Using an NHL game used stick

[OldNSlow 3]

A friend of mine gave me a couple sticks from an NHLer as a gift. I quickly realized that the curve on this OPS is exactly the same as my Christian pattern #4 wood blade. I've been looking to try a composite stick for the first time since Christian #4 wood blades are hard to find, but I haven't found a OPS with a curve and lie that I like.</br></br>

I was thinking about cutting down one of the NHL game used sticks and using it in my beer league. So, my concerns are that it is already dead and has lost its effectiveness. Is there anyway for me to tell from visual inspection? The tape on the knob looks almost new, but the tape on the blade shows obvious use. There also seems to be very little marks or scars on the blade and shaft. Since I never used a composite before, I don't know if they go dead nor whether I would even be able to tell. What do you think?

[Chadd 916]

Harrow has OPS and blades in stock in the #4 pattern.

As for the pro stick; put your thumb in the middle of the blade and grab the toe with your fingers. Then decide if you can live with the amount of wiggle when you pull on the toe.

[JohnnyCanuck 0]

If it has been game used I would say it is tough to tell until you start using it and see...

I have a bunch of sticks from a similar situation, however mine were all new/uncut/untaped/unused as the player I know didn't switch from the one company to the other...

I have noticed the Synergy has started to go a bit sloppy, however the Mission's have been awesome.

Mission's loss = my gain :)

I would definitely keep some/all as a souvenir if the player is of some note however as these things are cool if you come across them as they are game used.

[OldNSlow 3]

Thanks for the replies. The blade barely moves when I pull on it as suggested by Chad. I'll have to sleep on it and decide later what to do. As for Harrow, I was hoping to avoid their high prices.

Since I have two of the sticks, I'm going to keep one as a collector's item. And, yes, it is of a noteworthy NHLer. In fact, it is the stick of the best player in the world.

[Kachun 1]

I've always used NHL'ers game used sticks and they all work beautifully, the durability of the stick is obviously not as good as it was brand new, but still provides great performance, unless the blade has gone really weak.

[dsjunior1388 81]

Thanks for the replies. The blade barely moves when I pull on it as suggested by Chad. I'll have to sleep on it and decide later what to do. As for Harrow, I was hoping to avoid their high prices.

Since I have two of the sticks, I'm going to keep one as a collector's item. And, yes, it is of a noteworthy NHLer. In fact, it is the stick of the best player in the world.

you just going to leave us hanging or are you going to tell us who the "best in the world" is

[Chadd 916]

Thanks for the replies. The blade barely moves when I pull on it as suggested by Chad. I'll have to sleep on it and decide later what to do. As for Harrow, I was hoping to avoid their high prices.

Since I have two of the sticks, I'm going to keep one as a collector's item. And, yes, it is of a noteworthy NHLer. In fact, it is the stick of the best player in the world.

you just going to leave us hanging or are you going to tell us who the "best in the world" is

He's from DC, so I'm guessing Ovechkin.

[TBLfan 25]

Thanks for the replies. The blade barely moves when I pull on it as suggested by Chad. I'll have to sleep on it and decide later what to do. As for Harrow, I was hoping to avoid their high prices.

Since I have two of the sticks, I'm going to keep one as a collector's item. And, yes, it is of a noteworthy NHLer. In fact, it is the stick of the best player in the world.

you just going to leave us hanging or are you going to tell us who the "best in the world" is

I think it's pretty clear to us all, Chris Dingman.

I've used many game used/pro stock sticks(and gloves)... If the blade is stiff, go for it.

[flyerman 0]

Thanks for the replies. The blade barely moves when I pull on it as suggested by Chad. I'll have to sleep on it and decide later what to do. As for Harrow, I was hoping to avoid their high prices.

Since I have two of the sticks, I'm going to keep one as a collector's item. And, yes, it is of a noteworthy NHLer. In fact, it is the stick of the best player in the world.

you just going to leave us hanging or are you going to tell us who the "best in the world" is

He's from DC, so I'm guessing Ovechkin.

Well, by deduction, pattern #4 is a toe curve, and he's in DC like Chad said....so Ovie makes sense.

What doesn't make sense though is altering and using one of these for yourself. These will be worth a lot of money in the future, esp. if you can get him to sign them for you. I'd say leave them alone.

[rollerskater92 0]

If it is an Ovechkin game used stick, i would never use it. That's too cool of a collectors item and could be worth a bunch in the future.

[Brokensticks 0]

If the yet to be named player is that good, why not sell one on ebay, take some of the profit, buy a Harrow stick and spend the rest on more equipment?

*(I almost said save the rest, but then remembered where I was posting.)

[fieldofdreams 0]

Haha, good catch. No one in their right mind would save dough when there is all new swag to be had.

[dsjunior1388 81]

reminds me of a story by the great Jack falla, probably the greatest hockey writer of all time. (true story, by the way):

"In the winter of 1984-85, I spent about two weeks with Wayne Gretzky and the then-Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers to research a magazine cover story ... I'd filed the story on a Sunday night after a game in New Jersey and I stopped by the Oilers' Monday morning practice to thank Gretzky and some of the other players for their cooperation. As I headed out the dressing room door, Gretzky called me back.

'You shoot left?' he asked.

I said I did and he gave me one of his sticks. I appreciated the stick, but not as much as the question that suggested what Gretzky intended I do with that stick. The same thing he'd do. Use it.

I caught a late morning flight home, and by mid-afternoon, I was out on the backyard rink using Gretzky's stick in a pickup game with kids from the neighborhood. It was a good stick. Light. Strong. It survived the backyard rink season and held together for a few games of spring driveway hockey before someone inevitably stepped on the blade, whereupon I threw it in a corner of the garage with all the other broken sticks. In June, I did the same thing with Gretzky's stick that I did with 23 other bladeless shafts. I hammered it into the soft ground of the garden and staked a tomato plant to it."

[CTK30 0]

I wouldn't use an ovechkin stick

It's worth more and he makes his own curve so it's going to lose some durability from that.

[misfit 0]

At a caps game you can pick up your own Ovie stick for a small price of $999.00. I took pictures of his pattern the last time i was down. it is crazy!

[hockeysc23 0]

Personally I would say keep it and don't use it. But if you really think you would get that much joy out of using it then go ahead.

[cdoug55 0]

At a caps game you can pick up your own Ovie stick for a small price of $999.00. I took pictures of his pattern the last time i was down. it is crazy!

Any chance you can post those pics?

[interpathway 9]

Clone the curve at TPS and then sell the stick to recoup the costs. Just measure it out and send them the numbers.

[87vert 0]

you would have to prove that it was "game used" somehow which would be hard to do.

I say play with it, it makes a nice converstation piece but unless you can prove it was game used its not worth much.

I have a game used Jagr stick when he was on the pens that I play with all the time.

[misfit 0]

Correction to my previous post, Ovie's sticks are $599.00. They have about 12 in the shop. They are the CCM 10's and one95's. He seems to be back to using the CCM U now...

[Fire0nIce228 1]

No way in hell do I use an ovechkin stick game used or not... too cool even if it just has his name and number stamped on it