Ice hockey stick - a sports equipment used in ice hockey for shots, passes and pucks. The club has a length of approximately 150-200 cm and is a long thin stalk with a flat extension at one end, called a hook. The hook is the part of the club used to contact the puck, usually 25-40 cm long. The size of the club can vary significantly, because they must satisfy all the preferences of the player, consistent with his height and weight. The hook is located at an angle of approximately 135 ° from the axis of the handle, giving the club an L-shape. The stick shank is quite solid, but flexible, for better throws.
The hook may have a bend in one direction to help guide the puck or lift it off the surface of the ice. The bend can be left or right, depending on the grip of the player.
A goalkeeper stick is slightly different from a field player's stick. The lower part of the club is wider, the angle between the hook and the handle is smaller. The technology and materials for the production of clubs are the same for goalkeeper clubs and clubs of field players.
Materials
Previously, hockey sticks were made mainly from maple or willow , from which golf clubs and tool handles were also made. However, with a decrease in the supply of this wood, it became more economical to use other types of wood, such as yellow birch and oak . Oak gradually became the preferred material, and by the 1920s it became the only material for the manufacture of hockey sticks. These clubs were extremely heavy and slightly bendable, although they were extremely durable ( Thomas Johnson, a member of the hockey hall of fame, had been playing with such a 99-inch oak club all his career).
The manufacturing technology of hockey sticks has undergone a number of changes between the 1920s and 2000s. First of all, the creation of a layered shank in the 1940s, where layers of wood were glued and pressed to give the stick more flexibility and durability. In the 1960s, manufacturers began to laminate their clubs with fiberglass and other synthetic materials, which added durability to the club. Also in the 1960s, players began to bend hooks, which dramatically changed the physics of the puck.
In the 1970s, manufacturers of cricket and baseball bats began experimenting with light steel alloys to replace the traditionally used willows and oak. Manufacturers of hockey sticks followed suit and in the early 1980s produced a one-piece aluminum club. This design did not become popular, as the stick became rigid and did not give a sense of control over the puck. Therefore, we decided to try the design of an aluminum handle and a removable wooden hook. This design became very popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and for the first time exceeded the prevalence of traditional wooden clubs. In recent years, aluminum clubs, as well as its wooden predecessors, have been largely replaced by clubs made of composite materials ( fiberglass , carbon fiber , Kevlar ). Composite clubs weigh less than aluminum and can be produced with more consistent (and varied) physical properties than wood. However, they are much more expensive than wood and almost as durable as aluminum.
Most active player clubs are made from one or more materials:
Tree
Wooden clubs are usually made from several layers of wood glued together, covered with a thin layer of plastic or fiberglass. Some manufacturers use fiberglass as a layer between wooden layers. Today, in the NHL, only a handful of players still use wooden clubs, including Paul Shtastny , Adrian Okoyn and Fredrik Modin .
The main advantage of wooden clubs is their relatively low cost, which makes them popular among juniors and amateurs. Wooden clubs allow you to have a good sense of control over the puck. Their main drawback is the relative inconsistency of the parameters and poor wear resistance. A tree has the property of deforming, and over time bending and changing stiffness. In addition, wood, being a natural material, determines the inconsistency of the product parameters (even between identical samples). Among most players, there is a misconception that for strong clicks, only aluminum or composite clubs are suitable. It should be noted that the players with the strongest clicks in NHL history - Bobby Hull , Al Makinnis , Al Ayefreyti and others) played with wooden clubs; However, in fairness, it should also be noted that the careers of these players ended before the advent of composite clubs (or aluminum, as in the case of Bobby Hall ).
Aluminum
Aluminum clubs were the first non-wooden clubs to appear on the market. Most aluminum clubs consist of a handle made of aluminum alloy and a wooden or composite hook. There was a time when most NHL players used aluminum clubs, but today only 1% of them use it.
The main advantage of aluminum clubs is their durability. Aluminum cuttings rarely break, even at a professional level, and since the hook can be easily replaced, the handle will serve for a relatively long period of time. Aluminum clubs do not wear out and do not deform, like wooden ones, and can be produced with different flexibility and weight. The biggest inconvenience of aluminum clubs is their weak “sense of control over the puck”, which is the result of the relative hardness of the metal and the imperfect connection of the handle to the hook.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass , along with traditional wood, was the first composite material to be added as a layer or coating to wooden clubs. Manufacturers experimented with a cavity with fiberglass clubs, but they also lacked a “sense of control over the puck” and durability, so they never gained popularity. Currently, full fiberglass clubs are not manufactured.
Today, fiberglass is used to join other materials such as wood , carbon fiber or Kevlar .
CFRP
Carbon fiber (carbon) has become by far the most popular material for clubs used in the NHL, also gaining popularity among amateur hockey players. Sticks were originally sold where only the handle was carbon. At the present time, clubs have become the predominant type, in which the handle and the hook are one.
Carbon sticks have become so popular primarily due to the combination of the properties of wood and aluminum. They have the classic "feeling of control over the puck", like the best wooden clubs, and the accuracy of production characteristics, like aluminum clubs. Also, these clubs can be made with extremely precise hook bending, which can help in the accuracy of the hand throw and click, and the manufacturing process allows you to add any number of components that can dramatically change the properties of the club (for example, silicone additives that claim to increase “feeling” control over the puck ").
Their main disadvantage is the high cost and relatively low durability. Their average service life is slightly longer than that of wood, but not long enough to compete with them.
Kevlar
Kevlar , known primarily as material for bulletproof vests, has become a fairly common component of composite clubs. It was initially added to increase the longevity of hooks in aluminum clubs, then Kevlar was the perfect complement to fragile wood and carbon fiber, and today Kevlar is the material used by almost every manufacturer. Kevlar is a useful component, since it dramatically increases the club's longevity without impairing the feeling of control over the puck, flexibility and without increasing weight.
Titan
Titanium clubs are a fairly new development, and were first introduced by the TI and Mission Titanium series. The titanium is usually only a handle, and the hook is wooden or carbon. In other clubs, titanium is used as an additive to carbon or Kevlar.
Titanium is similar to aluminum, but lighter, stronger and more flexible (mainly due to the relative thinness of the walls of the handle).
Properties
Tilt angle
The stick angle is the angle between the handle and the hook. The tilt angle has 5 values starting from 135 °, and each value reduces the angle by 2 °. Thus, the smaller the angle of inclination, the higher the stalk rises. Typically, the angle ranges from 5 ° to 7 ° (most close to 5.5 °). Goalie sticks have an angle of 11 ° and 15 °.
Players usually use hockey sticks with such a tilt angle that, in their usual position, completely touch the ice hook. Wayne Gretzky , for example, used a stick with a large angle of inclination, which corresponds to his low riding style and small stature, while Rod Langway used a stick with a lower angle, because of his tall stature and vertical riding style.
Flexibility
Hockey sticks, like golf clubs, are very flexible and flexibility is a key feature in the game. Flexibility, stiffness, and springiness - all these terms are used to describe the force required to bend a club.
Most composite and aluminum clubs have a flex numerical designation. This number, which ranges from 50 to 120, is applied to the handle and corresponds to the force applied to the middle of the handle (in pounds ) to bend the stick one inch . For example, if you apply a force of 100 pounds (45.4 kg) and the club bends 1 inch (2.5 cm), then the club is labeled “100 flex”.
Most players regard club flexibility as a very important feature. Usually, defenders play with stiffer sticks, as their stiffness gives more strength when clicked and reduces club cracking. Forwards use more flexible sticks to easily make quick and accurate hand throws, give and receive passes, and dribble .
The choice of stick flexibility also depends on the strength of the player; stronger players prefer tougher clubs because they have enough strength to completely bend the club (and thus maximize the potential energy of the throw), while younger players and players with lesser strength use more flexible clubs.
Hook Shapes
Until the early 1960s, club hooks generally did not bend. However, in the late 1950s, New York Rangers center forward Andy Batgate began experimenting with breaking the hook, giving it a curved shape that he thought would make his clicks unpredictable. Following him, Chicago Blackhawks strikers Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull , trying to play with “broken hooks”, also subsequently ordered clubs with a certain hook bend from manufacturers. Soon after, most of the NHL players, and Bobby Hull in particular, became supporters of the “banana hook”, the bend of which often reached 3 inches (7.62 cm). Such a bend made the puck flying unpredictable when clicked, and in an era when goalkeepers did not wear masks, it became dangerous. In 1967, the NHL imposed a limit on the amount of bending. Today, this value is 3/4 inch (1.9 cm).
The shape of the club's hook is characterized by the place of bending, the angle, the depth of the bend, the shape of the toe and the curvature of the lower edge. Novice hockey players can safely choose any hook with a round toe, an angle of 5-6 and a small depth of bend.
The angle between the handle and the plane of the hook is expressed by numbers from 4.5 to 6. The larger this number, the sharper the angle. The optimum angle for a particular hockey player is determined individually: with a correctly selected angle, the stick conveniently rests on the ice with the entire edge of the hook.
The toe of the hook may be square, round, or “a square with rounded corners.” A round toe makes it easier to choose a puck “for yourself” and is optimal for attackers. It is more convenient to play with a square toe on the side and stop the puck thrown on board - such a hook is preferable for defenders.
The bend area of the hook may be a sock, heel or middle. Hooks with a bend at the heel make it easier to lift the puck, and with a bend at the toe, it can be controlled. The bend in the middle is a compromise. The stronger the bend, the more difficult it is to play the puck on the uncomfortable side of the hook. Therefore, it is not recommended to use a strong bend, if you are not sure what exactly you need.
The angle of the bend of the lower edge of the hook affects the speed of the washer, which is especially useful when throwing in touch and touch-ups. Hooks with a large bend angle are used only by experienced players.
Such a parameter as “hook shape” is applicable only to “composite” hockey sticks. Both the “pipes” and interchangeable hooks to them are divided into narrower and ordinary. Tapered hooks only fit tapered pipes, regular hooks only fit ordinary pipes.
The narrowed hooks have a shorter and narrower handle that shifts the deflection point down, making the throw stronger. The narrowed hooks are usually more expensive than usual, and their choice is not so rich. But some ordinary hooks (for example, Easton Z-Carbon) are not inferior to narrowed in their playing qualities. What to choose - ordinary pipe and hook, or narrowed - a personal preference of the player.
Interesting Facts
The largest hockey stick in Russia, 954 centimeters long, was made in the city of Cherepovets in September 2018. The club's presentation took place at the KHL match Severstal - SKA September 18, 2018 [1]
Notes
- ↑ Russian Book of Records