NHL stars using wooden sticks?

What happens when we take some NHL young stars, like Jordan Eberle, Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly out of their comfort zones, and give them good old fashioned wooden sticks?

[@bac4431]

Gretzky was actually one of the first players to start using the new sticks. The old two piece grey aluminum. that then led to the one piece synergy and that yellow TPS stick. The technology in sports now is amazing

[@ratrage1]

I'd like to see a game where everyone plays with wooden, no curve sticks

[@dlwst44]

yeah Id be all for that too. That should be part of the Winter Classic, wooden sticks with no curve, and NO helmets.

[@Fiat500Lover]

+dlwst44 the No Helmet part is just dangerous man.

[@dlwst44]

+Fiat500Lover It was all a part of the game until the 90s for a lot of players. You definitely respect your opponent a lot more when everybody is vulnerable.

[@dlwst44]

+Fiat500Lover Thats what the goons are there for, to police that stuff. Also, they need to go back to less protective shoulder pads, instead of this heavy duty body armor. I dont think youll be seeing any head shots if you make those changes.

[@johanusyolder]

We'll call it "baseball"

[@bens4483]

Wooden twigs!! I STILL rock the wood. You get an unsurpassed feeling through the twig with Passes and handles. Shooting power is stifled a bit, but oh the feels.. And for $35 a pop vs. $200+ you cant go wrong. Because guess what, all sticks eventually break!

[@levisimper5714]

Why would they give Eberle a wooden stick.. he can't even score with a regular one

[@edwindude9893]

😂🤣👍

[@CubicSnowYT]

😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝

[@MrMitchywoo]

5 years later and he’s close to 300 goals, hold your L 🤣

[@kevinmorrice]

@@MrMitchywoo who gives a hoot

[@mnemonicabyss]

That's hilarious. I am 30 years old, only ever played street hockey with wooden sticks as a kid. The graphite or carbon ones were always astronomically expensive, so I never actually used one before...

[@bordy217]

They all look like they are looking at a museum exhibit.

[@woodsman4946]

They are focusing on the play.

[@MrDUBMACK]

Wood sticks allow you to "feel" the puck much more on your blade when stick handling, but you do have to put more into your shots. The composites give you a hella wristy off your off foot tho, a shot that didn't really work as well back in the day with the woodys.

[@zac1002]

Markus Naslund had a nasty off-foot wrister with his wooden nike|bauer stick

[@glenn2494]

I used wooden sticks back in the day because that’s all there was. You really can’t get a good comparison. That Sherwood stick they are using doesn’t compare with quality of wooden sticks from the past (late 70’s early 80’s). The older wooden stick had a lot of fiberglass laminates on top to strengthen them. The best ones actually had a good shot. Because wood has a lot of variation, not every stick even from the same manufacturer was the same. Carbon sticks are a lot more consistent.

[@spiv]

i play defense in my beer league, and im the only one out there with a wooden stick. ill admit that my shots arent as strong as everyone elses shots, but i win every poke check and slap of the puck. its like comparing a hammer to a sword. composite sticks feel like fly swatters, i need the weight of wood. hell, when i was a kid playing roller, i was using an aluminum shaft, lol.

[@jdbankshot]

bobby hull (126 mph slapshot ), bobby orr, bobby clarke, phil esposito, guy lafleur, gordie howe & maurice rocket richard (straight blades, no curve), mike bossy, same guy named wayne , another dude named mario, i could keep going (haven't even mentioned the russians)....if these modern day players complain about wood sticks, how good can they really be? oh, forgot steve yzerman, mark messier, eric lindros, raymond bourque (good ol' sherwood), the same goes for pool cues, baseball bats, tennis rackets, etc...talent over gear, gear doesn't make talent.

[@evanthedude8567]

+jdbankshot gear doesn't make talent but it sure helps

[@jdbankshot]

Bert M my bad, i meant kilometers, & i got that info from an old hockey book that i read years ago. hull already a wicked shot, but it got harder & faster after he & stan makita "invented" the curved blade by accident.

[@bobbutts4402]

jdbankshot too long, did not read.

[@ShoneShitSticks141]

You're fucking dumb as mayonnaise bud

[@jeremynafus6622]

+jdbankshot Fastest slapshot is 110

[@philippedrouin3008]

I only started using non wood sticks when I played cosom hockey as an adult. When I played ice hockey as a kid in leagues. As I got older, I was the only one who had a wooden stick.

[@jamesvalenti9288]

Wow what a bunch of wimps. I have never used one of those plastic sticks. Always used wooden ones. Your puck feel is so much better with a wooden stick. Plus the plastic ones break all the time, and cost a fortune to replace.

[@farmboy331]

Gotta love a Sherwood Coffey

[@dlwst44]

best stick ever made, Ive been using those for 25 years

[@9_nein_9]

32 bucks at sport chek . I should have bought the whole bundle

[@danielhulse4076]

I still have my Jagr KOHO Torpedo from 2001 and it's still better than the $300 Bauer Supremes or the Warrior sticks

[@frame3139]

If Al McGinnis had a composite stick his slap shot would've been illegal..........

[@callumchisholm6698]

Frame 313 my best friend is al macinnis cousin and my dad went to school with him and he did use it for one year but he didn’t like how it felt

[@DeusSalis]

Callum Chisholm Modern composite sticks such as the Easton Synergy didn't come out 'til around 2005.

[@TheAdamShipway]

Killary Rotten Cuntham The Original Easton Synergy came out in 2001-2002. As did the yellow TPS Response, and MacInnes definitely used that one.

[@sweiland75]

"Al McGinnis" LOL

[@bobdole4916]

He preferred the wooden stick. Always said you could feel the puck better with a wooden stick. Plus, the dude was so strong the weight difference meant nothing to him (and it's MacInnis.)

[@perttihirsikorpi889]

"too heavy" LOL..

[@jorda.2412]

why wouldn't the manufacturers want to sell light sticks for over a hundred bucks a pop...and they break like straw....vs a 25$ wooden stick that might last the season

[@WhiskyBeard]

Because the composite sticks are better in almost every way than wood. And most of the time, although less durable than wood, the composite sticks hold their pop a little better than wood. You pay for performance with composite.

[@kaboomkapow4066]

Jord A. I had one and it broke the first 2 days

[@StayReal02]

lol, when I was teenager, I played with wooden stick day in and day out. Haven't played hockey since I graduated highschool and now I'm 30 + . Didn't even know that sticks nowadays are made of freaking carbon (!) I was shocked when I was visiting a hockey store. My mind was blown. I think I might have been lagging behind like Internet Explorer.... for not knowing sticks are made of carbon and you can barely find wooden sticks in the stores nowadays. What a time to live in !

[@ryanduray1]

Same. I went to buy some new skates recently and didn't realize that sticks are $200+ now. They had about 5 wood sticks for $30. I don't need a $200 stick for pick up pond hockey.

[@mustang268]

@@ryanduray1 if you can try to find a Easton z carbon those sticks are awesome I used them in high school I graduated in 2010 people that didn't know me from other league's would be like a wood stick really then they see me shoot the puck and be like God damn he can shoot like that with a wood stick lol I first bought it probably freshman year or last year of jr high for giggles but was surprised how much I liked it over my composite sticks ended up going back to the store and bought all 14 of them for like 20 or 30 each eventually broke all of them in those 4 years and couldn't find anymore everywhere I went I was ticked lol

[@v4v819]

Wooden sticks are far cheaper too! I'd still choose wood!

[@v4v819]

Wood is best for feel. And if you don't believe wood can compete in shooting with fibre then check out Bret Hull one-timer highlights and tell me he's not on-par with the best modern shooters with their fibre sticks!

[@288theabe]

Little known fact: From a goalie's perspective, the current composite sticks have a faster shot, these wooden ones are slower and easier to make the save, but heavier and hurts a hell of a lot more. Weird how that works out.

[@lucass.3133]

+288theabe probably cuz wooden ones have less curve so the puck is more likely to spin evenly like a saucer compared to today's where its more akin to a wounded duck.

[@roguishpaladin]

I think the problem Eberle had with the stick had less to do with it being a wooden stick and more to do with not having a curve on the blade of the stick. I'd love to see him try it again with his normal curve.

[@MuSicProphet1]

"I can shoot with it" goes bar down at 3:25

[@curtisjoe5128]

nope.

[@Noraa666]

+thaddeus FrankenCow I'm a goalie too and sorry but your wrong. It goes back bar then side post and stays in. So it hit the bar behind the cross bar first. Still either way a great shot.

[@TehAcoz]

I remember using the Montreal Nitro wooden stick as a kid here in Finland :D

[@improbablecontinent]

I love hockey but hockey players talking about hockey is so boring. Follow the script boys. Battle hard in those corners and add a -y to the end of a teammates last name and you'll do alright.

[@woooshbait5398]

Lmao right gotta webby gally ovi

[@tipo9nine514]

We still make wooden sticks and blades down here at the end of the earth, Ushuaia Argentina! Our sticks are not heavy, and have an amazing flex. Old school stick for a new school hockey.

[@MrManmonkeyman]

One big plothole in this whole video: There are no actual stars

[@Impuhlz]

+Tim Hortons You must not know who Jordan Eberle is... which is unfortunate

[@ShoneShitSticks141]

Lol Jordan Eberle, star player

[@MrMoeman2000]

Rielly is a star

[@trevwings9438]

If Ebere weren't on the oilers, he'd look a lot better. He's a great player on a shitty team.

[@brodypurcell8788]

+L G Eberle is a good player. Not a star player.

[@amccfischer]

Damn. I'm 21 and I used a wooden stick until I was 13. I learned to shoot properly when I was 14 lol

[@johnnywishbone932]

The new sticks with their flexibility seem to almost be like a dead blow hammer. They adsorb the vibration so well. Goes to show you how good some of the greats really were.

[@yogibearstie]

I stopped playing before composite sticks, but I did try an aluminum stick, which was awful.

[@danielnovak811]

they should have asked Jagr, he probably played many seasons with a wooden stick in the NHL

[@v4v819]

NO only like 14 seasons at most wtih wooden... The other 38 with carbon fiber... And his last dozen with purple light saber stick!

[@highdefhockey1985]

Jake Gardner, "NHL star" LOL

[@DAsurov1]

my thoughts, exactly :D

[@figthhouserowanatwood9101]

HighDefHockey

[@arcticmonkey3]

HighDefHockey Gardiner ***

[@peterstoeckner1014]

HighDefHockey

[@rodrammer9809]

This was a Toronto production. Their bar is low.

[@dennis9707]

Woossies. 'Oh no the wooden stick is too too heavy ,I can't handle it'.

[@connormiller2551]

I used to use a wood stick it’s so heavy but once you get to use it it gets better

[@strackmx3188]

Why is this randomly in my recommended 6 years later lol

[@dalbgg6]

Why does Eberles helmet never look like it fits right?

[@jakubforsling2927]

I think it's the specific Bauer helmet, looks like the 7500 but could be wrong

[@TheNasku1000]

i use a wooden stick for summer training it works really well especially for your shot

[@como6604]

Eberle: “It’s horrible. It’s actually not that bad, I swear.”

[@baultista]

The puck feels different on your blade. I like the feel but it almost dampens the puck movement when cradling/stickhandling. Shooting takes a nosedive too since you get so accustomed to loading the composite stick's flex and letting it do the work.

[@ThatsBadTV]

Finally a stick that didn't break in one shot

[@v4v819]

You can break 10 wooden before you pay for a decent carbon fiber...

[@sleepswithnopillow8413]

Morgan Reilly looks like he’s about to cry.

[@M2xim]

i don't understand why people hate woden stick so much i can't hit the target with modern sticks but somehow puck goes in the corners every single time i shoot with old wood sticks.. I feel like wooden sticks are consistent since they clearly don't bend as much. I also like having some weight in it because it helps alot more in terms of balance when you skate. Not saying wooden stick are better but i don't feel like modern ones are either since both have their strenghts and disadvantages

[@lottsalasagna431]

All those historic NHL stars had to use wood sticks Those poor guys how did they manage becoming stars

[@1.21JJWatts]

Good enough for Gordie Howe, but not good enough for...whoever the hell these guys are???

[@giveitarub7215]

I remember when i used to have a wooden goalie stick, I was scared my stick would break from slapshots, after a few games there was already decent chunks taken off of it

[@v4v819]

But they were cheap. I've be afraid of whecking a few hundred dollar carbon fiber one regardless of how much more robust it is... I also would control my temper if i played these days. Can't afford a tantrum when sticks cost more now than skates did back in the day...

[@edwindude9893]

I only ever used wood (ply) sticks until I stopped playing. I’d love to get back on the ice in modern kit and feel the difference.

[@philippedrouin3008]

I was using a wooden stick when I played ice hockey in a league until I was about 15, which was about 1999

[@CrazyCreepersTube]

I'm a goalie and my stick is part wood. it's very common for goalies to use wooden sticks

[@UltimateBreloom]

I suppose the extra weight would help sometimes.

[@raywuf]

UltimateBreloom I prefer composite the wood stick sucked for me, I hated how heavy it was and after a while of holding it it started to hurt from being so heavy and doing everyday game drills.

[@rivahkillah]

^ noodle arms lol

[@peterhand5941]

Love my wooden sher-wood...never have those kinds of problems...been using for 20 years

[@rusty1470]

902 goals with a wooden stick #99

[@canuckguyeh8774]

I'm 18 rn. I've always played with a wooden stick. I've never played a practice or game with those fancy carbon fibre sticks. Too expensive.

[@TempoDrift1480]

As a drummer I can totally understand although I play wood sticks, Pro Mark 7A and never got comfortable with any of the modern jobs. I'm in no way a hockey player but I just ordered a pair of CCM woods just for front door/back door whatever.

[@roberttooth360]

They could make wooded ones pretty light and well.Guy Lafleur had them make his light like a pool que. About 19 ounces or so. I'd say he did pretty well with his Koho.🏒

[@jchin9277]

Lol I use my Sherwood wood sticks that played with as a teen today. Only 37 years old.

[@Flash___]

I used a wooden stick for 3-4 years way back then

[@andew8922]

You know why the boys back in the day could use wooden sticks oh yeah they where real men farmer boys with calloused hands

[@jayt3096]

bob your a fucken goof stfu

[@bobbutts4402]

Jay T lol. someone obviously never made it past highschool hockey.

[@omgitsrati9345]

Technology has come along way so has the prices of sticks

[@JakeMartin33]

I thought nhl stars were trying it

[@DiamondEyes9107]

"NHL stars" *plays Oilers and Leafs

[@cb2k761]

Jake Martin They are in the NHL so yes they are nhl stars.

[@blockland30]

Isaiah G. Eberle is a star though.

[@Nagoto_Uzumaki]

+blockland30 Morgan Reilly is good too. He just over shadowed because he with the leafs.

[@gizmogames9880]

LOL Eberle is a snakebitten washed up loser. I love the oilers but the guy is just not playing

[@maverickzmedia]

the good ole wooden stick

[@dannymiller7187]

I like the feel of a wooden hockey stick the other ones seem fake for some reason, like a toy almost.

[@blasto1926]

Why did they bother them during practice? Of course you're not going to get the best answer out of them. But they still looked pretty decent with the puck handling out there, from the limited footage we were shown. So I bet they could adjust if push comes to shove.

[@deedonnerramone4757]

in the late 60's curved sticks was the big issue.

[@shaunmattice6413]

Growing up, all I used were wooden sticks and I'm 30 lol

[@ryanswales1227]

I’m 44 and same here only ever used wooden sticks.

[@ApplezKiwi]

I'm also 30 and composites were pretty regular by the time I was in middle school, where'd you grow up?. Hell, I still have my first Vector lol

[@michaelwoodall7922]

I finally switched to a composite stick, and I get it. Wood is so heavy now.

[@That540iMSport]

Tried using one in high school as a throwback in practice they’re so heavy and way too stiff

[@barnettb901]

I am a huge hockey fan but I never played highly competitive hockey when I was young, so maybe someone can answer this for me. Wouldn't shooting with a heavier stick strengthen your shot when you go back to composite? Not using it all the time, but using it as kind of an exercise to help out.

[@bailey4666]

Although that seems like a good idea I'm pretty sure competitive players want to use the same stick game and practice that way they get a great feel for it, getting use to the flex, weight and the overall feel for their shot is really important that way they don't have to adjust half way through a game

[@connorreviere4306]

+Bailey Janeczko He's talking about using it as an exercise, though. It's the same concept as stick weights.

[@Ken-re3kh]

+d barnett It would "strengthen" you, but you have to break your shot down to physics. Very small changes can totally destroy the speed and accuracy of your shot. So they'd be "stronger" but using weighted implements have a tendency to mess up your motor patterns.

[@eef5510]

Ah! A wooden hockey stick!

[@alexakaras03]

Coming. From the oilers? I don't think it's the wooden stick that makes you not able to shoot...

[@poptartpc5287]

Do you even know how good you have to be to get onto an NHL team? All NHL players are good at hockey, even if they're an Oilers bench warmer.

[@Sarando1]

So much for today's players being stronger.

[@thinkingjack]

i was just about to post that.

[@cynthiamcintyre639]

Sfdasqszxzsszdsdqdrdejvjsdgfhuuhuxhbg

[@bailey4666]

Lmfao your dumb as hell they still shot twice the speed you could it just wasn't as good as composite

[@roguishpaladin]

Not all strength is arm strength, too.

[@fubartotale3389]

HeavyER I think is what he was saying. Watch hreat stick handlers like Mcdavid or Patrick Kane, the stick moves from one side of the puck to the other so fast you can hardly see it. That extra weight throws off the overcoming of inertia just enough to throw off a person who has used a composite stick for their whole life, and has played thousands of games and practices.

[@MahonSoLo4421]

I've been using a wooden stick since 2008

[@cre8ive34]

man I feel old

[@theknucklesmalone]

steve serdachny was my skating coach too

[@Lajnus]

I waited all video to see some hard slap shots...

[@glennmiller9768]

Players who say wooden sticks are [too] heavy and hard to play with are wimps.

[@p0wertek]

wood sticks with the ABS blades are the best

[@brianspellbergio4502]

titan koho Canadian sherwood the best sticks ever!!

[@roberttooth360]

Canadiens lasted along time. They'd figured it out if they had to. I think they should go back to them.🏒

[@colinmacinnis2870]

Y the hell did they giv Jake a wooden stick when he can't even use the stick he has now

[@christophermoffitt1988]

That was coach Steve I did his power skating camps as a kid

[@klassky17kingklassky81]

i used a adult wooden goalie stick as a child lol

[@Supe063]

Four words ... Al McInnis slap shot. He broke 106 mph with a wooden stick. Even Chara needs the new graphite whippy stick to do that these days!

[@thinkingjack]

switched to composites in 2006 because i had my hands smashed with a car door and heavier sticks made my life a living hell. I still miss the feel of wood sticks. I used Montreal Lite pro stocks and they were amazing, X-Tra Stiff with a P88-ish style curve. Light that net up for days. BUT, i cant complain now that i'm using Sherwood T120's, Tacks, and STX testers

[@thecolorofdye]

they were smashed in a car door

[@swegmoose]

I used a wood stick when i played hockey... It was... Not bad for my age

[@tatemorrison5999]

I did a hockey camp with that seadachny guy

[@yeahaight8562]

OMG, Jordan Eberle is on my brothers hut team on NHL 16

[@billbeliakoff5589]

Next have them use old time skates.

[@connorcampbell3833]

Hey that's my towns home rink!

[@Razorfish]

I use that exact stick every Sunday. It's no big deal if you're use to it.

[@Starbreaker666]

This makes me sad.. I used Christian Por-1000's all the way up until Jr A then I finally switched to an easton aluminum.

[@wranglers7936]

I’d like to see McDavid try a wooden stick

[@karlbork6039]

I like passing better with a wooden stick. Poke checking is better with a composite. Quick shots are better with a composite but slap shots are about the same.

[@SwedishDieHard]

Well, at least the Oilers and Maple Leafs can't play worse with wooden sticks than they already do.

[@kylekreacker7466]

I was there that day at Mellenium place when the oilers where there

[@rickygarza5803]

Me personally I love using wooden sticks they are better than any kind of warrior

[@royfloriad1]

nothing wrong with wooden sticks. Gretzky's record still not broken and we all know what his stick was.

[@DeusSalis]

Roy Dallas He switched to aluminum in L.A

[@rivahkillah]

Maybe that's why his production went down ;-)

[@alexandershaer1079]

I don't know maby it has something to do with the goalies equipment

[@dealy9268]

I love the wooden blades so much better.

[@smitty3bud236]

man i still use an old 2 piece easton aluminum n its just as good as a 200$ one piece

[@aidanpollock3721]

What about Wayne Gretzky using a flex stick?

[@deathsicon]

And here I know a guy or 2 that I don't think have ever used a composite stick

[@9_nein_9]

Ooooh it's heavy oooh it's slippery . Give me a break . Overpaid under achievers .

[@boiledmilk6967]

I've played with a wooden stick scince I was 4 and now I'm 12 and I still use wooden sticks

[@annmcvicars7463]

best hockey and more so now you're used to it, after using a composite for 20 or more years, it's hard to adapt

[@user-gx2rl9sq6b]

Lmao you sound like a salty 50 year old man who doesn't like the fact that technology is progressing.

[@9_nein_9]

Ben Jones I may be ' salty 'but I'm not 50 and I have used all types of sticks and still prefer to use wood .Technology is not always all its cracked up to be .

[@LetsGoFlyers2011]

HAHA! "cracked up to be", nice pun! You know cause composite sticks, they break and stuff...

[@derekmosher4561]

Pro hockey players find a wood stick too heavy tells me that pro hockey players need to start lifting weights , what a freaking joke .

[@noahmiller9001]

bc it is heavy, wood sticks are almost 2 to 3 times the weight of carbon sticks. And when you are using the same sticks everyday for 12 plus years minimum like these guys obv they will notice the weight difference

[@chadgrov]

I’ve never gotten the chance to use a $400 stick, I’d love to try.

[@derekgravel6969]

I used to use a wood stick and I had a good shot so when I finally got a composite stick,I had the best handling and shot... Until travel

[@v4v819]

Didn't realize how much travel effects a player's handling and shot! I learn something new every time i scroll down the comment section! Hidden scrolls of internet age old wisdom!

[@Uncleskuncle420]

It’s so funny that they can’t use a wooden stick, I grow up playing with wooden stick and loved it.