibly for a shot, and then going behind the net. Following the player in and then cutting to your post and then pushing across hard to the other post, all the while staying prepared for the shot, requires some fancy footwork. The skates will stay close to the 90 degree angle but if each time you shift your weight or turn or pivot the skate wobbles from side to side, then you won't get precise moves, you'll be a sloppy mess.

 

The problem is not just looseness in the ankle but what this looseness does to your edges. Each time the skate wobbles, it changes the angle that your edges bite into the ice.

When you're doing your moves with the skates near the 90 degree angle (i.e.: straight up and down), it's very easy for ankle wobble to take you from your inside edge (1) onto both edges (2) or over to your outside edge(3). Each one of these can cause problems if it's not what you want at the time. If you don't want your inside edge and the skate wobbles over to it, it'll dig in. If you don't want to be on both edges, you'll skid. If you don't want the outside edge it will dig in and you could sprain your ankle. Obviously this is not the way to get precise movement. On the very moves where you need complete control over your edges, you are likely to have very little.

So there's a quick look at the ankles and whadya know, goalie skates have even more problems. So what's the solution? There isn't one. I have one suggestion that will help a bit but a solution would require a properly designed skate boot and I don't see that happening soon. I always thought the old Micron plastic boot had the right idea. The hinged ankle allowed forward lean without irritating the heel and the boot was slightly higher to stabilize the ankles. Also, there are some rollerblade boots out there that would be excellent.

 

Taping your ankles can help a lot. Of course, taping tightens the top of the boot around the ankles to form a closer connection. I've always preferred plastic tape because it has some give to it but it can break. Cloth tape doesn't stretch enough and that plastic packing tape is OK but if you let it get wet in your bag, it dies. Be careful about doing the tape too tightly because you'll restrict your forward lean. In fact, you'll have to strike a balance here because the problems associated with a high boot; limited forward lean and tightness at the heel can return. If it's too loose it'll just lift off from the boot halfway through the game and be useless. Leave a tab so you can remove it afterwards or you'll spend 10 minutes picking at your ankles trying to get the stuff off. It always seems to shred on me so I have a little knife also. Just don't slice yourself (do I sound like your mother?). You'll have to experiment here but if you find you've been having any of the problems mentioned above, taping will reduce them at the very least.
Here's a shot of Biron and he's probably used the better part of a roll for both ankles. That can get expensive if you're paying for it. I don't use that much. Also, remember that you still want a little bit of ankle wobble for minor adjustments on moves.
Again, experiment.