Triumph Sport, Inc. (Triumph) ice hockey skate blades are made of a unique titanium alloy known as Nitinol. Nitinol is far superior metallurgically to the materials currently used for skate blades—stainless steel and carbon steel. Nitinol’s extraordinary properties include lightness, edge durability, non-corrosiveness, and flexibility. Nitinol skate blades can average between 14-22% lighter than steel skates blades. The extremely hard and durable edge will maintain its sharpness an average of 6 times longer than steel skate blades. The flexibility provides exceptional grip and control in turning maneuvers and a more comfortable feel for the skaters.

Recent on-ice testing of the Nitinol blades by the University of Quebec in Montreal and Sports Performances Technologies, Whittom and Associates, has shown the Nitinol skate blades to exhibit a 2% to 5% speed gain over traditional steel skate blades. This equates to a 0.4 meter (1.3 feet) to 1 meter (3.28 feet) advantage over a 20 meter (65.6 feet) span (approximately blue line to blue line).

Nitinol is in the unique class of materials known as shape memory alloys, whose extraordinary properties include hardness, durability, resistance to corrosion, flexibility, and shock absorbency. The US Navy Ordnance Laboratory has performed extensive testing on Nitinol and has documented the material’s properties in extensive detail.

Processing can optimize certain characteristics of the metal for a particular application. Specialized processes provide a combination of strength, flexibility, corrosion resistance, and edge durability making the alloy uniquely suited as a material for skate blades.