12 Sep
Used in Ice Hockey as part of the main equipment, an ice hockey stick is used to shoot, pass and carry the puck through the game. Around 150 to 200cm in length, ice hockey sticks have a long, slender shaft with a flat extension at one end. Called the blade, this part of the stick comes into contact with the puck and is generally around 25 to 40cm in length. Stick dimensions vary according to the player’s size and preference, and the blade is at an angle of roughly 135 degrees from the axis of the shaft. This gives ice hockey sticks its well-known ‘L-shaped’ look. The stick is fairly rigid with the shaft having some degree of flexibility to benefit some shots. Slightly curved in one direction, the blade helps to retain or lift the puck off the playing surface. The goalkeeper has a slightly different stick with the lower part of the stick wide, the angle smaller and the blade curved slightly towards the direction of play.
Initially made from maple trees, Ice Hockey sticks were later made out of other hardwoods such as yellow birch and ash to make it more cost effective. By the 1920s, Ash was the most commonly used material for hockey sticks. The 1940s saw the introduction of the laminated stick, while the 1960s included additional lamination of fibreglass and other synthetic compound as coating. This period also saw the curving of the blade, changing players’ shots dramatically. Fibreglass, carbon fibre and Kevlar have been used in the production of Ice Hockey sticks as well.
Commemorative coins have used ice hockey sticks and pucks as a symbol and main motif – the most recent one being the Finnish Ice Hockey World Championships 2003 commemorative coin.