Ice hockey stick

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For other hockey sticks, see Hockey stick

An ice hockey stick is a piece of equipment used in ice hockey to move the puck. Ice hockey sticks are approximately 150-200 cm long, composed of a long, slender shaft and a flat extension at one end called the blade. The blade is the part of the stick used to contact the puck, and is typically 10 to 15 cm long. Stick dimensions can vary widely, as they are usually built to suit a particular player's size (taller players use sticks with longer shafts, for example). The blade is positioned at a 135° from the axis of the shaft, giving the stick a partly 'L-shaped' appearance. The blade is often curved in the direction toward which the skater moves forward, to aid in retaining or lifting the puck off the playing surface. The shaft of the stick is fairly rigid, but it has some flexibility to benefit some shots.

Having the stick curved gives a player superior puck control over no curve in the blade. The blade on a hockey stick can have a forward or backward twist depending on the players preference. A blade with a forward twist (where the toe, or front of the stick angles back) can allow the player to achieve greater height and accuracy in wrist shots, but deprives them from a strong backhand or slapshot. A twist where the toe of the blade curves down, allows more accurate slap and backhand shots, but makes it harder for the player to achieve height in the wristshot. The player depending on preference will find a balance of the two.

The goaltender in hockey has a similar stick to the players, with only a couple exceptions: the lower part of the stick is wider and goaltender sticks have slightly curved blades (curved towards the direction of the play).

Image:Mikmac-hockey-sticks.jpg

1 History
- 1.1 Aluminum sticks
2 Features
3 In culture
4 External links
5 References

[edit] History

Hockey sticks were originally made from the hornbeam tree (Carpinus caroliniana) in Nova Scotia by the Mi'kmaqs sometimes referred to as the Dartmouth Indians.[1] But as the supply of hornbeam trees diminished, other hardwoods such as yellow birch and ash were used. Ash was the traditional wood of the Irish Hurley sticks.

In recent years, sticks made of more expensive Aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber and other composite materials have become common. In addition to weighing less, composite sticks can be manufactured with more consistent flexibility properties than their wooden counterparts. These sticks have replaceable wood blades. Composite sticks, despite their greater expense, are now commonplace at nearly all competitive levels of the sport, including youth hockey.

[edit] Aluminum sticks

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In 1981, Easton Hockey introduced the first aluminum hockey shaft. It revolutionized the stick industry, and gained popularity in the NHL. In 1992 the Swiss factory, Composites Busch SA, introduced the first one-piece composite stick: the BUSCH Goldline used from his birthdate from the 2 Russian star: Slava Bykov and Andrej Khomutov. Busch was reached by a competitor only eight years later when Easton introduced their "Synergy" to the market , a one-piece composite stick.

The newest hockey stick materials include nanotube technology. This gives more durability and flexibility to the stick compared to traditional composite sticks. Nanotube-technology is used in Montreal's new Nitro-sticks, and the all new Easton Stealth CNT. Though these sticks are very durable, and perform well, they are very expensive. Typical one-piece sticks range between $80-$220.

[edit] Features

The "lie" of a stick refers to the angle between the shaft and the blade. Lie is coded by manufacturers as either 5, 6 and 7; most sticks now being near 5.5.[2]

[edit] Flexibility

The whip, the bend, the stiffness, the flex; all terms used to describe how your stick bows when taking a shot. The flex is printed on the side of the stick, typically ranging from 70 and 110. This number corresponds to the force that it takes to deflect or bend the shaft one inch. For example, a 100 flex requires 100 pounds force (444 N) to bend the shaft 1 inch. A 90 flex requires 90 pounds force (400 N) to bend the shaft 1 inch, and so on.
Aggressive and defensive players lean towards using stiff shafts for stick-checking and controlled slap shots. For a decent slap shot the blade of the stick makes contact with the ice a few inches before the puck. The shaft bends (gets preloaded), loading it full of potential energy, then as you pull the stick through that bend it snaps back into position as it makes contact with the puck. All this force is transferred into the puck.
Finesse style players generally prefer flexible and light weight shafts for wrist shots or snap shots stick handling and shot accuracy. A flexible shaft provides more whip which translates into more velocity on shots. Smaller players tend to use more flexible shafts to increase power on slap and wrist shots.

[edit] Blade

At inception of the sport, the blade of the hockey stick was uncurved. Stan Mikita was the first NHL player to use a curved blade.[3] A great deal of attention is placed on the contours of a stick's curve. A Toe Curve is used by Sergei Federov, while a Heel Curve is used by Brian Leetch and Eric Lindros.[4] In general a forward player who takes a lot of wrist shots would prefer a toe curve while a defenceman who takes slap shots would require a heel curve.[5]

[edit] Illegal curve

The curve of the blade is subject to strict rules in all levels of hockey. If the curve exceeds 1/2 an inch, the player is generally given a minor penalty.[6] This can be tested by lying the stick flat, and attempting to slip a puck or a vertical dime under the blade without touching. More accurate measurements can be made using a device which some referees are equipped with. For the 2005-06 season, the NHL has changed the curve limit to 3/4 of an inch.

[edit] Tape

The blade of the stick is nearly always wrapped partially in friction tape, a cotton tape that has been impregnated with adhesive so that it it sticky on both sides. This is generally done to improve puck handeling and to avoid water damage to the stick. The tape is generally replaced once its adhesion is impaired, or it begins to feel heavy.[7] Preferred amounts of puck adhesion vary among players: some players will use a regular cloth tape instead of friction tape, while Wayne Gretzky used friction tape but then applied baby powder to lower its adhesion.[8] There exists more products to apply after tape, in order to improve adhesion, and are described on hockeyplayer.com.

There is also variation in colour, white or black being predominant. Luc Robitaille used black tape in the first and third periods but white tape in the second.[9]

[edit] In culture

In business a "hockey stick graph" is an absurdly optimistic projection of business growth which is flat for a long time like the handle of a hockey stick and then suddently turns upward like the blade of a hockey stick.