More Tape Talk, Updated Thoughts on 8 vs. The Kid
Posted by jtbourne on February 4, 2010 · 47 Comments
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Man – you see Eric Staal get a skate to the face? Not long after getting a stick in the mouth? Tough night.
So, there were a few questions that stemmed from yesterday’s blog about handle tape jobs. Here’s my take on the blade:
Sticks today (composite blades specifically) are built to be taped. If you’ve ever tried to handle a frozen puck with a tapeless blade, you might as well be using the other end of the stick. It’s hopeless.
Worst stick set-up in NHL history
So, I don’t get the logic when I see some guys go for the few-strips look. I don’t even understand it when their blade is wood. Remember the Eric Lindros tape job? I always wanted to ask him “Is it easier to handle the puck and shoot from the tape? Yes?”
The follow with: ” Then tape your whole fucking blade.”
Guys today do so much work with the toe of their stick, from forehand/backhand toe pulls, deke’s, dangles, whatever, that they need tape on the entire blade. So, there’s a half-dozen guys on every team that continues taping past the toe, pressing tape against tape, and then scissor-cutting around the end of the blade.
I also half-rip the tape (into a thinner strip) to get more ridges, which I think made it easier to get more spin on the puck. At the very least, it feels cooler rolling off your stick. Plus, you get to anger the three-quarters of your hockey team that doesn’t half-rip the tape, who have to unravel the huge portion you just wasted to get to their preferred wide part again.
Oh, and tape it heel to toe, because you’re a hockey player, and thats just what we do.
As for the black vs. white argument, do whatever makes you happy. Whoever thinks it matters is weird. I used to go black to “hide the puck”. Then I went white so I could see the puck on my blade quicker. Then I stayed with white CAUSE IT LOOKS AWESOME.
300+ words about tape. “Bourne’s Blog: complicating the simple for over 13 months.”
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Those of you who wrote to disagree with my take on the Sens were right. My b.
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Theodore, mentally surrendering: "I'll let you score if you promise not to make it embarrassing"
In the on-going Sid vs. Ovi debate, I have to confess that I think Ovechkin is better. Don’t get me wrong, I’m rooting for Sid over number eight every friggin’ time – I want him to end up with the better legacy, partially because he’s my fellow countrymen, and seemingly more humble than Alex.
Crosby’s having a ridiculous year, even changing my opinion of just how good Sid is. He’s got all the intangibles to go with the raw skills and personal drive. But I mean… I don’t think he shoots it as hard as Ovi. I don’t think he skates as fast. And I know he doesn’t hit as hard.
He’s does have that Gretzky-like quality to see the game in slow motion while moving mach three, which must be nice. And Ovi definitely has the advantage of playing on a line with Backstrom and Semin, but even with all that…. I can’t shake the feeling that Ovechkin is the best player in the league. He’s just a constant, one-man hurricane. He reminds me of when we’d “tornado” each other’s rooms in college, the way destruction and chaos follows him everywhere he goes. Just gear all over the ice, hats from hattricks, guys trying to get up from hits, red lights spinning, fans yelling…. chaos.
Plus there’s always this part of his game to love:
Nobody’s convincing anyone of anything here. There’s no way to change someone’s mind in this never-ending debate. Just pick your horse and ride it. We’re lucky to get to watch them both.
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Did you see Chris Phillips run Miller over? Ho-ly, lackluster response from the Sabres. You could hear the running dialogue in the players heads “oh, we’re supposed to act angry now…? Riiiight…. grrrr…. someone’s gonna fight him right…? nobody…? god don’t let it to be me…” Weak sauce, Flubbalo. Weak sauce.
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My big homie down in Houston plays a little goal for the Aeros, and has a bit of a following. His name is Barry Brust, check out the fan club tee’s:
IMAGE HAS BEEN REMOVED. CAUSE, UM, Y’KNOW, IT WAS A CHEST-SHOT CLOSE-UP.
Sick.
That’ll do for now. We’re nearing the Superbowl. I’m betting the Ottawa Roughriders by a try.
I'm a hockey player turned writer. After playing for Alaska Anchorage in the WCHA (NCAA), I carried on with an NHL tryout (New York Islanders in 2007) before spending a couple seasons in the AHL/ECHL (last year was 2008-09). My father, Bob Bourne, won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders in the '80's, as did my fiancee's dad, Clark Gillies. I'm now the web editor for theScore's hockey blog "Backhand Shelf."
Errrr… if a guy skates full speed all the way from the blue line to hit someone in the corner, isn’t that called “charging”?
As for tape, Bobby Orr had ONE strip in the middle of his stick. Worked for him, I guess.
“Stick” meaning “blade” that is, to make it clear.
I need to try the half strips on the stick blade. Sounds a little labor intensive though. I always wax my tape. I think it helps to control the puck. Although it’s more of a mental issue / superstition for me. I agree with white tape looking awesome. Plus I don’t feel like buying different for the shaft and the blade.
Staal was lucky. Taking a skate to the face could have turned out very tragic. Not sure if it would have helped, but I wish more guys would wear half visors.
Ahh, can’t believe I left off a mention of wax – I can’t even play without it. The purpose, however, isn’t control. It keeps snow from sticking to the blade, so you’re always playing with your crisp, thin blade instead of a snowball. It’s a must.
And Char, the game has changed a bit since Bobby’s day. They just left the bark on the tree they carved his stick out of for control.
Deep down, I know that tape color doesn’t really matter…… but I’ll be damned if I tape it anything but black to help hide the puck. I don’t do the ‘tape best the blade, cut left overs’, but I do put a 4inch piece across the end of the blade and tape to that.
I have to give the nod to Ovey too. ESPN has a Buccigross article right now saying how he could possibly beat Gretzkys all time goal total, interesting read. I love the analogy you made though, I’ll be waiting for the news to report when they name a real hurricane “Hurricane Ovechkin”. Is there anyone in hockey though that can single handedly turn their entire home crowd into a near riot better then #8? His attitude/swagger/what-have-you on the ice is amazing, and I love how the entire Caps just seem to feed off of it. Its like kids playing pond hockey at the NHL level.
So what do you think from my question yesterday? Who’d you take: Ovey/Semin/Backstrom/Green or Sid/Malkin/Staal/Gonchar? I’ll leave the goalies out of it this time
Very droll.
Orr also didn’t wear socks with his skates, did you know that? Said he liked to “feel the ice.”
You also might be interested to learn that some strippers in Boston shaved their pubic hair into a tape-sized line. They called it the “Bobby Orr.”
Syd is still the cutest hockey player in the NHL. He’s always a winner to me because of that
I know we’re only scratching the surface in the stick/tape department (and no 300 words isn’t enough) but how about starting the socks/no socks discussion. That should be worth a few hundred more words that JTB might need to finish off the week.
White tape. Half strip on the end of toe first. Tape heel to toe. Start mid-blade. Run a puck over both sides. Give it a waxin’. puck over it again.. snazzy!
I finally got wax and man, what a difference! Moves a lot smoother on the ice now. If only I were smooth at all…
Heel to toe, the whole blade, usually tape over and cut, always wax, color doesn’t matter to me but I’m trying a dark blue to see if it will stick out on the ice a bit more to make a target. I did try the ripping tape in half and it made more ridges, not sure if it made a difference though.
What about lacing? All the way up or skip eyelets? Tight or loose? Waxed or unwaxed? And most importantly, white, black, or yellow?
As far as lacing goes: never all the way up; skip the last/top eyelets. I go tight, cause, well, that’s how my dad tied em so long ago, back in the day. Waxed and ALWAYS white. Unless you’re European… then, well, by all means, try to look as much like Jagr as you can…
I’ve never been so enlightened about tape.
And I hate to say it, but I agree with you on Ovechkin > Sid. Sid is my fave; he saved my hockey team after all. But Ovechkin just seems to cover all the aspects.
I used to go barefeet in my skates. I’m a rec leaguer so I can’t say it improved my “feel” on the ice. But it did create the worst hockey-gear-related-odour I’ve ever smelled. Bru-tal!
Yes to wax; it’s a must. The only wax I could get my hand on one time was a pleasant smelling green candle. Not only did it tinge the colour of my white tape; it also smelled nice on the bench. I guess it offset the stink of my skates.
Tape colour. No difference if it’s black or white. If you want to stand out, it’s best to pick some other non-traditional colour.
Right, but standing out is anti-hockey. That why so many of us get the tiniest bit annoyed at Ovechkin’s stupid laces everytime we see them. I have no problem with the candle-wax though. Works just as good, and right, it smells dee-lish (though the standard and best wax is Paro-wax…(paraffin)
Long time reader, first time writer (had to throw that in there for all of the d-bags that say that on call in shows). I had to chime in on the tape thing….So i’m sitting in a locker room and the person next to me starts taping his stick. He grabs a role of tape and puts his index finger in the hole and just starts flying around the blade of his stick. There’s big clumps and parts of his blade still exposed. It took him a matter of 3 seconds to tape his blade and didn’t do a thing about the shitty job he just did. So, I look at him and say, you did that just because it’s training camp, right? He says, nope, its how I do it for games as well. Like i said, it’s the worst tape job i have ever seen……and the person sitting next to me…..Luc Robataille, just 600+ goals in the nhl is all with the shittiest tape job ever.
TS – Crazy that it was Robataille — when I was about nine or so, my Dad had just retired. The next year, he took us to a game (maybe in Van?) and took us into the dressing before the game to say hi to some guys. I met Luc, and he asked me to tape his stick. I was meticulous, wanted it to be perfect. I have no idea if he used it (I never thought he did until you mentioned he wasn’t too picky), but he had a hattrick that night! Two Luc Robataille stick tape stories. What’re the odds.
i am a little dismayed at the comments here.
1. Standing out is anti-hockey? Guess thats why i like playing goalie. Get a little bit of personality in my pads and such.
2. Teams are nervous playing the caps due to Ovi’s ability to punish them with hits and or/goals, and they have to be aware of his linemates as well. Sid, well, he seems more polished and refined.
3. Socks, gotta have them or might as well plan on leaving your skates outside when ya get home.
4. Good grief, NO comments on Brustys fan club shirt? What are you guys? D-men? Brusty has a nice model for the shirt. (trying to be polite)
Love the blog, and thoughts here. I am learning more and more each day. Specially where the best bars are in anchorage!
I looked at my sticks last night because I guess I tape them on autopilot and don’t really know.
Heel to toe? Check
Entire blade? Check – I used to skate with a guy who taped his entire stick! Grip, shaft and blade! He started at the grip and wound the tape all the way to the toe.
Wax? Check – I use an old candle too, but ‘natural’ color and unscented. I take it one step further and use a heat gun to melt the wax so it gets absorbed into the tape fibres.
Black or White? It all feels the same on my stick.
Lusty for Brusty? Never in my life before today have I wished my name were Brusty.
Haha, yeah, airborne moose, the pic was a later addition to the entry. The early reading fools missed that little treat.
That Ovi article is ridiculous. Buccigross continues to confuse. He should write for The Hockey News.
Tape- Preferably white (helps me catch the toe of my stick in peripheral vision) , midblade to toe, as few seams as possible, no wax, blackened with a puck.
Socks- Always. Tried the no socks route and find it weird, although I wear my running shoes sometime without socks (those fancy Nike Free training shoes), they feel so much better, but stink so much more.
No problem with yellow laces. But the skate lace instead of a belt bugs me. I like my white waxed laces, changed almost monthly regardless of what shape they are in, crisp new laces always feel better.
No tape on shin pads, like em a bit floppy.
Also hate it when my jersey goes into my gloves. I play with it up on my elbow pads, like Hossa (http://tinyurl.com/ylembzz) who I probably picked it up from. Some refs call that an improper use of equipment and won’t let you. Those guys are jerks.
Airborne moose – goalies are their own breed. do what you want. pads in colour scheme i guess.
Bucci truly loves hockey….and I respect him for that, but come on! A lot of those numbers for Ovechkin are just out of line and ridiculous…..
Tape jobs? I’m not a wax guy, but I’m apparently following the crowd on the rest of the details.
Laces? Dude……..if they aren’t white then you’re doing it wrong. And change them every couple weeks. Part of being a hockey player is looking the part. Dirty laces are brutal.
Not standing out? Don’t. Just don’t.
Gotta agree with the standing out part. You know when you get out there for warm-ups it only takes about 5 seconds to notice the guy with one dark sock on and one white sock on, different color chassis (a la Ovie with those russian flag ones he wore at WC’s), or anything else funkadelic (eg. http://www.hockeymonkey.com/glove-rinky.html) for that matter, such as these t-blades you see people wearing now (like Ron MacLean) or wearing your roller hockey pants to play pick-up. All of these things will simply result in plenty of raised brows.
Forget it. I’m never putting another link in another comment box again.
My ‘B’.
I always tape mine from heel to toe with a strip put down first on the bottom of the blade. I have waxed and didn’t feel it made a difference. I actually use an old Gretzky trick and put baby powder on the blade. All this after taking a puck to the tape.
Laces- All the way up, black waxed and no wrap around.
Now here is one to talk about- What to do with skate tongues. I always left them out and folded but then I got new skates a couple of years ago with a thicker tongue. I tried them tucked into my shinguards and it sucked, so now I have them out but not folded. I may need to fold them and tie them down with the laces to break them in.
I like Syd…more of a team player then Ovie, but they are both great.
Tape is always black, start at the middle of the blade and go to the toe. yeah, 1/2 a tape job, whatever it works.
Sidney versus Ovi….I’ve seen Sid the kid up close and personal (like 6 rows back in the zone where the Pens shot tiwice) and both times he left me saying wow. He made passes in lanes that you didn’t think were there, his acceleration was a sight to be hold, and he did all these little things that you would want to do (if you didn’t just play mens league and didn’t care about getting back in the d-zone).
Ovi, he’s electric, shot here, hit there. Fun to watch on TV. Saw him live in Boston on tuesday, some of the crap he gets away with is amazing. I’m not talking about stick work, I’m talking 2 minute, 2 and a half minute shifts. Horrendous d-zone coverage, bad changes, and flying the zone way too earlier. Stuff thats probably nails on the chalkboard for Crosby.
For all Ovechkin doesn’t do, he makes up for with his offense. I dunno, casual fan probably loves Ovi and his highlights which is fine. Die-hard, knowledgeable hockey guy probably goes Crosby with all his little things, etc. I’m going Sid, hes just too good at everything to deny. Shooting (needs to take more shots), passing, faceoffs, playing D, etc. Take the flash and dash of Ovi, I’m starting my team with Sid.
haha..i love the lindros stick pic..that was my first 1 piece stick..got it my first year pro..and your right– it is BRUTAL!!!
Okay, just to be clear here… While I am, in fact, overwhelmingly lusty for Brusty (and was loooong before that rack even knew who he was), that pic is not me as someone just suggested to me by email.
@ Bret – I don’t know about the other folks, but I’ve just gotten used to cutting and pasting your links to remove the close parenthesis
…and part of me wants those gloves. Luckily they’re way to big for me, cuz the other part of me *really* doesn’t!
Black laces, no wax, tongue out but not floppy
Black tape, heal to toe, all but the last 1″ or so of the toe, wax – same on the goalie stick as the D stick.
Why wax on the laces, what does it do for you?
Waxed laces stay tighter and are easier to get tight since they don’t slip back when you let go of them. They also keep the knots from coming undone.
Thats why waxed. New waxed laces make your skates feel the same from when you step on the ice to when you get off of it.
Okay. I’m sold. I hate how stiff wax laces are but it really grinds my gears when my skates are looser at the end of a game.
I’ve never read so much about tape and sticks in my life. Wow.
I’m gonna agree that talent wise Ovechkin has Crosby beat. But I still think being a great player is more than talent, and that’s why Sid the Kid is still my favourite.
ha thanks, Deirdre. good point.
As far as the whole Ovie vs. Kid thing goes, it’s pretty exciting seeing 8 with the puck at the top of the circle and rifle one off the toe like he does. pretty wicked how he shoots to kill. But Crosby is a guy you can build a team around, a true leader, and makes everyone around him that much better. I hardly hear anything these days about Colby Armstrong since he was traded to ATL. So i’m pro-Crosby, and pro-CoCo..
eh JB….what about an article that has to do with whether or not to go tongues out……and how some ppl order the extra long tongues….what are your thoughts on this subject……
Weather alert: High wind advisory in 608 A
Four beers for that chick in the Brusty shirt…and a shot, but nothing too strong, maybe some sour apple
I hate the Devils, I was hoping Kovalchuk would go to a team that is fun to watch.
It will be interesting to see how Kovalchuk fits in with Memaire’s coaching style. Gaborik had a problem with that after a while…I agree, I wish he had gone to a team that is more fun to watch.
8 will put more butts in the seats! The explosive tornado is what’s fun to watch.
Bret’s doin’ it right with the wax and puck-rub over after the TJ. After some extensive market research, I’d have to favor “Mr Zog’s Sex Wax” as the premier wax. I really don’t feel that straight candle wax gets it done.
Black tape on the blade – one strip on the bottom of the blade from the heel and around the toe, and then standard wide tape job (don’t be that guy splitting the tape) from heel to toe. I’ve devised a technique that I can get full coverage over the toe and not have to cut it with scissors. Also WHITE tape for the handle – it seems to make glove palms last longer.
Waxed laces are a must, definitely keep your laces tight and secure as opposed to non-waxed counterparts.
Also, I add a sticky-side of the tape (again, white) down my shaft for grip – I really don’t like the factory grips that have been pumped out the last few years. I’d prefer to take a non-grip stick and then apply my own.
Anyone remember the original silver/gold Easton Synergy’s? They used to come stock with some sort of “grip” or at least, friction coating, on the blade. I was never sure if it was meant to replace tape somehow, as the friction from the roughness theoretically could grab the puck a little better. I tried a no-tape for one practice and it was ok, but ended up reverting back to standard taping procedures.
Also, peep my Sid/Ovy write from a while ago if you haven’t already! http://bit.ly/dbfwNh
Toe to heel with black tape up to about an inch short of the toe. Waxed, then torched to let the wax melt into the tape. It makes the tape a lot more resistant to dings and skate cuts, which I can’t stand. On the knob I have a layer of black tape long enough for my top hand to not actually touch the untaped shaft, and then a layer of grip tape (I think it’s called flex tape or something like that). It’s NOT friction tape if that’s what you’re thinking. Then I apply my own grip to the shaft with the classic backwards rolled tape on a plug.
Skates are worn barefoot, tied as tightly as possibly, using all the eyelets. I do not wrap the laces around my ankle. I go tounges in and backs out of the shin pads. Sock tape once around just under the kneecap, then continuing around and down the calf diagonally into another single wrap around the leg just above the back of the skate.
I then tuck the laces up under the socks and tape twice around the ankle to seal them in. It makes my shinnys feel like they’re attached to my legs and I like everything on my legs and feet to feel like it’s a part of me, which is weird because I like my gloves loose. I wear 14″ Bauer Pro 4 rolls. Best glove out there.
Yeesh. That was supposed to say heel to toe. I can’t believe I even just said that.
While we’re on the topic of equipment and everything, I would just like to add that with the internet these days our potential for more obscure and less primary-colored, mainstream equipment (black), is much more endless if we simply make good, hard attempts at searching. Now, indeed, standing out is not at all hockey, but I do feel as though there needs to be a movement away from black helmets/gloves/pants (ahem… pacific division). I’m not talking about purchasing a pair of orange eagle gloves off hockeygiant here. I mean more of such tasteful items as the old jofa bubble facemask, minnesota wild breezers/pants, or even the bauer pro 4 roll gloves in what they market as being carolina blue, but in the hockey world we all know it as maine black bears blue. Bottom line: we need more hershey bears and phoenix coyotes out there, and i think these are all things that we as hockey players should strive for and should stop settling for less..
Can’t believe all this talk about tape and wax and this hasnt been mentioned yet.
You tape it up, however you want. Coat it in cheap wax (parafin canning type). Grab the heat gun and melt the wax into the tape creating waxed tape. Let it cool and set, cover again with a thin layer of Zog’s. Makes the wax cover the whole area so you dont have ice build up in a weird spot, and you dont have to lay it on thick to get longevity.
Bret, I think you mean well with the idea of moving away from black equipment, but black just seems to go with everything. Jerseys sets seem to be made to fit black’s neutrality. Unless you’re playing for a team that’s giving away the gear, you should make the effort not to “stand-out” as everyone seems to agree. This goes especially for the beer leaguer, or the minor hockey kid; no one wants to be the guy wearing red gloves with green and black jerseys. My college gear was cool and all, but now I’m that guy with all blue gear that doesn’t match the jersey he was given.
I’m intrigued by the heated wax theory; though it implies that I’m going to have to start carrying a blow-torch around in my bag. As much as we all enjoy flammable material leaking into our bags, and the potential to burn myself, and/or the arena down, I think i’ll pass. Or borrow someone’s torch next time. Also, too much wax can seemingly make the puck NOT stick to your blade I’ve found, so I make an effort to find a happy medium in application to deter snow buildup, but to encourage puck friction.
Definitely tongues in, and backs out. Also, laces wrapped around the ankle is heresy. Keep that shinpad tape clear, for crying out loud. Grip tape is a welcomed addition to the stick handle, but not altogether required.
Good bad or indifferent, here’s another option. Just found your blog today……Bookmarked! Great blog.
“Heel to toe collects no snow.”