Patent Publication Number: US-11020642-B2

Title: Hockey stick with co-molded construction

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/398,976 filed on Apr. 30, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,596,431, which is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/828,164 filed on Nov. 30, 2017 now U.S. Pat. No. 10,315,082. The above referenced applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This disclosure relates generally to fabrication of molded structures. More particularly, aspects of this disclosure relate to the construction of hockey sticks. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The fast pace at which the game of hockey is played requires players to react quickly in order to score goals, and conversely, as in the case of the defensive players, to prevent goals from being scored against. Reducing the mass of equipment, and in particular, the hockey stick, can, in certain examples, be desirable in order to move quickly to the puck and help to decrease the time it takes for a player to move his/her stick to a desired position. Aspects of this disclosure relate to improved methods for production of hockey sticks where the blade and the shaft are joined using a co-molding process. 
     SUMMARY 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. The Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     Aspects of the disclosure herein may relate to a hockey stick apparatus, comprising a shaft member having a toe side, a heel side, a butt end and a blade end, and a blade member having a heel end, a toe end, and a striking face, where the blade member is integrally molded onto the shaft member. The blade end of the shaft member may include a contoured tip on the toe side, where the contoured tip has a maximum heel-to-toe width defined as a horizontal distance from the heel side of the shaft member to a peak of the contoured tip that is greater than a heel-to-toe width of the shaft member at a blade-starting region, where the blade-starting region can in certain instances be defined as the region on the shaft member where a plurality of prepreg layers that form the blade member onto the shaft member start on the shaft member. A ratio of the maximum heel-to-toe width of the contoured tip to the heel-to-toe width of the shaft member at a blade-starting region may be within a range of 1.125:1 to 1:175:1. The contoured tip may have a curved surface that gradually diverges outwardly from the toe side of the shaft member at the blade-starting region to the peak of the contoured tip and then decreases linearly in width from the peak to a U-shaped portion that extends around the blade end of the shaft member from the toe side to the heel side. The contoured tip may also have a substantially triangularly shaped portion and may be asymmetrical with respect to a plane centered between the heel side and the toe side of the shaft member. In addition, the contoured tip may form a substantially U-shaped portion that is surrounded by foam. The blade end of the shaft member may further define a first angle on the heel side and a second angle on the toe side, where the first angle is greater than the second angle. The length of a toe wall of the shaft member may be equal or greater than a length of a heel wall of the shaft member. Lastly, the shaft member may have a foam member that is enclosed within the shaft member adjacent a toe wall, a portion of a front wall, a portion of a rear wall, and a shaft toe sub-wall. 
     Other aspects of this disclosure may relate to a method of forming a hockey stick comprising: forming a shaft member by wrapping a plurality of prepreg layers around a mandrel to form a majority of the shaft member from a butt end to a blade end, where the blade end includes a contoured tip having a maximum heel-to-toe width defined as a horizontal distance from a heel side of the shaft member to a toe side of a peak of the contoured tip that is greater than a heel-to-toe width at a blade-starting region of the shaft member that is defined as the horizontal distance from the heel side of the shaft member to the toe side of the shaft member where a plurality of prepreg layers that form a blade member onto the shaft member start on the shaft member. Then, wrapping a foam core of the blade member with a composite fabric to form a blade core and assembling the blade core adjacent to the contoured tip of the shaft member. Next, wrapping a plurality of prepreg layers around the blade core and the contoured tip of the shaft member to form a hockey stick assembly. The hockey stick assembly is then placed in a mold and the mold is heated. Lastly, the hockey stick assembly is removed from the mold. 
     Still other aspects of this disclosure may relate to a shaft member having a contoured tip having a substantially triangular shape on the toe side of the shaft member. The contoured tip may gradually diverge outwardly towards from the toe side of the shaft member at the blade-starting region of the shaft member to a peak at a maximum width of the shaft member. The blade core may include an unwrapped neck portion that surrounds a U-shaped portion of the contoured tip of the shaft member. 
     Yet other aspects of this disclosure may relate to a method of forming a hockey stick comprising: forming a shaft member having a heel side, a toe side, a butt end, and a blade end, where the blade end includes a substantially triangular shaped portion along the toe side that is integrally formed with the shaft member. Then, wrapping a foam core with a composite fabric to form a blade core and assembling a blade core adjacent the blade end of the shaft member. Next, wrapping a plurality of prepreg layers around the blade core and the blade end of the shaft member to form a hockey stick assembly, and placing the hockey stick assembly in a mold. The mold may be heated, and then cooled, which allows the hockey stick assembly to be removed from the mold. The blade core may have an unwrapped neck portion that contacts a U-shaped portion of the blade end of the shaft member. Lastly, the toe side of the shaft member may have a curvilinear shape between a blade-starting region and a peak of the substantially triangular shaped portion. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of the co-molded hockey stick according to one or more aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a detailed view of a cross-section of the shaft member and the blade member of the co-molded hockey stick of  FIG. 1  according to one or more aspects described herein; 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrates views of construction of the current hockey sticks as known to those skilled in the art; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of a portion of the shaft member of the co-molded hockey stick as shown in  FIG. 1  according to one or more aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a side view of a portion of the shaft member of the co-molded hockey stick as shown in  FIG. 1  according to one or more aspects described herein; 
         FIGS. 6A-6C  illustrate cross-sectional views of the shaft member of the co-molded hockey stick as shown in  FIG. 5  according to one or more aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a side view of an alternate embodiment of a portion of the shaft member of the co-molded hockey stick according to one or more aspects described herein; 
         FIGS. 8A-8C  illustrate cross-sectional views of the hockey stick as shown in  FIG. 7  according to one or more aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a step in constructing the co-molded hockey stick according to aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a step in constructing the co-molded hockey stick according to aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a detailed view of the junction of the co-molded hockey stick according to aspects described herein; 
         FIGS. 12A and 12E  illustrate cross-sectional views of the hockey stick as shown in  FIG. 11  according to aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a flex profile of a co-molded hockey stick compared to a traditional two-piece hockey stick construction. 
     
    
    
     Further, it is to be understood that the drawings may represent the scale of different component of one single embodiment; however, the disclosed embodiments are not limited to that particular scale. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description of various example structures, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which aspects of the disclosure may be practiced. Additionally, it is to be understood that other specific arrangements of parts and structures may be utilized, and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosures. Also, while the terms “front”, “rear”, and “back” may be used in this specification to describe various example features and elements, these terms are used herein as a matter of convenience, e.g., based on the example orientations shown in the figures and/or the orientations in typical use. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a specific three-dimensional or spatial orientation of structures in order to fall within the scope of this invention. 
     The following terms are used in this specification, and in order to help the reader&#39;s understanding, these terms have been described below. However, the purpose of these descriptions are to provide examples of the various features and concepts related to the disclosure, not to limit the scope of the invention. 
     “Plurality” indicates, in certain examples, any number greater than one, either disjunctively or conjunctively, as necessary, up to an infinite number. 
     “Integrally molded” or “Co-molded” can in certain examples be described as a one-piece member that is formed by molding a portion of the one-piece member onto a separately formed member that was formed separately prior to the molding operation, where the one-piece member has a different external shape than the original separately formed member. For instance, the one-piece member effectively becomes a single, integral piece, where separation of the one-piece member into the original separately formed members may not be accomplished without structural damage to the one-piece member. 
     “Prepreg” can in certain examples be described as pre-impregnated composite fibers where the composite fibers are encapsulated or suspended within an uncured polymer or epoxy matrix. The “prepreg” may be formed in sheets or layers such that they can be applied as multiple layers in differing orientations to create a structure with the desired properties. The prepreg layers when cured may create a rigid structure to a desired shape. 
     Aspects of this disclosure relate to systems and methods for production of a co-molded hockey stick or integrally molded hockey stick that creates a lightweight on-piece structure with uniform flex profile. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the co-molded hockey stick  100  may include a heel side  102 , a toe side  104 , a front side  106 , and a rear side. Additionally, the hockey stick  100  may include a shaft member  110  and a blade member  150 , where the blade member  150  may have a striking face  152 , a rear surface  154  opposite the striking face  152 , a heel end  156 , and toe end  158 . The shaft member  110  may have a blade end  112  nearest the blade member  150  and a butt end  114  opposite the blade end  112  where the user may grip the shaft member  110 . The butt end  114  of the shaft may include additional or alternative elements, such as a tacky outer surface on the butt end  114  of the shaft member  110  to provide enhanced grip for a player, and/or an end cap on the shaft member  110 , without departing from the scope of these disclosures. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a longitudinal cross-section of the junction of the co-molded hockey stick  100  with a shaft member  110  and a blade member  150 . As will be discussed in further detail below, the shaft member  110  may be molded first, and then the blade member  150  may then be molded onto the pre-molded shaft member  110  to form an integrally molded or co-molded hockey stick  100 . 
     The shaft member  110  may have a hollow portion  111  enclosed by a heel wall  116 , a toe wall  118 , a front wall  120 , a rear wall  122  and a contoured tip  124  formed on the blade end  112 . The contoured tip  124  may have a heel-to-toe width, W 1 , that is greater than heel-to-toe width, W 2 , at the blade-starting region  126  of the shaft member  110 , which may form an undercut portion  127  to further secure the shaft member  110  to the blade member  150  after the blade member  150  is formed onto the shaft member  110 . This undercut portion  127  may improve the overall durability of the hockey stick  100 , as the shaft member  110  is geometrically constrained by the co-molded prepreg layers forming the blade member  150 , which may keep the shaft member  110  from coming loose from the blade member  150  during use. The heel-to-toe width, W 1 , may be defined as the horizontal distance from the exterior of the heel wall  116  to the peak  132  on the toe side of the contoured tip  124 . The heel-to-toe width, W 2 , may be defined as the horizontal distance from the exterior of the heel wall  116  to the exterior of the toe wall  118  at the blade-starting region  126 . The blade-starting region  126  can in certain instances be the region on the shaft member  110  where the prepreg layers that form the blade member  150  onto the shaft member  110  start on the shaft member  110 . The blade-starting region  126  can also be a step where the shaft member  110  has a greater width between the front wall  120  and the rear wall  122  above the blade-starting region  126  compared the width between the front wall  120  and the rear wall of the shaft member  110  below the blade-starting region  126  at the contoured tip  124 . 
     When the blade member  150  is formed onto the shaft member  110 , layers of prepreg material are wrapped around the shaft member  110  up to the blade-starting region  126  of the shaft member  110 . As these layers of prepreg material are cured, they form a rigid structure that secures the newly formed blade member  150  onto the shaft member  110 . Additionally, since the layers of prepreg material are wrapped at a location around the contoured tip  124  and up to the blade-starting region  126 , the cured prepreg layers at the blade-starting region  126  will form a rigid structure with a heel-to-toe width, W 2 , that is less than the heel-to-toe width, W 1  to further securing the shaft member  110  to the blade member  150 . This undercut portion may be defined as a ratio of W 1 /W 2 . Thus, the ratio of W 1 /W 2  may be approximately 1.15:1, or may be within a range of 1.125:1 to 1:175:1, or may be within a range of 1.10:1 to 1.20:1. 
     A shaft foam member  125  having a substantially triangular shape may be arranged along the toe side of the shaft member  110  and may be enclosed by the portions of the toe wall  118   a,    118   b  along with the shaft toe sub-wall  119 . The upper end of shaft foam member  125  may be located above or below the blade-starting region  126 . The shaft foam member  125  may comprise an epoxy strip, prepreg material, polyurethane foam, open cell foam, closed cell foam, expandable foam, or similar material. In addition, a heel foam member  175  or polymer filler material may be placed adjacent the portion of the heel wall  116   b  during the co-molding process to fill any voids when the prepreg layers are wrapped around the shaft member  110  and be enclosed by the heel wall  160  of the blade member  150 . The heel foam member  175  may comprise an epoxy type material or a polymeric foam material, such as polyurethane foam, open cell foam, closed cell foam, expandable foam, or similar material. The heel foam member material may have a gel like consistency to be pliable in order to be easily shaped to the final molded shape of the blade member  150 , and may also be tacky to ensure it stays in place during the installation process. Lastly, a foam core  171  may form an interior portion of the blade member  150  and may surround the U-shaped portion of the shaft member  110 . The foam core  171  may comprise an epoxy material, polyurethane foam, an open or closed cell foam, or an expandable foam, or similar material. 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate known junction configurations for co-molded hockey sticks  10  known to one skilled in the art. As shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the shaft members  20  are straight along the length of the toe wall and the heel wall that are molded to the blade member  30 . However, with the straight shaft design, the blade member  30  may work itself loose from the shaft member  20  as only the composite layers wrapping the blade member  30  to the shaft member  20  secure the blade member to the shaft member  20 . While as shown in  FIG. 2 , the shaft member  110  has a contoured tip  124  with an undercut portion  127  where the contoured tip  124  has a greater heel-to-toe width than the heel-to-toe width of the shaft member  110  at the blade-starting region  126 . The contoured tip&#39;s greater width creates an additional feature securing the blade member  150  to the shaft member  110  as the heel-to-toe width of the blade member  150  at the blade-starting region  126  is less than the heel-to-toe width of the contoured tip  124 . 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate the blade end  112  portion of the shaft member  110  with an asymmetrical contoured tip  124  with respect to a plane centered between the heel wall  116  and the toe wall  118  of the shaft member  110 . The contoured tip  124  may have a portion with a substantially triangular shape  130  along the toe wall  118 . The substantially triangular shape may be considered either a scalene triangle, where each side has a different length. In addition, an angle  131  may be formed between the portions of the toe wall  118   a,    118   b.  Angle  131  may be an obtuse angle, that is approximately 160 degrees, or within a range of 150 to 170 degrees, or within a range of 135 degrees to 170 degrees. The toe wall portion  118   a  may gradually diverge outwardly near the blade-starting region  126  as the shaft member  110  extends to its blade end  112 . The toe wall portion  118   a  may diverge at angle  133 , where angle  133  is approximately 7 degrees, or within a range of 5 degrees to 10 degrees. Toe wall portion  118   a  may further comprise a curved surface, while toe wall portion  118   b  may comprise a linear or straight surface. The contoured tip  124  may reach a maximum width, W 1 , at the contoured tip peak  132 . From the peak  132 , the contoured tip  124  may then decrease in width as the toe wall portion  118   b  until it reaches the blade end  112 . The blade end  112  may have a substantially U-shaped portion  134  that extends around the blade end  112  from the toe wall  118  to the heel wall  116 . The toe wall portion  118   a  between the peak  132  and the blade-starting region  126  may have a curvilinear shape to match the curvature of the upper wall  166  of the blade member  150  to create a smooth transition from the shaft member  110  to the blade member  150 . The substantially triangular shape  130  may also be centered along the toe wall  118  of the shaft member  110  as shown in  FIGS. 6A through 6C . As discussed above, the contoured tip  124  may have a width, W 3 , from the front wall  120  to the rear wall  122  that is less than the width, W 4 , from the front wall  120  to the rear wall  122  of the shaft member  110  above the blade-starting region  126 . The contoured tip  124  may have a portion that gradually tapers from both the front wall  120  or rear wall  122  toward each other below the blade-starting region  126 . The contoured tip  124  may be symmetrical about a plane centered between the front wall  120  and the rear wall  122  above the blade-starting region  126 . 
     The heel wall portion  116   a  may extend below the blade-starting region  126  substantially tangential and substantially coplanar to the adjacent portion of the heel wall  116  above the blade-starting region  126  until reaching a convergence point  136 . From the convergence point  136 , the heel wall portion  116   b  may then extend at an angle  138  measured relative to heel wall portion  116   a  towards the toe wall portion  118   b  until the heel wall portion  116   b  reaches the substantially U-shaped portion  134  of the blade end  112 . The angle  138  may be an obtuse angle and approximately 177.6 degrees, or within a range of 135 degrees and 180 degrees. In addition, angle  138  on the heel side may be greater than angle  131  on the toe side. The combination of the heel wall portion  116   b  and the toe wall portion  118   b  may form a tapered region  135 . In addition, the tapered region  135  may allow for additional prepreg layers to wrap underneath the heel wall portion  116   b  to further secure the shaft member  110  to the blade member  150 , while also allowing space for the heel foam member  175 . In addition, the shaft member  110  thickness at the blade end  112  can be adjusted to accommodate more or less layers to optimize the strength of the connection between the blade member  150  and the shaft member  110 . 
     The contoured tip  124  of the blade end  112  may be also described by comparing the length of the toe wall  118  to the heel wall  116 . For example, the combined length of a first length, L 1 , defined as the distance of the portion of the toe wall  118   a  from the blade-starting region  126  to the peak  132 , and a third length, L 3 , defined as the distance along the portion of the toe wall  118   b  from the peak  132  to the intersection of the toe wall portion  118   b  with the substantially U-shaped portion  134  where the U-shaped portion begins to curve, may be greater than or equal to the combined length of a second length, L 2 , defined as the distance of the portion of the heel wall  116   a  from the blade-starting region  126  to the convergence point  136  and a fourth length, L 4 , defined as the length of the portion of the heel wall  116   b  from the convergence point  136  to the intersection of the heel wall portion  116   b  with the U-shaped portion  134 . 
     As an alternative embodiment shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8A-8C , the front wall  120  and the rear wall  122  of the shaft member  110  may have a plurality of surfaces. As shown in the alternate embodiment of  FIGS. 7 and 8A-8C , the front wall  120  may have a primary front surface  121   a  and a secondary front surface  121   b.  The secondary front surface  121   b  may be angled from the primary front surface  121   a,  where the secondary front surface  121   b  extends inward until reaching the outer surface of the heel wall  116 . The primary front surface  121   a  may comprise a majority of the surface area of the contoured tip  124 . The secondary front surface  121   b  may extend the majority or the entire length of the contoured tip  124  from the blade-starting region  126  to the blade end  112 . The primary and secondary surfaces  121   a,    121   b  may intersect to form an edge  121   c.  The edge  121   c  may form a linear edge or may form a curved edge. Similarly, the rear wall  122  may have a primary rear surface  123   a  and a secondary rear surface  123   b,  where the secondary rear surface  123   b  may be angled from the primary rear surface  123   a  toward the outer surface of the heel wall  116 . The shaft member  110  may be symmetrical about a plane centered between the front wall  120  and the rear wall  122  above the blade-starting region  126 . Thus, the primary rear surface  123   a  may comprise a majority of the surface area of the contoured tip  124 . In addition, the secondary rear surface  123   b  may extend the majority or the entire length of the contoured tip  124  from the blade-starting region  126  to the blade end  112 . The primary and secondary surfaces  123   a,    123   b  may intersect to form an edge  123   c.  The edge  123   c  may form a linear edge or may form a curved edge. 
     Alternatively, the blade end  112  of the shaft member  110  may have a substantially straight heel wall  116  may that extends all the way to the U-shaped portion  134 . 
     As discussed above, the shaft member  110  with its contoured tip  124  design may be formed as a separate member prior to molding the blade member  150  onto the shaft member  110  by wrapping prepreg layers around a mandrel in order to create a preformed shaft member sub-assembly before molding on the contoured tip  124 . The contoured tip  124  may be formed by attaching a shaft foam member  125  to the blade end  112  of the preformed shaft member sub-assembly and then wrapping layers of prepreg material around the shaft foam member  125  to create a shaft member assembly. The shaft foam member  125  may be fully or partially wrapped with the layers of prepreg material. The shaft foam member  125  may be enclosed by the toe wall portions  118   a,    118   b,  a portion of the front wall  120 , a portion of the rear wall  122 , and at least a layer of a shaft toe sub-wall  119  formed by at least one layer of prepreg that is wrapped around the mandrel when forming the shaft member sub-assembly as shown in  FIGS. 6A-6C  and  FIGS. 8A-8C . The shaft member  110  along with the contoured tip  124  may then be formed to shape in a female-to-female type mold to create the exterior shape. 
     Once the shaft member  110  with the contoured tip  124  is formed, the blade member  150  may be co-molded to the shaft member  110  to form the hockey stick  100 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , a blade core  172 , which comprise a foam core  171  with a majority of the foam core  171  wrapped in a dry composite fabric  173  or similar material, and a contoured neck portion  174  that is unwrapped, where the contoured neck portion  174  may have a portion having a shape that substantially matches U-shaped portion of the contoured tip  124  of the blade end  112  of the shaft member  110 , where may be positioned adjacent the contoured tip  124  of the shaft member  110 , such that the U-shaped portion of the contoured tip is surrounded by the foam of the unwrapped contoured neck portion  174 . The fabric may be attached to the foam core  171  by an adhesive, stitching  176 , as shown, or other means known to one skilled in the art. As discussed below, the blade member  150  may be secured to the shaft member  110  by virtue of wrapping the blade core  172  together with the shaft member  110  using a plurality of prepreg layers. However, the unwrapped contoured neck portion  174  may be secured to the shaft member  110  using an adhesive or other means known to one skilled in the art to maintain the unwrapped contoured neck portion  174  together with the shaft member  110 . In addition, a heel foam member  175  or polymer filler material may be placed adjacent the heel wall portion  116   b  during the co-molding process to fill any voids between the heel wall portion  116   b  and the heel wall  160  of the blade member  150 . The foam core  171  may help to provide a more solid feel to a user while also allowing some flexibility within hockey stick  100 . The shape of the contoured tip  124  may further help align the blade core  172  making it easier to assemble the foam core  171  to the shaft member  110  during the co-molding process since the substantially triangular shape  130  is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the shaft member  110 . The foam core  171  may have a constant thickness or may have a variable thickness. 
     Next, the blade core  172 , the contoured tip portion  124  of the shaft member  110 , and the heel foam member  175  may be wrapped in multiple prepreg layers  178  to preform the blade member  150  and form an uncured hockey stick assembly  170 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the uncured hockey stick assembly  170  is then placed into the mold structure  200  and cured by heating the mold to cure the epoxy within the prepreg to finalize the hockey stick  100 . The mold structure  200  may have two halves  202  and  204  each with a specific geometry to impart the desired shape onto the hockey stick  100 . For instance, the mold structure  200  used to form the geometry of the co-molded hockey stick  100  may utilize female-female, or female-male, and/or male-male mold configurations. Any heating temperature and duration may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In addition, any heating technology may be used. The co-molded hockey stick  100  may be passively or actively cooled while within the mold structure  200  or after removal from the mold structure  200 . Once removed from the mold, the co-molded hockey stick is formed as illustrated in  FIG. 11  as a fully cured co-molded hockey stick  100 . 
       FIGS. 12A-12E  depict multiple cross-sections taken through a finished co-molded hockey stick  100  to better illustrate the structure.  FIG. 12A  shows the heel wall  116 , the toe wall  118  and the front and rear walls  120 ,  122  having a generally uniform thickness and hollow interior.  FIGS. 12B and 12C  show the heel wall portion  116   a,  the toe wall portion  118   a,  the front wall  120  and the rear wall  122  of the shaft member  110  along with a shaft foam member  125  that forms a portion of the contoured tip  124  of the shaft member  110 . The shaft foam member  125  may be enclosed by the toe wall portion  118   a,  portions of the front and rear walls  120 ,  122 , and the shaft toe sub-wall  119 . In addition, the co-molded region forming the striking face  152 , the rear surface  154 , heel wall  160 , and the upper wall  166  of the blade member  150  is encircling the outer surfaces of the shaft member  110 . 
       FIG. 12D  shows the co-molded region of the hockey stick  100  where the blade striking face  152  is formed over the front wall  120  of the shaft member  110 , the rear surface  154  is formed over the rear wall  122 , and the heel wall  160  is formed over the heel foam member  175  that is adjacent the heel wall portion  116   b.  The toe wall portion  118   b  is seen adjacent the shaft foam member  125  that is enclosed by the toe wall  118   a,  shaft toe sub-wall  119 , and the striking face  152  and rear surface  154  of the blade member  150 .  FIG. 12E  shows a portion of the foam core  171  enclosed on the toe side by the striking face  152 , the rear surface  154 , the upper wall  166  of the blade member  150 , and the toe wall portion  118   b  of the shaft member. Additionally, the heel side of the hockey stick  100  has a portion of the foam core  171  enclosed by the striking face  152 , the rear surface  154 , the heel wall  160  of the blade member  150  and the heel wall portion  116   b  of the shaft member  110 . 
     The co-molded hockey stick has many advantages when compared to a two-piece hockey stick, which is made from a separately formed blade member and a separately formed shaft member joined together. In the two-piece hockey stick, the blade member has male portion called a tenon, which inserts into the end of the shaft member. This insertion adds weight at this joint as well as creating an area of increased localized stiffness compared to a co-molded hockey stick  100 . Depending on the properties of the tenon, the tenon insertion into the shaft member may increase the localized stiffness up to 200% compared to the stiffness of the co-molded hockey stick  100 . The co-molded hockey stick  100  may have a more uniform flex profile along the entire length of the shaft as shown in  FIG. 13  compared to the two-piece hockey stick. This increase in localized stiffness may cause the hockey stick to react differently for a player or even create an unpleasant feeling when striking a puck. In addition, the co-molded hockey stick  100  as described herein also may reduce the overall weight of the hockey stick, which may make it easier to maneuver for a player, by eliminating the extra material and adhesive caused by the joint between the neck and the end of the shaft. 
     The present disclosure is disclosed above and in the accompanying drawings with reference to a variety of examples. The purpose served by the disclosure, however, is to provide examples of the various features and concepts related to the disclosure, not to limit the scope of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the examples described above without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.