According to him, an average NHL hockey stick costs $185 and players go through 60 to 125 sticks every year. One athlete might spend up to $23,125 on hockey sticks. The number of hockey sticks manufactured each year is quite large. In 2004-05 the total retail market value was about $100 million USD. That means that more than 2000 sticks were sold that season. It is estimated that the industry produces around 4500 sticks per day! Sticks are made in three main types: blade, composite, and novelty. Blades are the primary component of a stick and they are hand carved from a single piece of wood. The shape of the blade affects how well it performs; there are different techniques used for carving blades, such as cross-cutting with a band saw or inverse cutting with a linear cutter. No two blades will be exactly the same because they are all unique pieces of art. Composite sticks are made by gluing several thin strips of wood together to create one solid piece. Because of their composition, these sticks are less expensive than blades, but still very expensive (blade/composite prices vary between $150 and $3500). Some composite sticks also include metal shafts within them for added strength.