THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — A company that makes heated skate blades plans to expand its testing among NHL players and teams, Therma Blade Inc. announced Friday.
Five NHL players have already tried the new blades, reportedly to mixed reviews. The testing process will now be expanded to include an unspecified number of the 50 NHL players and teams that have requested them, the Montreal-based company said.
Four of the five who have already tried out the blades will participate in the expanded testing program.
"Our initial testing with players to date has been extremely successful in providing feedback and there is tremendous interest in our proven technology among a growing number of NHL players and teams," Sam McCoubrey, the company’s vice-president of sales and marketing, said in a statement.
He said the company was working closely with the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association.
The blades were lauded last fall by former superstar Wayne Gretzky, but a report in the Toronto Star last week found four of the five NHL players who tried them either didn’t like them or found no difference with regular blades.
It said the players were Edmonton’s Marty Reasoner, who liked them, Calgary’s Matthew Lombardi, Toronto’s Mark Bell, Chicago’s Martin Lapointe and Detroit’s Kris Draper.
The blades, with a suggested retail price of $399.99, use a rechargable battery and a microprocessor to maintain a blade temperature of 5 C. The heat is said to increase the thickness of the water layer between the blade and the ice surface, which the company says reduces gliding friction and starting resistance for skaters.
It says the blades, which fit onto the boot of regular skates, allow players to reach top speed more quickly while using less energy.
