EQUIPMENT MANAGER’S GUIDE

- Tatu Vento - Equipment Manager’s Guide

PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED CREATING THIS GUIDE: Kari Aalto FIHA District of Savo-Karjala Teppo Aava FIHA District of Länsirannikko Matti Friman FIHA District of Keskimaa Jari Jalasvaara FIHA District of Pohjoinen Aki Kiiltomäki FIHA District of Häme Göran Limnell FIHA District of Etelä Seppo Orava FIHA District of Lappi Jorma Paananen FIHA District of Etelä Pauli Saira FIHA District of Kymi-Saimaa Neka Haapanen FIHA Olli Ceder The Finnish Ice Hockey Equipment Manager’s Association Esa Maunula The Finnish Ice Hockey Equipment Manager’s Association Hannu Soro The Finnish Ice Hockey Equipment Manager’s Association Raimo Manninen Prosharp Finland Juha Siukola Sportti-Myynti Ltd.

This guide is a translation of ”Huoltajan opas”, Equipment Manager’s guide written for Finnish Ice Hockey Association.

This guide is to be used to support the IIHF Equipment Manager Program during the IIHF Development Camps.

Author: Tatu Vento Pictures: Tatu Vento © 2007 Tatu Vento

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INDEX

1 ROLE OF AN EQUIPMENT MANAGER ...... 4 1.1 GENERAL DUTIES ...... 4 1.2 QUALITIES OF A GOOD EQUIPMENT MANAGER...... 5 1.3 INTEREST GROUPS ...... 5 1.4 GENERAL TASKS...... 6

2 PLAYER EQUIPMENT AND COMMON SAFETY...... 8 2.1 PLAYER EQUIPMENT ...... 8 2.2 DRESSING ROOM...... 9 2.3 BENCH AREA ...... 11 2.4 HYGIENE ...... 11 2.5 HYDRATION ...... 12 2.6 COLD THERAPY...... 13

3 TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT ...... 14 3.1 TOOLS...... 14 3.2 TEAM EQUIPMENT ...... 16

4 SKATE SHARPENING...... 17 4.1 GENERALLY...... 17 4.2 HOLLOW DEPTH...... 18 4.3 BLADE PROFILING ...... 19 4.3.1 RADIUS PROFILING...... 20 4.3.2 GLIDING SURFACE...... 21 4.4 BLADE PROFILE AND HOLLOW DEPTH COMBINED...... 22 4.5 SHARPENING...... 23 4.6 GOALKEEPER’S SKATES...... 24

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1 ROLE OF AN EQUIPMENT MANAGER

1.1 GENERAL DUTIES

General duties of an equipment manager are listed below.

An equipment manager has to · work with the management and coach to provide a safe environment for the players to change, play and practice · be a member of the management team · help players · be present at the team’s practices and games · help, guide and foster players · be a contact link between the players and the coaches · be responsible for: · establishing rules for dressing room safety · establishing rules for bench safety · controlling safety and condition of player equipments · the team’s shared equipments · managing · supplying · supplying drinks · first aid · skate sharpening · being aware of the team budget and the cost of the supplies · be aware of the players equipment: · guide players and parents on · safety of the equipment · fit and sizing of the equipment · instructs the players on how to take care of equipment · repairs equipment · maintains an up-to-date knowledge of equipment from · sporting good shops · manufacturers

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1.2 QUALITIES OF A GOOD EQUIPMENT MANAGER

.

· good role model · positive attitude · sense of humour · good example for everyone · understands the life of children and juve- nile outside ice hockey · enthusiastic · calm · have good organising skills · capable of handling several tasks at the same time · be fair · willing to learn more · trustworthy · be thorough · hard-working · co-operative · anticipating

1.3 INTEREST GROUPS

Equipment Manager has lots of different interest groups to co-operate with.

Parents Team Referees Management

Players Sporting Retailers

Team EQUIPMENT IIHF Treasures MANAGER

National Doctor Association Equipment Ice Rink Repairer Other Personnel Equipment Managers

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1.4 GENERAL TASKS

An essential part of the equipment managers job is anticipation and knowing the working environment. Equipment manager should be in practices and games well ahead of time in order to have time to know the places and setting up the team equip- ments.

When arriving on ice rink equipment manager should ensure fol- lowing details:

· dressing room · skate sharpening area · stick making area · heat gun area · first aid equipment, stretcher · water station (if tap water is drinkable!) · zamboni exit to get snow for ice bags · nearest exists in case of emergency

In local ice rink equipment manager should know the procedures in case of severe injuries

· location and phone number for the nearest hospital or medical centre · phone number for ambulance · route for the ambulance and medical staff to rink side area

On rink side or bench area there should be a clearly visible sign telling the phone number of the nearest hospital, medical centre or ambulance and full address of the ice rink. In co-operation with ice rink personnel it is good know the route for the ambulance, if vehicles are blocked outside ice rink area. When something severe occurs, it means hurry and all the actions should be planned in advance.

During the games when away-team equipment arrives to ice rink, it is polite to give all the detailed information of the local ice rink and it’s premises and policies. Game jersey colours are good to settle in forehand to avoid situation both teams entering ice with similar colours.

Home and away benches should be signposted. Equipment manager should learn the way from dressing room to the bench area and make sure it is suitable to walk with skates on and if neces- sary, to sweep the route. Otherwise equipment manager must advise players to wear blade guards.

Equipment manager also should be aware of location of pylons, extra goals and other equip- ments the coaches may need during the practices

ANTICIPATION AND GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT GIVES SECURE AND SELF-CONFIDENCE FOR THE EQUIPMENT MANAGER

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BEFORE THE ICE SESSION EQUIPMENT MANAGER SHOULD · be first one at the ice rink · receive and check the team dressing room o during games makes sure away-team dressing room · get to familiar with the ice rink facilities o sharpening area o stick making + heat gun area o stretcher, first aid equipments, actions in injury situations o route from dressing room to ice surface · puts out the tools ready for the players · oversee when players come to the dressing room · maintain dressing room order · fill up the drinking bottles · make sure the pucks are available o during games game pucks and warm-up pucks for both teams · prepare the bench area o unnecessary items away, sweeping the rubber carpet o safety à gate is working normally, benches are stable o together with the coaches makes sure extra equipments need for the practice à pylons, extra goals, flap chart, whiteboard o tools, tape and ice bags available · sharp the skates

DURING THE ICE SESSION EQUIPMENT MANAGER SHOULD · lock the team dressing room · follow the ice session on bench and oversees o enough drinking o possible injuries o broken equipment · remove unnecessary people from the rink side and bench area o privacy for the team to work o injury risk on the rink side

AFTER THE ICE SESSION EQUIPMENT MANAGER SHOULD · open the team dressing room · takes care of the pucks · gather and check tools and equipments · maintains order in the dressing room · empty and rinse water bottles · sharp the skates if necessary · make sure the dressing room is empty and hands out the room

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2 PLAYER EQUIPMENT AND COMMON SAFETY

2.1 PLAYER EQUIPMENT

An equipment manager should have a good working knowledge of all player equipment. You can obtain the latest information on equipment and technologies from sport shops and manufacturers. The equipment manager should be able to recommend, guide and help players and parents to choose the right equipment.

Equipment manager should ensure · the equipment is in accordance with rules and regulations · the equipment is right kind and right size · the equipment is in good shape · the equipment is worn correctly · all the necessary equipment are worn

Most important issue with the equipments is the sizing. Too small, big, stiff or massive protective equipments hinders playing and reduces the protection. Equipments should be dried after every use and wash them frequently.

Issues to be noted with the following equipment

:SKATES HELMET · drying the blades after use · face mask is right size and correctly · removing the insole — > moisture adjusted harms the rivets, blade may come off · straps are tight · ”tongue”wide open so the skate will · screws should be checked regularly dry properly from inside (min. once a week) · inner part of the helmet can be STICK rinsed with water time to time · must have proper stiffness for the JERSEYS (practice & game) player · must be treated in a respectful way(!) ojunior model sticks for the children! · put on hangers · good length for the stick is when · washed frequently wearing skates the end of the stick meets the throat

OTHER PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT · must be right size, not too big or small · no unprotected gaps between the equipments o shoulder pads / elbow pads o pants / shoulder pants · Velcro straps should be closed al- ways, otherwise they collect dirt and won’t attach anymore · most of the equipment today is ma- chine washable · broken equipment must be fixed right away

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2.2 DRESSING ROOM

A team spends a lot of time in the dressing room before and after ice sessions. The dressing room should be a place where players can concentrate and the environment is conducive to a successful performance.

The most important factor in the dressing room is SAFETY. A small dressing rooms with 20 en- thusiastic players - sharp skates, sticks and people walking with bare foot is a dangerous combi- nation. The equipment manager’s job is to create rules and procedures, and ensure that they are followed, that will guarantee the safety and comfort of everyone.

The dressing room is the team’s private area, where no external people are allowed to enter with- out permission. This includes parents and players’friends.

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SAFETY · no sticks inside the dressing room · sticks are used in the rink, not in the dressing room · customising sticks is dangerous inside the dressing room — > composite dust, fibreglass and wood splin- ters on the floor where players walking bare footed to shower · floor should be clear for safe movement · nothing is hanging from the roof where people are walking · equipment should be placed in correct order · equipment stays undamaged · equipment is found easily in the correct location · dressing room is no playground! · seating order · goalkeepers need more space

COMFORT · equipments is in good order · everybody has the same space · no horseplay, possibility to concentrate · space to move freely

It is good to teach the players to unpack their equipment as soon as they enter the dressing room. Hockey bags take a lot of space and make moving inside the dressing room diffi- cult.

When the equipment is unpacked and placed in the proper location, the player can then see if he has forgotten any- thing. If something is missing or forgotten, there is time to react on that issue. Empty hockey bags are folded under the seats.

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2.3 BENCH AREA

The bench area can be a hectic place. It is important that the equipment manager controls the bench and ensures that it is in good order. Only players and members of the team man- agement, whose presence is necessary, are allowed to enter the bench area. Too many people in the bench area make it difficult for the coaches and equipment manager to operate.

In the safe bench area · players are sitting · spare sticks are in one place and in good order · drinks are available · ice bags are available · some tools available · screwdrivers · sharp knife · tape · sharpening stone · no unauthorized personnel allowed on the bench area · there is enough space to operate

2.4 HYGIENE

Showering after practice and wearing clean underwear is very important for the players. It reduces rash and blisters. The dressing room is not a suitable place for drying underwear and towels. They should be washed after every use or at least dried in a separate place.

Almost every piece of equipment can be washed. It is important that shin pads, elbow pads and gloves are washed from time to time because they are in direct contact with the skin. Washing also increases the lifetime of the equipment as sweat and dirt affects the stitches and threads may open rendering equipment unsafe.

Good hygiene is gained by · showering after every practice · clean set of under wear for every ice session · drying the equipment · washing the underwear · washing the equipment

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2.5 HYDRATION

Keeping up the fluid balance is important. The player should drink plenty well before a practice or game. Sport drinks are not necessary, water is best. However, excessive drinking during the game or practice can cause stomach cramp and nausea. Players should be encouraged to drink sufficiently.

In training camps when a player has several practices in a day, drinking is very important. Dehy- dration combined with heavy practices can cause headaches and exhaustion. The solution is not painkillers, but drinking and resting. Recurring cramps can be a sign of an insufficient hydration.

· players should drink well before practice · when a player feels thirsty, dehydration has already started · water is best drink · sport drinks · harmful for teeth · too strong a mixture causes stomach illness · rinsing and washing drinking bottles after every use is important · personal drinking bottles are recommended · reduces chance for infections (fever, stomach illness)

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2.6 COLD THERAPY

Cold therapy (also known as cryotherapy) ) is the fastest and most effective way to treat bruises, strains and ruptures · reduces the pain · reduces the inflammation and the oedema · reduces the blood circulation on the wounded area · prevents the expansion of the wounded area · accelerates the recovery

Cold therapy is given 15-30 minutes at a time interval of 1-2 hours, depending the wounded area. For quick recovery it is important to start the cold therapy as soon as possible and continue it at least 24h. Cold therapy too often or for too long time may cause frostbite and damage to skin tissue.

Use snow always when available! Cold sprays and cold therapy gels affects only the surface of wounded area and applied directly on skin may cause frostbite.

THE I.C.E -METHOD

ICE Ɣ icepack, snow, reusable gel packs, instant cold packs, bag of frozen vegetables Ɣ cold is bound to the injured area with an elastic bandage Ɣ cold must not be in contact with bare skin, paper or bandage between the skin and cold

COMPRESS Ɣ most important part of the treatment! Ɣ compression can be used on the wounded area when the actual cold therapy is not given Ɣ not too tight, blood circulation should not be stopped

ELEVATION Ɣ wounded area above the heart, reduces the blood circulation

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3 TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

3.1 TOOLS

Here is a list of some basic tools for an equipment manager. Some items may also be available at the ice rink (e.g. heat gun). At away games the equipment manager can sometimes borrow tools from the other team, it is not necessary to carry everything along.

An equipment manager should have two separate tool boxes. One for the players and one for the own use. It is recommend to create rules with the players which tools they can borrow without permission and which one needs to be asked from equipment manager. Players should always return all the items they have borrowed. It helps to keep the tool selection complete.

First aid equipments should be always in a separate box or bag. All the items should be listed and checked frequently. First aid box must be cleaned regularly.

STICK MAKING TOOLS OTHER EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS · saw · sharpening stone · rasp · tie wraps · sand paper · string · spare blades for saw and rasp · duct tape · (knife) · measuring tape · (heat gun) · spare screws for helmets · (hot glue) · skate laces · glue GENERAL TOOLS · sewing kit for fixing equipments includ- · screw drivers ing strong thread and needles o cross– and flat-headed · pens, drawing pens o different sizes · long-nose pliers FIRST AID · lineman’s pliers · plaster · diagonal pliers · scissors · sharp knife · cellophane bags for icepacks (3 litre) · (leather hole punch) · wound cleanser · (spike) · sterile wound bandage · (hammer) · elastic bandage · (prescription free painkillers)

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1. Saw 5. Rasp blade 9. Hot glue gun 13. Diagonal pliers 17. Leather 2. Saw blade 6. Screwdrivers 10. Sandpaper 14. Long-nose pliers hole punch 3. Hot glue 7. Scissors 11. Knife 15. Wrench 18. Spike 4. Rasp 8. Sharp knives 12. Lineman’s pliers 16. Hammer

1. Plastic bags (3 litre)

2. Elastic bandage

3. Wound bandage

4. Triangle cloth

5. 2nd Skin

6. Cloth for blisters

7. Plaster + scissors

8. Wound cleanser

9. Thermometer

10 . 1 1/2”medical tape

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1. Skate laces 4. String 7. Sharpening/edging 9. Sewing kit for fixing 2. Measuring tape 5. Tie wraps stone equipment 3. Duct tape 6. glue 8. Pens 10. Spare screws for hel- mets

3.2 TEAM EQUIPMENT

If the team has a storage room in the ice rink they use frequently, it is good to have following the items stored in there:

· pucks · drinking bottles · game jerseys · practice jerseys · game socks · sport drinks · tape · stick tape · spare equipment · skate sharpener

NOTE! All the jerseys should be kept in a storage room if possible to ensure they stay undam- aged and available when needed. Jerseys can be washed frequently. Jerseys should be a prop- erty of the team, not the player.

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4 SKATE SHARPENING

Safety aspect is very important when sharpening skates. Sharpening creates sparkles and fire safety must be observed. Ice rinks should have separate area or room for skate sharpening. Sharpening is only allowed in designated areas. There should be nothing flammable around be- cause sharpening creates sparkles. There should always be fire extinction equipment available in skate sharpening area.

It is recommended to use vacuum cleaner which is installed right next to sparkles so the metal dust goes straight in to vacuum cleaner and doesn’t spread in the air. Breathing the metal dust is very harmful! Metal dust might also damages the sharpening machine. Using a breathing mask and safety glasses while sharpening is recommended.

After finishing sharpening the machine and surrounding area should be cleaned thorough with vacuum cleaner or brush.

Skate sharpening area should be a calm place and no unnecessary people around. If there is too many people around just watching, they can be asked kindly to move away. This is for the privacy of the sharpener which ensures better sharpening quality and safety when distractions are mini- mised.

4.1 GENERALLY

Skate sharpening and skating is related to the following factors: · blade profile · depth of hollow · quality of ice · player’s size · player’s strength in legs · player’s skating technique

It is important for the equipment manager to understand these factors, whether he/she sharpens skates or not. It is also important to understand the right terms and concepts. Blade profile, hollow depth and blade sharpness are different concepts but tightly related to each other.

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4.2 HOLLOW DEPTH

The hollow is defined as radius. The greater the radius, the lower the hollow and vice versa.

Skate blade

r Skate blade GRINDING WHEEL

r = 15 r = 20 r = 30 r = radius

Low hollow Deep hollow

Low hollow · doesn’t go down deep in the ice à small friction à better glide · turning is easy

Deep hollow · goes deeper into ice à good grip · aggressive skater and player who struggles a lot usually has deep hollow · if the hollow is too deep for the player, stopping is difficult, skate “bounces”back à strength of the legs is not enough · if the player tries to dull the blade against the bench à the blade is not too sharp, the hollow is too deep!

Quality of the ice also has an effects on the hollow. Hard ice requires a deeper hollow than soft ice.

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4.3 BLADE PROFILING

New pair of skates should always profiled before us- ing them. Profiling means re-shaping the side profile of the blade.

Profile can be like a radius (radius profiling) or there can be a on flat surface (gliding surface) in blade.

When profiling blades it is recommended to do it with an special made profiling machine. Profiling with free- hand is very difficult and risk to damage the blade is high.

Blade profiling should be done individually for each player.

Blade shape fades away in time when blades are sharpened. Blades should be re-profiled once or twice a season or every time when original profile is gone or changed. It depends how often and how blades are sharpened.

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4.3.1 RADIUS PROFILING

In radius profiling same amount of blade is contacted to ice regardless in which position the blade is contacting ice. Blade is like a ”rocker”. Radius can be great or small. In the greater radius longer part of the blade is touching the ice, with small radius contacting surface is shorter.

In ice hockey the radius variance is usually between 3-8 meter, which means a circle which ra- dius is 4m and shape of the blade follows this circle’s perimeter.

There is also an combo-profiles where two radius are combined in one blade. E.g. blade profile for front part from the midpoint is 4m and back part 8m. In this case the blade and skating posi- tion is little bit leaning forward.

Radius profiling provides following benefits: · good manoeuvrability, small turnings are easy · blade goes deep into ice, good grip · contacting surface stays same all the time

8m

6m

RADIUS 4m RADIUS 1

RADIUS 2

Midpoint of the blade

Heel Toe Radius e.g. radius 3,96m

Combo radius e.g. back part 7,92m + front part 3,96m

Profiling machines usually use feet (ft) as measurement unit 1 meter = 3,82 feet 3,96m = 13ft 7,92m = 26ft

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4.3.2 GLIDING SURFACE

The gliding surface means the flat part of the blade which comes into contact with ice. The flat part can be short or long and usually in the middle of the blade. It can also be a little forward from the midpoint of the blade.

Gliding surfaces varies between 4-8 cm. Flat area is relative to the blade size. In a short blade 4cm can be a lot while in longer blade it could be too short.

Gliding surface provides following benefits : · player’s weight is divided more even to the ice surface à smaller friction, better glide · more power for giving kick à faster when skating forward · good balance

For junior and novice players gliding surface could be better for options compared to radius profil- ing. It gives better balance and skating forward is lighter and easier.

Midpoint of the blade

Heel Toe Gliding surface on the middle e.g. 5cm flat

Gliding surface leaning forward e.g. 5cm total flat, 3cm front part from midpoint

Gliding surface in the middle, radius in front and back e.g. 5cm flat in the middle, in front and back 3,96m radius

Gliding surface has own notation like ”25/50”, where the bigger number means the total length of the flat part in millimetre and smaller number how much of the total length is for- ward from the midpoint of the blade.

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4.4 BLADE PROFILE AND HOLLOW DEPTH COMBINED

While sharpening the skate besides the blade profile, player’s size and strength must be noticed.

In radius profiling hollow should be deeper so the grip is gained because only short area of blade is contacted to ice surface. Small and light player should have a little bit deeper hollow than big and heavy player. Blade of a big and heavy player goes deeper in the ice and grip stays good without deepening the hollow.

The other way round, blade with gliding surface has to be lower to maintain the manoeuvrability and turning is easy. Small and lighter player should have lower hollow than big and heavy, other- wise the blade starts to ”lead”too much. Gliding surface combined with deep hollow requires lot of strength for the skater in order to control skating.

Equipment manager should be able to distinguish blade profiling from skate sharpening. The ef- fect of these two factors must be understood and how different hollow depths act in different blade profiles.

SUMMARY OF BLADE PROFILES AND HOLLOW DEPTHS

DEEP HOLLOW LOW HOLLOW

goes deep into ice à good grip requires lots of strength RADIUS · · PROFILING · when giving kick, blade goes deep into · small friction between ice ice à skating is heavy, ice may break and blade from underneath

requires lots of strength more power for skating GLIDING · · SURFACE · deep hollow goes deep into ice · skating is light (long) · quick turnings are difficult · good glide à ”like a train on a rail” · large friction

goes deep into ice à good grip quick turnings are easy GLIDING · · SURFACE · when giving kick, blade goes deep into · less power for kicking (Short) ice à skating is heavy, speed

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4.5 SHARPENING

Hollow depth and gliding surface don’t affect the sharpness of the blade. A blade can not be too sharp— it is either sharp or dull. If the player says that the blades are too sharp it means the hol- low is too deep. Both sides of the blade has to be sharp.

Low hollow Low hollow Deep hollow Deep hollow sharp dull-edged sharp dull-edged

While sharpening it is important to maintain the blade profile. Same amount from every part of the blade should be sharpened every time. Usu- ally this can be seen on heel and toe of the blade. If heel and toe of the blade are sharp- ened unevenly, they ”descend”.

If the blade is descended too much from the heel or toe, blade may loose it’s grip while turn- ing quickly. NORMAL DESCENDENT

The hollow should be in the middle of the blade.

Sharpening direction Blade

Blade

GRINDING WHEEL

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After sharpening the blade should be finished off with an sharpening/edging stone.

Grinding wheel Blade

Dull-edged The blade is sharpened

Stone

The loose metal is removed on Loose metal both sides of the blade with sharpening stone.

GUIDELINES FOR SHARPENING · never rush while sharpening! · sharpen always for the player, not for yourself · always take the player’s opinions seriously o try to find out from the player how the skate is feeling of how it behaves on the ice and make changes according to information · do not push too hard, the blade may “burn”and the grinding wheel may stick · while sharpening the blade gets hot à let it cool down for a while if you have to sharpen it several times · best quality of sharpening is achieved from a clean grinding wheel · do not try to spare the grinding wheel or the diamond, the skate is more important · accept the result always for yourself first!

4.6 GOALKEEPER’S SKATES

Goalkeepers usually have a longer (8-12 cm) gliding sur- face than skaters. They need good balance on the ice.

Goalkeeper hollows vary from flat to very deep ones. A flat or low hollow helps ”shuffling”sideways, deep hollows are mainly used for ”butterfly”style goalkeepers to give a good grip on the ice.

Goalkeeper skate blades are usually thicker than skater’s blades which must be considered while sharpening. This usually means the blade have to be adjusted lower in height while sharpening in order to have hollow in the mid- dle of the blade.

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