I tried to use one during practice when I played in College, gave up after 5 minutes, once you get used to having a good flex with a low kick point it’s so hard to shoot, passing was fine, handled decent, but it’s two different worlds. It’s so heavy compared to newer sticks today (I use a CCM Ultra Tacks. TDI I have a challenge for you! Try to get your hands on an old Northland hockey stick, one with NO CURVE, and see how you can do with that.
Granted i am a goalie, but the first time i used a composite (had a wood core) stick it shattered on the first hard I faced, my wood sticks take the cake. Durable, i like the weight and i feel more in control of it rather than the composite stick i used. Wood all the way.
surprisingly a ton of goalies are switching over, for the weight difference, saying its faster (it is). But i feel it has less control than a wood stick. I dont know goalies are a different breed than skaters.
I play sometimes in a really rough rink that isn’t smoothly paved so I use wood stick for more time before needing a new one I use like a 3 yr old Sherwood atm Yep just broke it on a clapper 😬
You would probably sing a somewhat different tune with a proper, fresh 90s Sherwood 7000, Bauer 3030, Montreal 99, or even better a fresh 90s pro stock wood stick. The problem is modern wood sticks are made like trash and cost too much for what you get. They used to be like $25-28 for the top level... The answer is more yes they are more than usable if they were made properly, but right now they don't make much sense.
playing street hockey in brooklyn late 60s - early 70s .. the CCM rocker hook right lie 5 was the stick of choice .. $2.50 .. with fiberglass reinforced blade .. with either black electric tape or white first aid tape ..
I use wooden sticks playing beer league. I'm a stay at home defenceman, so the extra weight of the stick makes it super easy to poke check or sweep the puck away.
The difference is a wood stick takes better technique/mechanics, and stronger hands, wrists, forearms etc. to get off good shots, whereas pretty much anyone with decent athletic ability can wing a puck in the top of the net with composites.
Hey TDI, I saw you play your games at St. Mikes. Im a student there and I want to know when your games are so I can potentially watch one of them..big fan
Get that top hand farther away from your body. You can generate more leverage and more pull from the top and in conjunction with a nice wrist roll will create a faster release and more power. Great vid tho!
I still play with a wood hockey stick. The downside to wood is it's heavier and breaks easier. I may be doing something wrong, but I've broken a few without doing anything. I think the transition from cold to warm caused it to split, but don't know for sure.
Most modern wood sticks use an aspen core sandwiched by harder woods to meke them lighter. It makes them too weak in my opinion. Sherwood is the only decent wood stick left.
the lie and the height of the wood stick is what's effecting your ability to use it. I think the lie of the stick is so critical to the efficiency of your stick and matching your play style. In the puck handling drill, you keep losing the puck on the heel of the wood stick because the lie is too low. I play with a wood stick, I always have, because I like the softness of the blade and the low flex. I also like the weight because it absorbs a lot of passes nicely. But I still think the lie and flex are more important than material.
you should start using the wood twig for training and drills and use the composite for games that way it builds up muscle in the arms and shoulders so you're beast in game
yeah it's definitely up to your own personal preference. I'm a smaller guy as well and ever since I made the switch to composite I can't see myself going back
@@silversword4849 yes... they came just before the composite sticks did, they were made of aluminum. They were two piece sticks, wood blade with aluminum shaft.
I'm a goalie and hate composite goalie sticks. They have no feel, they almost vibrate on a stick save, they break way too easy and too much flex to pass and shoot. I do like to slash a forwards stick a couple inches above the blade because I can break your compo- twig every time I feel you are too close yo my crease.
i agree with with most of what you said, but as a goalie who loves to get out and play the puck (and is pretty good at it too) i love the flex of a comp. stick when i need to sauce a puck to a teammate.
I tried a composite stick for the first ever. I stickhandled and shot for over an hour then went back to my wood stick and couldn't believe how heavy it was! I'm finally converted.
i’m in bantam and i still use one it is hard to shoot with if you normally use a composite but once you get used to it it can be really good and.i like the feel of a wooden stick with stick handling and i haven’t been able to get that feel with a composite.i think i can get away with using a wood stick because i’m in bantam so i’m not sure if i will be able to use one in the higher levels of hockey
you and I would play in a similar league and realistically feel is generally the reason we a composite stick. a lack of genuine talent has more significant effect on not having scoring prowess.
Think of all the guys that cleaned those drills, faster than you, with a twig. Does a composite stick really make you better? No. It makes it easier. It makes you weaker.
I mean you can use any stick really if you had to. One of the teams I played for had like a 10 pound metal stick for fast hands back from like 2008, and guys would take it out during games and use it to hack people instead of just fighting during the last 5 minutes so they wouldn’t get suspended. Hasn’t been used like that for years but just goes to show you.
I've always used wooden sticks, i tried a composite stick back in my late 20's and something about the flex seemed too take some power off of my shots so it was right back to wood.
im still crazy but I still use an old stick .My wrist shot is god damn strong .Now stick are god damn light .to easy to handle now . With a reebok per example my stick handling is god damn good now .I use to do 1000 shot night with an old stick
Anyone in the NHL still use a wood stick? I saw a picture of EIchel once and I could of sworn he had a wood stick but in all other I've seen it looks composite.
If this random guy can be this good with a modern stick just imagen how good McDavid would be with it. Thats right: 80's players sucked compared to today.
Just like MLB - these new floppy tooth picks are cool for youth - but beyond JV Highschool everything should go back to wood .. I'm Skinny but not small - my wealthy buddy had me try a $180 Bauer stick - I'm 6'5" 210ish and have a new shoulder and two back surgeries and smoke a pack a day - so I'm far from legit- one slap shot I broke it in half - and my 20 year old Sherwood lasted without fail (until the blade was accidentally driven over and I almost cried)- My buddy says it's because the technique is completely different now and ya hit the puck like a golf ball??? which now makes sense - Maybe it's because I'm 43 but - these composites resemble a corked bat in MLB or weighted gloves in boxing, Steroids etc- technology in sports should not make the player able to do things they normally couldn't (this guy was honestly clear about it) technology in sports should only be focused on protecting the player. Just my $.02 - If a 56 yr old Al MacInnis can still rip a 104mph slap shot with a wood stick - just think about it.
Do not even have to watch the video to answer that question. Real hockey players can use any stick, any flex and in my case doesn't matter right or left. Will I score more goals with wood?Probably not, however woods sticks would work. Also, Longer sticks that meet my chin, I have more reach and would prefer that way as I will cover more ice. Shorter sticks, my puck control is unbelievable.
I still use wooden sticks I guess you can say I’m used to the heaviness of the stick and also I have one hand and if you say that wooden sticks are heavy I’m calling you a weakling even though you have two hands and I don’t
A nice new SW-5030 still feels great but after a few games it gets a little water logged becomes tough. There's still nothing quite like the feeling of holding a murdered tree for sniping entertainment MERRRRICA.
There's a solution to this... don't use the same stick back to back, rotate them so they have a chance to breathe. At $40 a pop you can buy three of them for the price of a composite stick and rotate them as frequently as you feel you need to. If I had two games in the same day I would rotate out if it started feeling spongy. A day in the garage or by the heater and it's good to go. Also... if you alter the curve (torch and vice) you will weaken the fiberglass outer layer if you get it too hot, this allows the moisture into the blade. I still use Sherwood featherlites to this day and will continue to as long as they continue to make them. Kids laugh about it when they see it but they don't know why they can't stop my poke checks. The heavier sticks eat composite sticks alive in poke checks. And... you can always get frustrated and snap their composite stick in half with a quick slash from the wood stick.
@@sofaking2369 towards the end of me using them I sanded them a little and used water seal. Worled really really well. But after awhile the wood just starts to soften up. The one thing a comp will never ever get right is that crisp low level vibration and feel of catching a pass or firing of a nice snap shot with wood.
