The Complete Handbook of Hockey Stick Parts

I run the equipment room for a junior A team and I've been doing this for eleven years. This book finally explains why some sticks I ordered were garbage and others were great, and it does it in plain language. The chapter on how the hosel transfers energy to the blade was worth the price alone. I've already changed how we spec our order for next season based on the flex and kick point sections.

Decent reference, but I was hoping for more depth on blade replacement. The book tells you it's possible to replace a blade on a composite shaft but doesn't give a step-by-step procedure, which is the thing I actually needed. The sections on shaft geometry and flex are solid and well written. I'd say it's a good starting point for someone new to stick components, but a little thin if you're already doing repairs professionally.

I own a pro shop and this is now the book I hand to new staff during their first week. It covers everything from the difference between a square and rounded corner shaft to how grip texture affects hand placement. The troubleshooting chapter saved me from a nasty warranty dispute with a customer whose blade failure was actually caused by improper storage. Absolutely recommended for anyone in the business.

Very useful for understanding what you're actually paying for when you buy a stick. I appreciated the honest discussion of how much of the price difference between a 200 dollar stick and a 300 dollar stick is real performance versus marketing. I only wish the brand comparison chapter had been more specific about current models since the market changes so fast. Still, the underlying framework will stay relevant.

The book is well organized and has some genuinely useful information about flex and kick points. But I felt like it was written more for equipment managers and shop owners than for serious players like me who just want to know what to buy. There's a lot of detail about inventory management and business models that doesn't apply to me. I skipped those sections. If you're in the trade this is a five star book, but for a player it's fine.

I've played hockey for thirty years and coached for the last twelve, and I thought I knew everything about sticks. I was wrong. This handbook explained the structural differences between the two main blade construction methods and why one suits my power forwards better than my finesse players. The storage and maintenance chapter extended the life of our team's sticks noticeably. My copy is already dog-eared and marked up.

Solid information overall and the writing is clear, but I found the early chapters a bit repetitive if you already know the basics of how a stick is put together. The checklist for evaluating a used stick was useful and I've used it a couple times now. It feels more like a textbook than a quick reference, so I can't see myself reading it cover to cover again. Good for what it is, though.

Finally a reference that treats hockey stick parts like engineering components instead of magic wands. The section on blade rocker and curve depth gave me the vocabulary to order exactly what I wanted instead of picking a player's pro model and hoping. The chapter on business opportunities even got me thinking about starting a stick repair service on the side. This is the book I will actually keep on my workbench.