Women hockey Olympians ahead of the game with Rollergard skate guards

Something new and rather funky showed up on the skate blades of Olympic women's hockey star Caroline Ouellette in Sochi.

Rather than make that infamous, awkward-looking, bow-legged walk from the dressing room to the ice – there's nothing like the sight of an entire hockey team, who moments later will be gliding around the ice like butter, tiptoeing together as though they're dodging piles of doggie doo-doo with their skates – Ouellette is just rolling.

Developed by former minor-league hockey player Victor Posa, currently a scout for the Phoenix Coyotes, and his father-in-law Paul Steinhauser, a longtime inventor and retired General Motors employee, the Rollergard is making a mainstream debut in Sochi.

Steinhauser first came up with the idea in 2000, according to this Financial Post story, but it's only really seeing the light of day now after an appearance on CBC's Dragon's Den last December.

CBC commentator and former player Jennifer Botteril Tweeted this:

Apparently Ouellette's Rollergards are a gift from teammate Geneviève Lacasse. The Canadian captain rolled right out to the mixed zone to speak with reporters on them.

And it seems the entire Canadian team may be getting them soon.

What a great platform for the fledgling company to get some publicity during the most high-profile event in sports.

The RollerGard comes in black, red and blue and retails for about $60, maybe a little more in Canada. Plus tax, of course.

There are lots of online options on the product's website to order it although there seem to be quite a few kinks still to be worked out. At the moment, the product either seems to be on order, unavailable or not found on most of those sites. It's also reportedly available in retailers from Saskatchewan, to Switzerland, even at one store in Australia.

The downside of it is that you have to custom-cut them, so it's not just an out-of-the-box, slap 'em on kind of thing, which is a complication that involves some general handiness and watching a video.

The configuration is somewhere between a roller skate and an inline skate, which probably takes some getting used to. But it looks like a nice way to get the legs warm before hopping onto the ice, as long as you have a good surface to roll on.

But the biggest thing is that, in its current incarnation, the RollerGard only fits skates up to Size 9 and is recommended for players 200 pounds or less.

So the NHLers – at least, most of them – are going to have to wait, along with most male weekend warriors. Especially those with a little Molson muscle.

Kids and women hockey players (well, most of you), have at it!