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Cutting, pasting and blowtorching

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 28, 2000

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- It was eight hours before the Lightning faced the Islanders on Monday night at Nassau Coliseum, and it already was time for some stickwork.

Lightning players, fresh from their morning skate, were hard at work constructing and molding their sticks. This is not a matter of slapping some tape around a blade.

There is the curve of the blade to worry about, the length of the shaft. If a player uses a two-piece stick, getting the wooden blade attached to the graphite shaft is paramount.

A blowtorch is an invaluable tool, as is a bucket of ice water, a handsaw and glue.

"The stick is an extension of the hands and arms," coach Steve Ludzik said. "I thought I was a junior carpenter by the time I finished playing."

Sticks aren't what they used to be. Shafts, and even blades, can be made of graphite. There even is a new one-piece graphite model about 50 NHL players are trying. If it catches on, much stick preparation could be done away with because the stick is made from a mold.

Until then, players will continue to cut and paste their sticks together.

Lightning equipment manager Ray Thill said seven Tampa Bay players use all-wood sticks. Left wing Fredrik Modin said he stays with them because he believes the point at which the shaft transitions to the blade is stronger than two-piece models.

Modin's issues are stick length (he likes the top to be just under his chin) and blade curve.

To fix the length, players cut from the top with a handsaw. Even graphite shafts, valued for their light weight, have wooden tops so lengths can be modified.

Then there are the blades. Whether they are part of a one-piece stick or need to be attached to a graphite shaft, blades are shipped with curves specified by the players. Because wood blades -- which are much more prevalent than graphite -- are curved by hand at the factory, the shape is not always exact.

Blades are softened with a blowtorch so they can be molded, usually by stepping on them and twisting the shaft. A dip in ice water hardens the new shape.

Center Vinny Lecavalier uses a two-piece. To put it together, glue is melted onto the end of the blade, which is placed inside the end of the shaft. But that's not the end of the customizing. The team captain said he rubs a puck on the tape covering the blade.

"I think (the tape) slides more easily on the ice," he said. "And I think the puck stays better on the blade."

He also rubs the sticky side of tape on the stick to get a better grip. "The way it feels is very important," Lecavalier said. "I just couldn't play if I didn't have my stick. I could, but I wouldn't be able to stickhandle."

A new feel comes from Easton, which makes a one-piece graphite stick. Consistency of shaft length, stiffness and blade curve is the appeal; it is attainable because the sticks are made from a mold.

The problem: There are only five patterns (Joe Sakic, Nick Lidstrom, Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan and Mike Modano), and original molds cost $15,000.

Thill said sticks from those molds can be had for $100. He said two-piece sticks cost about $85, but the new sticks are supposed to last longer. Players are resistant because, well, those sticks are not their sticks.

"It would be hard," left wing Todd Warriner said of switching models. "You can get used to anything, but guys have used the same things for so long, it's hard to break a pattern."

Still, Warriner said he wants to try the stick of forward Brian Holzinger, who uses a two-piece with a graphite blade. Again, consistency of design is the appeal.

"I don't seem to have any goals yet (using that blade)," Holzinger said, "but I'm working on it."

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