CA2192292A1 - Hockey boot having a composite sole - Google Patents

Abstract

An ice hockey or roller hockey skate boot sole comprising a fibre-reinforced matrix. When incorporated into a hockey skate and used by a hockey player, the sole being flexible, resilient, and substantially incompressible so as to cooperate with a flexible blade assembly or wheel frame to allow the skater to more precisely control the positioning of the blade or wheels with respect to the skating surface. The sole further being an efficient transmitter of force therethrough.

Description

21922~2 HOCKEY SKATE BOOT HAVING A CONPOSITE SOLE

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a skate, and more particularly to an ice hockey or roller hockey skate boot having a sole comprising a composite material.

Background of the Invention Conventional ice hockey skates comprise a boot and a blade assembly. The boot itself comprises an upper portion fastened to a sole. The upper portion encircles the dorsal surface of the foot, the ankle, and the lower part of the calf of the skater, while the sole registers with the plantar surface of his foot.
The blade assembly comprises a blade holder secured to the ice-facing surface of the sole and the blade itself. Thus, the sole provides an interface between the various other portions of the skate.
When the skater is skating, the force generated by his muscles is transmitted from his body through his foot to the sole of the skate to the blade assembly and finally to the ice.

A sport such as ice hockey requires the skater to be able to quickly accelerate and decelerate and make rapid and precise turns and changes in skating direction. The skater accomplishes these manoeuvres by altering the portion of the blade which is in contact with the ice, by shifting his weight rapdily from foot to foot, and by varying the amount of force he generates. In order to allow for increased control over the execution of such manoeuvres, conventional ice skates for use in these sports are constructed of lightweight materials to reduce inertial forces and to increase responsiveness. Moreover, the skate boot soles and blade assemblies of such skates have been designed to be both flexible and resilient thereby allowing the skater to vary the portion of the blade contacting the ice at a greater speed, and to 21922g2 -flex the blade precisely to the desired position. The blades themselves are curved.

At the same time, in order to maintain balance and control, both while skating straight and while turning or changing direction, the skater must be able to "feel" the ice beneath him, i.e. he must be able to accurately judge the reaction force of the ice below.

For these reasons force should be transmitted from the foot of the skater to the skate and to the ice, and vice versa~ without any attenuation in the magnitude thereof, except for that necessary to flex the boot sole and blade assembly. In this respect, the components of the skate along the force transmission path, including the sole, must be as efficient transmitters as possible.

The material used in the fabrication of conventional ice hockey skate boot soles is thermoplastic rubber (butadiene-styrene). This material was selected by skate manufacturers over the years as it is relatively light in weight and is moderately flexible and resilient. Conventional teaching was that it was well suited for its function as the desired goals were met.

There is however, a constant effort on the part of skate manufacturers to improve ice hockey skate performance. As part of this effort it was hoped that a substitution of thermoplastic rubber by a material which was lighter in weight while still being flexible and resilient might provide some such improvement.

Composite materials have been used by skate manufacturers over the years to manufacture ice speed skating skates. Composite materials are materials in which two or more distinct substances such as metals, glass, ceramics, or polymers are combined, with or without chemical reaction, to produce a material with structural or functional characteristics different from the individual constituents. The constituents retain their individual characteristics and are distinguishable on a microscopic scale.
Typically one constituent is classified as the reinforcement and - ~192292 the other as the matrix. The matrix binds the reinforcement together and contributes to the distribution of the load.

Ice speed skating skates are, however, of a completely different construction than those used for ice hockey. Such differences are owing to the differences in the sports themselves.
Ice speed skating is sport wherein the object is to travel a certain distance (e.g. one kilometre) as quickly as possible, the skater completing the required distance in the fastest time being declared the winner. The sport generally takes place on an oval ice track similar in shape to that used in track-and-field events.
Thus the bulk of the distance that the skater must travel is comprised of straight lengths, such lengths being separated by sweeping turns the curvature of which is relatively open and smooth as compared with the precise, tight turns required of ice hockey players. The movements of the athletes in each sport are thus completely different, that of speed skaters involves long gliding strides on each foot, whereas that of an ice hockey player involves rapid shifting from foot to foot. For these reasons, ice speed skating skates are designed to allow the maximum amount of force generated by the skater to be transmitted to the ice. Thus, the blade is much longer than that of an ice hockey skate and is flat so that the entire skatable surface of the blade is simultaneously in contact with the ice surface to allow for relatively long gliding periods. The sole and blade assembly are constructed so as to be as rigid as possible so as to minimize flexion of the blade and an accompanying loss of force generated, the weight thereof is relatively unimportant. Flexibility of the sole of such a skate is completely undesirable.

In order to achieve these desired characteristics soles specific to this type of skate have been constructed. The result is a multi-layered shell-shaped sole which is hard, rigid and thick, and contains many solid materials such as metal. One or more of the layers may be a composite material which used to provide additional strength to the sole to aid in the elimination of the flexing of the final product. Conventional experience has thus taught that composite materials should be employed in ice ~192~92 skate sole construction to eliminate flexibility where rigidity of the sole and blade assembly is desired.

Nonetheless, more or less by chance, a prototype ice hockey skate boot having a sole comprised of a single layer of composite material was fabricated and tested. While the prototype skate was indeed lighter in weight, it was soon recognised that this sole yielded a skate with greatly improved performance over conventional skates. The prototype allowed the skater to more precisely control his movement on the ice. It was then realised that the conventional thermoplastic rubber is compressible when the skate is in use and absorbs some of the force being transmitted to the ice by the skater. This sole causes the skater to feel a heretofore unrecognised slight "spongy" feeling, reducing both his feel of the ice and his control over the flexion of the skate blade assembly. To professional and very experienced amateur ice hockey players this loss of feeling and control is significant.

Roller hockey is a relatively new sport, having become much more common with the recent increase in popularity of in-line roller skating as leisure time activity or as a means of travel.
The movements of roller hockey players resemble to those of ice hockey, and thus the requirements of roller hockey skates are similar to those of their ice hockey cousins.
The first generation of roller hockey skates are simply an ice hockey skate boot with a simple wheel frame from a general in-line roller skate attached. While such frames are generally inflexible, it is foreseen that advancements in roller hockey skate technology may provide for skates having flexible frames similar to the blade assemblies of their ice hockey counterparts.
Such frame constructions would give roller hockey players the more precise control over their manoeuvres that ice hockey players currently enjoy.

-Object and Statement of the Invention It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an ice hockey skate boot or a roller hockey skate boot having a sole which is flexible, resilient, and substantially incompressible.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ice hockey skate or a roller hockey skate including a boot having a sole which is flexible, resilient, and substantially incompressible.

As embodied and broadly described herein the present invention provides a hockey skate boot comprising:
(a) an upper portion for receiving the foot of a skater; and (b) a sole, the sole including a fibre-reinforced matrix, and the sole, when the boot is in use by a skater, being:
(i) flexible, (ii) resilient, and (iii) substantially incompressible.

A hockey skate boot sole of the present invention is comprised of a relatively thin sheet of a fibre-reinforced matrix;
such fibre-reinforced matrices being conventionally known as composite materials. Both the fibres and the matrix of which the composite material is formed may be one of a number of materials.

Classes of materials commonly used for reinforcement are glasses, metals, polymers, ceramics and graphite. The reinforcement can be in many forms, such as continuous fibres or filaments, chopped fibres, woven particles or ribbons. The criteria for selecting the type and form of reinforcement will vary in accordance with the design requirement for the composite, as is within the competence of those skilled in the art. However, criteria for a generally desirable reinforcement include high strength, high modulus, low weight, low cost, ease of fabrication and environmental resistance.

219229~
-In addition to the reinforcement materials, the other major component of any composite material is the matrix. The matrix binds the reinforcement together and enhances the distribution of the applied load within the composite. Polymeric materials are widely used as matrix materials. The two general types of polymers which are generally employed in composite materials are thermosetting and thermoplastic. The principal differences between them is the degree of cross-linking and response to elevated temperature. Thermosetting resins or polymers are extensively cross-linked and undergo irreversible changes heated or reacted with a selected catalyst or curing agent. In contrast thermoplastic materials are generally not as cross-linked and soften as they are heated. After being exposed to heat they return to their original condition when cooled below their melting temperature.
The properties of the composite material are derived from matrix characteristics in combination with the inherent properties of the reinforcement material along with the form and amount of reinforcement used.
A skate boot of the present invention is preferably comprised of a relatively thin sheet (0.04" to 0.10") of composite material which is both lightweight and strong, as both characteristics are desirable in a hockey skate boot sole. Reduced weight is desired so as to minimize inertial forces and to reduce player fatigue.
Strength is desired so as to prevent the sole from being torn apart or ripped when the skate is in use. In this respect it has been determined that an average 200 pound professional ice hockey player may exert a peak force of up to 500 pounds on the skate.
Heavier players may exert even greater peak forces of approximately 2.5 times their weight. Serving as an interface between the various other skate components, boot soles must be able to withstand such stresses without becoming ripped or torn apart.
Composite materials have the further advantage in that they may selected so as to form a sole which is both "flexible" and "resilient", two characteristics which are required of a hockey skate boot sole of the present invention. In the present context a material should be considered to be flexible where it is able to be bent from its original shape without breaking, and resilient where it will spring back to its original shape after having been flexed (as opposed to compressed). It should be appreciated that a skate boot sole of the present invention need only have these characteristics when incorporated within a hockey skate, and then only when that skate is under normal use by a player for whom such a skate is intended.

Moreover, a boot sole of the present invention need only be flexible within the range of flexibility required by the blade assembly which is attached to the boot. In this manner the boot sole and blade assembly may cooperate to enable the skater to vary the conformation of the blade and alter the portion of the blade which is in contact with the ice. It will be appreciated that for the most part it is torsional flexibility of the sole which is required, the sole should be longitudinally flexible, however the extent of which which is required is not as great. It will further be appreciated that flexibility of the sole to extent beyond that required by the blade assembly is not required nor is it relevant in the context of the present invention. It may be that the boot sole is flexible beyond that point, it is no longer flexible (becomes stiff) or even breaks, although the latter is not preferred.
Similarly, a boot sole of the present invention need only be resilient up to the point to which it must be flexible. It is not necessary that it be resilient beyond that point, given that under normal skating conditions it will never be flexed therebeyond.
The composite material must also be selected so as to be "substantially incompressible". In the context of the present specification a hockey skate boot sole will be substantially incompressible where, during the normal use of a hockey skate in which the boot sole has been incorporated, by a skater for whom such a skate is intended, the thickness of the composite material which the sole comprises is not appreciably reduced.

Advantageously, the matrix is comprised of a thermosetting resin or of a thermoplastic resin.

Preferably, the matrix is comprised of a resin selected from the group consisting of an epoxy, a polyamide, an acrylic, ABS
(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer), polypropylene, and polyethylene, and the fibres are comprised of a material selected from the group consisting of glass, carbon, and KevlarTM and are randomly oriented, undirectionally oriented or bidirectionally oriented.
Preferably, the sole includes a raised portion.

As embodied and broadly described herein the present invention also provides an ice hockey skate comprising:
(a) a boot for receiving a foot of a skater, the boot including an upper portion and a sole, the sole comprising a fibre-reinforced matrix, and the sole, when the ice-hockey skate is in use by a skater, being:
(i) flexible, (ii) resilient, and (iii) substantially incompressible; and (b) a flexible blade assembly attached to the sole of said boot, said blade assembly comprising a blade holder and a blade.
A blade assembly is flexible for present purposes where it is capable of being bent out of its original shape during normal course of use of a skate in which it is incorporated by a skater for whom it is intended.
It should understood that a blade assembly is considered to be attached to a sole in the context of the present invention if it is fastened thereto or formed integrally therewith. In this respect, any portion of a skate which forms an interface between the blade assembly and the boot upper will be considered to be the sole.

As embodied and broadly described herein the present invention further provides a roller hockey skate comprising:
(a) a boot for receiving a foot of a skater, the boot including an upper portion and a sole, the sole comprising a fibre-reinforced matrix, and the sole, when the roller hockey skate is in use by a skater, being:
(i) flexible, (ii) resilient, and (iii) substantially incompressible; and (b) a flexible frame attached to the sole of said boot.
A frame is flexible for present purposes where it is capable of being bent out of its original shape during normal course of use of a skate in which it is incorporated by a skater for whom it is intended.
It should understood that a frame is considered to be attached to a sole in the context of the present invention if it is fastened thereto or formed integrally therewith. In this respect, any portion of a skate which forms an interface between the frame and the boot upper will be considered to be the sole.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description and the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings A detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention is provided hereinbelow with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ice hockey skate including a skate boot of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the skate, having a portion of the heel area of the skate boot removed to show its construction;

21~2292 Figure 3 is a perspective view of the skate, having a portion of the toe area of the skate boot removed to show its construction;

Figure 4 is a front sectional view of the skate, exploded to show the various components thereof;

Figure 5 is a front sectional view of the skate similar to Figure 4, except that the components have been illustrated as being fastened together;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a skate boot sole of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a top elevational view of the skate boot sole;
and Figure 8 is a side elevational view of a roller hockey skate including a skate boot of the present invention.

In the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for purposes of illustration and as aid to understanding, and are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments Referring to Fig. 1, an ice hockey skate 20 is comprised of two main elements, an skate boot 1 and a blade assembly 16. The skate boot comprises a boot upper 6 and a sole 2. The boot upper 6 encircles the dorsal portion of the foot, the ankle, the heel and a part of the lower portion of the calf of the skater. The boot upper 6 may be constructed of several conventional materials and according to a variety of conventional methods. In this respect, the preferred material is ballistic nylon which is die cut into variety of patterns which are stitched together to form a whole. Holes 17 are preferably disposed in two rows along to ~192292 portion of the upper 6 over dorsal portion of the foot to allow for the passage therethrough of laces (not shown) to tighten the upper 6 to firmly secure the foot of the skater. All other conventional boot upper adjustment mechanisms such as straps or buckles, are within the scope of the present invention.

As shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 the boot upper 6 includes a curled-under portion 7 which is positioned to be in between the sole 2 of the skate 20 and the plantar surface of the foot of the skater when the skate 20 is in use. The curled-under portion 7 allows the boot upper 6 to be attached to the sole 2 of the skate 12. Such attachment is accomplished by the rivets 5 which attach the blade assembly 16 to the sole 2 (described in further detail hereinbelow) and also by glue or any other conventional adhesive.
The sole 2 includes a raised portion 10 shaped such that when the curled-under portion 7 is attached to the sole 2 a relatively planar surface is formed.

An insole 8 which aids in the structural reinforcement of the skate is positioned within the boot upper 6 across the surface opposite the planar surface of the foot of the skater. The insole 8 is constructed of any number conventional materials that are relatively flexible, resilient, and lightweight. The insole 8 may be formed by any conventional means including injection moulding and die-cutting, depending on the material of which it is formed.
A liner 9 is inserted within the boot upper 6 on top of the insole 8 (i.e. in use the liner 9 will be in between the plantar surface of the foot of the skate and the insole 8.) The liner 9 is present to provide for the comfort of the skater. It is preferably constructed of a thin layer of foam which may be formed by any conventional means.

The blade assembly 16 is constructed according to conventional methods and comprises a blade holder 3 and a blade 4.
The blade holder 3 and blade 4 are flexible such that by exerting force in different areas of his foot, the skater may alter the conformation of the blade 4 and the portion thereof which contacts the ice. The blade holder is preferably attached to the boot 1 by 219229~

means of rivets 5. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the rivets pass through and secure together the blade holder 3, the sole 2 the curled-under portion of the boot upper 7, the insole 8, and the liner 9.

The skate 20 includes a sole 2 of the present invention. The sole 2 is comprised of a composite material. The preferred composite material is a bidirectional mix of acrylic thermoplastic resin, glass and carbon fibres, such as the Novotek HW-5050 (trademark) material supplied by BioMechanical Composites (a division of Medical Materials Corporation) of Camarillo, California, USA. This material provides moderate stiffness strength and durability with balanced directionality. It has cross-woven upper and lower facesheets of carbon and glass fibres (50%/50% mix, 0~ and 90~ orientation), with a preferred overall thickness of 0.045 inches (1.14mm). A detailed specification of the mechanical properties of this material appear in the table below:

Novetek~ HW-5050 Naterial Properties ~ CA less~ .035 C~ .055 , .075 0~ ~ .105 (.89) (1-40) '~ (1.91) (2.67) !e ...-AIt c - .028 ~ .043 .059 . f' . 081 ~r~ C l ~ .123 _ .189 _ .260 .~ .356 q ~
25~. ~
1160 ~ : 1215 ~ ~1275 ~ 1365 5160 5400 ~ 5540 ~ ~ ~ 6070 e ~ e ~. ~ :c~
'~ - 33100 ~ 22100 ~ 17000 ~ ' ~ 13200 ~ 2.28 1.52 . 1.17 tl ~ ~ 0.91 NovetekTM HW-SOSO Material Properties n~ .035 ~ -~ 0 ~.055 ~ ~ .075 ~ C .105 ( .89) _ (1 - 40) _ h ( 1 ~ 91 ) ~( 2.67) n 2.6 ~ ~ 2.2 ~ : ~ 1.8 ~ ~ 1.2 1.79 1.2 : 1.24 ~ 0.83 ~ v r 5 ~ ..
~, 12 . 40 88 _ ~ 184 344 ~'3~ 1148 1:1 2325 ~ ~ ' 5280 1, " ~
0 ~ 73700 ~: 57200 ~ 50000~' :: 44000 ~ 5.08! .1:: 3.94 ~3.45 ,, l 3.03 . ,, ~
,f ~:

'~ ~ 3.3 2.9 ' 2.5 ' 1.9 2.28 2,~ 2.00 _, ~ 1.72 _ 1.31 I a :a ~ ~ ~-~ 4840 5175 1:1 5525 6000 3.33 .~ 3.57 3.80 4.13 e C~r. ~- , '- Cl ~ f ~

~ ~ ' b~ r~
r 33100; ~ ~: 25800~ I~C'~ 22500 ; ,~ ' 19800 ~ 2.28~ ~ I . 1.783. ~ 1.55 ~ I 1.37 NovetekTM HW-5050 Naterial Properties : ~ 1 9' ~ .035 ~ I .055 ~ ~ .075 ~ C .105 (.89) ~_ (1-40) ~ (1.91) ~(2.67) r --, ~; 5.0 1 5.0 ~ 5.0 .~ 5.0 ~ 2.7 ~ 2.7 ,' 2.7 ~ 2.7 ~ : ~ c.
~.. . e l~ ' 7.2 . 7.2 , 7.2 , 7.2 7.2 . 7.2 , 7.2 ~ '~ 7.2 ~ lr~ G' ~
' Ell ~ ~

( ~220 220 ~ 220 ~ 220 ~ ~105 ~ 1l 105 ~ ~ 105 ~ 105 Per unit width Based upon product of effective elastic modulus and moment of inertia.

In order to manufacture the sole 2, a sheet of base material is die-cut to form the desired outer shape. The material is then heated to between 350-390~F (175-200~C) in order to facilitate moulding. It is then moulded into its final contoured shape by subjecting it to a pressure between 5-10 pSi (35-70 kPa) for approximately 15 seconds. Preferably, a sealing material is added to the edge once the sole is cooled.

In the manufacture of the skate 20, the sole 2 iS bonded to the curled-under portion 7 of the skate boot 6 via a suitable adhesive. The insole 8 and liner 9 are then inserted within the boot, the blade holder 3 positioned, and rivets 5 are inserted in a conventional fashion to fasten the components together.

Referring to Fig. 8, a roller hockey skate 21 of the present invention comprises a skate boot 1 including a composite sole 2 manufactured as described above in relation to an ice hockey skate, a skate frame 13, a plurality of wheels mounted to the frame on axles 15, an forward and rear attachment plates 11 and 12 respectively. The skate is assembled as described above except that the frame 14 is positioned with respect to the boot 1 and rivets 5 are inserted to secure all of the components together.

As an example, various boot soles for a standard men's U.S.
size 8 skate were constructed and tested to determine their flexibility. The test procedure adopted was as follows:
(1) The heel end of the sole was fixedly secured to an edge;
(2) The intersection of the longitudinal centre-line of the sole with the line perpendicular thereto across the widest portion (hereinafter "the transverse line~) of the sole was located (hereinafter "the intersection point");
(3) One end of an inflexible beam having a length of 12cm was secured to the sole at the intersection point such that the beam extended away from the intersection point along the transverse line on the same side of the longitudinal centre-line as the "arch portion" of the sole.

(4) A weight was attached to the other end of the beam, and the angle of deflection of the beam (and thus the sole) in response to the weight was measured. [The "Interior Flexion 90~" test.]

(5) The test was repeated with the beam positioned to extend away from the intersection point along the transverse line on the opposite side of the longitudinal centre-line. [The "Exterior Flexion 90~" test.]

(6) The test was repeated with a beam of 18.5cm positioned to extend away from the intersection point along the longitudinal centre-line away from the heel. [The "Flexion 0~"
test.]

The results of the test are summarised in the table below:

21922~2 Sole Flexion Testing Data Ortho : ~o Iso ~ Vinaf lex 0.045 " 0.045 " White . ~' 45g 46g 94g ~e , e l:ox_c 1 . ~ ~ 5 ~ 24~ : 14~ 14 :e I:~Y' C~ 5, 25~ : 19~ : 13 ::::
i~ 6~ , 9 ~ 6 ~ ' Y Cl ' ~ . . ~ 32 ~ ' 23 ~ ~ ~: 25 F~ !rl ~ o~ 34~ ' 30~ :~: 25 ~ 10 4 18 ~ : 12 ~

In the above table "Ortho 0.045"" refers to a sole made of NovetekTM HW-5050 having a thickness of 0.045", similarly "Ortho 0.045"" refers a sole made of NovetekTM HW-5050 having a thickness of 0.085". "Iso 0.045"" refers to a composite material made of the same materials as NovetekTM HW-5050 having bidirectional fibres set 15 an angle of 45~ with respect to one another and having a thickness of 0.045"", similarly "Iso 0.085"" refers to the same material having a thickness of 0.085"". "Vinaflex White" refers to a sole of the conventional thermoplastic rubber material (butadiene-styrene). A sole of such material may be found on a "Professional 20 96" skate manufactured by Bauer Inc. of Canada.

The above description of preferred embodiments should not be interpreted in a limiting manner since other variations, modifications and refinements are possible within the spirit and 25 scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (23)

1. A hockey skate boot comprising:
(a) an upper portion for receiving the foot of a skater; and (b) a sole, the sole including a fibre-reinforced matrix, and the sole, when the boot is in use by a skater, being:
(i) flexible, (ii) resilient, and (iii) substantially incompressible.

2. A hockey skate boot as recited in claim 1, wherein the matrix comprises a thermosetting resin.

3. A hockey skate boot as recited in claim 1, wherein the matrix comprises a thermoplastic resin.

4. A hockey skate boot as recited in claim 1, wherein the matrix comprises a resin selected from the group consisting of an epoxy, a polyamide, an acrylic, ABS, polypropylene, and polyethylene.

5. A hockey skate boot as recited in claim 1, wherein the fibres comprise a material selected from the group consisting of glass, carbon, and KevlarTM.

6. A hockey skate boot as recited in claim 1, wherein the fibres are randomly oriented.

7. A hockey skate boot as recited in claim 1, wherein the fibres are undirectionally oriented.

8. A hockey skate boot as recited in claim 1, wherein the fibres are bidirectionally oriented.

9. A hockey skate boot as recited in claim 1, wherein said sole includes a raised portion.

10. An ice hockey skate comprising:
(a) a boot for receiving a foot of a skater, the boot including an upper portion and a sole, the sole comprising a fibre-reinforced matrix, and the sole, when the ice-hockey skate is in use by a skater, being:
(i) flexible, (ii) resilient, and (iii) substantially incompressible; and (b) a flexible blade assembly attached to the sole of said boot, said blade assembly comprising a blade holder and a blade.

11. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 10, wherein the matrix comprises a thermosetting resin.

12. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 10, wherein the matrix comprises a thermoplastic resin.

13. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 10, wherein the matrix comprises a resin selected from the group consisting of an epoxy, a polyamide, an acrylic, ABS, polypropylene, and polyethylene.

14. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 10, wherein the fibres comprise a material selected from the group consisting of glass, carbon, and KevlarTM.

15. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 10, wherein the fibres are randomly oriented.

16. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 10, wherein the fibres are unidirectionally oriented.

17. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 10, wherein the fibres are bidirectionally oriented.

18. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 10, wherein said sole includes a raised portion.

19 19. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 18, wherein said upper includes a curled-under portion overlying the sole and connected with the sole.

20. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 19 wherein said curled-under portion is connected to the sole by fasteners.

21. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 20, wherein the blade holder is attached to the sole by the intermediary of the fasteners.

22. An ice hockey skate as recited in claim 10, wherein the blade holder is integrally formed with the sole.

23. A roller hockey skate comprising:
(a) a boot for receiving a foot of a skater, the boot including an upper portion and a sole, the sole comprising a fibre-reinforced matrix, and the sole, when the roller hockey skate is in use by a skater, being:
(i) flexible, (ii) resilient, and (iii) substantially incompressible; and (b) a flexible frame attached to the sole of said boot.