Het virtuele Schaatsenmuseum | Canadese hockeyschaatsen

Canadian ice hockey skates

Fig.1: Hockey skates, c. 1890
These skates are mainly known as Halifax skates after the town where they were made but also as Forbes skates after their designer. They were put on by means of two lever operated clamping mechanisms. The heel is fastened lengthwise and the forefoot athwart. The system requires no tools that can be forgotten or lost. These were the first ice hockey skates without straps. The design is considered to have been very innovative and thus revolutionary. It was patented in 1888 and has been used as a model for all following ice skates with attachments that make use of clamps and/or screws.

Manufacturer: The Forbes Manufacturing Co, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada)

Technical data:
total length: 31 cm;
platform: length x width x height: 25 x 7-9 x 4 cm;
blade: height x width: 25 x 10 mm;
weight: 565 g

The Forbes Mfg. Co
Makers
Halifax N.S. Canada

Logo

Forbes New Skate
Patented Oct. 1888

Fig.2: Hockey skates, c. 1875
This is a drawing of the very first special hockey skates that were designed by Forbes. As can be seen clearly the clamp mechanism does not require any tool to be operated. The skates could be fixed to the boots in just one act. Correct adjustment required some skill. Therefore the idea of using just one lever was given up.

Manufacturer: The Starr Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Fig.3: Club skates, c. 1865
These are the original ACME club skates for witch Forbes obtained a patent for the lever operated clamp mechanism in 1863.

Manufacturer: The Starr Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

John Forbes
was the son of a
Scottish immigrant
who settled in Nova Scotia
around 1800.
He was employed by The
Starr Manufacturing Co. Ltd. where he designed
a lever operated clamp mechanism for which he obtained a patent in 1863. Based on this system he designed
the ACME club skate
which brought him
a further patent in 1866.
This model became
world-famous
and the example for
many an imitation.

Forbes restlessly kept searching for improvement
of the mechanism and obtained one patent
after the other.
The patents of 1873 and 1888 must be mentioned
as they led to what became worldwide known as the Halifax skates
shown at the upper left.
In 1880 Forbes started a company of his own.

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