Choosing a hockey stick.

What the rules require

Each body sets its own limits, and a team can ask the referee to measure an opponent's stick during a game where that rule applies.

All three bodies allow tape of any colour. The IIHF and Hockey Canada require the butt end to be covered, and Hockey Canada requires a protective cap on hollow shafts as well; the NHL's Rule 10 does not state this. Hockey Canada lists wood, composite and aluminium among approved materials. The IIHF treats a manufactured stick whose top cap is missing as dangerous equipment. Hockey Canada's interpretation presumes sticks legal unless a modification gives an unfair advantage, and allows only conventional designs without its approval.

A stick bought off the shelf can still be cut down or have its curve altered, so check any change against your league's limits. Goalie stick limits differ; see the sticks page.

Our picks by category

How to choose

Flex: soft enough to bend

Russell and Hunt (Kettering University, in a 2009 draft for The Physics Teacher) describe the flex number as roughly the force in pounds needed to bend the shaft one inch in a three-point test, and say a stick can bend by up to about 30 degrees in slap and wrist shots. They note studies are split: some find more flexible sticks give faster pucks, others that skill matters more than stiffness.

Laliberte's 2009 review of slap shot research in The Sport Journal concludes that technique and strength matter most, and recommends the most flexible stick a player can use without breaking it often, especially for younger or weaker players. Ice Warehouse suggests starting at about half your body weight in pounds, then commonly going 10 to 15 points softer, and warns that a stick too stiff to load reduces shot power (claim). The two sources point the same way.

Length: three sources, three heights

• Pashby guide: in street shoes, between the chin and mouth; on skates, just below the chin.
• Hockey Canada Coach 1 (2022): on skates, somewhere between the collarbone and the chin, so the top hand can move freely in front of the body.
• Ice Warehouse (claim): in shoes, between chin and nose; about the chin on skates. It adds that defenders often prefer longer sticks and forwards shorter ones.

The sources agree on the range more than the exact point. Remember the retailer's note that cutting stiffens the stick.

Lie

Coach 1 says the lie is right when the blade sits flat on the ice in the player's normal skating stance. Retailer HockeyMonkey says common lies are 4, 5 and 6, with lower lies suiting players who skate low with the puck farther out and higher lies suiting upright skaters (claim). The manual's test is simply whether the blade sits flat in your stance.

Curve

HockeyMonkey describes heel curves as often chosen for slap shots, mid curves for all-round handling and backhands, and toe curves for quick lift in tight spaces, with closed faces favouring low shots and open faces quicker lift (claims). It also notes the same curve name can carry different lie numbers from brand to brand, so compare the numbers, not the name. For a first stick, ask a coach about your shot as well as reading a pattern chart.

Left or right

None of our sources sets a rule for choosing a left- or right-handed stick, so try both ways with a coach before buying.

For how coaches teach the grip and shot your stick has to suit, see stickhandling and shooting. Check your league's current stick rules if your games use stick measurement.