Up close picture of Ryan Smyth's "Vapor XXX"

[Lemieux 66]

I was at the Oilers' training camp and was able to take an up-close picture of Ryan Smyth's "Vapor XXX" shaft. It has a Canadian leaf with Smyth's number (94) and his nickname: Moo-lay.

For anyone who doesn't know, "moolay" is a French-like way of saying "mullet", which is a reference to Smyth's wonderful hockey hair. :lol:

As a bonus, here's a pic of a few sticks from the players at the Oilers' camp (most of the sticks are from people who probably will not be on the team). If you can pick it out on the far left, there's a black version of the Vector for Georges Laraque.

[Chadd 916]

Nice retail drury

[DeI 18 0]

There's a Team Canada Vapor stick 4 to the right of Smyth's. Also, that is a hell of a knob Smyth's got on that thing.

[Miike 1]

There's a Team Canada Vapor stick 4 to the right of Smyth's. Also, that is a hell of a knob Smyth's got on that thing.

Thats a bigger knob than like half the goalies i know

[Fonya 0]

Ya thats like half a roll of tape. Only thing worse is the ol tennis ball knob for the goalies.

[nate 0]

Smyth has a nice curve. :D

[Miike 1]

Thats pretty much straight the way i look at it. Im liking the curve on the #54 ST and the Vector next to Smith's.

Is Georges vector wood or OPS?

[hockeydude_49 0]

Ya thats like half a roll of tape. Only thing worse is the ol tennis ball knob for the goalies.

Brenden Cook that plays for BSU was helping with a camp I was at this summer, and he had a knob the size of a pop can... literally the size of a pop can. I talked to the equipment manager for the Beavers and he said that he used 2 full rolls of tape for it... I'll see if I can find a pic of it.

[Sniper#39 0]

Is Georges vector wood or OPS?

Wood...

He tried a Synergy some time ago but switched back to wood quite quickly.

[Reaper 0]

I couldn't stand having that monstrosity on the end of my stick.

I've actually gotten to the point of measuring out the tape I use for stick and wrapping the buttend as tight as I can so that it's not too bulky while still giving some shape.

I wonder if Smyth ever caught grief from his parents for using too much tape when he was playing hockey as a kid. ;)

[Jim Bob 0]

There's a Team Canada Vapor stick 4 to the right of Smyth's. Also, that is a hell of a knob Smyth's got on that thing.

That's nothing.

You should see the knob on David Cullen's, a defenseman for the Rochester Americans, stick.

I swear the guy must put a whole roll of white tape on each one of his sticks. And he still uses wood ones, so he has to go through a ton of tape every year.

[sherwood21 0]

Guillame Latendresse uses the biggest knob I've ever seen

[gameface 0]

I wonder if Smyth ever caught grief from his parents for using too much tape when he was playing hockey as a kid.  ;)

I suspect that there must have been some financial constraints and young Ryan was allowed to make the choice. Instead of dropping money at the barber shop, he spent it at the hockey shop on tape.

Well, it could explain things...

[Lemieux 66]

Here are pics that I took last Saturday:

Team White's Sticks

This is Pouliot's stick (Crosby's linemate from the Oceanic):

Team Blue's Sticks

Here's a different view of Smyth's stick. It doesn't seem very Drury-ish to me. If I remember correctly, his curve is based a lot on Gretzky's.

[Lemieux 66]

Ales Hemsky was wearing Radek Devorak's HGT's. He kept fiddling with his Easton gloves, but decided to stay with the HGT's. Also, Hemsky skated a few laps with the Bauer XXX Lite stick, but he switched back to his Synergy. (You can see the XXX Lite in the Team White pics).

Easton seems open to making different colour scheme for their gloves.

Here's Shawn Horcoff:

Here's Jarret Stoll:

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Yeah, I believe he does use Gretzky's pattern.

[Chadd 916]

Yeah, I believe he does use Gretzky's pattern.

Unless he changed it for the 473rd time. ;)

[kovalchuk71 212]

Both his sticks are aluminums repained to look like a XXX and an adrenaline correct?

[Chadd 916]

Both his sticks are aluminums repained to look like a XXX and an adrenaline correct?

He had been using composite shafts, I can't imagine he would have switched back to Aluminum.

[kovalchuk71 212]

His XXX looks like it..look at the tip

[Chadd 916]

His XXX looks like it..look at the tip

Just because it has a silver tip doesn't mean the whole stick is aluminum. It doesn't even mean that shiny part is aluminum.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Just a guess...thats all

[Reaper 0]

When Smyth had his deal with Hespeler I recall him having silver foil put on the bottom 2 inches of each stick shaft before clearcoat was applied because he liked rockin' the old school A/G 7000 way.

[Shagel 0]

what exactly are the gretzky specifications and what brand are thouse blades if there is one

[Eazy_b97 1]

what exactly are the gretzky specifications and what brand are thouse blades if there is one

Small mid curve, low lie. Smyth is using his pro curve (as I described) not a retail curve.