It is clear that all people know - ancient things, and objects in our time can be very, very expensive. This may include any sports attributes of the past. This article will focus on a hockey stick that is over a hundred years old and worth about $4 million.

Unlike other sports, where they like to decorate their accessories with various decorations, everything is much simpler in hockey. The most expensive hockey stick is just an ordinary piece of wood that a person would mistake for garbage or an unnecessary thing in the house.

Curiosities and history

An interesting incident that occurred in 2009 with a lover of old antiques from Canada immediately pops up in my memory. So, this citizen, while in the United States, bought a seemingly very old hockey stick in one of the antique shops, for which he gave a little, a lot of 3,000 thousand dollars. The seller said that this stick has existed since the 16th century and is well preserved to this day.

To celebrate, our friend decided that one of the ancient and valuable things fell into his hands, and put the club up for sale. This wooden creation was valued at $1 million. But it soon became known that the stick was not from the 16th century, and at that time there was no idea about such a game of hockey. Most likely, in that antique shop our hero was simply “cheated” a little.

And the real story of our club is as follows: it was supposedly made in the 50s of the 19th century in the Canadian city of Ontario. That is, it appeared several decades before the first match was played between two teams that tried to score a goal by hitting the puck into the net. In the future, the club has been passed from hand to hand for more than one generation as a family heirloom. Passed down until it fell into the hands of Gordon Sharp...

Currently

Gordon Sharp turned out to be a hockey fan, so he decided to find out the value of the stick he got. In consultation with experts, it was found that this club costs more than $ 4 million.

Gordon, without thinking twice, decided to put the family value up for auction, but there were no buyers. But already at the auction in 2010, before the Winter Olympics, a new owner of the stick was found. 4.25 million dollars were paid for it. Whatever you say, but this club deserves to be called the most expensive in the world, because such money is about something, but they say ...

The stick is the main weapon of hockey players. With a stick, players give dizzying passes, deliver accurate wrist throws and clicks of incredible strength on goal, a stick helps players celebrate goals colorfully and with artistry, with a stick, players greet each other, knocking on the ice, and fans, lifting it up.

Choosing the right stick will help the hockey player to reach his potential, as well as be more effective and efficient on the ice.

The selection of a stick should begin with the choice of grip. The hockey stick can be held with the right or left grip. They will differ from each other by the side of the bend of the hook.

Understanding what grip you need is very simple: when you hold the stick with two hands, and the hook of the stick is on the ice, floor or ground and a more comfortable position of the hands, when the left is lower than the right, then your grip is left. And vice versa, when it is more convenient to hold the club so that the right hand is lower - the grip is right.

Left hand from below - left grip.

It is always worth remembering that any change in length (shortening / building up) affects the stiffness of the stick. The shorter the tighter and vice versa. On modern hockey sticks, it is often indicated on the top of the “tube” how the stiffness changes with a change in length when shortened.

Hockey sticks in our catalog

Hockey stick type

Hockey sticks come in 2 types:

Composite

Made of two parts: handle and hook. This type of sticks is gradually becoming a thing of the past, as it no longer meets the requirements of hockey players for manufacturability. But at the same time, it remains more budgetary, except for solid wooden clubs, since in the event of a breakdown, the “tube” and the hook can be replaced separately from each other.

whole

These are clubs with a non-separable one-piece construction. In modern one-piece clubs, different manufacturers use many technological solutions aimed at lightening, strength and, most importantly, the balance of the club. All of the above applies to composite hockey sticks. There are also solid wooden sticks that have almost disappeared from professional and amateur hockey, but have remained in the “yard version” due to their low cost and immunity to frosty weather. The main disadvantage of solid sticks is that in case of breakage, you need to change the entire stick.

Materials used to make clubs:

Stick balance

The higher the center of gravity on the handle, the better the overall balance. A low center of gravity indicates a heavy hook. This point is easy to find by balancing the stick on your finger.

With professional players, one-piece composite sticks are the most popular because they are much lighter and have better balance, as well as a more pronounced flex point.

deflection point

The flex point characterizes a special zone in which the stick flexes when thrown. This is the softest point on the stick and can be lower for faster rebounds or higher for maximum energy storage.

Depending on the deflection point of the club tube and the stiffness of the blade, clubs can be divided into:
- clubs that are more convenient to click,
- clubs that are more convenient to throw from the brushes,
- universal clubs.

Below is a table to help you find the club that suits your playing style:

Deflection Point and Hook Rigidity	throw	Transmission reception
Low camber, rigid hook.	The most sharp shot due to the quick rebound of the puck from the hook. Wrist throws.	Facilitates the reception of strong passes and gives a quick return of the puck from the hook to the game.
Medium camber point, soft hook.	Increases the effectiveness of flicks and mid-range flicks. Universal option.	Gives you the opportunity to react to any game situation.
High flex point, soft hook.	Maximizes the effectiveness of snaps and full range wrist throws.	Helps the stick transfer energy to the blade for a powerful one-touch shot.

Another feature of clubs that needs to be noted is their behavior outdoors in severe frost. Composite clubs lose their properties (stiffness, flex point), and some budget composite club models become more brittle when used at low temperatures.

Wooden clubs retain their properties, both outdoors and indoors.

The main differences between composite sticks and wooden sticks:

Hook shape

Last but not least, what needs to be decided is the choice of the shape of the hockey stick hook, which entirely depends on the individual playing preferences of the hockey player. The shape of the hook is characterized by the angle/position between the hook and the "stick", the area of ​​the bend, the depth of the bend, the curvature of the plane, the shape of the toe and the length.

Angle between hook and stick

The angle between the plane of the hook and its handle is usually denoted by numbers from 4.5 to 7: the smaller the number, the greater the angle. To choose the right option for yourself, you need to stand on skates in a hockey stance, this is when you stand on slightly bent legs and hold the stick in a comfortable position with both hands, while the hook of the stick should touch the ice with the entire lower edge. A high angle value allows the puck to be brought closer to the body, and the players generally move in a more upright position. A lower value allows you to move the puck further away from you, in which case the players move slightly crouched.

Unlike golf, where expensive clubs are decorated with diamonds and exclusive leathers, everything is much simpler in hockey. The most expensive hockey stick is just a piece of wood, just a very, very old piece.

In early 2009, a Canadian purchased a $3,000 hockey stick from a Quebecer antique store. He believed the item dates back to the 1600s and planned to sell it on eBay for $1 million. However, historians have questioned its authenticity. And they turned out to be right.

In fact, the oldest and most expensive is a stick made in the 1850s - a few months before the first hockey game. This copy passed through the generations and ended up in the hands of a certain Gordon Sharp.

When he ordered an appraisal of the club, he was very surprised to learn that its current value is in the order of $4,250,000.

At the moment, it is kept in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. However, recently, there was an attempt to auction the stick at the 2010 Winter Olympics, but apparently no luck.

$4,250,000We don't know anything about the new owner of the most expensive club in the world, as he acts exclusively through agents. The owner himself has been thinking for several years about what to do with his acquisition. He even wanted to auction the stick at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, but found no buyers. And until smart ideas come, I decided to leave it in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, where it is kept under glass and is one of the most popular exhibits. By the way, the most expensive puck in the world exists in the world, however, it will not work to play with it: it is intended only for contemplation and personifies the vanity of some hockey players. This puck was created in 1996 by Diamond Cutters International for the management of the Houston hockey team. The puck is entirely made of platinum and adorned with 4 carats of emeralds and 171 carats of diamonds. It is valued at over $1 million.