Each morning, the common NHL foot soldier plants both feet inside vise-tight black boots, shielded only by socks that go soggy after the first few skating strides. Those feet will take the brunt of the twists and turns. They'll block 100 mph shots. They'll get hacked. And by evening's end, they'll be bruised and maybe even a bit bent out of shape.

The next day, rinse the socks and repeat.

And that doesn't bother these guys.

“The feet?” Matt Niskanen was saying, gazing down in that direction at his stall after the Penguins' practice Friday. “No, I can't say my feet get tired.”

Yeah, this just in: Hockey players are tough..................


Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/dejankova...#ixzz2UyW5P3Lk