Who was the last NHLer to use an aluminum stick?

[Junipero]

I've been searching around the net for awhile now and I've had no luck. Hopefully, somebody here might be able to tell me. Who was the last player to use an aluminum stick in the NHL?

I know Brett Hull and Wayne Gretzky made them really popular in the 90's, which is why I've always used one up until this year when I finally switched to a one-piece composite. But it got me thinking that my two red Easton aluminum's might be the oldest hockey equipment I currently own. Which then got me thinking about who was the last NHLer to use one.

thanks

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[Man Bear Pig]

You used an aluminum up until this year?

 

[Junipero]

Yes, I did. I've used aluminum sticks since high school, and when they stopped selling them in stores, I had to resort to ebay to get replacements when they finally broke. I always have to have a backup stick with me when I play. The last Easton aluminum I got online was back in 2002. When I broke my oldest easton back in 2005, I couldn't find any on ebay to replace it with so I ended up buying an un-screened aluminum shaft and that was my backup for the last 9 years.

It was only back in November when I made the switch to a composite one-piece that my brother gave me when he had to stop playing due to injury.

 

[Junipero]

Oh, and I found a thread here that says that Brendan Shanahan or Tom Poti were probably the last NHLers to use aluminum. (not sure why I couldn't find that thread earlier, oh well).

 

[tarheelhockey]

Out of curiosity, what's the difference with an aluminum stick? I've only used wood and composites.

 

[Individual 1]

Out of curiosity, what's the difference with an aluminum stick? I've only used wood and composites.

Stiffness and durability.

 

[robsenz]

I remember having the Gretzky Easton and it being all warped like crazy as a kid...couldn't imagine playing with one as an adult...

 

[DyerMaker66*]

More slivers.

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

Not sure if he was last but Brendan Shanahan used one for a long time.

 

[God]

I am almost positive that 5 years ago I heard the play by play guy say that Dan Boyle was still using an aluminum stick. This was with the Sharks. I can't find anything on google about it though. I know that he uses one piece composites now.

 

[seventieslord]

This is a great question. Such a triviality, which I'm not usually interested in, but in this case, I'm very interested. Maybe it's because I used an aluminum for most of my minor hockey career and was a fairly young child when they became en vogue.

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

I have an old Bauer Aluminum Shaft I never use lol. Its heavy!! Its sitting in my backyard. If your local come pick it up.

 

[BraveCanadian]

I still have a beat up old Easton silver aluminum just like Wayne used hahaha it is beat to hell and I use it only for playing ball hockey with my kid.

 

[Brodeur]

Oh, and I found a thread here that says that Brendan Shanahan or Tom Poti were probably the last NHLers to use aluminum. (not sure why I couldn't find that thread earlier, oh well).

I think Poti was the last as you mentioned. At least back in the day, I remember seeing a few of his shafts for sale on eBay. He had custom ones made by Easton which had the paint job of the Z-Bubble composite shaft but was still aluminum.

I have one buddy who still uses his aluminum tank. Another just converted to composite. I think my parents threw out my aluminum stick a few years back which made me sad.

 

[bucks_oil]

Ryan Smyth?

I remember hearing he didn't like the composites because they were too easy to snap when plying his craft (either by weak spots from deflections or zealous defenders).

I think he eventually switched before retirement, but only after the rule changes were implemented which effectively made breaking someone's stick a penalty. (at which point he probably took a nail file to most of his sticks since he couldn't shoot anyway)

 

[Brodeur]

Ryan Smyth?

I remember hearing he didn't like the composites because they were too easy to snap when plying his craft (either by weak spots from deflections or zealous defenders).

From what I recall, he was using a Warrior shaft and a wood blade. Don't remember that the shaft was aluminum though. Looks like there are some YouTube videos on this link though: http://modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/58863-ryan-smyths-shoulders-pads-and-stick/

 

[iamjs]

I gave away my last aluminum shaft in 2013 to a close friend. He still hasn't switched over to composites. The bends on his sticks are similar to that of an old warped 2x4, yet he won't part with them.

This one is close, except it was black instead of blue.

 

[iamjs]

Here's a story about Gretzky switching from Titan to Easton (specifically the HXP5100) in 1990. Gretz earned a reported $2m over seven years with Easton.

Wayne Gretzky's association with Titan is over. In fact, Gretzky's association with the wooden hockey stick is over. Next season, he will use an Easton aluminum stick. Given Gretzky's influence on the game, his move to aluminum will probably change the face of professional hockey.

There has been no official announcement of the switch, but the circumstantial evidence is so strong that there can be no doubt about it.

In January, Gretzky's business agent, Mike Barnett of Los Angeles, revealed that the contract between Gretzky and Karhu-Titan of Finland, which called for Gretzky to use Titan sticks and wear Karhu's Jofa equipment, would be allowed to lapse after the season.

-----.

Gretzky's decision will have a major effect on the hockey-stick industry. He is by far hockey's most recognizable and most emulated player. His switch to an aluminum stick will give the sticks a credibility they have always lacked, even though they have been used for years by quality players, including Gary Suter of the Calgary Flames, Brad McCrimmon of the Detroit Red Wings and Mark Howe of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Last season, when Brett Hull of the St. Louis Blues led the National Hockey League in goals with 72, few people noticed that he was using an aluminum stick.

By switching to Easton, Gretzky will help the company make the kind of substantial inroads into the hockey-stick market that it has made into the baseball-bat market. Easton has become the dominant bat in softball and college baseball in the United States and is poised to make an aggressive move into major-league baseball should the game's rules ever be amended to allow aluminum bats.

Ten years ago, when Gretzky began using Titan sticks, the company ranked 13th in the world in terms of total sales revenue. Now it ranks first. When Gretzky started endorsing Ultra-Wheels, roller-blade skates made by First Team Sports in Minneapolis, the company's stock traded at $1.08. That was in December. Today, that stock trades about $8.50.

Perhaps fearing such a development, and therefore a substantial reduction in their 90 percent share of the market, some wooden-stick manufacturers have reportedly approached the NHL regarding the possibility of a ban on aluminum sticks.

But the league has undertaken studies of the matter and has concluded that aluminum sticks (which are actually aluminum shafts with replaceable wood/fiberglass blades) are no more dangerous than wooden sticks. As a result, they'll stay in the game.

-----

On the retail market, aluminum sticks cost about twice as much as a low-end hockey stick (although both have risen substantially in price since the NHL imposed its surcharge last year) but the aluminum sticks last much longer.

Gretzky earlier had said that he was leaning towards using an aluminum stick. He said that he found the sticks to be strong, yet light and responsive.

It also helps, he said, that the Easton factory is only a short drive (if there is such a thing in Los Angeles) from his home. If there is a problem with the pattern, he can visit the factory himself and get it modified.

Also, he could always get a rush delivery if he needed it. He uses a lot of sticks, but he also gives many away. In an average year with Titan, Gretzky went through more than 700 sticks a year.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19900722&slug=1083459

Still trying to find a definite answer on the last, but now I'm curious as to who the first player was. It would have been somebody who played during the 1981-82 season.

In the late 1970s, an Easton engineer who was an amateur hockey player began working on an aluminum hockey stick. In 1981, the company gained approval for its stick from the National Hockey League, and a marketable model was introduced a year later.

http://www.answers.com/topic/easton-sports-inc

 

[Terry Yake]

god i hated those aluminum shafts. i still remember the pain that came with getting crosschecked with one of those

i'd really like to know who the last player to use an all wood stick was. i think smyth used a composite shaft and a wood blade as late as 3-4 years ago but who was the last player to use an all wood stick? was it naslund or spezza? those are the only two i remember who were using wood sticks well into the 2000s

 

[feffan]

god i hated those aluminum shafts. i still remember the pain that came with getting crosschecked with one of those

i'd really like to know who the last player to use an all wood stick was. i think smyth used a composite shaft and a wood blade as late as 3-4 years ago but who was the last player to use an all wood stick? was it naslund or spezza? those are the only two i remember who were using wood sticks well into the 2000s

I was going to suggest Näslund, as I remember it was a thing back then that one of the best shots came from a wood stick (as many have threw history of course...). Then I remembered Paul Stastny played with a wooden stick quite long. Checked it up and he switched before the 10/11 season if wiki is correct. So played at least one season after Näslund with it. And don´t really remember if Näslund played his last seasons with a wood stick or not. A small memory seems to say that he, as Smyth, played the last seasons with a composite shaft and a wood blade. But that could be me confusing him with some other player. But Stastny is a probable answer to your question as he played with it as late as 2010.

 

[Paul4587]

I remember Stastny was still using a wooden stick in the 2010 Olympics. Not sure how long after that he changed though.

 

[Martin Riggs]

Adrian Aucoin used woods until I want to say 2011

 

[tjcurrie]

I gave away my last aluminum shaft in 2013 to a close friend. He still hasn't switched over to composites. The bends on his sticks are similar to that of an old warped 2x4, yet he won't part with them.

This one is close, except it was black instead of blue.

I still have my old T-Flex. I think it's broken off somewhere near the bottom though.