Sharpening is about HOLLOW / EDGE
blade description
Hockey skate blades aren’t shaped like knife edges. Hold a skate upside down with the heel pointed to your face and look at the blade.

blade description
The hollow is measured by the RADIUS OF HOLLOW (ROH)
blade description
  • Radius measures a circle from center to edge:
  • The bigger the radius, the shallower the hollow:
(If this is confusing, don’t worry. You don't have to understand the math to make your decisions)
  • The deeper the hollow, the more “edge” you have, and therefore the more “bite” your blades will have on the ice
    • Look at the following chart to see the tradeoff:
SPEED vs. MANEUVERABILITY
Shallow Hollow=
Less Edge		 Deeper Hollow=
More Edge
LESS "BITE"
(GRIP ON THE ICE)		 MORE
MORE GLIDE
(SPEED)		 LESS
SLOWER ACCELERATION FASTER
HARDER SHARP TURNS EASIER
Other Factors to Consider
  • Weight
    • The heavier you are, the more you will sink into the ice; the more a deep hollow will “grab.”
  • Ice temperature
    • Not something you can always know ahead of the time, but on softer ice (warmer) blades will sink in further; and if the ice is hard (colder) you might want a deeper hollow to grab the ice.
  • Ability and strength
    • More experienced and/or stronger players can go any way they want because they have more control
  • Position
    • Goalies typically want good lateral movement – which means a shallower edge