The Science of Hockey Stick Breakage and How to Prevent It
How to Make Your Hockey Stick Last Longer
If hockey sticks were built strong enough to never break, that would also mean that the stick would not bend. Hockey players count on flexibility in a hockey stick as a performance enhancer. Imagine how effective a slap shot would be without the stick's ability to bend. Every season, hockey players and their parents invest hundreds and even thousands of dollars replacing broken and worn out hockey sticks. Wouldn’t it be nice if hockey sticks were unbreakable? The reality is (Thanks, Laws of Physics!) that the hockey industry has not quite created the impenetrable hockey stick – although Colt has come close.
Smarter Every Day has a great video on the physics behind a slap shot.
If a hockey stick is going to break, it is most likely going to be the shaft. The reason is simple – repeated impact on the stick.
The second most likely place a hockey stick will experience damage or break is the blade itself. This is usually due to the continued beating the blade takes on the ice. The constant force on the blade during a game, whether it is slap shots, stick pounding or just maneuvering the puck across the ice, weakens the blade through constant contact with the ice. This can cause it to snap or just wear down the bottom and face of the blade over time.
So, until we discover a way to evade the science of hockey stick breakage, hockey players need to care for their hockey sticks to prevent premature replacement.
Tips to Spend Less Money Replacing Broken Hockey Sticks
Take Care of Your Stick
Hockey sticks take enough of a beating on the ice, so when off the ice, it’s important to ensure they experience as little impact as possible. When on the bench, be careful where you put your stick; throwing it down so that other players wearing skates can step on it is going to damage it. Also, when putting your hockey gear in the car, make sure you don’t throw your heavy hockey bag on top of your stick causing unnecessary impact which weakens the carbon fiber, triggering premature breakage.
Invest in a Better Quality Stick
Although no hockey stick is truly unbreakable, there is one that comes close – Colt hockey sticks incorporate ground-breaking technology that takes aerospace technology and applies it to hockey sticks to deliver amazing durability while maintaining ultimate performance. The science of this better hockey stick is nano-technology – a nickel/cobalt metal that is almost 3 times stronger than steel and 20% more flexible. What does all that science mean for hockey players? A hockey stick that is 50% stronger than a conventional carbon fiber stick. Thanks, Science!
In the real world, I’ve seen the Colt stick’s durability in action. My son’s Colt has lasted him a whole season while his teammates are replacing their sticks every month or two. I know one player on the team who broke 3 sticks in less than 2 weeks! When players get to a certain level, they are playing multiple times a week; in a tournament week, that could mean up to 10 times on the ice in just one week. Players just can’t afford to be replacing their broken hockey sticks that often.
Investing in a high quality hockey stick may be expensive up front, but you will more than make up for the cost by replacing your hockey stick way less often.
Take Care of Your Stick and Save Money and Time with Replacing It
If you take better care of your stick, use proper blade protection, and think about using a better quality stick, you will spend less time and money shopping for replacement sticks throughout your hockey season.
But don’t throw away those broken hockey sticks just yet…
Stay tuned for our upcoming blog post in February about fun and funky ideas on how to use your broken hockey sticks. Subscribe now so you don’t miss it! Don't forget to send us your photos showing off your Sniper Skin to be featured on our social media!
Make sure you check out Sniper Skin's Hockey Stick Grips that allow you to personalize your grip with your name and number.
