Hockey Tape Styles

Hockey players of all levels use hockey tape for a wide variety of purposes. Players use hockey tape to improve grip on sticks, hold up hockey socks and make temporary repairs on equipment. Hockey tape comes in a number of different styles that are each suited to different purposes. It’s a good idea to have some of each in your equipment bag at all times.

  1. Black Friction

    • This hockey tape is coated in a waxy, sticky adhesive. Players use black friction tape on the blades of hockey sticks to improve puck control. The adhesive on the tape sticks to the puck during play, allowing for improved stick handling. Black friction tape also protects the blade from breaking too easily. Many hockey players tape the stick blade with black friction tape before every game or practice, while others prefer to leave it on for a while. This type of tape is really only used for this purpose.

    Cloth

    • Cloth tape is used for two main purposes: keeping socks up and taping the stick grip. Hockey players use some kind of garter belt or jockstrap with Velcro to keep socks up, but cloth tape helps keep loose socks in place. Cloth tape also makes a great handle grip on the hockey stick. This style of tape comes in a wide range of colors, including white, black, blue, green, red and multicolored prints such as the American flag.

    Transparent

    • Transparent hockey tape hit the shelves in the early '90s and became the hockey tape of choice for keeping up socks. Transparent tape is light, stretchy and blends with any team’s sock color. It can also be used for minor, temporary repairs, such as a tear in a team jersey or a loose helmet screw.