Home >  Sports >  Notebooks

Sunday, December 15, 2002

By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Hockey sticks are going hi-tech. They are getting lighter even as they become more powerful, composed of Robocop-era materials such as Kevlar that is capable of adding 10 mph to a shot.

And Mario Lemieux wants nothing to do with them.

"I still use the wood stick, the old one," he said. "I've been trying different ones, but I haven't found the right one yet. It's the stick I've been using for years. I like a heavier and wider stick. I can feel the puck a little bit better on my stick. And that's the way I've been playing for years, so why change now?"

Since August, Lemieux and Penguins equipment manager Steve Latin have worked with several manufacturers of the new, one-piece composite sticks, all eager to gain hockey's most prized endorsement, but to no avail.

There aren't many examples like that, though, as the trend is moving away from wood and from wood's successor, the two-piece aluminum. NHL players are going to the composites to the degree that the new sticks are close to taking over the game less than two years after they were introduced.

"It's happening so fast," Latin said. "Every day, it seems like I've got another one who switches."

A review of the Penguins' stick rack shows that eight skaters are using the composite, six have the aluminum and just six are left with traditional wood: Lemieux, Jan Hrdina, Wayne Primeau, Janne Laukkanen, Hans Jonsson and Andrew Ference.

The name that sticks out on that list is Ference, if only because of his age, 23. Younger players seem most adaptive to the new sticks.

"Yeah, I know, but I love wood," Ference said. "I tried composites, and you just can't match the feel of wood. I need to feel the stick in my hand. As a defenseman, when you pokecheck or slash a guy, you want to feel the lumber. It's not like an extra couple ounces is going to tear my arms out of their sockets."

Just about every player using the composite will cite its increased power as the primary reason for switching. Even Alexei Kovalev, who already could shoot hard enough to create a six-hole in a goaltender, loves the bonus velocity.

Others are equally taken by the increased durability. They can last as long as five or six games.

"I like having everything right, which is why I like having just one stick," Aleksey Morozov said. "The feel is good, too. I don't feel like, if I had wood, I would have a better feel for the puck."

One of the most vocal critics of the composites is Toronto Coach Pat Quinn, who addressed the issue in colorful terms before the Maple Leafs and Penguins met Tuesday at Air Canada Centre.

"Not to be an old albatross, but I still like the wood," he said. "These guys ... what they need to do is get new materials for their wrists because most of them can't handle the puck as well. They get movement out of the stick, and they can really shoot. But now, taking passes and giving passes are a whole new art they have to work on. You can put supple material in the hands but, if the wrists don't work well, all the puck does is bounce away."

He stopped just short of ordering his players to ditch the composites.

"We've got guys playing with one-piece sticks who are basically dreaming about using them to be good. If it was just about shooting, just one-on-one with a goalie, you might say, 'Yeah, go ahead and use it.' But if they have to beat somebody to get to the goalie or beat someone else with a pass ... Some guys just shouldn't be using them."

At least one player might agree, and he happens to lead the NHL in points by a wide margin. Lemieux's stick is not only the most old- fashioned in the Penguins' rack, but also the tallest and heaviest.

"No one can lift them. I use a heavy stick, but it's not nearly as heavy as his," Steve McKenna said. "Then again, I've never picked his stick up. You don't just go over and touch his sticks. You try to stand close enough to him and drink the same water as him and hope something rubs off."