1960 Vintage skates vs 2020 Modern day skates - What has changed after 60 years ?

1960 Canada Cycle & Motor Co LTD skates vs 2020 CCM skates. After 60 years of hockey skate development, what has changed?
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#Ice #Vintage #Skates

[@spadecpc]

Can you imagine someone with Bobby Orr's natural abilities during his prime in a pair of the 2020 CCM's !

[@SCJME]

Just like he said about 100 times in the video "I can only imagine...."

[@10.11.9]

Bobby Orr woukd still put up 100 points in his vintage Tacks while playing against the likes of McKinnon, McDavid, etc. in their stiff, Chinese skates - they need every edge to go up against No. 4.

[@josephhale9198]

Could you imagine any elite athlete back in the day with today's equipment???🥴

[@BackS1ap]

option 1 cale makar lol

[@sibbyeskie]

This is why I think it’s ridiculous when people claim McDavid would mop the floor on Gretzky. I mean, put McDavid in the same age, gear, same training and same everything in Gretzky era and he would look very, very different than he does today. He would look like a player from the 80s.

[@sevelo321]

Enjoyed the video! I played junior/ncaa college/minor pro back in the 70's -80's and wore Super Tacks (similar to those). To help with lack of support, we would "tape up" (wrap white athletic tape around the tendon guard and lower shin guard). We'd also have the skates "cross stitched" (take them to a shoe cobbler in town and have them stitch a tic tac to pattern around the ankle) to stiffen. New skates were brutally painful back then, so once you got a pair broken in, you never wanted new ones. Also, to preserve that nylon toe covering, some players would brush a thick varnish on it called ProToe. If not, they'd get all fuzzy. Aaahh,the good old days!

[@davidschumaker8107]

Used to buy these "ankle supports", wedging them in the boots and tried to keep them in place by using an additional lace thru those upper lace holes in the tendon guard. It hurt like Hell, but it seemed to give you a little more support and a little extra padding. You had to be careful when "painting" those toe caps. It was like sniffing the glue and/or the paint while building models. Ah the good ole days!

[@10.11.9]

I dealt with the fuzzy nylon toes well into the nineties.

[@peterseeley1815]

Thanks for the memories

[@keithswindell6212]

I had some inflatable ankle supports that went into the boot and were pumped up with a bulb. Later replaced them with some ankle pads (built like the kneecap of the shin pads with a bit of plastic inside leather) that were buckled around the ankle with a leather strap. An important addition for a defenseman to protect against shots to the ankle! And when the toes did get sliced up you took your mothers clear nail polish to them... or at least I did! 🙂

[@Richard-iu5zv]

the boot is mid 70's... the steel tube blade "prolites" were developed 1961 as stated... seeing the skate in new condition brings back memories, also at the time of the mid 70's there was the "super tack" made using more nylon (like on the toe of the regular tack) instead of the leather on the sides of the skate. the tack and super tack were a great skate, the flex of the foot forward in them when making the stride i think allows for the leg from hip to ankle to get the most out of a stride... CCM's Ribcor 80 and the Graf G-7 are the only skates of today imo to allow for the same feel in making the stride... no doubt today's skate has better support at high-speed movement... and the blades are better today...

[@Uncle24Bobby]

Chris, great piece. Richard and a few of the other commenters here are quite knowledgeable. I’ll hazard a few of my own observations based on my own experience during the period when these skates were current. The white cap on the rear of the blade was newly compulsory the year I started, 71-72. (My skates had a metal cap on the tube. But my dad glowered at anyone suggesting I may have needed new skates because skates were expensive.) So the skates are more recent than that. Otherwise the blades were a stable technology until the introduction of the plastic Tuuk blades in the late 70s, and that style of blade became widespread within a few years. The plastic toe cap puts these skates at the latter end of that period. Until I got my first pair of all-plastic Langes in 76 or 77, we D just had to take shots off the feet and smile. Another thing to keep in mind with these skates is the context. Although the game had largely moved indoors by the 70s, rinks themselves could still be quite cold in midwinter. Local community rinks were unheated, shed-like structures for the most part. A solid leather boot was desirable for wearing thick socks and keeping feet warm, especially for kids who have always been the vast majority of the market for hockey equipment. Only older, better players would get a really tight boot with an aim for foot control, and perhaps go (God forbid) bare-footed in the skates. In short, you have a skate from the latter half of the 70s, perhaps even early 80s if manufactured and (un)sold as an economy model. A really scary revelation for young players would be the inadequacy of the “mouth guards” we wore then, until the advent of cages. Thanks.

[@peterseeley1815]

@@Uncle24Bobby Funny fact about wearing thick socks. Bobby Orr wrote a book called Orr on ice,all of us Boston area junior high kids saw he skated "barefoot " in his Tacks. So we all went barefoot in our leather skates. Definitely took some learning time. Thank you for your post

[@johnziegelbauer4999]

Definitely mid -70s

[@johnziegelbauer4999]

Mid -70s

[@matt75hooper]

@@Uncle24Bobby Great, accurate info. I played in the 60s. You'll like this little gem- what size skate do you wear ? Nine ? But your shoes are a ten ? That originated because of the thick socks you mentioned. For the most part- that sizing anomaly remains today. Some InLine companies rejected that sizing method and makes for a little chaos for many players ordering skates. You can be a 9D skate but a 10.5D inline skate. My first hooks ? I wet the blade in hot water then stuck it under the top of a door and bent it til it was just right. Then right into the cold water. Did you guys do this while playing street / road hockey ? When you saw a Telephone Truck go by we would race to be the first one to greet him & he would toss us a couple of rolls of electrical tape ! The perfect tape for you shin guards, not to mention great tape to repair a baseball that we knocked the cover off. Great wonderful memories. I saw those 70s CCM Tacks and got a tingle up my spine. Lastly- ask anyone that played from the 60s til now what the best skate ever ? I am an old geezer but God blessed me with superb knees & I still skate. I have tried them all the last 55 years. The finest skate this planet has yet produced is the Daoust 501 National. Bar none.

[@bobholst874]

Before the plastic Lang Skates came out, we had ankle protectors as defensemen that covered the tendon area and inside and outside of the ankle. Mine were Cooper and had a chrome steel buckle to hold them on. Man when a slapshot puck hit the buckle, the back of your leg turned purple and it felt like your Achilles Tendon was ripped out! The good old days!

[@peterbutcher4848]

The white plastic bit on the end of the old skate was there to protect players from being injured by open end of the holder tube. If it wasnt there the referee would send a player off to sort it out, probably an equipment penalty applied as well. The rear height of the holder on a Tack was higher than than a Bauer in most models. Forwards wore Tacks, D less so, they could get up up on the ball of the foot and start the stride from there. The blades had more rocker than skates of today, and often got more over time depending on the skill of the skate sharpener. My skates were sharpened on an upright bench grinder. I never saw a blade break in 14 years of playing the first time around 1979/80 till 94. I remember when the first plastic holders came in and they were noisy, you could tell when you were about to get hit as you could hear screet screet screet , then nothing as they stopped striding ,then blam. If you get a chance find a pair of Daousts, these were the skates Gretzky used.

[@clayman4575]

I loved the old skate feel. I bought a new pair of Bauer Special Pro 99’s in 1976 and wish I could get that same feel now. I have two pair of Graf’s and tried many others but can’t get that same feel sadly enough.

[@edgerunnermobileskatesharps]

I wore a pair of CCM TACKS from 72 thru 80ish. The ones I wore in 72 had a leather outsole and leather toes (no nylon) I remember them being very comfortable. They were considered top of the line and most NHLers wore them. If I’m not mistaken, one of their selling features were that they were made from kangaroo leather.

[@matt75hooper]

I wore those CCM Tacks back then. 16" leather gloves, wood sticks. Today's equipment is mind boggling compared to back then. When I first slipped my feet in 1995 Daoust 501 Nationals I became a whole new skater. I could never skate like that in my ancient Tacks. And the equipment is even better in 2023.

[@kenkunz1428]

Those old skates have a very cool look though.

[@alanswanson9651]

I took up skating again for exercise when I retired in 2015. I had not been on the ice in 40 years due to injuries from a car accident. I still have my old Bauer Black Panther skates from the late 60's. I also bought a modern pair of Bauer skates. I can honestly say that I prefer the old school skates over the new ones.

[@barrygalerno700]

Chris: Those skates (whit plastic soles) came out in the late 1960's, probably 1969-70. TACKS prior to 1968 had leather outsoles. Those 50 metal 'pins' you see on the sole plate are not 'rivets'. They are 'staple pins' used to attach the leather inner sole plate to the plastic. the plastic and leather was glued together. The all metal holder/runner was welded together and SELDOM broke. The blades would bend 'easily' compared to today's steel. those plastic end pieces were for 'safety'. They would come out very often. We would simply pound them back in. held in by a 'screw' that never kept them in place. Breaking in the TACKS was done by soaking them in a bath tub or large pot of warm water, while wearing them. Then wear them to bed overnight! It was VERY common to use white stick tape to wrap around your tendon guards and bottom of your shin pads for support and to keep your pads from 'flopping'. Players that did not 'tape' the upper ankles, used short tendon guard 'laces' (strings) to tie around their shin pad bottoms. Those small eyelets in the top of the tendon guards are for that purpose. Many players used THICK applications of cotton batten under the tongues for 'lace bite'. The plastic toe caps were covered in 'ballistic nylon'. Later, in the early 1970's that SAME skate was introduced as the SUPER TACK. The difference was that 'ballistic Nylon covered the entire boot (black leather part) of the skate. The brown leather parts remained the same. It was VERY common for NHL players to have the sides of the skates stitched (up and down) down the entire length of the boot on both sides.

[@acolling3027]

Chris - This would be a great series to compliment your product review vids. I can see where this genre of retro-comparisons could appeal to a wide range of viewers: Those who are old enough to have used the vintage gear will enjoy the nostalgia, and I think all players with ages ranging from Gordie to Connor would be fascinated by seeing how far equipment has come. It really makes me appreciate the gear we use today, and talent it must have taken for guys like Béliveau and Richard to play at their level using the equipment of their day.

[@garyyip8854]

Great video! Bring back memories. I can only add that this highlights the 'modern' skating technique vs 'old technique' where the old way was much more ankle flexion compared to hip flexion. Currently using the Graf G7 and can't or won't try anything new because I'm afraid I won't be able to skate in them. Just trying them on in the store - they are like ski boots!

[@nicksinani6160]

I’m 15, I used grafs and now I use trues. If your thinking of any other skate without a budget or a big one, look at trues first. I love them and I don’t think I will switch any other skate

[@Maverick.4891]

U have to do a video with either you or Tommy or even better,JJ using them on ice 😂

[@matt75hooper]

The toe. We use to apply "Pro Toe" to the toes. A very thick black polish that was similar to liquid tar. If applied properly it would shine and look quite awesome. The actual name of the product was "Protect-toe." The can came with a small brush attached to the twist off top.

[@mickcnd2657]

The old Tack you are showing were the 2nd.pair I owned. The first were all leather no plastic or ballistic nylon. They were made of Kangaroo hide. It doesn't stretch like cow hide. It molds to your feet. You do have to replace the whole blade. Never broke one. The protection sucked and they were heavy compared to today. They were a dream to skate in. 1/2 size small and no sockes and they feel like part of your body. That was my experience. Then again I'm vintage like the skates. Lol

[@petergeyer7584]

Really love looking at vintage gear! I‘d love to see glove and helmet comparisons. Gloves in particular look nothing like they did 40 or 50 years ago.

[@TheNeilo-Audiosound]

😂😂😂 Chris My CCM Super Tacks and DAOUST 301 Nationals were like that in the 80’s when I was playing and when they got soaking wet it was Fun trying to keep your Ankles upright.🙈 You Guys playing these days have it easy with all the Kit about now.😜 Plus I went through sometimes 3 Koho 221 Sticks just in a training session snapping them in half With Slapshots🙈 From memory my first ever skates were a pair of BAUER Philadelphia which had a lot of Orange Colour on them obviously denoting the Philadelphia Flyers. On another note I never changed a pair of blades on any of my skates but just kept sharpening them watching them get smaller and smaller but we all did that in those days. Great Video Sir and thoroughly enjoyed the step back in time.

[@nickolaselzerman4849]

More vintage gear anything you wanna show I love seeing old vs new

[@Biblelover1963]

Good video Chris. What’s the difference in weight between both skates? I still have me “Daoust” Wayne Gretzky’s I bought in 82 or 83. I was always envious at the other kids who had the Super Tacks. Lol

[@davidradford4762]

I got my first Tacks in 1972. The leather is actually kangaroo skin. We soaked them in water and wore them to form to the foot. I actually had the welds between the tube and the runner break and the blade broke off. That was a shocker. They were great skates, though. The skates haven't changed because the game changed, it's just improvements in technology. Of course skating changed as the skates did. They actually had plastic skates in the mid seventies made by Lang, a ski boot company I believe.

[@rich7447]

I had Tacks in the 70s . When I outgrew them I tried to move to Lange because I didn't want to face breaking in a new pair of boots. It didn't work and I ended up back in a new pair of Tacks.

[@ollieyoung5104]

Wood vs two piece vs composite sticks

[@atex6175]

I miss wood sticks. It drives me nuts today the way kids learn how to shoot no form at all just the stick lifting the puck

[@josephhale9198]

I wonder What BrettHulls should would be like with these jet metal stick instead of his silver and green easton aluminum with a Christian blade

[@josephhale9198]

@@atex6175 loved Christian wood sticks and the Coffey wood sherwood.... Sherwood and Titan I could rip pucks with those. I never liked aluminum sticks when they came out.

[@atex6175]

@@josephhale9198 I used christian sticks all the way through high school. I had an Easton aluminum when they came out (my first year in squirt) and hated it. I think I used it for a couple of practices and a game then it sat in the basement untouched

[@peterseeley1815]

I had both Northland and Victoriaville wooden sticks to play defense and had Goalie sticks from the same companies

[@jeffliss3265]

What’s in the bag 1960s/1970s vs now comparison. I have some 70s gloves, pants and shin guards

[@HockeyTutorialOfficial]

What a dope idea!!!

[@YoPierre1]

Agreed

[@josephhale9198]

Ha. That equipment will get you severely injured in today's game

[@josephhale9198]

70s gloves pants and shin guards are garbage today in 2021

[@johnziegelbauer4999]

​@@josephhale9198equal playing field

[@boston7704]

Those are late 1970s - these have the nylon toe caps. Keep in mind you have to lace these completely differently. You can skate just well, but it won't have any protection. I play every once in a while with 1979 Tacks and 1983 Super Tacks.

[@pseudogamer6685]

wow that was my first pair of skates when i was a teenager in 2000, I got them from my grand father since we had simillar foot size. I cant skate for long with them since they hurt after a while.

[@stephenhead9738]

The blades were the same from 61’ into the 80’s… the outsole and toes were leather until 79’ Players would alter the skates. The leather was kangaroo and we would stitching added to the sides of the boot. Of course we skated barefoot. I only laced up always top three eyeholes open… we then taped down wrapping the tongue, tendon guard and base of shin guard with athletic tape . Blades were a hollow grind but heavily rockered…. At camp we often had to skate without the laces tied… to build angle strength … a pair of tacks or supremes cost us about $110.00 in the mid 70’s

[@dondavis7687]

Great video but at 8:20 mark you mention hockey NOW being an “explosive, fast” sport!……. It’s always been a explosive and fast! And yes! If manufacturers (preferably CCM) were to make a retro-skate I’ll be first in line!

[@sibbyeskie]

In the 80s I remember completely plastic moulded boots with foam boot liners. People complained they were too stiff! Haha. Crazy to think. Those old skate technologies were so basic, it’s kind of too bad we didn’t see players from that era able to perform as optimally as today. Have to wonder what technology will make current skates look basic 30 years from now, and what incredible speeds and manoeuvres they will perform that you just won’t see today.

[@michaeldumont6896]

I had a pair of 70’s Tacks. I skated on my ankles basically until they made those ankle support things you buttoned over you skates. Then I went to the ski boot Langs. Much better👍

[@chrisn.2002]

Great video

[@johnnyo3fan]

Those skates are identical to the pair I bought circa 1976. The new style Tuuk by Bauer were introduced that same year. I remember guys skating without tightening the laces. Once upon a time, skates were strapped on to your shoes, I had a pair when I was little. It's the equipment that has changed, not the game. If anything, the game has gotten tamer. Helmets, face guards, goalie masks. Like Rodney Dangerfield used to say, "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out."

[@sheevakai]

Would have been nice to see a NHL’r from today’s era skate in that old classic

[@caseysmith544]

The older skate does have very high spots for lacing up that high to keep the shoe part snug to the foot unlike today where players need that open due to how little movement the modern shoes give, even the cheaper models being stiff plastic polymers.

[@cslan4]

My CCM Tacks had a leather soul and not plastic and mine where bought around 1974, and they were fantastic skates great fit!

[@olecksandrr_r_r1857]

Could you make a video about the new 3s pro Skate?

[@joseppi44plays13]

Could you guys do a video on CCM vs Bauer mid-ranged skates?

[@Jeggermeister77]

Very nice video

[@bobrettenmund9313]

I have to laugh when I hear you use the term traditional to decribe new skates. The leather Tacks you have there are from the early 1970's. Tacks, as well as all skate back in the day, had thick leather soles. While CCM soles ran the full lenght of the boot, Bauer, on the other hand, had the sole stop at roughly the ball of the foot. The blades are CCM's Prolite II model. Prolite is a name they've used since the 1920's. Keep up the great job you're doing....I really enjoy the channel.

[@jacobvierling4624]

Could you do a video on true customs skates vs ccm customs? Seems like true would be like Taylor made to your specific foot and seems like ccm is a super baked retail skate. Would be a good comparison

[@DANNY40379]

13:26 45.5017° n 73.5673° is downtown Montreal in case you were wondering...

[@itsaflyboything]

even compared to my mid-late 2000's graf 709's, the skates today make me wish that I could skate, and that my feet weren't so oddly shaped. (also, I've only ever skated once in my life without excruciating pain, so you know, there's that.)

[@kjr63]

I have still My ccm mustangs from The 70s in The garage. I havent skated since then.

[@MH-hi2xo]

I’d like to see a 2020 boot vs like a 2010 or something just to see if the crazy prices of today is worth it

[@moclan582]

I have old Adidas skates very similar to these ones. Is the ankle support situation on those skates similar to figure skates? (I don’t have figure skates to compare to) I‘d like to casually go skating, not play hockey, in them. Basically my question is do they have more or less ankle support than figure skates these days,

[@yogibearstie]

I think modern stiff skates are why we have so many tall players. Back when you had to provide the balance the leverage of being tall worked against you.

[@chrisjames8082]

Excellent skates to skate in.

[@alpahanum3862]

I’m 17 and I just got a pair of Lange tube skates

[@hockeyfan992]

If you can do the Bauer 2n pro vs adv nexus

[@matt75hooper]

When I played in the 60s & 70s there was a huge difference to modern skates. Very large men could not get enough support in old time skates to be competitive. Up to 190-220 pounds worked. You would be hard pressed to find anyone in a top level League at 230 - 250 pounds or more. The skates simply couldnt handle it. You would be an "Ankle Bender". That's what we called skaters like that. But I assure you , 170 to 200 pound skaters like myself were quite comfortable in those old CCM Tacks. Once broken in, that is. It was a brutal break-in.

[@jweibsstocks2541]

Do a video doing hockey sticks

[@civilizedpro9356]

Nice

[@Nygge1982]

Ok Chris, now you have to do a follow up video where you skate on those vinatage. I hope you can manage to fit them on your feet. If too big, u knw u can put extra socks on you and jam a few spunch bob dish wash thingies in the skate. If too small, it is leather, you can stretch it at least 1 sizes if u visit some legendary skate shop

[@peterbarnes8941]

Your video brings back some great memories for me, too. The yellow leather liner in the skate boot was kangaroo. The plastic heel cap on the blade was introduced after at least one near fatal neck gash... As the blades were repeatedly sharpened, the heel of the blade became quite pointed. Most players were fitted one or two sizes on the small side. Today, (yep, still playing oldtimers hockey), I wear a size 11 Graf, while back then (late 60's) when I was fitted at the C.C.M. factory in Weston, Ontario, I was fitted with an 8 1/2. That's the way it was back then with all leather athletic footwear... you fitted as small as you could stand and endured the pain and discomfort until the boot stretched and moulded to your foot. Some players minimized the break-in by lacing up the skate and putting your foot in a bucket of hot water and letting the skate dry out on your foot before taking the skate off. Once the boot conformed closely to the shape of your foot, there was no slippage. A shot deflecting off the toe of the skate often resulted in blackened or lost toe nails. My preference was(and still is) to play without socks for a closer fit. I started that practice after being told that Bobby Orr played bare foot. Also, some players did not lace their skates to the very top and left one row of eyelets unlaced to increase ankle flexibility. If you played at a high level, you generally had a second pair of skates that you were breaking in or used for practices,. The second pair of skates was your only insurance against a broken blade, although fortunately, that was then a rare occurrence. Finally, there were very few skate sharpeners who profiled skate blades and those who did were artists. Once you found a good sharpener you were very reluctant to let anyone else touch your skates.

[@peterbarnes8941]

And one more thing... in the mid 60's you could purchase a pair of Tacks for $49.95 CDN!

[@atex6175]

Skates from back when you had to have strong ankles and the tendon guard was just to stop you from getting sliced by a skate blade

[@CKBrew]

Wonder if the game was different back then

[@Michael-fi3uu]

I have those skates and I almost broke my ankles trying To stop

[@CharlesTPrimm]

Didn't the 60s -70s Tac have leather bottoms not plastic?

[@matt75hooper]

Bobby Orr in today's space aged skates would be a human highlight reel. Imagine Connor McDavid- a little faster & controlling all three zones not just the offensive zone. Orr would be a blur.

[@davekorzeniowski3063]

Those tacks are beauties

[@smokewagon47]

Ankle support won’t matter when you take a Northland stick to the back of the dome.

[@Dinovulpitta65]

those blades didn't crack

[@michaelt.sr.6273]

Wish I had a brand new pair of those now. Broke my bank in 1973 to buy them!

[@Libertyjack1]

The 70s skates look nice...but thank you, Space Program!

[@shanethideman690]

You should compare gloves.

[@johanjotun1647]

looking at the blade s and foot angle they are nearly identical the 2020 has a a little more clearance, the meat and potatoes havnt changed much in my eyes, im guessing the only improvments have been in weight and protection.

[@josephhale9198]

They have changed a whole lot.

[@ih8momjokes1]

and bobby hull is still the fastest WOW

[@johnziegelbauer4999]

Nylon soul

[@donbarone4799]

At least give us the weight of each skate.

[@andreideshin5323]

Thanks for the video! I must say that I would love as well to see those old skates being done nowadays! I dont get why all modern skates looks so ugly, when the old ones always look kind of cool and so stylishly. It would be so nice if CCM or Bauer could issue every year or so a modern version of an old model!!! Am I the only one thinking this way? Tired of modern skates that look like s**t.

[@flapcast]

Blades pattern, not boots

[@Drunrealer]

Boy

[@mpm1958]

As expected, a lot of ridiculous comments about Bobby Orr in modern equipment. The game has progressed BECAUSE of guys like Orr. However, Bobby would be on the small side for a defenseman today, and I’m modern skates he would be fast, but not to the level of McDavid, McKinnon, Larkin, Barzal. We old guys love to believe that our heroes in their primes could compete with today’s players. Nice thought but completely absurd. There has been FIFTY years of development, innovation and inspiration since Orr’s prime. He would be a good player, but dominant? Not a prayer

[@johnkritikos3247]

Their opinion is just as good as yours. I could say your opinion is ridiculous.😊

[@mpm1958]

@@johnkritikos3247 You certainly could. You could also claim that swimmers and runners were faster fifty years ago. I love the fact that hockey players take advantage of innovations and inspiration from superstars who came before. I seriously do not understand those who love to believe that our favourite game has remained stagnant and has not progressed the way other sports have.

[@treasurefolk]

3:19 Kim Kardashian

[@owenmorgan8742]

First

[@Skeetr86]

What are you 12

[@bobcarlsson4]

When you don't know you probably shouldn't be making videos on a subject of which you know nothing.