Last Saturday, in my weekly Gazette column, I wrote about a sports milestone from my youth: my first pair of Tacks.

I was surprised by the number of emails I received from Gazette readers with their own Tacks memories. Here are some of their stories:

Mike Prociuk, Kamloops, B.C.: Thank you for putting into words my feelings on the CCM Tacks skates. My 25-year-old pair finally wore out this year and are not repairable. No one I talk to relates to how I feel about them. On a brighter note, I managed to find a brand-new pair of 25-yearold Super Tacks on eBay and bought them.

Robbie Key, LaSalle: There were five boys in my family, and new skates were out of the question. I'm sure the used pair of Tacks I received were from a lucky boy who upgraded to Super Tacks. New or used, though, I was in my glory! Unfortunately I was never lucky enough to own a pair with the Tuuk blades. That was reserved for my brand-spanking-new pair of Micron "boot" skates that I found under the Christmas tree one year. They didn't make my game any better, but they helped me stay off my ankles, something those hard plastic inserts I used in my Tacks couldn't do. I wish I had saved my Tacks, too, even though they might not have fetched $10 today. I'm virtually wearing them right now, reminiscing about all the goals I scored as Guy Lafleur way back when.

Jamie Chouinard, Georgetown, Ont.: I am 52 and grew up in Beaconsfield. I can still remember my first pair of Tacks. I was playing peewee hockey for the rep team in Beaconsfield and my old skates (hand-medowns from my brother) were worn out with the blade sharpened to the base. My dad finally gave in and bought me Tacks. I can still remember putting them on for the first time. They fit like a glove, so comfortable that I wore them barefoot. What a feeling! I skated faster and better than any time before. I wore them at the Quebec Peewee Tournament in 1973.

Glen McCrum, Toronto: My Tacks experience started when I was about 8 in the late 1960s out in the Townships. My father had bought my first pair of "regular" skates when our local arena was built in 1967 to first see if I would stick with organized hockey. I was fortunate enough to have a generous father who valued good equipment, and the next year, when it looked like this was going to be a regular activity for me, he sprang for a pair of Tacks. When the next season rolled round, I can still remember my father looking at the Tacks and comparing them to the Super Tacks. He noticed the front metal plate that attached the blade to the boot was bigger, extending to the edges of the boot on the Super Tacks - and he declared that was an important point for support, so from then on it was Super Tacks. My father liked hockey, having played a lot himself; his claim to fame was being a practice goalie for the Canadiens during the war years when teams regularly only carried one goaltender. I traded in my skates every year at our local dealer (which was a hardware store) and if I remember correctly a new pair cost him $20 or $25 each year. One thing that always started an argument was my father's desire to put a coating of clear shellac on the boots to protect the leather as I was on the ice so much. Watching my new skates get the treatment was always so disappointing. I still have the last pair he bought me in 1976, my last year of high school and intercity hockey before going off to CEGEP. I still play hockey in an adult league wearing CCM skates, the modern version minus the Tackaberry name - and no shellac.

Christian de Saint-Rome, Baie d'Urfé: Your column on Tacks skates was a very nice stroll down memory lane for me as well. My brother and I, who were outdoor rink rats, also had Bauer Black Panthers before I got Tacks at McNiece's sports store and he went for the Langes.

Rick Morgan, Kanata, Ont.: When I was at Macdonald College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue in 1966, at the first hockey practice of the year, coach/athletic director Bob Pugh talked about the three things you don't ever lend to anyone, ever: your wife, your money or your Tacks! Macdonald College, through McGill, used to pay for half the cost of your Tacks back then.

Paul LeBlanc, Beaconsfield: I acquired a pair of Tacks from the boyfriend of one of my older sisters; he died at a young age in 1955. I was the envy of my high-school bantam teammates for several years. On entering college, I bought myself a new pair of Tacks in 1962 from the memorable McNiece's, which was then on McGill College. I still have the McNiece's skates in the basement; I guess that's why we often have basements stocked with this stuff. They're still in great shape, that trademark kangaroo leather still pliable, the pre-Tuuk blades still rocketed sharp by ''Dusty'' (how appropriate a name!) at the old Wilson's Sports Store on Somerled/Cavendish. Thanks for helping me relive the memories.

The above is reprinted with the kind permission of Stu Cowan and the Montreal Gazette.