Me too. I too have long history of hurt, no one understanding, and it affected hockey And alpine skiing too. Without history, As a kid Imhad leather skates, like kangaroo leather tacks and the killed until stretched out. No socks. could not use top three eyelets. Then when skates went all synthetic, they would not "break in" in any more. Only plastic Micron Quads worked-- with no footbeds. Finally, my figure skating niece said go see Scotty Cook in Wilmington MA. His dad used to MAKE boots for his big sister because of fit trouble Scot had learned how to for and modify boots. I was put into some Swiss made Grafs with footbed s he made. He shimmed the blades for me to adjust for left foot pronation. No sole pain. A couple of trials on ice and he punched out pinch points. And the shimming? After a lifetime of "trouble going left" especially back to front turn on defence, all was good.
Lesson? Find someone who has shoemaking skills around skating. Mostly there's experienced folks work with Figure skaters. But some gurus are around in hockey areas but not so much. Mostly kids in hockey who's feet hurt just quit. If you haven't or know a kid who's feet hurt in soles and balls of feet help them to find a fitter who really knows.
And don't worry about what brand of boot. Just use what filter says. Right now I am (still) on CCM 652 tacks, somehow the fitter finds "old-new stock". Lost the grads in a fire, those Swiss Made boots were great, too.
You are here still? Here's the "flat foot" problem in a nutshell. You have flat feet. When you clamp those feet into a boot that forces an arch, it puts a curve into the tendons on the bottom of your foot. A curve is a longer distance than a strait line so your tendons are pulled extra tight, more than YOUR normal. then your skating posture bends the knee and requires forward bend at the ankle. The tendons are now pulled tight like a piano string. NOT normal FOR YOU. Result, pain, inflammation, misery.
By the way the same exact trouble occurs for the foot type in downhill ski boots.
One home remedy is to place cardboard shims under std footbed heel, taper them so you have an even load from heal to toe, which makes the arch go away and reduces the amount you bend at the ankle. If this helps then go find a true skat guru (nearly all are Figures boot techs) and commit to work with them. Anyone with this foot pain type, including any child you know, it will change your hockey life.
