Are broken sticks a problem in the modern NHL?

[TGWL]

Lower end sticks seem more durable. I’ve broken every top of the line stick I’ve owned except my most recent one, but rarely broke the lower end ones maybe because higher end ones are willing to sacrifice durability for the best performance possible, cheaper sticks are a lot heavier

Whenever I see a player using a True stick, I think to myself "They have money to waste", and expect the stick to snap just looking at it.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

you can do it at home but it just never hits the same unless you have a bangin' homemade meat hot sauce recipe....

It's also hard to attain the perfect level of drunk needed to truly enjoy it while you're trying to cook everything.

 

[Summer Rose]

Not in the NHL, but obviously on the lower lovels. Hockey has simply become incredibly expensive to play.
And the sticks are one element of that.

Skates are another big part of it. When I first started playing, I paid $200 for a somewhat nice (midrange, I think they were the 452s) pair of CCM Tacks and they lasted me for ten years. I haven't checked prices since I stopped playing, but the last time I did check, $200 would barely get you an entry-level pair of skates that would probably fall apart on you in one season. I also didn't start hockey until I was 16 and my feet had more or less stopped growing. Skates must be an insane cost to parents who probably have to buy their kid a new pair of skates every year because they outgrow their old pair that quickly.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

I remember reading an article circa 2005 (as one piece composites had become the norm) that teams got sticks for wholesale prices but because of durability issues some teams were like $50,000 over budget.

I can't imagine the NHL would do it, but I always wondered what it would look like if they did what the MLB does. In college baseball they use composite bats but MLB you have to use wood.

I'm mostly stuck in net in my beer league nowadays but I always enjoyed getting a good deal on a composite stick. If something was good enough for a pro 3 years ago, it's probably more than I need now.

Ya, it’s less a problem for me personally and more about the.. culture that’s created. I don’t even play right now, life is too expensive and busy, but as an adult I can justify like $100 on a composite, and I know that option still exists.

But kid me got that top of the line synergy for.. $120? And now you gotta have a tough talk with your kid- “you don’t get what they get, that’s $800 for a stick and a backup.” Kids gotta learn that somehow, but you don’t want that lesson to happen because your sport is dummy expensive. Add in skates, that’s like $1300, + all the other gear.

I just think it’s worth noting that what works for the nhl doesn’t work for growing the game, and they arguably could change that. Your analogy with baseball is sound- I don’t wanna go that extreme (wood sticks), but the nhl could consider a minimum weight or a stress test in the future. They won’t, but it’s a thought.

 

[PensandCaps]

It would be nice to have a sturdier stick available for PK and holding a one goal lead late situations, although watching a player skate around without a stick is occasionally entertaining.

I wonder if having a longer stick or a flat stick in your bag incase you got to PK or win faceoffs is legal.

 

[Number8]

That $400 stick absolutely makes a difference. You have a better feel with the puck on your stick, your shot will definitely improve etc. If chubby johnny sucks and his parents spend 4 bills on a stick then that’s on them. No reason to cap anything. If the parents can afford it they’re gonna buy it.

I know. I was being facetious. That said, hockey has over time become a sport that costs parents an absolute bomb. Not good for kids, and as NHL fans ultimately not good for us.