Players develop their preferences for sticks over the course of their careers. The differences between the sticks can be significant. It is all very personalized and the players themselves spend many hours preparing their own sticks. High-Tech Hockey Newer materials continue to make inroads into the game of hockey. Graphite, carbon- graphite, and aluminum shafts and sticks provide strength and generally weigh less than wooden sticks.
Some players believe that they shoot better and stick-handle better due to the new materials.
Many manufacturers are turning to white ash, which is not nearly as sturdy as elm. Mike Aldrich gives a tour of the Sharks stick room. Fiberglass, aluminum, and carbon-graphite sticks and blades fill the Sharks stick room. Depending on who you talk to, the first use of a puck was in Kingston Harbour, Ontario, Canada in 1860. While it's unlikely that this first puck was made of rubber, it wasn't long after that that the rubber puck made its entrance into the game.