Do sticks "wear out"?

[JONES199 6]

A shooting instructor recently told my son that sticks wear out. 

I had never heard this before.  This is a highly regarded coach that works with NHL players.

So I guess the question is does the performance of a stick degrade measurably over time? 

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

Yes.  Blades and shafts can go soft.

[215BroadStBullies610 434]

Simply: yes. It could be the blade. Maybe the shaft. Keep it long enough, it will probably be a combo of both. This is where you have to ask yourself: 'How much do I want to spend on a stick(s)?' The good thing is that there are so many options that you don't have to spend large bucks to find a quality twig.

[Davideo 99]

If a blade is particularly "worn out" you can flex it with your hands and hear the material inside crinkling inside.

[puckpilot 312]

As others have said the blade and shaft do go soft. Imagine flexing something like spring over and over. Sooner or later it's going to loose that spring back. 

How fast a stick wears out is dependant on materials and how tough you are on the stick. I have mid tier sticks where the blade went crunchy in just over a year. And I have high end sticks with blades that are still going strong even after two years.  

But the shafts on all of them are noticeably softer. 

 

[Miseaujeu 291]

Yes.

The materials degrade over time.  The stick losing "pop" is usually how players describe this.

In the grand scheme, sticks are resisting catastrophic failure and staying "fresh" longer than before.  I can only speak to Warrior sticks though.

[60PlusWinger 82]

Yes. But this isn’t just a blade things it’s also a shaft thing. For example if you start out the season with an 85 Flex, by the end of the life of the stick it may flex like a 70-75. Sticks can “whip out” and end up still being functional but softer overall. There have been times when depending on the stick I will actually start out with an 85 knowing it whips out faster than another model. Currently using Easton Stealth CX 75 Flex sticks and I’ve got about 15 games on the first one but it definitely doesn’t feel as fresh as my other that has a couple on it. 

[JONES199 6]

So it may be beneficial to use one stick for practices and another for games.  Thanks.