Hockey skate sharpening and lacing

Updated October 17, 2026

Sharp edges let you stop, turn and push hard. Good lacing locks your heel in without hurting the front of your ankle. Here's how often to sharpen, which hollow to ask for, how to look after your blades, how to lace for support and comfort, and what to do about lace bite.

How often to sharpen hockey skates

There's no single rule, and the experts don't agree. Here's what four well-known sources say:

A practical way to start: if you skate once or twice a week, sharpen about once a month. If you skate three or more times a week, sharpen every week or two. Then adjust by feel. Go sooner if you skate outdoors, where harder ice and dirt wear edges faster, or if you hit a post or step on something hard. Don't sharpen far more than you need to, either. Every sharpening grinds away steel, and Pure Hockey notes that over-sharpening wears blades out early.

New skates need a sharpening too. Most come with factory-finished steel, not a game-ready edge, so get them done before your first skate.

Radius of hollow, explained

When skates are sharpened, the wheel grinds a shallow groove down the middle of each blade. That leaves two edges, an inside edge and an outside edge. The groove is the hollow. Its size is given as a radius, the radius of the circle the groove is cut from.

A smaller number makes a deeper groove. The edges dig in more, so you get more bite and less glide. A bigger number makes a shallower groove, with more glide and less bite.

Shops don't all agree on where kids should start. Ice Warehouse and Sparx, a sharpening machine maker, suggest about 1/2 inch for youth players and 5/8 inch for older players. Bauer's skate guide suggests starting younger or lighter players shallower, around 3/4 inch. So start where your sharpener suggests, and adjust:

• Edges sharp but still sliding out on turns? Try a deeper hollow (a smaller number).
• Skates feel grabby or slow? Try a shallower hollow (a bigger number). Pure Hockey notes a hollow that's too deep can make skates dig in and lose glide.

Write down your hollow and ask for the same one every time, so your skates feel the same after each sharpening. Some shops also offer a flat-bottom V, a different grind with a flat middle and angled edges, meant to keep grip while adding glide. Not every machine can do it.

Signs your skates are dull

• You slide through stops or can't stop as hard as usual.
• You slide out on turns, or your turns get wider.
• Your skates chatter when you stop.
• One skate pulls to one side, which can mean the edges are uneven.
• Your stride has less push, or your skates feel slippery.
• You can see nicks, burrs, rust or shiny spots on the edges.
• A squeak when you stop. Hockey Canada says to check for a bent blade.

Young players don't always know how to describe dull edges, so parents can watch for these during warm-ups. Two quick checks, best done by an adult because the edges are sharp:

1. The light test. Hold the blade under a bright light and look straight down at the edge. If light reflects off the edge, it's rounded and dull there.
2. The fingernail test. Gently scrape a fingernail across the edge, not along it, at 3 to 5 spots on both edges. A sharp edge bites into the nail. A dull edge slides. Never slide a finger along a blade.

Uneven edges have their own check: balance a coin on the bottom of the blade and look down the blade at eye level. If the coin tilts, one edge is higher. Take it back to the sharpener.

How to take care of your blades

1. Wipe the blades dry after every skate. Wipe the holders too. A small towel in your bag does it.
2. Use hard guards for walking. Hockey Canada says to put guards on whenever you walk on anything but ice. Pure Hockey says rubber mats only: no concrete, tile or pavement.
3. Use soakers in the bag. Soakers are cloth covers that soak up leftover water while your skates sit in the bag. Hard guards don't, so don't leave wet blades sealed in them. Steel rusts when it stays wet.
4. Air the boots out at home. Bauer's tips: pull the footbed out to dry, loosen the laces and pull the tongue forward. Keep skates away from heaters.
5. Check them often. Hockey Canada's list: sharpness, bent blades, loose rivets, cracked holders or blades, and loose blades.

Dry skates also smell better. More in how to get rid of hockey gear smell.

How to lace hockey skates for support and comfort

1. Wear the socks you play in. One pair, with no wrinkles.
2. Seat your heel. Loosen the laces most of the way down, slide your foot in and kick your heel firmly into the back of the boot.
3. Keep your foot flat on the floor while you lace.
4. Toes: snug. Pull the first two or three eyelets snug, not cranked.
5. Top of the foot: comfortable. Hockey Canada suggests leaving the next few eyelets a bit looser so they don't squeeze the top of your foot.
6. Ankle: firm. Tighten well where the foot bends into the ankle. This keeps your heel locked back in the boot.
7. Top eyelets: your choice. Snug gives more ankle support. Leaving the top eyelet open gives more forward bend but less support.
8. Tie it off. A double cross before the bow helps the laces stay tight. Never wrap laces around your ankle. Hockey Canada warns it can cut off circulation and irritate the Achilles tendon.

When you're done, bend your knees forward. Your heel shouldn't lift, and your toes shouldn't go numb.

Lacing patterns. Under criss-cross is the traditional way: the laces go into each eyelet from the outside, which takes some pressure off the top of the foot. Over criss-cross helps if your skates won't stay tight. Lock lacing at the top two eyelets helps if your heel slips.

Waxed or unwaxed laces? Waxed laces hold their tension and don't stretch when wet, but they're harder to untie and can be tough for little kids to handle. Unwaxed laces are easier for young players to grip and untie.

Lace bite: causes and fixes

Lace bite is pain, and sometimes swelling, at the front of the ankle where the tongue and laces press. It's an irritation of the tendon that runs down the front of the ankle. A 2020 medical review in Translational Sports Medicine says it often shows up early in the season, from skate tongues that aren't broken in yet.

Common causes:

• New skates with a stiff tongue.
• Old or low-quality skates with a thin, flattened tongue.
• Laces too tight, especially where the foot bends into the ankle.
• Skates that sat unused and stiffened, or a sudden jump in ice time.

Fixes to try:

1. Loosen the laces around the sore spot, especially at the top. Tighten a little more as the skates break in.
2. Skip a crossing. Run the lace straight up the sides past the sore spot, so no lace crosses it, then criss-cross again above it.
3. Lace from the outside in, so the crossings lie against the tongue.
4. Add padding. A lace bite gel pad or tongue pad sits between the tongue and your ankle.
5. Center the tongue before you lace, so it doesn't twist to one side.
6. Ice it after you skate.

Lace bite usually settles down. If it doesn't improve in a week or two, if there's a lot of swelling, or if it hurts to walk, see a doctor or athletic trainer.

Heat molding (baking) new skates

Baking heats the boot so it softens and molds to your foot. It can shorten the break-in time a lot. Not every skate can be baked, though. Pure Hockey says higher-end skates usually can, while beginner and recreational skates usually shouldn't be, because the heat breaks down their materials.

Have it done at a hockey shop with a skate oven, not in a kitchen oven. Pure Hockey warns home baking can weaken the glue and stitching, melt parts of the boot, or even cause a fire. A typical shop session goes like this:

1. The shop heats the skates for a few minutes, following the maker's instructions.
2. You put them on and lace them a little looser than usual.
3. You sit with your feet flat and knees bent at a right angle for 10 to 15 minutes. Don't stand.
4. The skates cool completely before you skate. Ask the shop how long. Ice Warehouse's guide says up to 24 hours.

If your skates can't be baked, plan on a break-in. Pure Hockey says the first few skates will hurt, and the fit improves after six or eight sessions.

When skates no longer fit

Hockey skates usually run 1 to 1.5 sizes smaller than your shoe size, and each brand has its own chart. To check fit, kick your heel back in the boot. Your big toe should just brush the front. In youth skates, slide your foot forward until your toes touch the front. You should be able to fit one finger behind your heel, which leaves a little room to grow.

• Too small: toes press hard into the front or curl, there's no finger room behind the heel, or you get red pressure spots after skating.
• Too big: your heel lifts or your foot slides. Pure Hockey says skates more than half a size too big cause blisters and break down the sides of the boot.
• Worn out: a cracked toe cap (Hockey Canada says don't wear them), cracked holders or loose blades that can't be fixed.

Don't buy skates two sizes big to grow into. USA Hockey says kids in oversized skates can't develop proper skating fundamentals. For stopping and stride work once they fit, see how to hockey stop and how to skate faster. Waiting on a sharpening? Brudvig Hockey 2027 is a free 3-on-3 arcade hockey game that runs in a web browser on phones, tablets, computers and TVs.