Kyle Wellwood - Maple Leafs

[fastmiele 59]

http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/197129

Sticks 'n' blades make the grade

TheStar.com - Sports - Sticks 'n' blades make the grade

Some NHLers are a fussy lot when it comes to equipment

March 29, 2007

Kevin McGran

SPORTS REPORTER

Most NHLers can get any piece of equipment they want, any time they want it.

Not so, Kyle Wellwood. And it's reaching a crisis point.

Wellwood uses a Koho Torpedo stick, a composite shaft with a wood blade, but he faces a huge problem.

"They stopped making them," said Wellwood, who has tried the one-piece composite but didn't like it as much as his Koho Torpedo. "I've used it for so long, that whenever I change, I can't get a good feel for the puck.

"I don't know the logistics of sticks, how they work. I've tried a bunch. I've tried other sticks all the time. This has a nice feel for me."

Known for slick passes, Wellwood has a stash of other brands of sticks he uses in practice. He doesn't care if they break. But he won't use his Koho Torpedo in practice. He only has 12 left.

"It's going to last the rest of the year for sure," said Wellwood.

But then what?

"I don't know, I don't have to worry about that till next year."

They wear the same uniform, eat the same meals, dress in the same locker room and dream of the same Stanley Cup. But when it comes to their equipment, some NHLers can be very picky.

Ottawa's Dany Heatley uses a new stick every game, discarding the old one.

"It had its chance," says the Ottawa sniper.

Most players have deals to have equipment supplied free and admit to liking new stuff, but some can hold on to items for a long period. Boyd Devereaux's five-year-old shoulder pads are ripped and shredded. Chad Kilger is wearing three-year-old knee pads.

On the flip side, Nik Antropov will go through three pairs of skates a year, Kilger will go through five.

"I think they break down because they make them so much lighter," said Kilger. "They've taken out so many different materials.

"Before (the lockout), I used two pairs a year. Now it's four or five just because it's a different skate ... lighter."

Yanic Perreault admits using equipment from the early days of his career until the lockout. When the "new" NHL emerged, with its emphasis on offence and speed, he changed.

"If you had seen me a year ago, I had all the old stuff, old skates, old elbow pads from the early '90s," said Perreault. "But now I have new skates, new everything. I'm trying to keep up with the new NHL, be a little bit lighter. The new equipment is so light."

While Perreault likes to think he's a new-NHL-kind-of-guy, he uses a piece of equipment right out of the Original Six era: A wooden stick.

"I tried to change a couple of times, but the feel of a stick is a lot different between a wood stick and a one-piece," said Perreault. "When you get passes, it doesn't bounce as much. When I try a one-piece, it's almost like it's too light.

"Who knows, I might try again. It's hard to change because I'm used to it."

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[Allsmokenopancake 0]

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Edit nevermind, It's Vapor 30, not Supreme 30, I was wondering why the hell a pro would wear supreme 30's :lol:

[KBO25 0]

My LHS has like 3 Koho torpedo shafts. 55KP.

I thought about picking one up, but, too stiff for me. Maybe I should drop Kyle a message..lol

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

I think some pro's may suffer from being Primeau-Modanno's... er, prima-donnas. I mean, 5 skates a year? A new $200 composite each game? I know they're pros, but that seems excessive. I bet they wouldn't be so fast if companies didn't give them price breaks, freebies, and teams didn't pitch in for the cost.

[marc_9 0]

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did anyone else notice how it says that antropov and devereaux use a RBK 9K stick...last time i checked they were using sickkicks.

on a side note it looks like the hockey shop still has some torpedos in stock http://www.thehockeyshop.com/Merchant2/mer...ode=S_Shafts_SR

[Oberon 0]

Didn't Shanny get (or try to get) the remaining stock of aluminum shafts from Easton after they stopped production?

[the iceman 132]

Didn't Shanny get (or try to get) the remaining stock of aluminum shafts from Easton after they stopped production?

I heard or read that too. I also remember during the Flames/Lightning Stanley Cup Series, someone on the 'Canes had the same problem as Wellwood but instead of Koho shafts he wanted the brown Easton UL shafts with the Kevlar weave (I think).

[mac26 0]

Didn't Shanny get (or try to get) the remaining stock of aluminum shafts from Easton after they stopped production?

Yea the Easton rep told me like a year or two ago now, that Easton tried to buy every retail shaft back where they knew they existed.

[mack 44]

They (Easton) need to just re-release some of their classic shafts. I'm not sure what kind of pain that'd be or how costly, but I can't stand anything new of theirs.

[slapshotsteve73 0]

Didn't Shanny get (or try to get) the remaining stock of aluminum shafts from Easton after they stopped production?

I heard or read that too. I also remember during the Flames/Lightning Stanley Cup Series, someone on the 'Canes had the same problem as Wellwood but instead of Koho shafts he wanted the brown Easton UL shafts with the Kevlar weave (I think).

I remember Aaron Ward was all worried because he was running out of Easton griplites and he bought like 10 at some store last year.

[hockeyherb 1]

I think some pro's may suffer from being Primeau-Modanno's... er, prima-donnas. I mean, 5 skates a year? A new $200 composite each game? I know they're pros, but that seems excessive. I bet they wouldn't be so fast if companies didn't give them price breaks, freebies, and teams didn't pitch in for the cost.

I'd be ok if they sold off some of the products and gave the proceeds to charities. There's gotta be a lot of life left in Heatley's sticks for example.

[Patrick67 1]

I'm more intrested in Jarett Stoll's sticks, a stick that has been used for 3 slapshots can't be a spagetti noodle no matter how hard you shoot.

It's not like he has the fastest shot or the biggest bodyweight in the NHL.

[mack 44]

A girl on the board went off into a long discussion about his sticks. Christ if I know the thread.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

I think some pro's may suffer from being Primeau-Modanno's... er, prima-donnas. I mean, 5 skates a year? A new $200 composite each game? I know they're pros, but that seems excessive. I bet they wouldn't be so fast if companies didn't give them price breaks, freebies, and teams didn't pitch in for the cost.

Ronnie francis used to get a new pair of skates every 10 games.

during the playoffs this past year, Hedican was getting a new pair of skates like every other game or something ridiculous like that.

and i know of a place with a bunch of koho torpedo's, but it would be a cold day in hell before i tip off the maple leafs.

[the iceman 132]

I think some pro's may suffer from being Primeau-Modanno's... er, prima-donnas. I mean, 5 skates a year? A new $200 composite each game? I know they're pros, but that seems excessive. I bet they wouldn't be so fast if companies didn't give them price breaks, freebies, and teams didn't pitch in for the cost.

Ronnie francis used to get a new pair of skates every 10 games.

during the playoffs this past year, Hedican was getting a new pair of skates like every other game or something ridiculous like that.

and i know of a place with a bunch of koho torpedo's, but it would be a cold day in hell before i tip off the maple leafs.

Nice. That's F***ing gold!!!

[Gongshow11 1]

Didn't Shanny get (or try to get) the remaining stock of aluminum shafts from Easton after they stopped production?

I heard or read that too. I also remember during the Flames/Lightning Stanley Cup Series, someone on the 'Canes had the same problem as Wellwood but instead of Koho shafts he wanted the brown Easton UL shafts with the Kevlar weave (I think).

I remember Aaron Ward was all worried because he was running out of Easton griplites and he bought like 10 at some store last year.

by the stanley cup finals easton was sending him handzus ultra lites. i remember the announcers saying, this is the first time anything of handzus has made it to the finals

[mack 44]

I always thought Handzus was a Z-Core man.

[Jake 0]

How hard could it be for a company - like RBK - to find some of the old Torpedo specs and make something similar, with new graphics?

[Viking 1]

Apparently hard enough that if Kyle Wellwood is the only person in the world that wants it, it's not worth doing.

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

Well, maybe if Wellwood was a bigger name, they might go through the effort, but ....

[hockeyherb 1]

If he was a bigger name wouldn't they make it worth his while (ie $$$) to use something new to help push their products?

[nicksmission14 0]

Maybe they haven't even talked to RBK about making more Torpedo shafts for him. I'm sure RBK can do something for him

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

I remember a piece on Adam Oates back when he was with the Caps.

They were saying that during the playoffs he changed gloves after every period. He wore them so tight that if they got wet and even slightly loose, he said it affected his face offs and passing, and while he usually "only" changed gloves every game, for the playoffs he would go through 3 pairs a game (plus overtime I assume!!)

Now thats primadonna

[Hooah4 12]

Same thing w/Ray Bourque. He used to have to change gloves during periods because he would sweat so much (avg. 30 min/game) that he would have pools of sweat in them. Not a prima donna though.

It'll be interesting to see what Wellwood ends up having to switch to.