How to Customize Goalie Sticks

There may not be a player on a hockey team more emotionally and physically connected to his equipment than a goalie. These are men who will linger in 40 to 50 pounds of gear after games because it feels cozy or natural. It's no wonder, then, that goalies will often fiddle with their sticks and customize them until they feel perfectly natural in their blocker glove. Customizing handles, paddle height and style, blade hook, lie and colors are just some ways a goalie can create his ideal stick.

Things You'll Need

  • Hockey tape
  • Sandpaper
  • Wood shaver
  • Wood file
  • Spray paint
  • Clear-coat finish
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Instructions

  1. Stick handle

    • 1

      Wad up the knob. Unlike defensemen and forwards, goalies forego a lot of grip tape on their stick handles because their position requires them to constantly slide or flip the stick during play. For this same reason, goalies will sometimes use wads of grip tape to create a large knob at the end of their stick so it doesn't completely slide away from them. To create a knob, pull an inch of hockey tape from the roll and place it over a corner of the butt end. Pull it diagonally across the top and then loop it over the opposing corner of the butt end. Pull it to the adjoining corner and again wrap the tape diagonally across the top. Continue this pattern until you have created a thick enough knob to keep the stick firmly in your hand.

    • 2

      Shave the handle. To provide a better grip and a better fit in their hands, goalies will shave the squared handle of the stick to make it more rounded. To shave a handle, drag a wood shaver or wood shaving blade roughly over the corners of the stick handle until the edges are rounded. Rub a rough-grain sandpaper over the stick handle from the butt end to the top of the paddle. Continue until the stick slides comfortably back and forth in the blocker glove.

    • 3

      Get a Curtis curve. This is an S-shaped curve in the handle that allows the goalie to drop the stick and set the edge of the paddle flush with the ice rather than at a slight angle. Former Boston Bruins goalie Andy Moog was one of the few pro goalies to employ this rare feature on his stick. Customizing this yourself is not possible--the stick must be cut this way. But if you are selecting custom options from a manufacturer, you can consider adding this.

    Stick Lie

    • 4

      Check the lie of the stick. This is the angle at which the paddle meets the blade. A goalie whose stick has the right lie will be able to lay the entire blade along the ice between his legs--also known as the five-hole--while holding the stick as he normally would during a game. If the lie is too high, the heel of the stick won't touch the ice; if it's too low, the toe will slant up from the ice.

    • 5

      To adjust a stick with a lie that's too low, use sandpaper or a wood file to file down the heel of the stick. Continue until the stick lies flush with the ice in your normal stance.

    • 6

      Adjust a stick with a lie that's too high by whittling away at the bottom of the blade's toe with sandpaper or a wood file. Continue until the stick lies flush with the ice in your normal stance.

    Colors

    • 7

      Paint the stick to match your team colors. Most manufacturers provide new sticks in a full spectrum of colors, but if you've got an old favorite stick that needs updating to match the new team's uniforms, painting will take a day.

    • 8

      Remove any tape from the stick, and use sandpaper to remove any adhesive or clear-coat from it.

    • 9

      Wipe the stick clean with a lint-free towel.

    • 10

      Apply a coat of spray paint in your desired color and allow it to dry for at least one hour.

    • 11

      Apply a clear-coat polyurethane finish and allow it to dry overnight.