IIT STICK RULE
The blade is the wide part of the hockey stick that touches the ground. The long handle is called the shaft. IIT has requested that only sticks that have a plastic blade will be permitted to be used in the gym. This blade can be screwed on, glued on, or fused on.
A stick is unacceptable for playing in the IIT gym if it has a wooden blade or hockey tape of any colour on the blade. A stick is also unacceptable if the bottom of the blade is rough from playing outdoors.
The reason for this rule is to prevent scratching or scuff marks on the gym floor. An unacceptable stick is considered ‘illegal’ and any player using such a stick is an ‘illegal’ player and will be penalized immediately.
LENGTH OF STICK
When you hold the stick straight up in front of you with the blade touching the ground, the shaft should come up as high as your chin, and no higher than your nose.
BLADE OF STICK
The blade must be plastic and can be glued on, fused on, or screwed on.
Glued on: You can buy sticks where the blade is glued onto a shaft. You can clearly see where the blade ends and the shaft begins. This stick is acceptable if the blade is plastic.
Fused on: You can buy sticks where the blade is fused onto the shaft. You will not be able to see where the blade ends as it looks like the same material as the shaft. This stick is acceptable if the blade is plastic.
Screwed on: You can buy sticks where the plastic blade is already screwed onto the shaft. Or you can buy just the plastic blade for a couple of dollars from Canadian Tire, Walmart or Sportchek, which you will need to screw on to the shaft of an old stick after sawing off the existing blade. If you already have a shaft where the original blade has broken off, just saw off the broken edge before screwing on the plastic blade.
CURVE OF BLADE
The blade should be curved left or right. Here’s how to know whether to buy a stick with the blade curved left or right. Ask your child to hold the stick as though they were going to shoot the ball. If their left hand holds the top of the stick, the blade must curve to the left. See pic below for a blade with a left curve:
If their right hand holds the top of the stick, the blade must curve to the right.
CURVING THE BLADE AFTER SCREWING IT ON
If you attach a plastic blade to an old stick and screw it on, you will have to hold the blade over a hot stove for a few seconds so the blade gets a little soft. Don’t hold it too long over the stove as you don’t want the plastic to melt. Once the blade has softened a little, you will need to curve the blade under your foot with your shoe on (don’t touch with bare hand or foot as it will be hot) by giving it the appropriate curve, left or right.
See CURVE OF BLADE above to know whether to curve the blade left or right. After curving the blade, leave the blade to cool off and the curve will remain.
If you have any questions, please contact us at contact@iibhl.ca.