Hockey Is For Every Body

Each sport has its own unique sounds. The crack of a baseball bat connecting with a ball. The squeak of high tops on the basketball court. The thump of football pads colliding at the snap.

A hockey fan can name several unique sounds from their game of choice - the singing of a puck off the cross bar, the slap shot, the thump of a bread basket pad save. But the sound that truly sets hockey apart from other team sports is the susurrus of the skates on the ice. The skates' whisper on the fast ice sets the sport apart, upping the skill and difficulty level as well as the speed of the game. Skates are the foundation of the sport, and as common wisdom dictates, a good foundation is essential.

Any hockey player can attest to the importance of their equipment, from the proper tape job on their stick to the tightness of the laces on their skates. In that respect, Michael Hoyer is no different than any other hockey player. What sets him apart from his peers is his prosthetic foot.

Stepping in to negate that difference last year was hockey equipment giant, Bauer Hockey. Last year Hoyer and his father, Shane, called Bauer to inquire about skates and fit. After a 3-D scan of his prosthetic foot and months of waiting, the skates arrived. Without the bill.

Thinking it was an oversight, S. Hoyer contacted Bauer who informed him they were aware a bill was not included and one would not be forthcoming. "I guess it's just something really cool that Bauer does," said M. Hoyer, slightly awestruck by the generosity of the corporate giant. "They just sent 'em to us." The high school hockey player noted that the skates he chose were already top of the line and "normally pretty spendy" while noting he was not sure what the customization might have cost.

The process of obtaining skates which would accommodate his foot began with a 3-D scan of his foot at a Bauer location in Minneapolis. From there, the information was sent to the Bauer Innovation Center in Blainville, Quebec, Canada, which "makes custom skates for the best players in the world, including those in the NHL," according to Mary-Kay Messier, VP of Global Marketing at Bauer Hockey.

Bauer's state-of-the-art digital foot scanner helps the hockey equipment company design custom skates for feet of any shape and size, including prosthetic feet like M. Hoyer's. A call to Bauer's headquarters in New Hampshire revealed that a gifting of custom skates is not necessarily a common occurrence.

"Every year, we learn about individuals who have certain conditions that prevent them from fitting into a skate at all or in a comfortable way, and we do our best to accommodate as many requests as we can," said Messier. In fact, only about a dozen pairs of skates per year are provided for situations like M. Hoyer's. Part of the Bauer Gives Back program, the gift underscores the the company's ethos that hockey should be for everyone.

Bauer is not unfamiliar with the unique needs of those with prosthetic limbs. In Blainville, Jerry Trempe leads the custom skate manufacturing team. Over the years, that team has created custom equipment for injured war veterans, individuals who have suffered traumatic injuries, and those born with physical or mobility disabilities.

M. Hoyer lost his foot in a hunting accident on Dec. 28, 2019. He returned to the ice less than two months later with his beloved Glasgow Ice Dawgs. Before he had his prosthetic he "wore an ankle brace and laced up good" to finish out last season. He and his father worked with Brent Hawkins to come up with a better solution for this year's season, leading to the unexpected gift. "I'm going to have to get a Bauer flag to hang up in the Zam room," laughed S. Hoyer.

"Bauer Hockey is rooted in a One Team mission with a goal of increasing access to hockey for everyone," said Messier, "and we were happy to provide these custom skates to Michael to help him get on the ice and experience all the joys skating provides."

So far, M. Hoyer is thrilled with his skates, though he said they, like any other pair of hockey skates, are hard to break in. Hockey skates are stiff to protect the ankles of players who can achieve some unnatural angles deking down the ice. Breaking in his new skates gave the young skater a couple of blisters on his other foot. While it was too early for him to make a definitive judgment on the quality of his skates - at the time he talked with the Courier, he had only skated in them for about two weeks - he said he expects, "in the long run they will be much better."

To a casual observer, the skates appear to be doing right by their new owner. Hoyer skates often and hard for the Ice Dawgs on the top lines. He does still have some difficulty with skating backwards but playing as a wing rather than the defense man position has helped account for that difficulty. But it is his love of hockey, with help now from his custom skates, that keeps him flying down the ice. As he told the Courier in March of last year, "There's just something different about hockey, from the other sports. Other sports are important, but hockey is the most important."