Background
A hockey stick is a unique sporting tool with a rich history. The hockey stick underwent numerous changes and improvements in the early twentieth century. The technology used in its manufacturing has also improved. The first hockey sticks were typically made of wood, usually willow or maple. Somewhat later, yellow birch and oak were used.
The oldest hockey stick was made in the 1850s (Mann, 2021). It is kept in the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada. Maple hockey sticks are very durable, so by the twentieth century, they had gradually become the primary material for manufacturing this sports equipment. Moreover, even though such hockey sticks were heavy and badly bent, they were strong and lasted long enough.
Early Wooden Hockey Sticks
Games with curved sticks and projectiles are known in different cultures. In Egypt, a 4,000-year-old depiction of a team wielding sticks and projectiles has been discovered. It is not easy to determine precisely when the first hockey stick for games appeared, but it emerged in the 1800s, coinciding with the first recorded hockey game.
The 1920s saw the introduction of the first two-section hockey stick with a removable blade (Mann, 2021). The innovator was the Hespeler Stick, which developed its design. In the mid-20th century, producers began wrapping hockey stick blades with fiberglass (Al-Hajaj et al., 2019). This decision was made to make hockey sticks more durable.
Evolving Designs and Mid-Century Innovations
Hockey originated in Canada, where the modern form of the game gradually developed. Players used whatever tools they could find from the beginning to drive the ball over the frozen ground. Here, everyone showed their individuality by choosing a stick that, in their opinion, was more convenient, allowing the game to proceed more effectively. However, over time, the variety began to disappear, and athletes came to share a common attribute: comfort in play and ease of management.
Thus, the familiar shape of a hockey stick, resembling a hook on the end, appeared to any hockey player. Athletes also began to choose hockey sticks made from different types of wood; initially, maple or willow was used, but later they chose yellow birch or oak. Moreover, oak clubs became very popular and were actively used until the 1940s, even by professional athletes (Nzindukiyimana, 2020). Clubs made of oak were very heavy and inflexible but exceptionally wear-resistant, which was important for players. As early as 1940, cuttings were made using an entirely new technology. Several layers of wood were glued together and pressed together.
The resulting hockey stick was lighter and more flexible. In the sixties, they laminated this sports tool with fiberglass and other synthetic materials. This approach significantly extended the life of the hockey sticks by increasing their resistance to wear and tear. At the same time, experiments began by bending the hook to improve the technique of throwing the puck. NHL players made significant contributions to this (Scherer, 2021).
In the 1960s, Chicago Blackhawk player and Hockey Hall of Fame member Stan Mikita introduced the world to the first curved hockey sticks (Scherer, 2021). At one practice, Bobby Hull noticed Mikita’s stick. Mikita then explained to Hull that it allowed him to hit the puck more accurately and faster than with a straight-blade stick. To bend the blades of hockey sticks, athletes put them under hot water and then bend them under a door jamb (Scherer, 2021). This innovation quickly gained popularity and changed hockey forever.
Rise of Aluminum and Composite Technologies
Later, wooden sticks from manufacturers Sher-Wood, Canadian, Koho, and Titan were at the height of popularity. In the 1990s, aluminum hockey stick rods began to supplant wooden ones. Canadian hockey star Wayne Gretzky inked a deal with Easton to use an HXP 5100 aluminum shaft stick, and the first composite blade hit the market in the mid-1990s. (Sreejith and Rajeev 2021).
The composite putter was much sturdier while remaining much lighter than a hardwood putter. Easton became a leader in technical innovation. At the beginning of the 21st century, Easton exploded the hockey stick market by introducing Easton Synergy – a one-piece hockey stick (Al-Hajaj et al., 2019). It made hockey shots faster and stronger and became popular among players. Composite stick technology is used by 90% of NHL players (Scherer, 2021). The most recent improvement in hockey stick composition comes from Bauer.
Gradually, wooden hockey sticks ceased to satisfy hockey players, as they had many drawbacks. It was challenging to produce hockey sticks with the same parameters; wooden tools quickly fell into disrepair, deformed, and lost their rigidity. Ten years later, manufacturers began producing hockey sticks made of lightweight steel alloys. The early 1980s saw the introduction of the first fully aluminum hockey stick, which gained little popularity due to its almost total lack of flexibility and reduced puck control.
After studying the problem, another variant was proposed: a stick with an aluminum shaft and a detachable wooden hook (Scherer, 2021). Over time, this option became the most popular and common. The next stage of development involved using composite materials, including fiberglass, titanium, carbon fiber, and Kevlar. Such clubs have less weight, are quite strong, and exhibit stable production characteristics (Sreejith & Rajeev, 2021). The only disadvantage of these shells is their high cost; therefore, juniors still use ordinary wooden clubs, which are very affordable.
Modern Composite Sticks and Player Customization
At the professional level, they do not use compound hockey sticks, which are made up of two parts: a shaft and a blade. This variant is more suitable for children: it is possible to replace a single element in case of breakage, which is cheaper than replacing the entire set. Thanks to their special characteristics, choosing the perfect weapon to destroy the enemy’s defenses is possible. One of these characteristics is flexibility.
Strong, tall defenders who shoot from the blue need more flex than fast, small forwards who use quick hands and quick snaps with a little swing. It is all individual, so before picking up a stick, each athlete should analyze themselves, their technique, habits, grip, and positions that are most comfortable in the game (Sreejith & Rajeev, 2021). Then the athlete can try “run in “with a new stick, and only after that can he understand all the nuances, determining the relevance of this equipment in the player’s sports life.
Today’s modern versions of hockey sticks push the boundaries of composite technology. Different resins are used for the composite matrix, strengthening the material with carbon fibers. Carbon fibers are used specifically because of the mechanical properties of the material. Also, manufacturers are experimenting with ways to increase club performance. After all, the weight ratio to the strength of carbon fiber composites has already been perfected. As a rule, most modern clubs are one-piece composite hockey sticks.
However, remember the two-piece designs that are still in production. The hobbyist’s choice remains wood, a timeless classic. This is due to its affordable price. Aluminum and aluminum hybrids, on the other hand, are not only much rarer today but also come to mind whenever we reflect on the history of hockey sticks. Modern, expensive hockey sticks feature interchangeable handle parts that can function in various modes. A combination of materials creates a special zone, pressing, which allows a hockey player to make the most accurate and strongest strokes.
Works Cited
Al-Hajaj, Zainab, Benedict Lawrence Sy, Habiba Bougherara, and Radovan Zdero. 2019. “Impact Properties of a New Hybrid Composite Material Made from Woven Carbon Fibres plus Flax Fibres in an Epoxy Matrix.” Composite Structures 208: 346–56.
Mann, Michael E. 2021. “Beyond the Hockey Stick: Climate Lessons from the Common Era.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118 (39).
Nzindukiyimana, Ornella. 2020. “‘That’s Jean Lowe’: On Being a Black Canadian Female Track Athlete in 1940s Toronto.” The International Journal of the History of Sport 37 (14): 1371–87.
Scherer, Jay. 2021. “The Making of the 1976 Canada Cup: Power Plays, Hockey Diplomacy, and the Rise of Alan Eagleson.” Sport History Review 52 (1): 41–69.
Sreejith, M., and R.S. Rajeev. 2021. “Fiber Reinforced Composites for Aerospace and Sports Applications.” Fiber Reinforced Composites, 821–59.