Pro Tips with Thatcher Demko: Toe Ties
- Thatcher Demko sets his toe tie gap to exactly one-third the circumference of the goal post, approximately 2.09 inches.
- Demko prefers sealing the post with his toe bridge (bottom edge of the pad) rather than his skate blade during RVH.
- Using the toe bridge instead of the skate blade is a smaller, harder target to hit consistently but eliminates the visible gap at the post.
- Avoid too much slack in your toe ties — Demko says excess gap creates an unnecessary space between the skate and the post in RVH.
- Measure your toe tie gap using the formula: circumference = 2πr, then divide by three to find Demko's preferred setting.
When it comes to creating the perfect toe-tie gap between pads and skates, most goalies right up to the NHL go by the number of knots they tie into the skate lace that connects the two, or perhaps some combination of two knots with a small loop in between to approximate the desired length.
Thatcher Demko got a lot more specific with his answer, both in terms of how long and why.
The Vancouver Canucks No. 1 talked about the importance of having his toe ties set up properly when he’s in Reverse (or RVH) during a lengthy, in-depth interview on Episode 136 of the InGoal Radio Podcast, and included a specific measurement for how to do it. Demko prefers to seal his post with the bottom edge of his pad, or toe bridge, rather than with his skate blade.
“If I’m in the reverse, I just don’t like seeing that little three-inch gap of space between the skate and the post, so I always am hitting that toe bridge,” Demko said. “It takes more time to perfect and be able to hit that every time because it’s a smaller target.”
Having the right gap between the bottom of the pad and the skate makes it easier.
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