Tuff-n-Lite® works to protect players at all levels

RIO RANCHO, NM – Hockey equipment is rapidly evolving. Review any of the major manufacturers’ web sites and the constant upgrading in protective gear can be dizzying. For all the protection, there are three areas of the player’s body that remain vulnerable to damage: the back of the leg, the wrist and the throat. A number of efforts have been made to provide protection to these areas.

Heavy throat guards and wrist protectors have come to markets along with several designs for protective hose and socks.
 
Through the world of social networking, Pro Hockey News had the opportunity to catch up with David Nerman of Montreal. Nerman has played hockey at the Canadian Junior and semi-pro levels so he understands the beauty of the sport and the hazards that none of us really think about until the catastrophic injury occurs on television or at our local rink.
 
“I was watching a Canadiens game in October 2009 and watched as Andrea Markov was accidentally cut by the skate of (teammate) Carey Price,” Nerman said recently. “It was my eureka moment and I started researching cut resistant material for skate socks.”
 
That eureka moment lead Nerman to the discovery of the Supreme Corporation that was producing materials for military and law enforcement uses.
 
“I found the most common high performance fibers like Kevlar, Spectra, Dyneema,” Nerman said. “I wanted comfort as well as protection and came across Supreme Corporation, who has the Tuff-n-Lite® brand of cut resistant protection that was being used for military and police applications.”
 
Supreme Corporation has been in business for more than 44 years and is the largest composite fiber producer in North America.
 
Nerman contacted Nat Kolmes, the president of Supreme, and explained what he was looking for and the application.
 
“Two days later I received what looked like a ‘normal’ white sock,” New manexplained. “I skated 90 minutes and was dry as a bone. They felt like a regular cotton athletic sock.”
 
Nerman understood that comfort was the most important issue as it did not matter that they would protect if a player would not wear them if they were uncomfortable to wear.
 
“Tuff-n-Lite® Hockey was launched and 10 days later I was in the NHL on the feet of the Montreal Canadians,” Nerman related. “And on his return, I was protecting the player who started me on my quest, Andrea Markov.”
This level of protection is not just for the professional, highly-skilled NHL player. Nerman is an advocate for extending this level of protection down through the various levels of hockey including the local rec league.
 
“It doesn’t matter the level of skill or ability on the ice to cause a catastrophic injury,” explained Nerman. “Accidental injuries will occur regardless of ability and the result will always be the same, severe physical damage or worse.”
 
Nerman was born and raised in Montreal and has played hockey since hewas 3-years-old. His life has taken in different directions including New York City where he started a modeling and acting career in the 1980’s. His acting career got started when he played the part of English hockey player ‘Steve Bradshaw’ in the Quebec television series, “Lance et Compte” (He shoots He scores) based on the Quebec Nordiques.
 
He later moved to Toronto with actress Guylaine St-Onge and continued acting until 2004. He moved back to Montreal in 2005 after the passing of Guylaine who had been diagnosed with cervical cancer the previous year. Nerman and their son, Aidan, still live in Montreal where Nerman plays hockey up to four times a week.
 
The current version of the protective sock is a product of Nerman’s intense desire to design and provide the most effective cut-resistant garment for hockey players.
 
“We are always very clear,” said Nerman. “We are not cut-proof but cut resistant.”
The Tuff-nLite sock will not protect against compression injuries where the skate is pushed down with violent force against any body part.
 
“We do provide cut-resistance when the blade is drawn across the sock over the limb.”
 
The patented socks are a combination of composite fibers knitted in a patented process that offer high cut resistance without compromising comfort. The inside of the sock is hydrophobic so moisture is pulled from the inside to the outside of the sock keeping the skater dry.
 
“All of our socks and wrist guards are treated with an antibacterial treatment called Micro-Texpur®, another innovative product from Supreme, that eliminates bacteria on contact,” Nerman said describing the technology of the sock and wrist guards. “The socks wash like a regular garment unlike some yellow aramid fibers that de-grade with moisture and UV lighting.” Tuff-n-Lite®’s newest skate sock and wrist guards are made from patentedAR-NIMA™ fiber (aramid, glass and our patented composite fibers). The International Skating Union cut level benchmark for protective gear to be used in speed skaters is a cut level 2. The AR-NIMA™ skate sock tested using the same European testing protocol, tested a 5. The skate socks wash and dry like a regular garment. “More than a hundred NHL players currently wear our skate socks. We are cleared by the NHL for use in official games,” Nerman said. “We are in the NCAA, AHL, OHL and being worn by kids and adults across the US and Canada at all grass root levels. We are the official skate sock of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League ( www.cwhl.com ) which includes Olympians and NCAA female players.”
 
“We are game tested.”

Understandably, Nerman is proud of his accomplishment in creating a garment for players in the sport he has loved since a child.
 
“We have saved pros and grass root players from severe injuries caused by skate lacerations. The socks are cut resistant – not cut proof. We test and use the same test protocol that is used to certify neck guards which are mandatory in Canada. The socks are designed so that if they are compromised, they do not rip, shred or tear.” NB: For disclosure purposes, the author obtained a pair of Tuff-n-Lite® socksand wrist guards. Playing in a local rec league in Albuquerque there is certainly a need for extra protection against the errant skate blade or stick blade. The author has used the socks and wrist guards for two weeks and found them to be as comfortable as described by the creator. In fact, the socks are significantly more comfortable than the usual hockey sock. The wrist guards have been equally unnoticeable despite not having worn such guards before.
For more on the product, go to www.tuffnlitehockey.com
Testing video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SKEmL7xE1M Contact Lou.Lafrado@prohockeynews.com