11 replies to this topic

[Reb]

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=29844...mp;service=page

New Reebok stick may prove influential in player performance
Associated Press Mar 31, 2007, 1:29 PM EDT
Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk has scored five goals in the past six games, helping his team clinch a playoff spot for the 16th consecutive season. And he may have a new stick with seven holes in the shaft to thank for it.

The holes in the stick are meant to reduce wind resistance by more than 20 percent while improving accuracy and durability.

Datsyuk, who is in his fifth NHL season, has averaged 16.5 points per month since he started using Reebok's new O-Stick in mid-December. In the two months prior, the Russian had tallied less than 20 points in about two months.

Datsyuk said it has improved his game, enticed him to put more shots - and more powerful ones - on goal, and allowed him to block shots without breaking his stick during the middle of a shift.

"It's a big progress for sticks," he said. "It's what I needed."

Datsyuk was the first to adopt the stick, but others are slowly following suit, including ...

[Ducksfreak93]

Makes perfect sense to me.

[Dark Knight]

Andy McDonald has been trying out a new stick as well, as this wallpaper posted by anaheimducks.com shows...

[Reb]

Amazing that he can score goals with that bladeless stick.

[432j]

at the left of the image, you can see a closeup of the shaft of Datsuyk's stick.

[GO DUX]

Uh yuck, as someine who is playing hockey right now I would NEVER use that

[GiantDuck]

Uh yuck, as someine who is playing hockey right now I would NEVER use that

Interesting. I'm curious as to your disdain for the stick. Is it due to the aesthetics of the stick, or the technology? As a tech-head, I'm always interested in attempting to improve athletic performance though equipment technology. The stick is sort of ugly, but if it does improve accuracy and durability, why not use it?

[GO DUX]

Well, it is ugly but if it does improve performance well great.

Personally it seems like something that wont work for me which is why I replied with yuck.

[Duckette]

I wonder why this isn't considered 'performance enhancing'. The whole point of the holes is to improve ones shot. Composite sticks aren't made to improve a shot, just less to lug around. If goalies can't use those certain blades (can't remember what they're called) because they give them some sort of advantage, I don't think you can really allow this stick, but whatever. The goalies always seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to gear and rules.

[Todrick]

Composites most definitely improve you game.

every last one is the same weight, has the same curve and the same flexibility.... and is structurally perfect

with lumber.... that's simply not the case

[Always Mighty]

Composites most definitely improve you game.

every last one is the same weight, has the same curve and the same flexibility.... and is structurally perfect

with lumber.... that's simply not the case

Then why do they break so much and at the worst possible time?!?!

[Duckette]

Composites most definitely improve you game.

every last one is the same weight, has the same curve and the same flexibility.... and is structurally perfect

with lumber.... that's simply not the case

BUT, it's not the point of it. The point of using a composite is so that you don't have such a heavy stick and is, like you said, structured correctly. It's not so much about improving your shot, since you can shoot a puck harder with lumber than you can with composite.

The point of these holes is to improve your shot with less air resistance.