Kovy hits 2000

[Gibber19 0]

I heard from a Warrior Rep that Kovy uses somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 sticks a year. Due to the fact that he uses something like a 75 flex and every time he really leans into a shot, they are "whipped" out. Obviously he doesn't have to pay for his sticks, but 2000 stills seems ludicrous. I doubt that many other NHLers come close to that. I also heard that when Forsberg tried to come back, many teams shied away due to his annual equipment cost totaling close to one million dollars.

Has anyone else heard of players going through extreme quantities of gear?

[cemetery 14]

Kovalchuk or Kovalev? Never seen a Kovalchuk pro stock stick under 85 flex, Ovi on the other hand...and I believe Kovalev uses somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 flex shafts.

[Buzz_LightBeer 975]

Most of that sounds like fiction.

Kovalchuk (I assume) uses 100-105 flex, his sticks are all over ebay, and many members have them. Kovalev uses 110-120.

Assuming he plays all 365 days of the year, how does someone realistically use 5.5 sticks per day?

And lastly, I would be surprised if Forsbergs equipment costs usurped his propensity towards injury and mediocrity when deciding whether or not to sign him.

[chippa13 1844]

When Shanny was hoarding all the Easton aluminums he could find, there was an article that said he had located the last 2,000 in existence and that it was expected to get him through a season.

[flyers10 57]

When Shanny was hoarding all the Easton aluminums he could find, there was an article that said he had located the last 2,000 in existence and that it was expected to get him through a season.

I just saw something the other day either online or on NHL Network and it was talking about sticks and said during Wings years that Shanahan ran through approximately 200 or so sticks a season while I believe it was Fedorov was only like 14 or 15 a season.

[TeamHonda401 54]

I heard in an interview with Jason Spezza a while back that he changes sticks after every shot. I remember him saying something like "I think there's only one good shot in a stick" or something along those lines. I believe that may have been when he was using a wood stick or wooden blades. Either way, one shot is kinda crazy.

[jds 20]

I heard in an interview with Jason Spezza a while back that he changes sticks after every shot. I remember him saying something like "I think there's only one good shot in a stick" or something along those lines. I believe that may have been when he was using a wood stick or wooden blades. Either way, one shot is kinda crazy.

I'm still waiting for that one good shot. Maybe I should change sticks.:)

[dsjunior1388 81]

I heard in an interview with Jason Spezza a while back that he changes sticks after every shot. I remember him saying something like "I think there's only one good shot in a stick" or something along those lines. I believe that may have been when he was using a wood stick or wooden blades. Either way, one shot is kinda crazy.

I've heard of a couple guys (Samsonov?) who do that for every goal, but every shot seems like a stretch.

[Gefiltefish 9]

I heard in an interview with Jason Spezza a while back that he changes sticks after every shot. I remember him saying something like "I think there's only one good shot in a stick" or something along those lines. I believe that may have been when he was using a wood stick or wooden blades. Either way, one shot is kinda crazy.

Sounds like a wood thing... I believe those that used wood sticks would generally use one per period (if it lasted). Spezz jus always had a lot of sticks on hand because it took him a while to prep his woodies.

[mnwild9 0]

I swear every Caps game I watch Ovie breaks atleast 5 sticks a game if not more. Its not like they have to pay for the sticks and they make the companies money for just using their products. One of my favorite goalies Aurther Irbe used to not use a goalie stick if there was even one little bump in the paint he would just throw them in the garbage and that was back in the 90's. I think a lot of players have let it all go to their minds and don't seem to care.

[dsjunior1388 81]

I swear every Caps game I watch Ovie breaks atleast 5 sticks a game if not more. Its not like they have to pay for the sticks and they make the companies money for just using their products. One of my favorite goalies Aurther Irbe used to not use a goalie stick if there was even one little bump in the paint he would just throw them in the garbage and that was back in the 90's. I think a lot of players have let it all go to their minds and don't seem to care.

Its not always money. You have to figure a broken stick is an interrupted shift at least half the time. If a guy is breaking sticks on every shot thats quite a few missed opportunities.

[Gibber19 0]

I was talking about Kovalchuk, sorry.

If people have his prostocks and they're 100s then he clearly doesn't use a whip stick like I was told. However 100 may just printed on the shaft. I have a Brett Hull prostock Z-Bubble that says it's a 100, but we all know he used something in the 75 territory.

Anyway, even if he does use a 100 it is possible that he whips it out on big shots. He is a very powerful human. Now, it is extremely unlikely that he actually decimates the flex of a stick in a couple shots. I'm guessing that he is extremely picky. He probably loads a few big shots and notices a small difference in the flex of the stick. Now think about how much NHLers play. All the preseason, training camps, games, practices, morning skates, and then any practicing on their own. I think we can exclude playoffs in Kovy's total playing amount tally. If he really does change sticks every 3-5 shots, then 2000 isn't that improbable. With someone with a shot like his, they probably shoot around 100 shots every practice. Obviously 2000 is extreme, but for a picky Russian superhuman, I don't think it's impossible.

[BenderHockey 127]

Obviously 2000 is extreme, but for a picky Russian superhuman, I don't think it's impossible.

Are you talking about Kovalchuck, or Ivan Drago?

[Monty22 835]

IIRC, Heatley used a ton of sticks per year as well. Not sure if that's still the case. Just as bad are players like Avery who use new skates every half dozen or so games...

[Guffaw26 0]

Not buying that kovalchuk goes through 2000 sticks a year, maybe 1500, but not 2000....

[third man in 0]

If this is the case there should have been a lot more of his sticks at the NJD equipment sale, ha.

[DoublinUp 0]

again there is this video

[dsjunior1388 81]

Not buying that kovalchuk goes through 2000 sticks a year, maybe 1500, but not 2000....

I'm not buying over 1000. Going by the Briere video, he went through like 117 (Don't remember specifically and no sound in the library so i can't watch it now) so I dont see many players getting too far beyond that. He was in the Stanley Cup that year, wheras Kovalchuk missed the playoffs this year.

Another question to be answered is whether we are talking about sticks being broken/discarded after use, or discarded right out of the box without seeing ice. If we're talking about sticks broken or used and tossed aside, I think the maximum is around 250-300. Thats more than twice as many as Briere used, which is reasonable, and it amounts to about one stick for every game and practice, essentially a stick a day from September to April, maybe a bit more.

Unused, unwrapped sticks that he discards right out of the new batch, I could see 500-750, but not much more. I know the team gets a bulk deal and Kovalchuk doesnt care because he doesn't pay out of pocket, but that many bought and paid for, unused sticks sounds excessive and I doubt the Devils would just eat that cost without flipping them at retail, which apparently doesn't happen, as mentioned earlier in the thread.

[sharks25 9]

Are you sure that the rep didn't mean 2000 since he started using warrior sticks?

[Dupes 1]

Are you sure that the rep didn't mean 2000 since he started using warrior sticks?

That would make more sense.

A while back, Heatley used 300 Stealth sticks in 1 season, and they made a article in the Ottawa Sun saying it was a lot more then most players.

2000 sticks in 1 year, is like 1 stick per shift. lol

[chippa13 1844]

There are also practices and morning skates to consider.

[VakarLajos 5]

I swear every Caps game I watch Ovie breaks atleast 5 sticks a game if not more. Its not like they have to pay for the sticks and they make the companies money for just using their products. One of my favorite goalies Aurther Irbe used to not use a goalie stick if there was even one little bump in the paint he would just throw them in the garbage and that was back in the 90's. I think a lot of players have let it all go to their minds and don't seem to care.

I'm not so sure about that with Irbe. He told me his sticks would last for a while.

[Gibber19 0]

I'm not buying over 1000. Going by the Briere video, he went through like 117 (Don't remember specifically and no sound in the library so i can't watch it now) so I dont see many players getting too far beyond that. He was in the Stanley Cup that year, wheras Kovalchuk missed the playoffs this year.

Another question to be answered is whether we are talking about sticks being broken/discarded after use, or discarded right out of the box without seeing ice. If we're talking about sticks broken or used and tossed aside, I think the maximum is around 250-300. Thats more than twice as many as Briere used, which is reasonable, and it amounts to about one stick for every game and practice, essentially a stick a day from September to April, maybe a bit more.

Unused, unwrapped sticks that he discards right out of the new batch, I could see 500-750, but not much more. I know the team gets a bulk deal and Kovalchuk doesnt care because he doesn't pay out of pocket, but that many bought and paid for, unused sticks sounds excessive and I doubt the Devils would just eat that cost without flipping them at retail, which apparently doesn't happen, as mentioned earlier in the thread.

Many of the sticks may just be discarded without ever being used. I saw a video with the Penguins EM. He said that when their stick shipment comes in, Sid goes through about 70 and only picks out a handful he likes before they even see the ice.

If Kovalchuk does something similar it makes 2000 seems even more reasonable. Also he may do what Petr Sykora did. Meaning that he may curve his sticks with a torch even though he gets a custom curve. Taking a torch to a composite blade is a great way to plow through a bunch of blades very quickly. Seeing as the composition of materials does not cool properly, therefor compromising the integrity of the blade.

[Shayno 1]

Most of that sounds like fiction.

Kovalchuk (I assume) uses 100-105 flex, his sticks are all over ebay, and many members have them. Kovalev uses 110-120.

Assuming he plays all 365 days of the year, how does someone realistically use 5.5 sticks per day?

And lastly, I would be surprised if Forsbergs equipment costs usurped his propensity towards injury and mediocrity when deciding whether or not to sign him.

IIRC, Heatley used a ton of sticks per year as well. Not sure if that's still the case. Just as bad are players like Avery who use new skates every half dozen or so games...

The only truth to this post so far....in my opinion....lol

[Apes44 7]

That just blows my mind because in the 02-03 season Mario used 4 sticks per game due to some contract with a card company...and thats only 328!