Hockey Stick

The hockey stick is a type of lever that allows players to get the maximum amount of force onto the puck and thus shoot it with the maximum velocity. They use torque, and knowing that with increased length, the torque is increased, a longer stick is usually better than a shorter one because it will have a greater velocity on the end where the puck is being pushed. Often, when a player takes a slap shot, they hit the ice with their stick first, and this bends the stick slightly so that once the puck is in contact with the stick, the torque is acting on the puck and then the force of the stick, like a spring, is out of equilibrium and wants to return to it so the puck will then have even more force acting on it.