Ice hockey sticks have developed enormously in the last 30 years, but the sticks of the world’s best players don’t start any harder than they did in the 90s. What causes this?
30 years ago Al Iafrate and Al McInnis were the hardest shooters in the NHL. The gentlemen gave the rubber bat a speed of well over 160 kilometers per hour with wooden clubs.
When leaving for the Olympic break, Ottawa Tyler Kleven held the NHL’s hardest shot this season. At his best, he hit the puck at a speed of 166.58 km/h.
Why don’t today’s tops pull any harder than the stars of the 90s, even though hockey sticks are actually much better than they were 30 years ago?
– Before, men were iron and clubs were wood, Harry Aaltonen grin.
He has been selling hockey sticks for 30 years and knows what the surprising fact really is, but we’ll get back to that later. Let’s first take a firm grip on the novelty racket.
“Notice immediately”
Patrik Laine knows how to make excellent use of the flex properties of modern rackets. PDO
Aaltonen grabs a 300 euro top stick. It feels disconcertingly light. Handling the puck and shooting seems easy even in a stick-handed Kaljaliiga pack.
– The biggest change in the rackets has been in the manufacturing material. Wood has changed to carbon and fiberglass. You notice it right away, especially in weight, says Aaltonen.
At the same time, the flexing properties of the stem have developed enormously, which makes shooting much easier. And there is sure to be a suitable keel for everyone.
– There is a club with a loose ankle, a club with a stiff ankle and a straight-bend shaft. You can choose the one that suits you according to how you shoot.
In addition, a slightly more angular and rounder handle is available, depending on what suits your hand best.
Pick up the slack!
In the 90s, the “toughest dudes” shot with wooden xxx-stiff clubs, which were like iron rods. Carbon fiber clubs also initially had the same stiffness trend.
– When carbon fiber bats came out in the early 2000s, the most sold adult bats were the 102 and 85 flex stiffnesses, Aaltonen recalls.
Now the situation has changed dramatically. The most popular flex stiffnesses for adults are 75 and 80. But why?
– Launching technology has changed when the properties of the clubs have improved, Aaltonen says.
For example, a club with a loose ankle bends more sensitively at the point between the shaft and the face, so the shot no longer requires as much force as before.
– It’s easier for young players to shoot with such a stick. You no longer have to lift 150 kilos from the bench to get the bet going.
And the looser the club is, the bigger the bow gun effect you get. Aaltonen urges junnus in particular to choose a stem that is too loose rather than one that is too stiff.
– The shaft stiffness has loosened for everyone, but of course there are still some old-school players who want a stiff racket.
Three blades
There are often three blade models on the shelf. The differences between them are quite small. Pete Anikari
In the era of wooden racket dominance, there were a huge number of blade options. Now the situation is different.
– There are usually three blade models on the shelf: 28, 92 and 29. They are practically the same for all manufacturers, Aaltonen says.
Of course, you can also order more special blades, but the demand for them is so low that stores don’t need to include them in their selections.
Over the years, the trend in platforms has gone in a different direction than in stems.
– The pallets have been stiffened. They no longer flex in the same way. There are also different types of blades. Some are softer than others, so the feel of the puck is a little different.
Today, there are also raised shoulder models that are 25 percent higher than before. In practice, the blade is therefore a little less than a centimeter higher.
– This request has come from professional players, because on bad ice the puck easily bounces over the stage.
Shelves
When Aaltonen offers a 75-euro stick after a 300-euro racket, the difference in weight is noticeable, and the bet doesn’t seem to go right anymore.
– Yes, it loses its properties, and the weight has increased by 150 grams, Aaltonen says.
Despite this, top players, for example Mikael Granlund prefer to use older racket models, which weigh significantly more.
– It was the same Lehterän Jorilla. When he came to IFK, he didn’t like to play with the sticks of the first and second basket. He liked to play with a slightly heavier racket, Aaltonen reveals.
Even for many top professionals, an ordinary shelf racket is fine.
– They don’t have to be anything more than that. Of course, some people want their own shoulder models, in which case they are customized.
400 clubs
Nathan MacKinnon’s wrist shot goes really fast with little movement. PDO
The old wooden clubs loosened in use. The new carbon fiber rackets don’t have this problem, but for some reason many players still buy new rackets for every game.
– I think it’s more of a superstition. They wouldn’t need to change a new racket for every game, but there are also those players who only use 6-7 rackets per season.
And then there’s the Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnonwho uses 400 bats per season. For example, he takes three new rackets every game.
Although the shaft does not loosen much in the new carbon fiber clubs, the rotational stiffness between the head and the shaft may be weakened. You can see it in strokes if the blade gives a little.
– There, only one fiber needs to break or become brittle, and then rotational stiffness may be lost, Aaltonen admits.
Lean on fun
Many parents may have a little tear in the corner of their eye when their own child’s bat snaps like a toothpick at the start. It was a start of 300 euros.
Once upon a time, you could get wooden clubs for 150 marks, or 25 euros.
– When playing with wooden clubs, the clubs were made in Forssa. Now they are made in Mexico and China. Import duties and freight pay, Aaltonen opens up the reasons for the price increase.
New materials are also more expensive, and product development is not free either.
– Product development of wooden rackets stopped as soon as carbon fiber rackets gained a foothold. They are even worse today than in the early 2000s, Aaltonen sees.
Is fat dying?
Harry Aaltonen has seen up close how hockey sticks have developed in 30 years. Pete Anikari
So let’s go back to the original question: why don’t today’s top players shoot any harder with the new carbon fiber clubs than the boars of the 90s did with wooden clubs?
– Yes, the average trigger hardness is clearly harder now than in the 90s. If 30 players were lined up for that, they would probably all shoot 5–10 km/h in, whereas in the 90s the differences were much bigger, Aaltonen points out.
Most of today’s NHL players could probably shoot almost as hard as the “Alits” of the 90s, but there’s no time to tune in to extreme heats in games anymore.
of The Athletic according to the 2022-2023 season in the NHL, only 3.73 shots per team per game were shot on average. In 2009–2010, the same reading was 7.11. In the golden years of McInnis and Iafrate, it was definitely even higher than this.
Instead of cleats, players now use more fast wristbands.
– It can also be seen in product development. Modern clubs are made in such a way that it is easy to shoot quickly from a small space, Aaltonen says.
There was a huge difference between the top racket and the starting price racket when the reporter got to test them. Pete Anikari