How to Bake Roller Hockey Skates

Hockey players used to soak the boots of new skates in water in an effort to quickly break them in. These days, ice hockey and roller hockey players employ a different method - baking their skates. Due to the materials used in modern skates, they can be “baked” for a few minutes in specialized ovens to improve fit. Alternately, most roller hockey skates, like ice skates, can be baked at home in a standard oven.

Remove the laces from the skates and set them aside. Use the Allen wrench to loosen the axles on each wheel on the skates, then slide the axles out of the wheels and pull the wheels from the chassis. Set aside.

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees. Pull the tongues outward from the skate boots and lay both skates on their sides on a baking sheet. Place the skates in the oven for no more than 10 minutes.

Check the ankle foams periodically; if they’re sufficiently soft, meaning your fingers slightly sinks into the foam, take the skates out before the 10 minute time limit expires.

Put the skates on (wear socks to prevent accidental burns) and lace the skates, pulling outward to tighten versus pulling upward to prevent touching the metal eyelets, which are still very hot. After lacing the skates, sit while wearing the skates with your feet (the chassis) on the floor for 2 or 3 hours to allow the materials to conform to your foot shape. Remove the skates and replace the wheels using the Allen wrench.