A revolutionary new ice hockey stick test machine looks primed and ready to shoot down its competition.

It just needs to be built.

Unsatisfied with the current principal method used to test stick durability, University of Waterloo engineering prof John McPhee set out to design a new system.

and ..

McPhee believes the answer will lie in testing the sticks dynamically. In other words, measuring the effects acting on the stick from the time it makes contact with the ice to when the puck leaves the blade.

Inspired by his work as a technical advisor for Golf Digest magazine, where computer-controlled robots were used to test out new golf clubs and balls, McPhee designed a robot based upon the same idea: a machine that repeats the exact same shot over and over again.

To make this happen, McPhee realized he had to overcome one major design obstacle.

“You need arms to attach to the stick at two different locations,” said McPhee. “Furthermore, the hockey stick has to be able to bend between those two places.”

This Article was originally published in the The Varsity Magazine and the full article can be found here

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Overview of Ice Hockey Shafts:

Ice Hockey Sticks come in 1 piece and 2 piece configurations. The two piece hockey stick configuration means that the hockey stick blade and the hockey stick shaft come as separate components. Aftermarket hockey shafts are not made out of wood so you will only find composite ice hockey shafts. Shafts and blades come in “standard” and “tapered” configurations and the blade and shaft need to match for a proper fit.

The advantages of 2 piece hockey sticks:

• You have a greater range of shafts and blades that you can match together
  • A blade from one manufacture can be match to shaft of another manufacture
  • Hybrid sticks (composite shafts with wood blades)
  • Extra long shafts (ex: Warrior AK27 X-Long)
• If the just blade breaks you can easily replace it with a new one

The disadvantages of 2 piece sticks:

• You have to connect the blade to the shaft
• You can screw up the blade installation and end up with a poor quality connection
• You have to match the correct blade type (standard vs. tapered) to the same type of shaft

Another advantage to going the two piece route is that it usually costs less than 1 piece sticks. Here are a few hockey sticks for a quick price comparison of 1 piece vs. shaft + blade:

• Easton Synergy ST Grip Sr. 1 piece hockey stick = $164.99
  • Easton Synergy ST Grip Sr. hockey shaft = $94.99
  • Easton Synergy ST Sr. Blade = $34.99
  • Save $35 with 2 piece
• Easton Synergy Elite Sr. Grip 1 piece hockey stick = $184.99
  • Easton Synergy Elite Sr. Grip hockey shaft = $124.99
  • Easton Synergy Elite Sr. Blade = $59.99
  • Same price for 1 piece and 2 piece
• Nike Bauer Supreme One95 Sr. 1 piece hockey stick = $189.99
  • Nike Bauer Supreme One95 Sr. hockey shaft = $84.99
  • Nike Bauer Supreme One95 Sr. Blade =  $48.99
  • Save $56 with 2 piece
• Warrior Dolomite Sr. Grip 1 piece hockey stick = $179.99
  • Warrior Dolomite Sr. Grip hockey shaft = $119.99
  • Warrior Dolomite Sr. Blade = $47.99
  • Save $12 with 2 piece

Key performance characteristics to evaluate when buying a Hockey Shaft:

• Flex: Flex refers to the hockey shaft stiffness. The flex ranges available for the shafts listed are:
  • Senior (flex: 75, 85, 100, 110)
  • Intermediate (flex: 70 or 75)
  • Junior (flex: 50)
  • Youth (flex: 45)
• Kick point: low kick point, mid kick point or constant flex curve
• Size of stick for length and girth of shaft (ex: Int vs. Senior)
• Tapered vs. Standard shaft so you can match to the specific blade you want
• Grip vs. Clear shaft coating depending on your preference for how easily you want to slide your lower hand on the shaft

Going through one of the major online hockey stores, I came up with the following 75 different hockey shafts by manufacture and stick configuration (senior / intermediate / junior / youth):

RBK Senior:  3
RBK Intermediate: 1
RBK Junior: 5
CCM Senior: 4
CCM Junior: 5
Easton Senior: 9
Easton Intermediate: 2
Easton Junior: 10
Easton Youth: 1
Nike Bauer Senior: 6
Nike Bauer Intermediate: 3
Nike Bauer Junior: 5
Mission Senior: 2
Mission Junior: 4
Warrior Senior: 6
Warrior Intermediate: 2
Warrior Junior: 3
Louisville TPS Junior: 2
Sher-wood Senior: 2
Note: I didn’t count grip vs. clear sticks as separate. These totals do have both 2008 and 2007 models counted as unique shafts if both are still listed for sale.

There are 2 hockey shafts worth calling out since they unique:

• Warrior AK27 X-Long, 6 inches longer than standard AK27 shaft is the only extra long shaft
• Easton Octane Youth is the only youth size hockey shaft

Hockey Stick Glue: Some blades come with glue already applied to the hosel. You’ll have to buy hot melt glue (around $2 per glue stick) for blades that don’t have any glue.

Butt end extensions or end plugs: End plugs come in both wood and composite materials. They are used to extend the length of a hockey stick. They are also used to cap the end of a composite stick to add stability and reduce vibrations. The end plugs can be cut very short after installation to minimize the length that they add to the hockey stick.

Relevant terms that can be found in The Hockey Stick Dictionary:

Hockey stick blade
Hockey stick Blade Hosel
Hockey stick shaft
Tapered hockey sticks
1 piece hockey sticks
2 piece hockey sticks
Composite hockey sticks
End plugs or butt end extensions

Written by Greg at Hockey Stick Expert

Related posts:

1. Hockey Stick Length vs. Flex: How Cutting Your Stick Affects its Flex
2. Hockey Stick Length
3. Hockey Stick Flex: Produce Better Shots With The Right Flex/Stiffness