… Zach Parise was so impressed with Mike Cammalleri’s shot that he asked the Canadiens’ winger about his blade, which is unique among NHL players. Parise, however, switched back to his old one, because he couldn’t control the backhand. Ironic then, that Carey Price stopped that kind of attempt on a penalty shot to save Montreal’s win in New Jersey on Saturday.
… Jason Garrison leads NHL defenseman with 10 goals. SunMedia’s Chris Stevenson reported that his weapon of choice is a Bauer Apex stick with a 110 flex and a bit of a toe curve.
… He’d spent all day trying to figure out a way to get the monkey off his back.
Scoreless in six games and with just one point – a Dec. 23 goal in a loss to St. Louis – in his last nine, Doan decided enough was enough.
He changed his pregame route to Jobing.com Arena and his entire pregame routine. At the urging of equipment managers Stan Wilson and Tony Silva, he changed the unique, curved knob of his stick – a constant source of ribbing from teammate – and went back to a more standard knob.
Brad Marchand of the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins shows viewers how he routinely selects his personal hockey stick.
Highlights include:
- Marchand uses a Bauer TotalOne one-piece composite hockey stick with a “G3″ pro pattern/curve.
- Marchand’s preferred stick length is up to his forehead, OFF skates. He prefers a longer stick for increased reach and better whip/flex on his shots.
- Marchand routinely uses 2 to 3 sticks per week.
- Marchand tapes his stick blade from heel to toe, covering the entire blade.
- Marchand shaves down the knob of his stick so that it is thinner than the shaft itself, for a smaller, better feel in his hands.
Video Courtesy of BostonBruinsTV, who teamed up with ice hockey equipment retailer Pure Hockey to bring viewers a new series about the Bruins and their equipment (9/10/2011).
Kris Draper of the Detroit Red Wings shows viewers how he routinely tapes his hockey stick.
Highlights include:
- Draper uses 1″ Johnson & Johnson white cloth tape for the knob of his butt end (goes around about 16 times).
- Draper uses wider, 1.5″ Johnson & Johnson white cloth tape for the remainer of his butt end tape job.
- Draper uses red, “grippy” Renfrew stretch grip tape to go over the white cloth tape on his butt end.
- Todd Bertuzzi and Drew Miller use a pre-made, Tacki Mac stick grip that slides over the butt end and adheres to the stick with wet glue.
- Draper uses white Renfrew cloth tape for his stick blade, taping it from heel to toe (over the toe).
- Draper prepares three (3) sticks for every game.
- Draper uses a Warrior ice hockey stick.
Video courtesy of Detroit Free Press Sports Writer Jo-Ann Barnas and her article entitled, “Unraveling the secrets of how and why the Red Wings tape their sticks,” April 24, 2011.
Bruins Look To Erase Memory Of Historic Playoff Collapse
Boston may be mentally exhausted after a draining seven-game series against their bitter rivals from Montreal, in which they had to fight back from an 0-2 deficit (losing both of the opening games at home) and win three overtime games to eliminate the Canadiens. It won’t get any easier for the Bruins, who will face the Philadelphia Flyers in Round 2. The Flyers may have the mental edge after last season’s epic playoff collapse by the Bruins, who won the first three games of the series. Even after a Game 4, 5-4 Bruins overtime loss in Philadelphia, NHL odds still had the Bruins as favorites to move on to the conference finals, as they had two of the last three games at home. Boston was blanked 4-0 at home in Game 5, lost 2-1 in Philadelphia in Game 6, before surrendering a 3-0 lead in Game 7 and ultimately losing 4-3, completing one of the biggest collapses in sports history. Boston became only the third team in NHL postseason history to lose a 3-0 series lead, while the Flyers went all all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, before losing to the eventual champion Chicago Blackhawks.
NHL odds for this series are dead even, but there is a big difference between this year’s Boston team and last year’s: Tim Thomas. The probable Vezina Trophy winner was on the bench for all seven of last year’s games against the Flyers, as the Bruins went with Tuukka Rask. The Flyers, on the other hand, are a mess in goal as they started three different netminders against Buffalo in their seven-game series win, and also go into this series against Boston without sniper Jeff Carter, in addition to the uncertainty surrounding Chris Pronger’s health status. Revenge will cetainly be on the menu for the Bruins this time around! Stay tuned…
On WEEI Sports Radio Boston’s “Dale & Holley” Show, Boston Bruins forward Nathan Horton talked about how he used a stick in the Montreal Canadiens game (with the price tags still on) bought from a pro shop (Thursday, February 10, 2011).
Click below to hear what Nathan had to say!
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Chara’s shot hasn’t always been as reliable as it was in 2008-09, his Norris Trophy-winning year. That season, Chara buried a career-best 19 goals.
Last year, Chara scored only seven goals, his fewest since 2000-01, when he netted just two for the Islanders. This year, in November and December, Chara went 23 straight games without a goal.
When his mechanics are off and his confidence wanes, his slap shot is as unpredictable as the stock market. He doesn’t have enough time to wind up and tee off. It misses the net. It sails wide right. Or his stick snaps.
During his November-December slump, Chara busted more sticks than usual. Lately, Chara has experimented with a different blade that complements the shaft’s stiffness.
“You see him going on the ice early to work on his shot,’’ said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “He works a lot on it.
“One thing he’s been working on is getting the right sticks. He’s one of those guys that breaks so many sticks. He’s got the stiffest flex you could ever find. He’s been experimenting with that to control his shot better.
“It’s been a while since he’s had a real comfortable stick. He’s got different sticks and different lies and curves. It’s a low shot, but a real hard shot. The way he shoots the puck, you want your teammates to feel comfortable standing in front.’’
