Musketeers advice: How to keep upright on ice
By EARL HORLYK – Sioux City Journal, Iowa (TNS)
Running onto the ice at the Tyson Events Center, Sioux City Musketeers defenseman Liam Hupka and forward Gavin Garry look like they’re ready for action.
Muskies jerseys? Check. Top-of-the-line hockey skates? Check. Short pants? Eh, you work do work a sweat following a strenuous practice, even if it’s on ice.
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Hupka and Garry, both in their second season on the United States Hockey League (USHL) junior ice hockey team, have consented to teach us how to skate like a Muskie.
Needless to say, the guys have been on skates for most of their lives.
Skate like a Musketeer
Musketeers players Gavin Garry and Liam Hupka show off their skates on the ice at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City. The two, both graduates of Minnetonka High School, said they learned how to skate at about age 5.
“I think I was about 5 years old when I learned how to skate,” Hupka said, glancing over to his teammate.
“I have you beat,” Garry said. “I was only 3 the first time I put on a pair of ice skates.”
So, what was this early fascination with ice skating?
“We’re both from Minnesota,” Hupka explained. “It’s icy and snowy and there’s not a lot of stuff to do. So we skate.”
Skate like a Musketeer
Musketeers player Gavin Garry (15) and Liam Hupka (6) glide across the ice at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City. The two, both graduates of Minnetonka High School, said skating is great during those quiet winter months.
Skate like a Musketeer
Musketeers player Gavin Garry and Liam Hupka glide across the ice at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City. The two wear short pants during practice to reduce the heat that comes from moving quickly across the ice.
Not only are Hupka and Garry both from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, they also come from Minnetonka, a western suburb of the Twin Cities, and attend Minnetonka High School.
According to Garry, going from ice skating to playing hockey wasn’t much of leap.
Skate like a Musketeer
Musketeers player Gavin Garry (15) and Liam Hupka (6) glide across the ice at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City. The two, both graduates of Minnetonka High School, said skating is great during those quiet winter months.
“Hockey’s a great sport,” he said. “There isn’t a more exciting sport than hockey.”
Obviously, the type of skates that Hupka and Garry wear as Muskies are very different than the ones favored by recreational skaters.
Hockey skates are designed for maximum mobility, faster accessibility and, one would imagine, the ability to take more abuse. After all, the typical ice skater wouldn’t need to worry about a collision with a) a puck; b) a stick; or c) a fellow skater.
Likewise, the boot portion of a hockey skate is also designed to withstand the rigors of the sport. The boot is generally stiff in order to protect the player’s feet and ankles in the high intensity, contact heavy sport.
A more traditional skate boot would likely lean toward lightness and flexibility.
Even more important than a boot is a hockey skate’s blade. Or if you ask Musketeers Equipment Manager Damon Wheeler, it is actually the skate’s hollow.
The hollow refers to the concave groove that is ground into the bottom surface of the skate blade. The radius of the hollow refers to the deepness of the groove.
“A good rule of the thumb is to keep the hollow radius at around a half-inch,” Wheeler said. “That way, the blade can cut into the ice, which will increase your speed.”
This level of activity is certainly hard on blades. Wheeler will generally sharpen blades at the end of each practice sessions and multiple times during the course of a game.
As Hupka and Garry charge their way through the ice, they bend their knees as part of the normal stance.
That’s because a player’s knees acts as shock absorbers, sustaining any side-to-side bumps.
Skate like a Musketeer
Musketeers player Gavin Garry and Liam Hupka put the photographer on ice at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City.
It is also a way a player can keep his balance on the ice.
“You bend your knees, hips and ankles, with most of the bend coming from your knees,” Hupka advised. “While doing that, you also have to remember to keep your chest and your head up.”
Which will, in theory, keep the player reasonable safe.
So far, Garry said he hasn’t had any injuries due to slips and falls on the ice. Hupka has also been lucky on the ice.
“Though I’ve taken a few hits of the hockey stick to the face during games,” Hupka said, pointing to a still-fresh bruise on his chin.
“Oh-oh, there goes your modeling career,” Garry said, teasing his friend.
In the end, both players say ice skating can be a great way to stay fit.
“Come winter time when there’s nothing much to do, try skating,” Hupka said. “It’s fun and it will get you moving.”
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