“That’s what I got recently. I didn’t have it. [in-line skate] All my childhood,” the Toronto Maple Leafs center told NHL.com.
Simply put, Matthews didn’t like the feel of traditional inline skates. It wasn’t until the summer of 2018 that he discovered a version made by Marsblade that he took inline skating seriously during the offseason living in his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona.
The moment I tried them on, the difference from conventional inline skates was noticeable.
“Traditional roller hockey skates are flat,” Matthews said. “The Marsblade feels completely different. The ‘flow motion technology’ and rocker mechanics make the transition[from ice skating]pretty seamless. I thought it was pretty similar to my ice skating. More ice It felt like skating, rather than them rollerskating.”
For Matthews and many other players in the NHL, the Marsblade Inline Skates are a game changer in offseason training.
“They’re great for training or switching things up during the offseason when I’m not on the ice,” Matthews said. I love to go out and just fly around.”
Soon after discovering the Marsblade skates, Matthews began to see more potential in the company than just the products he enjoyed. His agents, Judd Moldaver and Wasserman Hockey’s Rachel Feucht, helped negotiate the agreement that would lead to Matthews becoming an investor in Marsblade. The product’s uniqueness, its potential and its technology attracted him to the company.
Marsblade recently announced a custom collaboration with Matthews on their chassis. With his edition of the AM34 Signature, he was able to add a unique touch to his roller skate line.
“It was a lot of fun and it was something I wanted to do,” Matthews said. I like things very much.”
He hopes the Marsblade will also be a gateway to hockey for those new to it.
“The more exposure people have to hockey, the more hockey will grow,” Matthews said. “Especially in non-traditional markets.”
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Founded in 2011, Marsblade has an origin story as unique as Scottsdale native Matthews, who went on to become one of the best players in the NHL. He is the winner of the surviving Rocket He Richard Trophy (Top Scorer with 60 goals) and the Hart Trophy (Most Valuable Player).
The founder and inventor of Marsblade is 40-year-old Per Mars. He didn’t grow up studying to be an engineer. Inline Skating and then Ice Skating Before embarking on his technological revolution, he was a young hockey player growing up in the small town of Östersund, Sweden, with a population of about 30,000. And he was a good, well-known player in town.
“Parr is four years older than me, so he was always on the same minor hockey team as me,” said the Los Angeles Kings defenseman. Alexander Edler Said. “He was always someone we looked up to, especially when he was drafted. His mom always helped out with the hockey program in our town. He and his family have always been quite famous in our town..”
Mars was promoted to the Swedish national team, representing his country in the under-19 tournament. The forward was selected by Columbus Blue his jacket in the third round (No. 87) of the 2001 NHL Draft and looked to be on his way to the league.
“Very few people saw him play in draft year,” said Doug McLean, then-Blue Jackets general manager. “Our scouts and his staff were really intrigued because he was a great skater, had great size (6ft 3, 205lbs) but didn’t have a lot of experience. of flyers because they were intrigued by his skill set.
However, a back injury delayed his playing career and eventually cut it short. His dream of leaving his mark on the game as a player never came true, but the experience he gained while recovering from injury put Mars on a path to impact hockey in ways he never expected. guided.
“I started doing stability and balance training. [United States Hockey League] With Lincoln (2002-03), Mars said. After my injury I started to realize the importance of balance training and started thinking about ways to improve it and the real early ideas for products started to take shape. I’ve found that it’s much better to do it while actually skating than just standing on these balance balls. ”
Like Matthews before he discovered the Marsblade, Mars didn’t like the feel of traditional inline skates. He said he felt that not only had his ice skating not improved, it had actually gotten worse.
“Using the rolling skating technique is deceiving because it can be lazy and too stable,” Mars says. “Using regular rollers and getting back on the ice felt like I was losing my balance because it made the blades unstable, which made it more difficult to skate on ice skates. As a result, many skating coaches have banned rollers and told their subordinates that regulars cannot use them. [in-line skates] Because it ruins your steps. But now many of those same coaches are encouraging their players to use our rollers because they know they really work. ”
Brodie Tutton owns a power skating business and works directly with the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers. He says the Marsblade rollerskates have allowed him to establish inline skating as part of his program of training for clients.
“I love rollers,” said Tatton. “The skating and drills I can show and have the players do would not be possible with a normal pair. [in-line skates]That’s what I love most, that feeling on the ice. ”
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The origin of the idea was in Mars’ mind for several years as his playing career ended. In 2008, when we were able to build some prototypes, the Marsblade started to come to life.
“I came up with the idea of implementing instability between the wheel and the boot to improve balance training while skating,” Maas said. …I quickly realized that this had a very unique feel and something that many hockey players would enjoy.”
Essentially, instead of attaching the boot directly to the chassis that holds the wheels, Mars implemented adjustable rockers. This allows the boot to move forward and backward on the chassis in customizable increments, mimicking the instability of a blade on ice.
And so Mars’ patented Flow Motion Technology was born.He began trying to get the product into the hands of established NHL players soliciting their feedback. Anton Stralmanis currently with the Boston Bruins.
“I’ve been traveling with Marsblade for maybe ten years,” Stralman said. “When we were kids, we used to skate together [in-line skates]but I found this to be something different from Per’s. It represented and resembled ice skating more than anything else. [in-line skates] I was riding It’s a little more rocky, a little more ice skating. It can’t be replicated perfectly, but it’s the best in terms of exercising and getting closer to skating on ice. ”
Like Matthews, Stralman believed in Mars’ vision for technology and became an early investor.
“That’s something I feel I understand very well,” Stralman said. “Most other investments are things that you really don’t know. I mean, I’m not a financial expert, so I don’t get involved in too many investments, but this one I found fun. It is a product that you can feel and experience with your skin.”
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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, arenas across North America closed and the NHL season was put on hold. As players were looking for a way to continue training during their time off, the Marsblade Roller Skates really started to take off because they are similar to skating on ice.
Tutton tried roller skating himself and, after being impressed with his performance, turned to Mars for help.
“I gave it a try and loved the rollers,” said Tatton. “As soon as that happened, we got 15 or 16 Red Wings on board. Per reached out to them and set them up. I was able to create instructions for off-ice roller skating, working on skating and skills off-ice.
it was right around that time Gustav Nyquistformerly with the Red Wings and now with the Blue Jackets, and tried them as well.
“I use rollers a lot. A lot of people in the NHL now use roller skates,” Nyquist said. “Compared to my standards, [in-line skate], how it resembles skating, day and night. We’ll never reach perfect similarity, but it’s pretty incredible how well it works. [Conventional in-line skates compared to ice skates], that’s another way. What Per came up with is pretty incredible. ”
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Mars knows that having current players like Matthews join the company and use inline skating speaks to his belief in the craft, which is beginning to spread across the NHL.
“I think it took a lot of trust and ticked a lot of boxes. Of course the product is No. 1, but the people involved with the company were a big factor,” Maas said.
When Mars started the company, his ultimate goal was to one day get former Vancouver Canucks players Daniel and Henrik Sedin to try and endorse his product. It’s no exaggeration to say that Marsblade goes far beyond that humble dream. Maas said the company has provided inline skating to hundreds of his NHL players.
McLean says he stumbled upon Mars while giving a roller-skating demonstration a few years after starting the company.
“He really impressed me as a young entrepreneur,” McLean said. “When I saw him, he was selling them, so he was doing pretty well at that point. I thought it was pretty impressive. It was fun to watch him like that, to be honest. is.”
Like any successful team, Marsblade is not a one-man show. Mars has built an inclusive group that takes credit for the success the company has achieved by bringing early ideas to market. Now he’s excited about what the future holds.
“We have an amazing team, including a very strong engineering team, a product design team, and everyone is extremely committed to bringing these products to life,” said Mars. “So I’m really lucky to work with an amazing group of people. I’m not going to lie. It’s been a bumpy road and a lot of challenges along the way. I’m glad I didn’t know how difficult it was.” As many entrepreneurs say, if I had seen all the challenges, I might not have even started my own business.
“[Seeing players using our products] It’s pretty surreal, to be honest. ”
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