Ice Hockey Sticks

Ice hockey is the national winter sport of new Olympic champions Canada. Worldwide, a whole host of people enjoy ice hockey with sixty-six countries taking part in the international ice hockey tournament, the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships. That’s a lot of ice hockey sticks!

An Ice Hockey Stick

The game of Ice Hockey is thought to have originated in Canada with professional ice hockey becoming a feature in major sporting calendar events since the 1900’s. Naturally, it is played on ice and so has traditionally been a sport that the colder countries have excelled at… that is until ice rinks were to become a feature in the world. There are seven nations that have over the years performed consistently well in the championships, who are Russia, Canada, Finland, Slovakia, Sweden, Czech Republic and the United States.

Changes have occurred over the years to the equipment that is used on the hockey rink. Ice hockey sticks are rarely made from wood but instead are manufactured from aluminium, carbon fibre, fibre glass and Kevlar.

Generally, ice hockey sticks measure between one hundred and fifty and two hundred centimetres long with the curved ‘taper’ connecting the rod or ‘shaft’ to the ‘blade’ at the end.

The dimensions of a stick will vary according to the size of the player. The ice hockey sticks of tall people tend to be longer than those played by shorter ones. This is not always the case as players enjoy the good puck control and faster stick handling of the shorter stick. That said, for a faster harder shot, a longer stick will deliver the goods too.

Ice hockey sticks are just one component of the equipment required to play ice hockey. Being a fast game where body contact is inevitable, it is vital that protective gear is worn during play. Such combat wear includes protective gloves, mouth guards, elbow pads, shoulder pads, hockey trousers/pants, jock strap, neck protector and shin pads. Goalies are encouraged to wear more besides such as chest protector and leg guards.

The need to wear protective combat wear when player ice hockey cannot be stressed enough. The rate of injuries is high and there is a chance bones could be broken and muscles strained every time you climb upon the ice. Travelling at an average speed of 25 miles per hour every player requires protective clothing in order to provide maximum protection. Ice hockey is definitely about more than the good old ice hockey sticks!