A hockey stick apparatus, comprising: a hollow shaft structure having a proximal end and a distal end ; a molded blade structure coupled to the proximal end of the hollow shaft structure, the molded blade structure further comprising: a top edge spaced apart from a bottom edge by a blade height ; a heel spaced apart from a toe by a blade length ; a front face spaced apart from a back face by a blade thickness ; a slot defining an aperture extending through the blade thickness between the front face and the back face , the slot extending along a portion of the blade length and having a top edge , a bottom edge , a toe end and a heel end , wherein the bottom edge of the slot is positioned closer to the top edge than the bottom edge of the molded blade structure ; a stiffened top portion of the blade structure extending between the top edge of the blade structure and the top edge of the slot along a portion of the blade length ; and a flexible bottom portion of the blade structure extending between the bottom edge of the blade structure and the bottom edge of the slot along a portion of the blade length ; wherein the stiffened top portion has a first stiffness and the flexible bottom portion has a second stiffness less than the first stiffness. a hollow shaft structure having a proximal end and a distal end ; a molded blade structure coupled to the proximal end of the hollow shaft structure, the molded blade structure further comprising: a top edge spaced apart from a bottom edge by a blade height ; a heel spaced apart from a toe by a blade length ; a front face spaced apart from a back face by a blade thickness ; a slot defining an aperture extending through the blade thickness between the front face and the back face , the slot extending along a portion of the blade length and having a top edge , a bottom edge , a toe end and a heel end , wherein the bottom edge of the slot is positioned closer to the top edge than the bottom edge of the molded blade structure ; a stiffened top portion of the blade structure extending between the top edge of the blade structure and the top edge of the slot along a portion of the blade length ; and a flexible bottom portion of the blade structure extending between the bottom edge of the blade structure and the bottom edge of the slot along a portion of the blade length ; wherein the stiffened top portion has a first stiffness and the flexible bottom portion has a second stiffness less than the first stiffness. a top edge spaced apart from a bottom edge by a blade height ; a heel spaced apart from a toe by a blade length ; a front face spaced apart from a back face by a blade thickness ; a slot defining an aperture extending through the blade thickness between the front face and the back face , the slot extending along a portion of the blade length and having a top edge , a bottom edge , a toe end and a heel end , wherein the bottom edge of the slot is positioned closer to the top edge than the bottom edge of the molded blade structure ; a stiffened top portion of the blade structure extending between the top edge of the blade structure and the top edge of the slot along a portion of the blade length ; and a flexible bottom portion of the blade structure extending between the bottom edge of the blade structure and the bottom edge of the slot along a portion of the blade length ; wherein the stiffened top portion has a first stiffness and the flexible bottom portion has a second stiffness less than the first stiffness. <EOS>