The RinkFor the not so ready for prime-time players, coaches, referees, and the people that have to live with them. Discuss experiences in local leagues, coaching tips, equipment, and training.
What is the purpose of taping stick handle?
Is it just to get firmed grip? trying to avoid slippery handle? if so, the sticks (composite) that are on the market thesedays seem to have sticky handle. (not only the handle part but whole stick itself) so, is it neccessary to tape it up???
It's partly to make it more comfortable, part to keep if from slipping out of your hand (helps even if you have a grip stick) and can help prevent you from rubbing a hole in the palm of your glove.
Tape it up. And only the cheap sticks are all grip, high end ones you have the option to do it or not. In the NHL, it's about half and half grip/ no grip.
What is the purpose of taping stick handle?
Is it just to get firmed grip? trying to avoid slippery handle? if so, the sticks (composite) that are on the market thesedays seem to have sticky handle. (not only the handle part but whole stick itself) so, is it neccessary to tape it up???
Plus, tape help to keep the shaft from eatting up the palm on the glove when you play. make sure that before you tape the end to take a rasp or file and round the edges down. This will help prevent the stick from eatting the leather as well.
This is just a theory, but the tape on the end of the stick could -- among other things -- help balance out the tape that goes on the blade, assuming the whole blade is taped.
When a stick manufacturer designs the balance of the stick, they might assume that there's nothing on the stick. A lot of players will pick up one of those newer one-piece sticks and say that it's "well balanced."
I always taped the handle because of tradition... my dad did it, my brother did it, all my teammates did it, so I did it. My idea was always that the tape absorbed sweat from the glove, so the top hand wasn't slipping around.
These days I use grip tape (this stuff). I love this stuff, only issue I've had is that every few tape jobs, this stuff wanders down the shaft. To fix that, when using the grip tape I leave a half-inch gap at the top of the stick. Then I wrap regular hockey tape around and around the top to form a knob and hold the grip tape in place.
I was told that the knob at the end is to help you pick your stick up off the ice with hockey gloves on.
And
The knob on a goalie stick is more like a stop to help goalies hang on to their sticks while poke checking.
I was told that the knob at the end is to help you pick your stick up off the ice with hockey gloves on.
And
The knob on a goalie stick is more like a stop to help goalies hang on to their sticks while poke checking.
about the picking the stick up off the ice, thats true, but smart people know to pick it up by the blade if it slips out of your hands.
In youth hockey, a knob is needed so butt ends cant fit through the slots in a hockey cage. If it can fit through, its a penalty.
as far as a junior/pro or league that doesnt require full face protection, theres no rule concerning butt ends.
once you get in those leagues, its personal preference, but people have been using a butt end for their entire lives so they are used to it(from youth hockey).
spot on for the goalie stick, and is also to help pick it up when dropped cause goalie gloves can be pretty bulky.
i dont put a knob on my stick. i hold the end of the stick on my palm so it would feel weird. defenseman sometimes put bigger knobs on their sticks so they can poke check too
I use to use a big knob on the end of the stick. than ran of tape one day and only had about 3 wraps on the knob and found it way for comfortable than a big one. i also only use white tape i hear the black eats away the palms of gloves.
i also only use white tape i hear the black eats away the palms of gloves.
Not to pick on you, since I've heard this rumour from so many guys... how the hell can this be true? It's the same 'effin tape, they just dye it black.
Next I'll be hearing "black pucks wear out your stick faster, use white pucks"...
Not to pick on you, since I've heard this rumour from so many guys... how the hell can this be true? It's the same 'effin tape, they just dye it black.
Next I'll be hearing "black pucks wear out your stick faster, use white pucks"...
Dye is the key word here. I have had people tell me it doesn't ruin there gloves, but I have experienced it and agree that black tape does wear your gloves out faster. I have heard that there are semi-corrosive agents in the dye they use on the tape; however I do not know this for certain.
Dye is the key word here. I have had people tell me it doesn't ruin there gloves, but I have experienced it and agree that black tape does wear your gloves out faster. I have heard that there are semi-corrosive agents in the dye they use on the tape; however I do not know this for certain.
yea but they dye the white tape too. i can understand the black tape turning your gloves black but i dont know how it would corrode them
I've heard of guys waxing the tape, but to me that seems kind of pointless... why tape in the first place then?
Snap Wax and similar waxes (the one I presently use is called Ice Wax) are sticky to the touch and help with grip, including when you use it on a non-grip shaft, but at the same time it helps prevent snow from sticking to your blade.
Plus, tape help to keep the shaft from eatting up the palm on the glove when you play. make sure that before you tape the end to take a rasp or file and round the edges down. This will help prevent the stick from eatting the leather as well.
I use to use a big knob on the end of the stick. than ran of tape one day and only had about 3 wraps on the knob and found it way for comfortable than a big one. i also only use white tape i hear the black eats away the palms of gloves.
Yeah I use to use a big knob too now it's like 5 maybe 10 wraps and on the end no cording and only 1.5 inch of end. just enough to let me know I have reached the end of the stick.
spend 200 bucks on the lightest stick you can find then wrap an extra 5 oz of tape around it just doesn't make any sense.
I've heard of guys waxing the tape, but to me that seems kind of pointless... why tape in the first place then?
Well, wax coats the tape to make it water proof. You see, when you play for several periods, if you do not wax the tape, the water will soak into the tape and with that extra water, it might change the feel and weight of your stick.
Plus, with time, the water will emulsify the glue gum on the tape which will make the tape fall off if the bottom is chewed off due to use.
Yeah I use to use a big knob too now it's like 5 maybe 10 wraps and on the end no cording and only 1.5 inch of end. just enough to let me know I have reached the end of the stick.
spend 200 bucks on the lightest stick you can find then wrap an extra 5 oz of tape around it just doesn't make any sense.
The way I see it, weight isn't everything. If adding the tape improves performance in some way, those benefits can outweigh lightness. And the weight of the knob of tape is totally insignificant compared to the same weight of tape on the blade. It's simple physics. And to end it off, a $200 stick with tape is still lighter than a wooden stick with tape.
