Equipment: The stick question I've always wanted to ask

[Based Anime Fan]

I've never understood this aspect of hockey in all the years I've played.

Why are players so picky/paranoid with their sticks? I've never been picky about sticks... I only make sure it has the flex (~110) then after that... whatever.

Perhaps it's my position as a player? I'm a very defensive D, so I spend more time being physical and blocking shots. Curve, grip, I don't care that much. I've used ruler straight and J curved and never really noticed a difference in my play. I can still throw all my shots almost identically.

Could it be my upbringing? My family didn't have a lot of money, so I always just got what was on sale/last years stock. Could my formative years of never using the same feel for long have made me adaptable to the stick style?

Or am I just really unique about this? I've met maybe 1 other guy in my life who doesn't care either. Is the stick thing more of a myth than a reality?

What are your thoughts?

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[IDuck]

well they say your either a stick person or a skate person. are you picky with skate's? thats how i am about my skate's....for me its weird but i have my curve (i guess i just started with it and used it for so long)that most other curves effect my shot and pass. i dont like grip but could use a stick with it and the same goes for flex, if i use ANYTHING under a 85 it feels like im using a noodle and i might as well not even have a stick and anything above 85 i can use but my shot tends to not be as hard and seems to flutter....why that is? i dont know (maybe just a head thing) but when im playing i dont want to worry about it so i default to my curve, flex, and non-grip.

 

[Based Anime Fan]

well they say your either a stick person or a skate person. are you picky with skate's? thats how i am about my skate's....for me its weird but i have my curve (i guess i just started with it and used it for so long)that most other curves effect my shot and pass. i dont like grip but could use a stick with it and the same goes for flex, if i use ANYTHING under a 85 it feels like im using a noodle and i might as well not even have a stick and anything above 85 i can use but my shot tends to not be as hard and seems to flutter....why that is? i dont know (maybe just a head thing) but when im playing i dont want to worry about it so i default to my curve, flex, and non-grip.

I'm not that big on skates either, although I try to match the feel of the old Tacks. In terms of the blade, I kind of tend towards duller skates and a flatter blade concave. I'm a glove and elbow pad guy. I'm so picky about this combo. I actually went out and bought extra Vapor 40 elbows because I was worried they were going to be replaced.

 

[Ozz]

I'm pretty picky! Used to be I'd only use a specific blade (or close to it), though now that I use composites I've come to use a couple different ones. Thankfully I've come to feel like I don't "need" a certain blade, but the kickpoint is still a factor. Flex doesn't matter much to me as long as it's within a certain range.

 

[bluuuurr]

I thought the same way as you until I had someone point out to me that my blade wasn't fully on the ice while I was shooting or flubbing hard passes. I ended up getting a stick with a different lie and things got a little better for me. I have alot more oomp on my slappers and I only flub 50% of passes now instead of 90%.

 

[IDuck]

I'm not that big on skates either, although I try to match the feel of the old Tacks. In terms of the blade, I kind of tend towards duller skates and a flatter blade concave. I'm a glove and elbow pad guy. I'm so picky about this combo. I actually went out and bought extra Vapor 40 elbows because I was worried they were going to be replaced.

i dont know, the only thing im picky about is my stick and i have to use a girddle instead of pants. every thing else for me i really dont care about as long as it fits and isnt going to get me hurt im good. i just know that ive noticed most guys who arnt picky about sticks are very picky with skates and vice-versa. i havent heard to many guys be picky about gloves and elbows though....i guess we all just have our little "preferences".

 

[Based Anime Fan]

I thought the same way as you until I had someone point out to me that my blade wasn't fully on the ice while I was shooting or flubbing hard passes. I ended up getting a stick with a different lie and things got a little better for me. I have alot more oomp on my slappers and I only flub 50% of passes now instead of 90%.

I think I got around this was having stronger than usual wrists and hands. I am kinda heavy handed so I never had issues catching and delivering hard passes. I can't feather thing as well but again, heavy handedness.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

I've never understood this aspect of hockey in all the years I've played.

Why are players so picky/paranoid with their sticks? I've never been picky about sticks... I only make sure it has the flex (~110) then after that... whatever.

Perhaps it's my position as a player? I'm a very defensive D, so I spend more time being physical and blocking shots. Curve, grip, I don't care that much. I've used ruler straight and J curved and never really noticed a difference in my play. I can still throw all my shots almost identically.

Could it be my upbringing? My family didn't have a lot of money, so I always just got what was on sale/last years stock. Could my formative years of never using the same feel for long have made me adaptable to the stick style?

Or am I just really unique about this? I've met maybe 1 other guy in my life who doesn't care either. Is the stick thing more of a myth than a reality?

What are your thoughts?

I think the reason why you don't care is that you aren't a finesse player. Since you use 110 flex sticks, I assume you're a big and strong dude. You said that you were a defensive D. Your game probably revolves around positioning, stick checking, and getting long slap shots on goal with power, a bit like Chara does.

Fancy stickhandling and sniping just aren't your thing. Therefore, you don't care about a stick's puck feel, kick point, curve, shape and weight.

I'm the opposite of you. I'm a small winger with good hands and a good, accurate shot. My stick's specs affect my game. I can't use a stick that I don't like. If I had to play with your stick, I might as well get off the ice.

Since I'm so picky about my stick, I can feel when it starts to get worn out. My 2 piece stick was cut too short, and I couldn't flex it anymore. I bought an extension, the length and flex are right for me now, but since the shaft is more than 2 years old, it doesn't perform as consistently as it did on hard shots.
The last stick I bought is really whippy and has the right curve for me, but is too heavy and has crappy puck feel.
I'm left with only one stick that performs well consistently, and it infuriates me.

Skates and the rest of the equipment don't really matter to me. They just have to fit correctly, be light, confortable, and impact resistant. For that, I buy price point Bauer Supremes. The low end skates are crap, and they break easily, especially if you happen to block shots. The high end ones are just too expensive.

 

[jazzykat]

This is an interesting discussion. I'm not good enough for anything to matter much so I usually buy top end stuff from clearance because I want to be better protected and as dry as possible.

Regarding sticks I'll use any brand on sale, light flex, medium to low lie. I prefer straighter curves but the sakic curve is fine too.

 

[KareyPrice]

Sticks are probably the thing I'm most anal about. My stick of choice would be the top end vapor line stick 87 flex Backstrom curve. I broke my apx 2 a month ago and was forced to use a backup I never used with a square toe and was the most painful thing ever. I eventually saved up a bit and found Easton RS2 on sale where I picked up a Hall curve like a Backstrom and even then still having a little adjustment period. Granted I'm on the ice 5 times a week, but I have to admit the right stick can make all the difference if you know what you're comfortable with!

 

[American in Paris]

I tend to agree with the OP. I do go for the low flex, lighter sticks in my preferred price range of $40-60. But I find that the law of diminishing returns is quite applicable to hockey sticks. I've tried my teammates' $200 OPS and while there is a difference, it's not a 400% improvement. Also, if you use a slightly heavier stick, the muscles in your wrist and forearm quickly adapt. I've got better hands than all the guys with the fancy sticks on my team. And the guy in our club with the real magic hands uses an old-school wooden stick.

 

[biturbo19]

I mean...different sticks are different. How can it not be that important?

I'm a bit a floater with sticks, i'll try a lot of different stuff. But i have pretty strong general preferences, they're generally very similar in the ways that are important to me at least. I'm not just out there trying random sticks. They're curves that have qualities i generally like. Of course the whole thing for me hinges on the fact that it's near impossible to find sticks anymore in the curve that i most prefer.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

I mean...different sticks are different. How can it not be that important?

I'm a bit a floater with sticks, i'll try a lot of different stuff. But i have pretty strong general preferences, they're generally very similar in the ways that are important to me at least. I'm not just out there trying random sticks. They're curves that have qualities i generally like. Of course the whole thing for me hinges on the fact that it's near impossible to find sticks anymore in the curve that i most prefer.

What curve do you normally use ?

 

[AIREAYE]

There's a lot of things you can opt for in a stick. Length, curve, flex, grip, shaft shape, blade size, lie, kickpoints, puck feel, looks etc.

People like to think they're more in control of their performance. That, and it's fun!

 

[sanityplease]

There is a set-up (length, lie, flex, curve, kick point) which logically fits your game & physique properly. If someone finds a combo that works well for them, they may seem picky about it, but it could be for a good reason.

But, the difference in performance between an elite level stick & an older mid level stick (when they're the same set-up) on the clearance rack is going to be negligible.

 

[CornKicker]

the best thing you can do is go to a base hockey place and get them to fit you with a proper length/lie/curve for your playing style. you definetly dont have to buy anything from them (not that there is anything wrong with them) but they are really good at helping you find the right stick. its also way cheaper then buying sticks that you use twice and decide you dont like (trust me i have garage full of barely used sticks).

 

[Devil Dancer]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think nothing changes my performance on the ice more than switching sticks. When I'm using a stick I'm familiar with I pretty much never flub passes and I don't have to look at the puck nearly as much. When I'm using an unfamiliar stick I'm much more likely to fan on shots, miss passes and generally cough up the puck.

So there's the familiarity issue, but there's also a general feel issue, which is hard to quantify. My backup sick right now feels like a piece of cooked spaghetti. I can get decent shots off with it, but I hate it because of the feel.

 

[swoopster]

I also have become extremely aynal about what is in my hands ( let's try to keep that statement at face value...ha ha ). It pisses me off that stick buying today has become overly complex with far too many options. Fall in love with one stick/curve/flex and it may never be duplicated again.

It was even that way for me in the days of all wood sticks,but a stick then was more cookie cutter Today ist's a cash cow outlay for someting you may not like to be unloaded at a 50% loss in most cases.

All I want is an Iginla curce, no open or closed face...just a basic simple curve. But NO....some of these sticks are customized to the nth degree, tweaked to the point whre my next shot will take out somebody sitting in the parking lot!

When the stick is right...heaven, when wrong...a glorified hoe!

s...

ps rant over, now I feel better.

 

[AIREAYE]

Right unfortunately, Easton discontinued the Iginla/E7/P7 curve but you could try clearance older models of course