sticks.

[Duluth 4]

what are some of the nicest sticks out there? of course taking into concideration: cost.

[tomASS]

the ones that don't make dad dip into his 401 every other game.

I say straight blade wood all the way.

Being a goalie dad I don't worry as much about this.

It is so funny looking at the father of the player whose stick just broke.....head hanging down in his hands, quiet sobs.

[Northland]

I really haven't seen many composite sticks break. Quite the performance difference compared to wood also. Those sticks take some getting use to, so playing with one prior to high school tryouts would help.


.

[watchdog]

all my kids have been using composite for several years. they all switched back to wood this year. i havent made up my mind yet but at 30 dollars for the wood stick they go through them pretty fast. the wood is a better feel of the puck for the players. that is the upside to the wood stick. if you go composite the cheapest and cost effective as you go is to buy a shaft and blade seperately. than you just have to buy the 40 blade each time.

[BladeButter44]

S17's are garbage.

XXXX's are very nice.

[breakout]

Notice in games how many kids can catch passes with composite sticks. How many times do you see a nice pass hit a players tape and the puck deflects off the stick? That happens in youth hockey and high school hockey.

In my opinion, there are very few young players than can handle a one piece stick. There is a USHL junior team that only allows a couple of players to have one piece sticks.............same reason. The players that aren't allowed to use the one piece are given two piece composite sticks.

Scott Bjugstad use to promote the two piece stick. He recommended that the blade should be wood for better feel and control. Not sure what he recommends today.

From a cost perspective, a two piece makes sense in my mind. If a blade breaks...........replace the blade. If the shaft breaks.............replace the shaft.

Keep in mind, flex and lie are important factors of finding the right stick for the player as well. Brett Hull used a 75 or 80 Flex when he played the game. He used the torque of the stick to gain velocity. Seemed to work for him.

[breakout]

One other thought:

I see players come to the rink with their two sticks (primary/back-up). Why do players carry in two different sticks? If a player breaks a stick in the game, the player will grab the back-up stick. If it is different, it will have a different feel and will take time to get use to.

In my mind, pick a stick you like and duplicate it. Picking up the back up stick when in need should be seamless.

[Can't Never Tried]

the ones that don't make dad dip into his 401 every other game.

I say straight blade wood all the way.

Being a goalie dad I don't worry as much about this.

It is so funny looking at the father of the player whose stick just broke.....head hanging down in his hands, quiet sobs.

THAT'S ME!!

It bites when they break

And this is what we're thinking
Most people I've talked to, say they get the most durability out of the Vapor xxx and xxxx sticks.

[Can't Never Tried]

Notice in games how many kids can catch passes with composite sticks. How many times do you see a nice pass hit a players tape and the puck deflects off the stick? That happens in youth hockey and high school hockey.

In my opinion, there are very few young players than can handle a one piece stick. There is a USHL junior team that only allows a couple of players to have one piece sticks.............same reason. The players that aren't allowed to use the one piece are given two piece composite sticks.

Scott Bjugstad use to promote the two piece stick. He recommended that the blade should be wood for better feel and control. Not sure what he recommends today.

From a cost perspective, a two piece makes sense in my mind. If a blade breaks...........replace the blade. If the shaft breaks.............replace the shaft.

Keep in mind, flex and lie are important factors of finding the right stick for the player as well. Brett Hull used a 75 or 80 Flex when he played the game. He used the torque of the stick to gain velocity. Seemed to work for him.

Getting the right flex will give you more feel and control.
As far as the backup stick, get as close as possible to what you normally use or the exact same thing.

[bigpoppababy]

This may sound like a stupid question (I'm a goalie Dad)

What is the flex rating on these dam composite sticks?

Higher # more flex or less?

Looking to buy my goalie a regular stick for Christmas, but want to get one that will work.

Any help would be appreciated!!!

[MooseJawGuy]

This may sound like a stupid question (I'm a goalie Dad)

What is the flex rating on these dam composite sticks?

Higher # more flex or less?

Looking to buy my goalie a regular stick for Christmas, but want to get one that will work.

Any help would be appreciated!!!

Not a dumb question at all. Most people don't even know why or what their buying either. They just look at whatever everyone else is getting.

Any store personnel should know this where ever you buy the stick. But it does help to know and have a good idea what you want heading in.

As for the numbers. Higher means less flex. But every brand is different/same in some way. Such as CCM uses a Stiff/Regular/(and another I'm forgetting as the flimsiest) as for Easton which uses a 100/90/80 flex ratings. Different but it all means the same. A CCM stiff rated stick is equal to an Easton 100 flex. And so on. With 80 being flimsiest (for senior sticks that is). They go by a pretty simple rule. How much force is needed to flex a stick 1 foot. So the amount of flex should roughly equal 1/2 the players body weight. Players over 160lbs should be using a senior stick with an 80 flex (or CCM regular flex for example). 90 flex would be suitable for a 180+lbs person. And so on.

If your buying for a younger, much lighter kid they have intermediate sticks as well as youth, in which the flexes have different ranges, such as a 65 flex. Which would obviously be a whip for anyone with some strength or size. And more likely to break if a larger player were to use it. Which is why the different strength and flexes are available.

But IMO if your just getting a recreational stick for a goalie to use... just buy a wood stick (which have their own ratings) for $30-40 or whatever. No need to spend $150+ on something like that.

[bigpoppababy]

Thanks Moose, that helps a lot!!! I appreciate it!!!!

[Knight7]

My daughter plays with a wood stick and has the hardest shot on the team. She is playing Peewees not girls. She catches all her passes that I see the boys miss badly as the puck seems to bounce off the their blades. I figure when she is done growing I'll invest in a stick if she wants one. Right now, she handles the puck and shoots just fine for $20 a stick. Does a $70-150 and that much to her shot at this age. (1-5mph?). I am willing to sacrifice a couple of MPH's for puck control. You can't shoot, what you don't have on your stick....


Just a thought.

[Can't Never Tried]

My daughter plays with a wood stick and has the hardest shot on the team. She is playing Peewees not girls. She catches all her passes that I see the boys miss badly as the puck seems to bounce off the their blades. I figure when she is done growing I'll invest in a stick if she wants one. Right now, she handles the puck and shoots just fine for $20 a stick. Does a $70-150 and that much to her shot at this age. (1-5mph?). I am willing to sacrifice a couple of MPH's for puck control. You can't shoot, what you don't have on your stick....


Just a thought.

Weight is a factor... maybe not a huge one, but for fun see how long she can reach out holding it with one hand by the butt end and with the blade just slightly off the ice, and do it with each type of stick.

It's all about advantages

It's a preference thing for sure, and being able to get the flex you want, plus the repeatable curve and lie each time is better with the one pc composites.

[State Champ 97]

My daughter plays with a wood stick and has the hardest shot on the team. She is playing Peewees not girls. She catches all her passes that I see the boys miss badly as the puck seems to bounce off the their blades. I figure when she is done growing I'll invest in a stick if she wants one. Right now, she handles the puck and shoots just fine for $20 a stick. Does a $70-150 and that much to her shot at this age. (1-5mph?). I am willing to sacrifice a couple of MPH's for puck control. You can't shoot, what you don't have on your stick....


Just a thought.

A very good thought. I've seen way too many catchable passes bounce off the blades of one piece sticks. Sometimes they are retrieved sometimes not. Either way catching it clean is better and wood, whether it is a stick or 2 piece with a blade, is better than the one piece for catching passes and puck control. Besides, if you can't shoot hard enough to beat a goalie with wood or 2 piece stick you won't beat them with the one piece.

[Can't Never Tried]

My daughter plays with a wood stick and has the hardest shot on the team. She is playing Peewees not girls. She catches all her passes that I see the boys miss badly as the puck seems to bounce off the their blades. I figure when she is done growing I'll invest in a stick if she wants one. Right now, she handles the puck and shoots just fine for $20 a stick. Does a $70-150 and that much to her shot at this age. (1-5mph?). I am willing to sacrifice a couple of MPH's for puck control. You can't shoot, what you don't have on your stick....


Just a thought.

A very good thought. I've seen way too many catchable passes bounce off the blades of one piece sticks. Sometimes they are retrieved sometimes not. Either way catching it clean is better and wood, whether it is a stick or 2 piece with a blade, is better than the one piece for catching passes and puck control. Besides, if you can't shoot hard enough to beat a goalie with wood or 2 piece stick you won't beat them with the one piece.

Champ I have a hard time with the pass catching thing, I mean that's all in the hands, most people tape the stick giving it a slight cushion layer anyway.
Not saying it's not so, just don't think it's that much of a difference, at least IMO.

[Knight7]

Can't Never Tried

Watch the the youth kids, time after time have the puck bounce off their sticks. Yes the weight is lighter, but if you can't feel the weight at the blade at the younger levels the puck tends to bounce away. 2 piece or wood is a better stick for your youth player more times than not (There are always exceptions). As they get older and and more skilled sure they may want to switch. As far as using one hand on a stick the way you describe it, kids have been doing that for ever. Wood sticks aren't 10lb weights. It will help a young player control the puck better.
Last week I witnessed a ton of kids stickhandling and losing the puck off their sticks not to mentioned the missed oppurtunities of open breaks as they never came up with the puck when a puck hit them dead in the tape.

My kid catches those same passes, therefore has more oppurtunity to do something positive with the puck( passing, shooting or stickhandling)

[jackstraw]

CNT, beg to differ. The physiology of the composite blade has a trampoline effect when absorbing pressure. Wood has the same properties but with much less umph. My opinion is that only players with very good hands should be using composite blades.

[Can't Never Tried]

CNT, beg to differ. The physiology of the composite blade has a trampoline effect when absorbing pressure. Wood has the same properties but with much less umph. My opinion is that only players with very good hands should be using composite blades.

Well maybe so... they didn't have these one pc composites in my day, nor my kid's early days.
But pass receiving is all in the hands, so if a child has not developed that skill there may be an advantage to them IDK.
Like I said it's all preference...and to each his own.

[Rocket78]

My 3.5 cents...The best stick is whichever one you are used to. The characteristics of the various sticks are different and once you get it figured out you should try not to change your curve profile, lie, weight, flex, shaft length etc. Remember that if you cut some of the length off the shaft you are stiffening the response of the stick.

I attended a shooting/passing clinic run by Scott Bjugstad a few years ago. He demonstrated that with a composite stick you should push down on the shaft to absorb the pass energy. All of us old schoolers learned to "give" with a pass to absorb the energy. I tried it and it works. The puck only bounced off a few inches and you don't mis-time the pass like you can when "giving with" the puck. The trouble is reprogramming our muscle memory. The other thing he showed us was to loosen the bottom hand when catching a backhand pass to absorb the energy. It works. He demonstrated taking slapshots near the toe and we all have tried it with a wooden stick and know that the shaft torques differently and it will probably break the stick. I tried the toe slapshot and would have to say that you pick up a couple MPH of speed but I can't control it as well as I can shooting from the heel. Hey, no wonder I never made the NHL.

The other trend I laugh at is the personal stick bag! It used to be that team managers had stickbags but that was to bundle 25 sticks in one handy carrier. Jerseys on hangars, stickbags and gear bags with wheels - gotta ban them.

[breakout]

My daughter plays with a wood stick and has the hardest shot on the team. She is playing Peewees not girls. She catches all her passes that I see the boys miss badly as the puck seems to bounce off the their blades. I figure when she is done growing I'll invest in a stick if she wants one. Right now, she handles the puck and shoots just fine for $20 a stick. Does a $70-150 and that much to her shot at this age. (1-5mph?). I am willing to sacrifice a couple of MPH's for puck control. You can't shoot, what you don't have on your stick....


Just a thought.

Hardest shot in HS contest during the NHL Allstar break was won using a wood stick in recent years.

From what I have read, composite sticks don't necessarily give a velocity edge to the user.

If your kid can't catch a pass...........it may be the stick

[rbkhockeyman2070]

Sid the Kid Crosby uses an composite stick with a flat blade, he told the media after the penguins played the wild.




What do you think about that?

[Hockey!LoveIt!]

The other trend I laugh at is the personal stick bag! It used to be that team managers had stickbags but that was to bundle 25 sticks in one handy carrier. Jerseys on hangars, stickbags and gear bags with wheels - gotta ban them.[/quote]

[WoodStickSniper]

I would have to go with the old reliable sherwood feather-lite you can get a 6 pack for like 90$

And you can get off a brutish slap shot with one of these
also its great to dangle someone who thinks that just cause there using a 200$ stick it makes them great.

Lastly its flat out point blank a great peice of lumber

[MooseJawGuy]

Sid the Kid Crosby uses an composite stick with a flat blade, he told the media after the penguins played the wild.




What do you think about that?

Whats your point? That because one of the, if not THE best player in the NHL uses a composite stick... that means its the best way to go for EVERYONE?