Evolution of Hockey Sticks Essay Example

The hockey stick was introduced in the early 1800s. The first stick was created of wood with a flat blade. In the 1920s, hockey players began to tape their sticks to increase the hold and strengthen the blade. The banana curve or the bend in the blade which we see today was developed during the phase between the years 1957-1980. A certain player named Bobby Hull broke a stick at a practice and began to play around with the “bent” stick and found to his amazement that there was far more accuracy in his shots (1).
With this new curved blade the players were able to also increase the power of their shots and started to be able to shot a puck through the air, which lead to more goals being scored. Aside from the increase in goals the new style of blades on hockey sticks was also leading to an increase in injury in goalies. With players shot quality increasing it was hard for goalies to anticipate where the puck was going to go. Soon goalies were taking matters into their own hands and started to fabricate mask which eventually made the NHL implement the rule that all goalies had to wear a mask.
Another important piece of hockey stick history is the type of material used. Originally, ice hockey sticks were made of wood. In the early 1980s, the sticks were formed of metals. By the turn of the 21st century, hockey sticks were started to be constructed out of carbon fiber which has made them lighter and stronger than ever. hockey sticks have always been a matter of personal preference for hockey players which means a lot of players will take their gear and self alter it or have it custom made. However the NHL has set forth guidelines for players to keep things at a fair level. For example a player’s stick cannot be longer than 63 inches. As well as a players curve can’t be over ½ inches from heal to toe(2).
Hockey sticks are now and always be a player’s personal preference. There are so many different variations that one can choose from. For instance if a player wants