T.J. Oshie doesn’t fully understand why some teammates point to him as the Capitals’ stick guru, though it did appear to dawn on him a bit when he mentioned he is “pretty particular” about the twig he uses during games.
“It’s a pretty big curve if you look at it,” Oshie said. “It’s kind of wedged to the left off the heel, which is pretty rare for hockey sticks. Usually, they start off straight and then they start curving down the blade. It’s kind of like a wedge and there are certain ways to use it. If you can stickhandle with it, your shot I feel like is a lot better with it.”
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So, yeah, guru-like.
“They try to call me the guru but I’m not,” Oshie insisted. “Honestly, I have nothing to do with my stick. My stick is ‘Ovi’s!’”
It’s true. The current stick Oshie is using, a Bauer Supreme, is a version that Alex Ovechkin — he of the 655 career NHL goals — used to wield. Ovechkin brought one out before a game a couple of years back and Oshie liked the look of it.
“I didn’t even practice with it, I taped it up and tried it for warmups and scored two goals that game,” Oshie said. “I’ve been using his stick ever since.”
There are all kinds of ways players come by the sticks they use, some by happenstance and others helped along by financial reasons. During the earlier stages of his NHL career that began during the 2005-06 season, Ovechkin used CCM sticks before dropping them and inking a six-year deal with equipment manufacturer Bauer in ’11. When that deal expired in ’17, Ovechkin signed a long-term contract to return to CCM.
Not all NHL players are compensated for the sticks they use, but as one Capitals player put it, “you get a perk or two here or there” depending on their choice of equipment manufacturer.
Every couple of weeks a sales rep will appear in the Capitals dressing room to showcase the latest in a company’s line of equipment with hopes of landing a new client.
“They’re there if you want to try something,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “They want you in their stuff. They’re there to answer questions or give you samples if you want.”
Added winger Brett Connolly: “When you’re young you kind of get that first composite stick and then you either like it or you don’t. Then when you get to the NHL there are reps around all the time so you can pick anything you want. It’s a personal preference. It’s a very, very interesting topic with guys because everybody is so different with their sticks. It’s a very unique thing.”
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Brooks Orpik never had a choice on what brand of stick he would use as his dad worked for Bauer when the defenseman was growing up.
“That obviously came with a lot of perks, we got a lot of free equipment because of that,” Orpik said. “One of the hurdles with growing our game is the cost of equipment so I was pretty fortunate in that regard.”
Without further ado, here is the primary type of stick each Capitals player uses and why:
Nicklas Backstrom: Shoots Left
Warrior Covert QR Edge. I’ve been trying different things. Overall, I like their graphics and stuff like that with how they do the sticks and gloves. I think it’s an overall thing.
Travis Boyd: Shoots Right
Bauer Vapor X. I like the feel of it. It’s light and the feel for me is important. I like the way it shoots, too, but I want a good feel of the puck. I want a hard feel, I want to be able to feel exactly where it is on my blade, exactly where it is sitting. For the sticks that I’ve tried out, so far that one has given me the best opportunity for that.
Andre Burakovsky: Shoots Left
CCM JetSpeed. I change models a lot to whatever I think is best for the moment and gives me the best feel.
John Carlson: Shoots Right
CCM JetSpeed. Talk to (Dmitry) Orlov. He’s into every little thing like that. I stuck to it a little bit two years ago and again last year.
Brett Connolly: Shoots Right
CCM Super Tacks 2.0. Fairly big curve, pretty whippy. Same as Oshie’s, actually. Same curve and flex as him. Same everything. He’s always trying new things. I usually grab his sticks. We shoot the puck kind of similar. I like the way he shoots the puck and he’s a guy who has helped me a lot. He always telling me if he’s got something new he’s trying so I’ll try it out and see how it is.
Pheonix Copley: Shoots Left
CCM Composite. They told me they wouldn’t make the wood ones anymore so I switched to the composite.
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Christian Djoos: Shoots Left
Bauer Supreme. I’ve played with Bauer since I was a kid.
Nic Dowd: Shoots Right
CCM JetSpeed. That’s just what we were given in the American League and that’s what I used my first year in the NHL. I’ve tried different sticks but I just haven’t found anything that I particularly love yet.
Lars Eller: Shoots Left
CCM Ribcor Reckoner. I’ve used it for the majority of my career. I’ve switched around a couple of times but CCM gives me the best feeling for handling the puck. It’s the best overall stick. It mainly has the best feel and puck control. It just feels like the puck is in your hands.
Carl Hagelin: Shoots Left
TRUE A6.0. I used to use a Reebok stick and they stopped making it and the True guys used the same factory that Reebok used so it’s as close as I can get to the Reebok stick.
Braden Holtby: Shoots Left
CCM Premier II. I’ve used that for a few years now. I’m a creature of habit. Once I find something I like I usually stick with it. I use one a game.
Dmitrij Jaskin: Shoots Left
Bauer Vapor X. I used to play with it in juniors and I like them.
Nick Jensen: Shoots Right
CCM Ribcor Trigger. Once I got a stick and got used to it I never felt the need to switch. As long as the curve is right and I tape it up the same way I don’t really mess around with too many sticks.
Michal Kempny: Shoots Left
Bauer Supreme 1S. I’ve been playing with Bauer for a lot of years.
Evgeny Kuznetsov: Shoots Left
Bauer Vapor X. I just like the stick. I try a lot of sticks — probably all of them — but I just picked Bauer and I kind of like it.
Matt Niskanen: Shoots Right
CCM Ribcor Reckoner. I used to use a different pattern and I used to use Easton and I wanted to change my pattern so I started using Justin Williams’ sticks and I liked it and stuck to it. My stick is Justin Williams’ stick with my name on it.
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Dmitry Orlov: Shoots Left
CCM JetSpeed. Nothing crazy, I didn’t ever try to make it curve. A simple stick.
Brooks Orpik: Shoots Left
Bauer Nexus. I use Bauer everything.
T.J. Oshie: Shoots Right
Bauer Supreme. Connolly uses it, Devante (Smith-Pelly) switched to it I think in playoffs last year. I have a really good idea of how to use the stick and the curve we use.
Alex Ovechkin: Shoots Right
CCM Ribcor Trigger. I have a deal with them. They’re good sticks — I like them. They make them custom and if I don’t like something they always come and we change everything. The most important thing for me is the sticks and I’m very happy with this stick.
Chandler Stephenson: Shoots Left
Bauer Vapor 1X Lite. I like a light stick and it’s the lightest one. The weight is the biggest thing for me so I can feel the puck more.
Jakub Vrana: Shoots Left
Bauer Vapor X. I just like the feel of it. I used to use CCM a lot and now I switched to Bauer. I like to switch around.
Tom Wilson: Shoots Right
Bauer Supreme. It’s the best stick.
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Aaron Ness: Shoots Left
I use CCM. I’ve used the same curve for five or six years now. I had to use it in Bridgeport when I started pro and I got used to them and really like them now.
Jonas Siegenthaler: Shoots Left
I’ve always used Bauer. Back home every team is kind of sponsored by a brand and Zurich was always Bauer so I grew up with it. When I switched to CCM in Hershey I was kind of always complaining so I’m happy to use Bauer.
Devante Smith-Pelly: Shoots Right
Bauer Supreme. Oshie used it and I want to shoot like him. Literally, it’s the same curve as his, the same flex as him. I switched last year in the middle of the playoffs just to try it out and I liked it.
(Top photo of T.J. Oshie: John E. Sokolowski / USA Today)
