MOOSE JAW — When Kolter Mealing moved back to Moose Jaw from Harrow, Ont., his performance as a goalie for the Richardson Pioneer Southern Rebels Jr. Hockey Club was starting to plateau and he couldn’t pinpoint why.
He then called his former skate sharpener from Ontario, Bob Allen at Maximum Edge, who suggested it may be due to the way his skate blades were sharpened.
The call resulted in a new skate sharpening business in Moose Jaw.
The Blue Line Hockey Shop first opened in July 2022 and is usually open from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day Mealing is available.
“There’s a lot of science behind (sharpening skates) that not a lot of people know about,” Mealing explained. “I guess a lot of it comes down to metals and the metallic properties of the blades and how the heat and different types of grit affects every single blade.”
Mealing started The Blue Line Hockey Shop as a side job to solve this problem for others who didn’t have a mentor like Allen to provide an assist. By combining his knowledge of metalworking and welding from his regular job at Dynamic Railcar Services Ltd., Mealing found a side gig that he loves and one day hopes to expand.
A pair of properly sharpened skates makes a huge impact on the ice and may be the missing “secret sauce” that some players might be overlooking.
When Mealing was goaltending in Ontario he described his game as “pretty strong.” “When I came out here, (my performance) kind of just went downhill. I felt like I plateaued,” he said.
Allen runs Maximum Edge and formerly worked with the company that makes Blademaster skate sharpeners. “He’s trained… NHL equipment managers, and so I invested into him and his business and then learned how to sharpen skates,” Mealing said.
“It really affects the game,” he said, noting that every aspect of on-ice performance from the quality of gameplay down to the biomechanics of the body are improved with a properly sharpened skate. These were some of the considerations that Allen — who himself had knee issues after playing hockey that required surgery — took to mind when developing his technique.
The quality of his work could be highlighted in what Mealing calls “one of the biggest tasks I’ve had.”
“There was a goalie that came in and his parents bought him brand new skates from a big chain and they butchered his skates,” Mealing recalled. “One blade was an eighth of an inch higher than the other one, so naturally he’s not standing flat.
“His parents didn’t know any better than to… just keep getting them sharpened because he said they didn’t feel right,” he continued.
“Once that was all fixed up, they kept coming back and just kept pushing the word out for me. But yeah, his game changed in terms of being able to skate and push off as a goalie…”
Mealing is starting to master the process and described the work that goes into a finely tuned pair of skates. “Profiling… gives a better centre of gravity… and allows for a better blade-ice contact which, in turn, (means) your body has less compensation due because — if you think of it — we’re not supposed to be on these three millimetre blades on the ice, right?”
Today, Mealing’s shop covers more than just blade sharpening — he’ll adjust the profile, pitch, and level of the blades, and he can also “bake” the skate — a process that allows the skates to ergonomically conform with your foot for exceptional comfort. He’s always looking to increase his range of products that include laces, blades, and other accessories. As his business grows, he plans to include equipment repairs to help families save money.
The best part of the job, he said, is forming new connections with people who visit him and his trusty dog, Spuds. “You know, honestly, (it) boosts my mood after a (bad) day, going in there, talking to people, and making sure they’re happy and content with hockey. It’s awesome.”
Due to his busy schedule working at Dynamic Railcar Services, coaching hockey, or minding the net for the Southern Rebels, the best way to book a skate sharpening is by visiting ‘The Blue Line Hockey Shop’ on Facebook for updated hours of operation.
To get in touch with Mealing, either stop by the shop in person, call 306-690-4787, or email him at [email protected].
The Blue Line Hockey Shop is located in its mobile storefront at 790 A Lillooet Street West across from the Pla-Mor Palace.
