At the bottom of every hockey player is a story. A skate story.
Steven Santini’s tale begins when he was a young boy in Mahopac, N.Y., many years before he became an ace defenseman at Boston College, now with the New Jersey Devils.
"I remember feeling very uncomfortable," Santini said about the first time he stepped on the ice. "I was 3 years old. I didn’t like it at first."
Santini credits his dad, also named Steven, for helping him work through the unfamiliar sensation.
"My dad played college hockey (at the University of Maine) and forced me to do it," the junior Santini said. "I felt better over time."
As for the brand of those skates and how he acquired them, Santini pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
"I have no idea," he admitted before chuckling.
Across the Devils’ dressing room, left wing Miles Wood, who was born in Buffalo, N.Y., but primarily raised in Manchester, Mass., isn’t certain about several of the details regarding his premier pair of skates, but he sure remembers one prominent feature.
"I had the ones where I wore a shoe and Velcro into them, and there were two little blades on it," explained Wood, who played one season for Boston College in 2015-16. "So I wasn’t on a single blade, but two blades, and in a sneaker."
Like Santini, Wood doesn’t recall how he got those skates, although he has one theory.
"My dad probably came home from the rink with them one day," Miles said of his father, Randy, a former National Hockey League right wing.
One of the newer players in the Devils organization, defenseman Reilly Walsh, who was selected 81st overall in this year’s NHL draft, has a picture of his dad, Mike, a former NHL center, tying his first pair of skates for him.
"I think they were CCM, the old Tacks," said Walsh, who hails from Andover, N.H.
While the memories of their inaugural skates have faded for the three players, they vividly remember their following sets.
"The first pair I remember getting were brand new Easton skates, all silver," Walsh said. "I got them for Christmas one year. After that, I wore CCM a lot, the Vector ones, and the Ovechkin ones that were chrome and black. There were blue and gray ones, too. I had another pair of Easton skates, special edition Synergy, that were all white. Then I had Bauer Vapor X60 or APX. Then I wore Bauer Supreme TotalOne NXG, Supreme MX3, and now I’m wearing CCM Super Tacks."
Walsh, a Proctor Academy product who is committed to Harvard this fall, isn’t finished adding to his impressive list.
"I’m getting the new Bauer Vapor 1X this upcoming season," he added.
While Walsh has dipped his toes in a wide range of skates, Wood didn’t have the option of alternating brands growing up.
"My dad was strict on CCM skates," he asserted.
When Wood finally selected his own skates, he opted for the Bauer Supreme MX3, which he still wears today.
"I picked my first pair when I made the world junior camp (in 2014-15)," Wood said. "I switched to Bauer MX3, which is a narrower skate. The CCM boot is a little fatter, and I didn’t like that look. I preferred the small skate look."
What did his father say?
"I didn’t tell him!" Wood stated. "He knows now, but at the time I did my own thing."
While Wood kept his skate selection a secret from dad, son Santini sought to be like father.
"I’ve used Bauer for as long as I can remember, starting when I first chose skates at 7 years old," the younger Santini said. "My dad wore them and I wanted to be like him. I don’t remember exactly what type they were, but I do know they were the old heavy Bauers. I was a Mite. Then I switched to the Vapor line when I was 9, a Squirt, and I’ve stuck with the Vapor line ever since."
Walsh had many of his early skates chosen for him.
"My dad would get them when I needed them," he said. "He tried to find the ones on clearance a lot because they are so expensive. I didn’t care that much when I was younger. They all fit the same. I started getting the highend skates when I was in eighth grade, and now I pick whatever kind I want."
When it comes to skates, Walsh doesn’t have a brand preference.
"I choose whatever fits me best," he said. "I pick the lightest skates I can find that are most comfortable."
That’s not all, though.
"Once that’s figured out, I want whatever skates look the coolest," Walsh continued. "I like simple, all black skates. The ones I have now have cool, black blades."
Walsh smiled. "But that’s all added stuff."
The decisions that Walsh, Wood and Santini made when they first selected skates still influence their feet today, with a few tweaks, of course.
Walsh now wears an ankle pad to alleviate lace bite, a painful sensation that runs from the front of a skater’s lower leg down to their toes. It’s caused by lace pressure on the tongue, which presses against the front of their foot.
He first suffered lace bite when he wore his all-white Easton skates during his PeeWee years.
"I solved the problem by taping around the tongue, ankles and around the back," Walsh remembered. "After that and through high school my feet hurt a lot in my skates because they weren’t either the right size or width. I never got it checked out. But I don’t have to worry about it now since they’re custom to my feet."
One change Wood has made is he’s added a lift in the heels of his skates.
"Instead of the skate being flat with my foot in it, I have it raised, so I have a little more of a forward bend in it," he explained. "This way I’m more on my toes."
Santini has made one alteration, extending the width of his skates by about one-eighth of an inch.
"I have wide feet, so it’s a little bit more comfortable," he explained.
Aside from that, he’s sticking with what has helped him reach the NHL.
"As long as it works, I’m not changing anything," Santini concluded. "If it doesn’t work, then I’ll change it."
