How can you use such a short stick haha.
My stick goes up to my nose on bare feet, and my adam's apple on skates and bugs me, I am getting a longer extension soon. I was a forward and it was still bugging me, now I am a defenseman so I deffinetly need a longer stick. I can always cut the plug if its too long as well.
I dunno, it's just easier to stickhandle. I use a little higher lie though, so that makes a difference.
When I first started, I barely cut my stick down and it was up to my eyes in bare feet. Then I cut it down to my nose. Then I read about the Howie Meeker stuff and kept cutting the stick down. I would usually cut it down a couple inches, but then put a plug to split the difference. I tried to go as short as to my chin in bare feet, which is kind of an old school stick length, but it was just too short, so for the last 2-3 years it's been at my bottom lip.
It's probably psychological, but my shots don't seem as good lately, so I'm trying to mix it up a bit and that's why I experimented with a bit longer stick.
can someone give me insight on the p14 toews curve? ive used the pm9, p92, and p88... so any insight on the curve based on the 3 ive used would be helpful.. ive heard its between a p88 and p92 with less rocker/lower lie
i like the pm9 for the lower lie, p88 for shot accuracy, and p92 for dangles/toe drags... so would p14 be a good middle ground?
We actually had a dedicated thread talking about this curve.
But because I've been using the P14, P92, and P88 so much the last couple years, I'll sum it up.
For a couple years, I was using the P92. I liked the loft because it seemed to give me good power and lift on my shot, as my preferred method of shooting is to cup the puck, lean on the stick, then push/pull with the arms to snap it off. I also like the lie and shape for stickhandling and protecting the puck.
The downside is that, while I can snipe in warmups, a lot of my shots on the rush go high and wide and I end up clearing the puck off the glass and out. And a lot of times when I'm trying to pass the puck in game situations, I might get under it too much. Again, not the curves fault, I'm just not that good.
So this year I tried the P88 and the P14.
The P88 is a decent curve. I wish I had it in a nicer stick as mine has a really pingy blade and that makes it much harder to catch passes or intercept pucks. But it keeps the shots and passes low and on target. The downside again is that it's harder to lift pucks quickly, especially if you're used to shooting with the open blade like a P92. And I wish the curve was a little deeper to protect the puck and for dangling.
Like you said, the P14 is kind of a compromise. It's between the P88 and P92 in terms of both curve depth and loft on the face. It also seems to be a little shorter than the P92. It has a rockered toe, which means the lie is higher near the toe, which works great for pulling the puck in close. If you did that with the P92, you'd have just the toe on the ice rather than half the blade.
In terms of playing, it's really a natural move from the P92. The P88 requires a little different shooting technique, especially for lifting the puck. And it's easier to keep passes low but you can still put a little sauce on them.
Because the blade is a bit shorter, it seems to play more like a mid-toe curve than a mid. That's actually kind of nice for shooting, but it's a little less forgiving than a big flat "dumb" curve like a PM9 or P91. It also means that your stick will feel a little shorter and that could change your "effective" lie, so play with stick height. And toe drags are a lot harder with the toe shape.
Overall, I'd recommend it. I went from the P92 to the P14, then to the P88, back to the P92, and now back with the P14 again. I've decided to stick with it as it's just a good compromise all around for what I want in a curve. Sounds like you're in a similar spot. It's also readily available on intermediate sticks, which is nice since I'm short.
I would love to see a couple little tweaks though...I'd like to see the toe a little less rockered and with a little more of a regular shape near the toe. That would make toe drags a LOT easier.
As you can see from the post I linked, Easton has a couple blades that have similar philosophy...the E28 and I think the E36? I have pictures of them somewhere, but one if more of an open toe curve and one is more of a neutral mid-toe curve.
