Do socks make the man?

Friday, 15 February 2013 15:06

Written by Dave Molinari

There's been a lot of talk about cut-resistant socks, which have Kevlar as a primary component, around the NHL since Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson's Achilles was sliced by the skate of Penguins winger Matt Cooke Wednesday.

So far, though, it doesn't seem to have gone much past the talking stage.

Only a few Penguins were wearing those socks before Karlsson was hurt, and that group hasn't gotten any bigger.

Right winger Tyler Kennedy said he hever has tried them -- like most players, he says it is an issue of comfort -- and that he has no plans to do so.

Defenseman Brooks Orpik said he received a pair from his father a year ago, and still hasn't tried them on. And doesn't plan to do so.

Winger James Neal, however, had made the socks a standard part of his equiipment for most of his pro career, and said that an incident in Toronto, when he was cut on the knee by his own skate, underscored their value.

"Obviously, the blades are sharp," he said. "When they nick your skin, it's pretty bad.

"I just wear it for safety, because who knows what's going to happen when you're battling? You see what happened with (Cooke and Karlsson). Skates do come up and hit you. It's part of your equipment that I think more guys should use.

"They're a little different, comfort-wise, but if you've ever been cut before, you'll definitely wear them."