Top pick for sticks

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imlisteningtothefnsong
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Top pick for sticks

Post by imlisteningtothefnsong » Sat Oct 13, 2012 11:56 am

Does anyone have an emotional attachment to a particular hockey stick? I mean is there a brand that seems to be more durable than others? 4 kids playing is killing me!! $$$$ :-({|=

rudy
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sticks

Post by rudy » Sat Oct 13, 2012 5:08 pm

In general, move up in stiffness of stick as soon as possible without sacrificing performance. When my guy went from 87 to 102, the sticks started lasting longer.

There are some other things you can do: don't let soaking-wet tape stay on the blade, for example.

Of course, centers beat up their sticks more than others because of all the hacking during faceoffs.

As for a brand, we have settled in on Easton, if for no other reason than the company gives you no hassle when it comes to sending back a stick under warranty. While the warranty is 30 days, I've been given a few days of grace on that.

No matter, keep this in mind: If you find a stick that maximizes your skater's performance, stay with that one, even if it doesn't wear as well as others. Just think of all that money you spent -- other than on sticks -- trying to improve the performance being sought.

jancze5
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wood

Post by jancze5 » Sun Oct 14, 2012 8:45 am

find a WOOD stick that matches your curve and buy 5 to use in practice...use your $220 sticks in the last practice before a game and in the game. You'll save alot
New England Prep School Hockey Recruiter

imlisteningtothefnsong
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Top pick for sticks

Post by imlisteningtothefnsong » Sun Oct 14, 2012 10:10 pm

Thanks for the ideas!!

joey
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Post by joey » Sun Oct 14, 2012 11:59 pm

I have no affiliation with this company whatsoever, but the BASE sticks are by far the most durable that we have come across.

I have three sons who have all played since they were first-graders, the youngest of whom is now a senior in high school.

We have tried every stick under the sun, none lasting more than 9 months, most lasting less than 6, especially in their teen-age years.

We had simply come to accept the fact that it took 2 or even 3 sticks just to get through each season(per player).

A year ago, we heard raves about the BASE sticks, and tried one. It lasted 8 months in the hands of a 17 year-old defenseman that plays year-round, and only broke when it got drilled head-on while blocking a monster slapshot, halfway up the shaft. The blade was still in almost new condition.

I have no connection with this company at all - but I am now spending one-fourth what I used to be spending on sticks. If you need a stick that can take severe punishment, I recommend it. Good luck.

old goalie85
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Post by old goalie85 » Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:03 am

Nice 2nd post. Rep?

Roy01
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Post by Roy01 » Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:09 am

How about we all go back to the Easton Aluminum? Those things will never break :wink:

BodyShots
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Post by BodyShots » Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:24 pm

Northland, KOHO, or Shorewood

observer
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Post by observer » Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:55 pm

find a WOOD stick that matches your curve and buy 5 to use in practice...use your $220 sticks in the last practice before a game and in the game. You'll save alot
Dads love that idea but it's kind of unlikely. It's important for players to practice with the stick they play with so most players carry two of the same so if one breaks they have another, the same, with them. And, I don't know where they picked this up, try and get your player to go with wood. Keeping up with the Jones' don't ya know. It's why Squirts wear skates made for 220 pound men.

One year we broke a bunch and now the blades going soft seems to be the current reason some last only a month or two. Pretty sure they pitched durability when they first came out.

almostashappy
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Post by almostashappy » Mon Oct 15, 2012 4:32 pm

observer wrote: Dads love that idea but it's kind of unlikely. It's important for players to practice with the stick they play with so most players carry two of the same so if one breaks they have another, the same, with them. And, I don't know where they picked this up, try and get your player to go with wood. Keeping up with the Jones' don't ya know. It's why Squirts wear skates made for 220 pound men.

One year we broke a bunch and now the blades going soft seems to be the current reason some last only a month or two. Pretty sure they pitched durability when they first came out.
I really wish that the stick makers and other equipment manufacturers would consider the possibility that the short-term profits currently generated by $220 sticks and $700 skates are going to kill them (and our sport) over the long term. They might have the parents of the current high school generation over a barrel, but I'm quite certain that lower head counts down at the mite/squirt levels reflect, at least in part, a revolt against the increasingly disproportionate costs relative to other sports...it's getting to the point where it would be just as cheap to join a country club and outfit your kid with a $1200 set of custom-fitted irons.

I'm willing to bet that those irons would come with more than a 30-day warranty.

shakey
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Post by shakey » Mon Oct 15, 2012 8:58 pm

almostashappy wrote:
observer wrote: Dads love that idea but it's kind of unlikely. It's important for players to practice with the stick they play with so most players carry two of the same so if one breaks they have another, the same, with them. And, I don't know where they picked this up, try and get your player to go with wood. Keeping up with the Jones' don't ya know. It's why Squirts wear skates made for 220 pound men.

One year we broke a bunch and now the blades going soft seems to be the current reason some last only a month or two. Pretty sure they pitched durability when they first came out.
I really wish that the stick makers and other equipment manufacturers would consider the possibility that the short-term profits currently generated by $220 sticks and $700 skates are going to kill them (and our sport) over the long term. They might have the parents of the current high school generation over a barrel, but I'm quite certain that lower head counts down at the mite/squirt levels reflect, at least in part, a revolt against the increasingly disproportionate costs relative to other sports...it's getting to the point where it would be just as cheap to join a country club and outfit your kid with a $1200 set of custom-fitted irons.

I'm willing to bet that those irons would come with more than a 30-day warranty.
Here's a solution - don't spend $220 for a stick or $700 for a pair of skates. There are many price points for sticks and skates that offer plenty of performance at affordable prices. Don't blame the manufacturers if you can't say "no" to your kid. I'll be you wouldn't stop driving if you couldn't afford a Bentley.

MNHockeyFan
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Post by MNHockeyFan » Mon Oct 15, 2012 10:55 pm

shakey wrote:Here's a solution - don't spend $220 for a stick or $700 for a pair of skates. There are many price points for sticks and skates that offer plenty of performance at affordable prices. Don't blame the manufacturers if you can't say "no" to your kid. I'll bet you wouldn't stop driving if you couldn't afford a Bentley.
Good advice. Just to give some perspective on how ridiculous this has become, when I was an "aspiring youth hockey player" most people agreed that the best stick you could buy was a "Northland Pro". It was straight, made of wood and had a nice fiberglass wrap. It cost $6. Other sticks 'almost as good' were priced at $3-$5.

And the best skates? For sure, CCM Tacks, priced at $60. I never even heard of them until I approached high school age, and not many could afford 'em! But, just like today, everyone wanted the best that money could buy, hoping it would give them an edge! :wink: But UNLIKE today, hockey "way back then" was a lot more affordable.

BodyShots
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Post by BodyShots » Tue Oct 16, 2012 8:29 am

shakey wrote:Here's a solution - don't spend $220 for a stick or $700 for a pair of skates. There are many price points for sticks and skates that offer plenty of performance at affordable prices. Don't blame the manufacturers if you can't say "no" to your kid. I'll be you wouldn't stop driving if you couldn't afford a Bentley.
=D> It's called... get a pair dad and say "this stick (or these skates) will do just fine!" It worked on my kids, and they didn't seem to suffer for it.

almostashappy
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Post by almostashappy » Tue Oct 16, 2012 9:11 am

shakey wrote: Here's a solution - don't spend $220 for a stick or $700 for a pair of skates. There are many price points for sticks and skates that offer plenty of performance at affordable prices. Don't blame the manufacturers if you can't say "no" to your kid. I'll be you wouldn't stop driving if you couldn't afford a Bentley.
Wow, thanks for the sage parenting advice. I bet you're a real hit in supermarket checkout lines and ECFE classes.

I'd love to hear what your definition of "affordable" is. The price of hockey equipment at all price points has far exceeded the rate of inflation over the past 10 years....it's more like the cost curves for college tuition and health care. And for a less-than-well-off family, the $140 stick that breaks 32 days after purchase is no easier to handle than a busted $220 stick.

But I was looking pessimistically towards the future, rather than at the problems faced by families that are already well down the pipeline. The problem, in my opinion, is that your Bentley analogy is more apt than I'd like. Because when it comes to comparing different youth sports, there are many alternatives to hockey "that offer plenty of performance at affordable prices." And those alternatives are becoming more and more popular as the price of hockey equipment, on top of the youth association fees, increases disproportionately.

At this rate, the only kids playing hockey are going to be the ones who get dropped off at the rink by Bentleys.

almostashappy
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Post by almostashappy » Tue Oct 16, 2012 9:52 am

BodyShots wrote:
shakey wrote:Here's a solution - don't spend $220 for a stick or $700 for a pair of skates. There are many price points for sticks and skates that offer plenty of performance at affordable prices. Don't blame the manufacturers if you can't say "no" to your kid. I'll be you wouldn't stop driving if you couldn't afford a Bentley.
=D> It's called... get a pair dad and say "this stick (or these skates) will do just fine!" It worked on my kids, and they didn't seem to suffer for it.
Another "Parent of the Year" candidate dispensing helpful (if slightly more sharp-tongued) advice. :roll:

You tough guys are preaching to the choir. My kid was the last one on his team using a wooden stick (not counting the goalies), and was skating on Play-it-Again specials when his teammates were decked out in Vapor XXXX's. And today, when he busts a blade, we give him enough cash for a "good-enough" stick and tell him he has to make up the difference if he wants something pricier (using earnings from his part-time job).

But gentlemen, can we honestly expect that all of the other parents will have backbones that are as stiff as ours? And does growing a pair make it any easier to write out those $1000 checks to your local hockey association each Fall?

I can already hear the gruff response..."Well, the pond was good enough for my kids...didn't need to pay for all this fancy-smancy indoor ice!" Yeah, well I had to walk five miles to school uphill in both directions, and it wasn't until I got to school that I learned that my real name wasn't "Fetch the wood." So there. :P

There has to be some reason why headcounts at the Mite and Squirt levels are dwindling all across the State, or why every year we see another high school program merging, or (worse) being dropped. My argument is that the fact that equipment costs are rising far above the rate of inflation are a contributing factor, particularly once you get out beyond the wealthier Metro-area suburbs (or inside those suburbs, for that matter). I would be happy to consider alternative hypotheses.

GoldenBear
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Post by GoldenBear » Tue Oct 16, 2012 10:53 am

I know it won't happen, but I'd love Minnesota hockey to require; Peewees and below...heck Bantams and below to use wooden sticks. There are rules for bats in youth baseball, have rules for wooden sticks. The kids can use what they want in the summer I guess; but at least it would save each family a few hundred bucks during the year.

buttend
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Post by buttend » Tue Oct 16, 2012 11:25 am

GoldenBear wrote:I know it won't happen, but I'd love Minnesota hockey to require; Peewees and below...heck Bantams and below to use wooden sticks. There are rules for bats in youth baseball, have rules for wooden sticks. The kids can use what they want in the summer I guess; but at least it would save each family a few hundred bucks during the year.
You dont need a Mn Hockey rule change to manage a families checkbook. If the price of a "top of the line" stick is not affordable there are many options for that family with "Lower level " stick models and yes wooden sticks that they could choose to purchase.

almostashappy
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Post by almostashappy » Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:21 pm

buttend wrote: You dont need a Mn Hockey rule change to manage a families checkbook. If the price of a "top of the line" stick is not affordable there are many options for that family with "Lower level " stick models and yes wooden sticks that they could choose to purchase.
When was the last time you saw a high-schooler playing with a wooden stick (goalies excepted)? And what's the "lower level" equivalent of playing on a Bantam A team? The pond? Costs just as much in my association to play on Bantam C (although, I guess you save a few bucks on try-out fees by not letting him try out for anything higher).

But you're absolutely right about individual responsibilities and family checkbooks. Which is why more and more families with young children are making what they believe is the more responsible (and saner) choice and staying clear of the local rink.

FixedSticks
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Broken Sticks Solution

Post by FixedSticks » Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:36 pm

Hey Guys- sorry to post an ad type post here, but trying to get word out about my side business and thought it might be of interest. I can fix any composite stick broken above the blade.

Charge $28 to do it, guarantee repair for 30 days.

Call 612 - 961 - 3851 and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Thank you!

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