Different ways of taping - advantages/disadvantages

[jnk96]

Hey folks!
I just started playing hockey this year and I tried some different ways of taping my stick. Since I'm a real beginner with no more than ten games experience, it didn't really feel too much different, yet. I know it's all personal preference but what are possible advantages or disadvantages with different ways of taping the stick blade?
I tried
- the whole blade from heel to toe
- almost the whole blade, leaving the toe untaped
- just the "middle part" of the blade without the toe or the heel
- half the blade, middle to toe
So what could be the difference in stickhandling, shooting, etc. with those different styles? Or are they at the end of the day just styles?
I felt like leaving half the blade without tape gave me a slightly quicker release but I'm not even sure if that's true or just imagination.
Thanks for sharing your opinions!

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

I just tape the whole blade, because I need to get a good grip on the puck. I need tape at the heel for saucer passes, in the middle of the blade for regular stick handling and shooting, and at the toe for the toe drags.
I only see disadvantages to leaving portions of the blade untaped. Your blade will wear down faster and receiving hard passes will be difficult because of the loss of the "cushioning" effect.

 

[Terry Yake]

i used to always tape just the middle section of the blade but for the past year or so, i've been taping the entire blade to try and prevent the blade from wearing out quick

taping the entire blade also gives you much better grip on the puck anyways

 

[jnk96]

Thanks for your replies!
It's just that you see so many different ways when you take a look at NHL players's sticks. In my minor hockey league most players either just tape the entire blade or the whole blade except for the toe. But every pro does it in a different way.

Does Ovi just think this is special and matches his tucked jersey, the hitched up sleeves, the yellow laces and tinted visor? Or does it actually help him somehow?
Other players doing the same (usually): Matt Duchene, Marc McNulty (PG Cougars)

And the same with every other style, is it just style and personal preference or does it have a special purpose? Any other opinions?
Thank you!

 

[roffleburger]

Thanks for your replies!
It's just that you see so many different ways when you take a look at NHL players's sticks. In my minor hockey league most players either just tape the entire blade or the whole blade except for the toe. But every pro does it in a different way.

Does Ovi just think this is special and matches his tucked jersey, the hitched up sleeves, the yellow laces and tinted visor? Or does it actually help him somehow?
Other players doing the same (usually): Matt Duchene, Marc McNulty (PG Cougars)

And the same with every other style, is it just style and personal preference or does it have a special purpose? Any other opinions?
Thank you!

I'm not sure if that was an attempt at a chirp or not but I'll respond in a serious manner. Ovi probably hikes up his sleeves because it's more comfortable; I actually do the same thing because of the size of my elbow pads and the width of the jersey's sleeves. Yellow laces + tinted visor, everybody has their thing. Gretzky used to tuck his jersey for comfort. Ovi's jersey seems to ride up even if he untucks it because of his excessively large back protector.

 

[Jarick]

So what could be the difference in stickhandling, shooting, etc. with those different styles? Or are they at the end of the day just styles?

I felt like leaving half the blade without tape gave me a slightly quicker release but I'm not even sure if that's true or just imagination.

IMO there are two effects to taping the blade:

1. Physical

The biggest reason we tape the blade is to create friction between the puck and the blade. Especially now that we have composite sticks, those get really slick when wet, and the puck would just slide off. If you look at a puck, it has little nubs on the side which are designed to grab on to the tape of the stick and help it spin. The spinning is what makes the puck fly flat and accurate.

Some people say that tape will help cushion the puck. I don't really think so. A tiny little layer of tape won't make nearly as much difference as blade construction.

So from a physical standpoint, taping the whole blade makes sense. You add friction to the entire blade, which helps your passes and shots get a little more spin and hopefully accuracy as well.

2. Psychological

For me the biggest effect that taping the blade has psychologically is that you can see the blade out of your peripheral vision. So if you tape from middle to toe like Ovy, that might help you see when the puck reaches the end of the blade, where you might want to shoot from. Or others might use black tape on a white or wood stick to see that out of the corner of their eye. Or white tape so they can see the contrast of the puck on the blade.

I've heard from enough goalies that they don't care about stick blade color and it doesn't really have any effect on the the puck (like hiding it). I would lean towards thinking that a white blade MIGHT hide the release of the puck more than a black blade MIGHT camouflage the puck.

So from this standpoint, I would experiment with what you like to see out of the corner of your eye so you can handle the puck and shoot with your head up.



My PP is to use white tape on the whole blade, taping over the toe, and trimming to fit the toe of the blade. I like the friction on the blade, I like the look of the white blade out of the corner of my eye, and I tend to think that just maybe the white tape (along with my white stick) hides the release of the puck slightly, like the goalie can't see me changing the angle when I shoot quite as much.

Also, my main stick is white and black tape just looks nasty on white sticks to me. White tape on a black stick looks good; black tape on white just looks gross.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Thanks for your replies!
It's just that you see so many different ways when you take a look at NHL players's sticks. In my minor hockey league most players either just tape the entire blade or the whole blade except for the toe. But every pro does it in a different way.

Does Ovi just think this is special and matches his tucked jersey, the hitched up sleeves, the yellow laces and tinted visor? Or does it actually help him somehow?
Other players doing the same (usually): Matt Duchene, Marc McNulty (PG Cougars)

And the same with every other style, is it just style and personal preference or does it have a special purpose? Any other opinions?
Thank you!

I think it does help him. I use roughly the same stick as him (APX P08) on this picture, and I've considered only taping the toe for shooting purposes, because that's where the curve is the deepest. I didn't do it because it would affect the rest of my game, and make receiving passes on the backhand more difficult.

 

[vapor11]

Ever since the tip of the blade on my first OPS Easton started to chip away a few years back I have been taping the entire blade..snip off the excess tape on the tip with scissors

 

[jnk96]

I'm not sure if that was an attempt at a chirp or not but I'll respond in a serious manner. Ovi probably hikes up his sleeves because it's more comfortable; I actually do the same thing because of the size of my elbow pads and the width of the jersey's sleeves. Yellow laces + tinted visor, everybody has their thing. Gretzky used to tuck his jersey for comfort. Ovi's jersey seems to ride up even if he untucks it because of his excessively large back protector.

It was no attempt to chirp but Ovechkin obviously is trying to have a unique style and I was wondering if his stick is part of that.

Thanks to the rest of you!

 

[vapor11]

It was no attempt to chirp but Ovechkin obviously is trying to have a unique style and I was wondering if his stick is part of that.

On that note anyone think Kessel's candycane is a little odd and only done for style considering sticks have come with extra grip for the last few years

You would think Bauer would want the stick visible considering the type of player Kessel is

Is he also the only one in the league still wearing the old x:60's

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

On that note anyone think Kessel's candycane is a little odd and only done for style considering sticks have come with extra grip for the last few years

You would think Bauer would want the stick visible considering the type of player Kessel is

Is he also the only one in the league still wearing the old x:60's

Bauer doesn't care anymore, because Kessel uses the S19 now.

 

[Disengage]

Any one use the Petr Klima tape job?

 

[SCBruCrew4]

On that note anyone think Kessel's candycane is a little odd and only done for style considering sticks have come with extra grip for the last few years

You would think Bauer would want the stick visible considering the type of player Kessel is

Is he also the only one in the league still wearing the old x:60's

Only referring to the bolded part. I have a Bauer Nexus 400 and the grip is starting to wear so I decided to try the candy cane tape job over the past couple months and I actually like it better. I noticed that if I took a spill and my palms got wet at all that the griptac on the stick would still be slippery once there was any moisture on my palms. However with the candy cane tape job, the grip is still there on my lower hand no matter what. I really noticed a couple days ago when I was playing pick up. I had so much more control on my lower hand that stick handling, passing and shooting were noticeably better than when I didn't tape my stick this way.

 

[RockemSockemProberts]

Speaking of tape, does anybody know who or when taping sticks started?

 

[Canadiens1958]

1920s

Speaking of tape, does anybody know who or when taping sticks started?

Goes back to at least the 1920s.

 

[RockemSockemProberts]

Goes back to at least the 1920s.

Thanks!

 

[YMCMBYOLO]

My PP is to use white tape on the whole blade, taping over the toe, and trimming to fit the toe of the blade. I like the friction on the blade, I like the look of the white blade out of the corner of my eye, and I tend to think that just maybe the white tape (along with my white stick) hides the release of the puck slightly, like the goalie can't see me changing the angle when I shoot quite as much.

Also, my main stick is white and black tape just looks nasty on white sticks to me. White tape on a black stick looks good; black tape on white just looks gross.

I prefer black tape on the blade so I can see where the puck/stick is on the ice using my peripheral vision. idk, maybe that's psychological like you said?

 

[Jarick]

Yeah, I think so. It's about being comfortable.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Taping History

Speaking of tape, does anybody know who or when taping sticks started?

1904 McGill game shows a couple of players using tape at the end of the blade. Chipping and cracking used to start at the blade tip.

 

[Kane04]

I just tape the whole blade, because I need to get a good grip on the puck. I need tape at the heel for saucer passes, in the middle of the blade for regular stick handling and shooting, and at the toe for the toe drags.
I only see disadvantages to leaving portions of the blade untaped. Your blade will wear down faster and receiving hard passes will be difficult because of the loss of the "cushioning" effect.

I tape from about and inch above the heel to the entire toe. I used to do it were I left the toe exposed but then one of my sticks got chipped up really badly and now Im paranoid

 

[Goonzilla]

Regular blade taping aside, I have a few other things I do around taping.

If the tape's worn on the Bottom and I'm in a bit of a hurry or short of time, I just run a single strip along the bottom and which covers the bottom and then just overlaps the front and rear of the blade just a bit; doesn't cause me any issues handling or shooting.

I use a generous amount of wax, including as a filler for any nicks, cuts or tears in the tape around the bottom of the blade.

I've started to use black electrical tape around the bottom of the shaft too. Doesn't seem to affect the stick flex or performance, but protects the lower shaft from chips and the like.

I re-tape completely pretty regularly, but play and practice a lot, so don't wanna be doing it constantly.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

I tape from about and inch above the heel to the entire toe. I used to do it were I left the toe exposed but then one of my sticks got chipped up really badly and now Im paranoid

A little bit of tape there does protect it.

 

[puckpilot]

I've used several different ways to tape my sticks.

First, I'd line the edges of the blade with tape to protect those areas from wear. Then, I used to mummify it from heel to toe, and then go part way up the shaft with the wrap to protect the stick. Then I'd add a strip of tape running part way up the shaft on top and bottom to cover up the slash zone. I find this helps with the longevity of the stick. To finish it off, I'd lather some wax on all the tape.

Second, when I started using blade tape. I did almost the same as above except I no longer needed to wrap the blade. I just lined the edges of the blade with tape. Loved not having to redo my tape job for ages. I really don't like retaping my sticks. I found the blade tape gave me a lot more grip on the puck for shots and stickhandling. Here's a pic.

Third, it's funny, a little while back, I started to notice a lot of NHL players only taped up the toe of their stick. It got me wondering why they did it this way. I had a theory that they get a better feel for the puck because there isn't a layer of tape to deaden the feel. I also though that because there was sort of a duo grip profile on the stick, that getting used to stick handling with the bare blade made it so when you shifted the puck to the taped part for a shot, it would make the taped part feel more grippy, and you would be able to rip into the shot more.

Any way, I decided to try the toe only tape job, but since I'm panoid about not damaging my sticks, I did a sort of hybrid of what I saw. I tape up the front of the blade with hockey tape then for the heel I used sock tape. Here's a pic.

I've only been using this for a few weeks, but here's what I found when I was doing the scattered puck drill, I found the more slippery heel makes it easier to get around and over the puck when stickhandling. It makes it harder to accidentally over handle the puck. When I went back to a stick with blade tape on it, it felt like it grabbed the puck too much when I stickhandled.

I also felt like I was getting a better feel for my shots. Maybe it's all in my head, but I don't care. I'll be a legend in my own mind. Hahha.

 

[Rookie109]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/i22TmLWSajZy4V9o1
I do it similar to the post above. Sometimes I play centre and the draws take their toll, as do blocked shots. I double up on the toe, top, and bottom of the blade. The grip tape lasts a long time, but I add a thin strip to cover the entire blade around it, and I'll use an exacto knife to trip excess over the grip tape. Lastly I'll wax the non gripped areas on the top, bottom, and toe of the blade. It's weird way I'll admit, but it seems to keep my stick in pretty good shape after I peel it off when it's beat up.

 

[Neutrinos]

I put a strip of tape on the bottom blade from heel to toe before taping the rest of the blade

It just gives it that little extra protection against wear and tear