The Types of Hockey Stick Curves

Hockey is a very unique game, one of the few sports played on ice with skates, sticks and a puck. Players must not only master the skills of the game but also master how to skate on a thin blade at the same time. Hockey is very popular in Canada as well as Europe and the United States, home of the NHL. Watching hockey on television, you may just see one type of hockey stick. There are, however, many brands, designs and most importantly, curves.

  1. Hockey Stick & Dimensions

    • Hockey sticks are used in ice hockey to shoot, pass and carry the puck. The sticks are approximately 150 to 200 cm long, composed of a long, slender shaft with a flat extension at one end called the blade. The blade, used to contact the puck, is typically 25 to 40 cm long. Stick dimensions vary widely, as they are usually built for a particular player's size and preference.

    The Blade

    • The blade is positioned at roughly a 135-degree angle from the axis of the shaft, which gives the stick an L-shaped appearance. The curve is fairly flexible, to aid in receiving a pass as well as shooting the puck. The curve goes in either a right or left direction, depending on the preferred shooting hand of the player. The curve not only provides more support for the natural shooting hand, but also aids in retaining or lifting the puck off the ice.

    Goalie Sticks

    • Goaltenders use a modified stick that is different from those of other players. The lower part of the stick is wider, the angle is smaller and the blade is slightly curved away from the body of the goalie. The wider design provides another defensive tool for the goalie when attempting to stop the puck. The goalie will also use the stick to pass to teammates.

    Materials

    • Over the last 20 years, several technological advances have greatly influenced and changed the way hockey sticks are made, although sticks still break or shatter from time to time. The vast majority of sticks are made from one of a combination of wood, aluminium, fiberglass, carbon fiber (graphite) or kevlar. The old-fashioned wood sticks are constructed by laminating multiple types of wood into a high-quality plywood, which then is coated with plastic or fiberglass. Wood sticks are rare in the NHL, with many players preferring other varieties that average $200 in price. Wood sticks are still very cheap, often sold at $30 to $50.

    Curve

    • Players rarely used curved hockey sticks until the early 1960's. A few NHL players began experimenting with curved sticks and loved the erratic direction the puck took on a slap shot from a curved stick. Hall of Famers like Bobby Hull took advantage of the curve, usually playing with sticks referred to as "banana blades" due to their gigantic curve; this led the NHL to institute a three-fourths-inch or less curve on all sticks. Players caught with an illegal curve receive a two-minute minor penalty for the infraction.