A hockey skate includes a composite boot form having a rigid lower portion and a less rigid upper portion. The upper portion may be made of a thermoformable material that conforms to the shape of a wearer's foot and ankle. The construction of the boot form—particularly the lower portion of the boot form—may be varied across different size ranges by, for example, varying the fiber angles in the composite material. Varying the stiffness of the lower portion of the boot form in this manner allows the flexibility of different sized boots to be substantially equalized. A skate quarter and other skate-boot features may readily be attached to the upper portion of the boot form via stitching, rivets, or other connectors. The boot form also may include an integral toe cap having a flange or other element to which the skate tongue and other elements may be connected.
1. A hockey skate comprising:
a composite boot form having a lower portion and an upper portion;
a skate quarter attached to the upper portion of the boot form to overlie an upper region of a wearer's foot; and
a tendon guard attached to the upper portion of the boot form and positioned at a rear region of the boot form;
wherein the upper portion comprises a first material and the lower portion comprises a second material that is more rigid than the first material such that the upper portion is less rigid than the lower portion, each of the first material and the second material being a composite material.
2. The hockey skate of claim 1 wherein the lower portion of the boot form includes an integral toe region configured to overlie toes of the wearer's foot.
3. The hockey skate of claim 2 further comprising a molded toe cap overlying the integral toe region of the lower portion of the boot form.
4. The hockey skate of claim 3 further comprising a tongue that extends into the integral toe region, wherein the tongue is attached to the toe cap.
5. The hockey skate of claim 1 wherein the tendon guard includes a medial connecting portion and a lateral connecting portion, the medial and lateral connecting portions of the tendon guard being attached to the upper portion of the boot form by a plurality of connectors.
6. The hockey skate of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of fastener elements attached to or integral with the upper portion of the boot form, wherein the skate quarter is attached to the upper portion of the boot form via the fastener elements.
7. The hockey skate of claim 6 wherein the tendon guard is attached to the upper portion of the boot form via the fastener elements.
8. The hockey skate of claim 1 further comprising a protector element overlying the skate quarter along an edge of the skate quarter where the skate quarter is connected to the boot form.
9. The hockey skate of claim 1 wherein each of a material of the skate quarter and the first material of the upper portion of the boot form includes at least one thermoformable material.
10. The hockey skate of claim 1 wherein an integration region between the lower portion of the boot form and the upper portion of the boot form provides a gradual change in flexibility from the lower portion to the upper portion.
11. The hockey skate of claim 1 further comprising a blade holder attached to the lower portion of the boot form.
12. A hockey skate, comprising:
a composite boot form having a lower portion and an upper portion that is less rigid than the lower portion; and
a skate quarter attached to the upper portion of the boot form to overlie an upper region of a wearer's foot;
wherein the upper portion comprises a first thermoformable material and the skate quarter comprises a second thermoformable material.
13. The hockey skate of claim 12 further comprising a plurality of fastener elements attached to or integral with the upper portion of the boot form, wherein the skate quarter is attached to the upper portion of the boot form via the fastener elements.
14. The hockey skate of claim 1 , wherein the upper portion is at least on a first lateral side of the boot form that extends higher than a second lateral side of the boot form.
15. The hockey skate of claim 2 , wherein the integral toe region comprises the second material of the lower portion of the boot form.