The game of hockey has been around for a long time, and it’s evolved greatly since its inception. In the beginning, players would wear little or no protective gear leaving them susceptible to injury. Nowadays all Players must adhere strictly to wearing protective pads and helmets made out of Thermoplastics for the full protection of the players.
The hockey stick may have been and still be a challenge for players on the ice, but what do hockey players do to their hockey sticks?
Why do hockey players blowtorch their sticks?
It sounds crazy, but it’s really helpful. It helps the players gain control of their sticks during playtime. The players spend an hour or two before the game heating their hockey sticks with a blowtorch. This enables them to customize the blade’s curve to their own personal liking.
In the ’50s, hockey sticks were still being made with straight blades. This led players to bend it themselves by heating up their sticks and bending them under a door or somewhere else on some surfaces.
The NHL was becoming overwhelmed with the danger of banana blade hockey sticks. The blades were too unpredictable and dangerous for their sport, so they quickly put a limit on how much curve these sticks can have.
A curved hockey stick has several advantages. “Hockey players decided to start curving the blades of their sticks decades ago as they found it was easier to raise the puck off the ice with a more pronounced curve,” Brave Stick Hockey states.
The New York Times describes how a blade with the perfect curve can keep pucks low to the ice. The publication added, “Players settle for their ideal shape by heating it up in a blowtorch and bending it underfoot before sticking into a bucket full of iced water.”
The hockey stick has a big impact on the trajectory of an athlete’s game. With more bend, players have better chances at hitting upper net mesh from further distances and scoring more often with increased speed.
The one size fits all hockey stick is a thing of the past. Now, players can customize their own composite sticks to meet specific needs and desires for enhanced performance. “Now players get their sticks already custom fit, with precise specifications on everything from the curve of the blade to the shape of the shaft, ready to go right out of the box,” USA Today confirms.
The hockey stick has changed so much in recent years that today’s players rarely need to do anything themselves.
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