This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Due to the nature of the game, ice hockey injuries are common and range from annoying aches and pains to more serious traumas. Statistics indicate that a large majority of ice hockey injuries are caused by direct trauma during games. Hard body checks, player collisions with each other and the sideboards or ice, and direct blows from the puck, flying sticks and skates are the most common cause of such injuries. To this end, hockey players wear safety equipment such as helmets, pads and protective gear to avoid or reduce the risk of injury.
Skate protectors are used by hockey players in an effort to reduce the occurrence of foot injuries due to impact forces applied to their skates. Typically, skate protectors include multi-piece assemblies that are tied-on or strapped to the ice skates. Due to the excessive time required to install and remove conventional skate protectors, use of such protective devices has met with only minimal success. Examples of known skate protectors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,029,787 to Ohler; U.S. Pat. No. 3,806,145 to Czeiszperger; U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,230 to Crane; U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,170 to Lutz; U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,200 to Hipp; U.S. Pat. No. 7,021,663 to Moran; U.S. Pat. No. 7,253,567 to McClelland; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,109,013 to Parrott.
In view of the shortcomings associated with such conventional skate protectors, a need exists to develop improved protective devices that provide enhanced foot protection and simplified use.