Morning All,
Santa - agree totally on your point on protective gear, my attitude is that they're my limbs to bruise and (hopefully not) break. No-one else will cover my mortgage if I forego the gear just to look 'cool'. After all, nothing looks cooler than a middle aged bloke led on the ice in agony, with a nice crimson stain, and the rink closed whilst they deal with the aftermath, just because pride and image took priority.
Leif - That crunchy sound (and apologies if I am about to state the obvious) can be both good and bad. It's the sound of the ice compacting and being cut by the skates. It can be a sign of poor technique, for example, when I started skating all those weeks ago, I spent too much time on my edges (and I know of one or two others that still skate this way, and now I know (a little) better it is almost painful to watch). Someone gliding down the rink sounding like a (mechanical) snow plough isn't good. One of the hockey pages described it quite well in that the crunchy noise is a good indicator that energy is being wasted. However, there is a caveat to this. Certain moves require exactly that physical action that results in a nice crunch (powerful crossovers and one-footed slaloms are good examples), as the crunch indicates a good dig/push into the ice to gain power. Also as you mention, with a good sprint, you need a good 'dig' into the ice, and hence the crunchy noise.
As a side note, I've just invested in some goalie pants. They fit comfortably under my street clothes, so that I can have some extra protection whilst skating, without wearing my hockey ensemble. Well worth a try.