Well my predictions sure do suck, huh? I had picks for the Western Final and the Eastern Final as well as two darkhorses from each conference. Half of my picks were wrong. Now I'll make my predictions for the semifinal rounds in each conference! Let's hope I fair better than I did last time.
Penguins vs Senators
I have the Penguins going to the Eastern Final and I won't change that. The Pens have some serious fire power and they'll be able to score goal for goal with any team in the league.The Senators have been a beneficiary of solid play throughout their lineup, but the Pens lineup is way too good. If both teams get 100% from their players, the Pens will still will convincingly. If the Senators win, all fingers in Pittsburgh will point to goaltending. The Penguins goaltending was good enough to beat the Isles, but that's really all you can say about it. Marc Andre Fleury was absolutely pitiful in net at times, and for the amount of talent he has, he'll have to get going for the Pens to make the run that they should be fully capable of making.
Bruins vs Rangers
This series is definitely a toss up. I pick the Bruins for a couple of reasons. The Bruins are a team built for the playoffs, but it took a little while to show it. They've got size and skill throughout, and they've got guys like Brad Marchand that can play with an edge that is very helpful come this time of year. I give New York the goaltending advantage, but the Rangers seem streaky to me. They also have a very talented team, but I have trouble believing that they can sustain a high level of play long enough to hold of the Bruins. This series could easily go to the Rangers, but I think that the comeback that Boston just pulled off in game seven is going to have them feeling like they can do anything. That kind of confidence can take you a long way in the playoffs.
Blackhawks vs Redwings
I have to pick the Blackhawks in this one. You could take into account that the Hawks swept the season series with Detroit, but I won't do that, because that kind of thing doesn't matter in the postseason. I'm picking the Hawks because they've been waiting for a chance to beat Detroit in the postseason. The Hawks were vocal about how upset they were with their level of intensity in the first round, and a battle with detroit is exactly what they need to push them the "next level" that they've been talking about since they beat Minnesota. Detroit has all four lines buzzing, but the Hawks do as well. Crawford has been stellar so far, and Dave Bolland returning to the lineup is something that you can't overlook. Bolland is a playoff performer that makes it his mission to frustrate the other teams offensive guns, and he's very good at it. Detroit is going to bring it physically, but I give this series to the hawks.
Sharks vs Kings
Th Sharks have been incredible thus far in the playoffs. They're getting contributions up and down the lineup and they're physical game is rolling. The Kings aren't going to be intimidated, however. L.A. has a serious edge to their game, and it showed in the first round. They probably endured the most physical series of the playoffs and came out on top. They've got guys that can shoot on every line, and the same can be said for guys that can hit. The Sharks ran away with their first series, but I don't see them pulling that off this time around. The Kings haven't reached their best game yet and the Sharks will draw that desire out of them. I think the physicality that L.A. went through in the first series has put them in a spot to be ready for just about anything the rest of the playoffs. I don't see the Sharks being able to keep up with what the Kings will be bringing to the table.
I haven't made a post in a while but in honor of the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs I think I should give my predictions.
Western Conference Final:
This is partially because I'm a Blackhawks fan and partially because I just think the Hawks are too dominant to not make it this far. The Blues really turned it on at the end of the year, and they've also been a really good overtime team, which becomes very important during the playoffs. Although a Chicago vs. Detroit Conference Final would be incredible considering the realignment, I think the Blues are hot at the perfect time. Team defense and physicality will take them a long way.
Hawks win in 6 games Eastern Conference Final:
The Pens are probably the hottest team heading into the playoffs, and Sidney Crosby in the lineup is a nightmare for opposing teams. Not making it to the conference final would be a gargantuan disappointment for Pittsburgh considering the season they've had. The Caps are too hungry to not make it to the conference final. They really turned things around this year and I think the team has bought in to the system Adam Oates has them playing. Ovechkin's resurgence has been a huge help for Washington this year as well.
Pens win in 7 games Stanley Cup Final
Rarely do two number one seeds ever meet in the Stanley Cup Final, but this has been a wild year and an incredibly strong year for both of these teams. I think the shortened season is a factor that could propel two number one seeds to the final. Most 1 seeds are tired from a long season of hard work by the time the playoffs roll around, but the shortened season gave these teams just enough time to get hot without getting over-tired. Both teams had streaks during the regular season that were either near record breaking, or in the Hawks case were record breaking. This one would be hard to call, but I have to give it to my team...
Hawks in 7 games
There are a few teams that I could see making it to the final, but I could only choose two. Here are my wildcard guesses at who else has a strong chance at making the final:
Boston has been pretty good this season, and they are built for a playoff run considering how deep they are. They have skill and grit throughout their entire lineup and that will serve them well this postseason. They could be a darkhorse to make it to the final.
Anaheim has had a very good season and they've been surprisingly quiet about it. Not only are they the only team to sweep their season series with the dominant Blackhawks, but they've been able to man handle just about every other opponent. Anaheim has a unique blend of size and skill on every line, and they've gotten very reliable goaltending. Anaheim should be a favorite to win the cup with the way they've played all year, but they somehow have flown under the radar and remain a darkhorse in the race for the cup.
You could say i'm biased for choosing the Blakchawks to win the cup, but that would also mean that you haven't taken the type of hockey they've played this year into account. I would love to see the Senators or Islanders make it to the cup, but they're both just not quite far enough along for that kind of playoff run. I'm excited to what things are to come for those younger teams, but I don't think they have a legitimate chance until next year or the year after that. It should be an exciting playoffs so I can't wait to see how things shake out!
Before you read this article, make sure you have a hockey stick designed for your age group. Whether it is junior, intermediate, or senior, do not try cutting your sticks or adding butt ends until you've got the stick size that is right for your size/age. This article is designed to help those people that already have the right size hockey stick in terms of shaft dimensions, but not necessarily the right length for their play style.
When I started playing hockey, I always left my hockey sticks at the same length they at which I purchased them. That is NOT a good idea. I used really long sticks for the the entire time that I was initially learning how to play. Using a stick that you have not cut to a size that fits your needs will cheat you of important development as a player. In this post I'll go over a couple different ways that people like to cut their hockey sticks, and I''ll post some pictures and links to other sources to give you some other opinions on the matter of stick length.
Next to your skates, your stick will be your most important piece of equipment as far as your skills are concerned. There is no "correct" length for your hockey stick. It really comes down to preference and experimenting with different lengths. By the end of this post, I hope you'll be able to make an informed decision as to what hockey stick length will be right for you.
There are a few things to look for when deciding which hockey stick length works for you:
What skating position do you most often use? (upright, crouched, hunched)
What position do you play?
What shots do you take most often?
These are a few of the most important things to take into account when choosing a stick length. There are other factors, but these are some of the main points I think of when I cut my sticks. The main thing I wish I was told when I first started playing, is that you should always try to have a stick length that allows you to keep your stick blade flat on the ice. Keeping your blade flat on the ice allows you to take better shots, make better passes, receive passes easily, and stick handle with much more quickness and control. Having that in mind, we'll now move on to the various lengths of hockey sticks.
Hockey stick length is all relative. There is no set height in inches or centimeters for what constitutes a short, medium, or long stick. Zdeno Chara's stick is probably an extremely long stick to me, but to him it's a medium sized stick.
SHORT STICKS
The short stick is the length that I currently use. I spent a lot of time with a long stick until I had the epiphany about the correct stick length for me. The short stick length is one that surprisingly few people prefer. It is surprising because some of the all-time greats, as well as future hall-of-famers use. The idea of the short hockey stick length is that you're blade is always flat on the ice, you stay in a crouched position which lowers your center of gravity, and it allows for a quicker release to catch goalies off guard.
Notice that I said it keeps you in a crouched position. Some players tend to arch their backs and hunch over when using a shorter stick. That is a bad way to utilize the stick. Hunching over will keep you from skating properly and hits will throw you off balance more easily. The right idea is to crouch down and keep a bend in your knees. Having a shorter stick has greatly improved my skating. The bend in my knees allows me to have more explosive strides without having my stick in a bad position to stick handle or receive passes.
The rule to follow when cutting down your stick to a short length is to stand on skates with your arms at your sides and hold your stick out in front of you so that the blade is flat on the ice. Again, your hand that is holding the stick should be resting at your side, not bent. The blade won't be perfectly flat on the ice, but it will be close. The toe of your blade will probably be a little bit off the ice because of the curve of the blade. When on skates with the stick standing straight up, the stick will end up reaching to your shoulder, or right around your collarbone.
In the following pictures, you'll see NHL players with their sticks well below the chin, around the collarbone and shoulder height, or with there hand at their side and their blade flat on the ice.
Sidney Crosby
Alex Ovechkin
Paul Stastny
Nicklas Backstrom
These next pictures demonstrate another benefit of the short stick. A shorter stick allows for the players hand to be out in front front of them instead of having the top hand by the side of their body. Having your top hand out in front of your body will help improve stick handling and gives you more options when passing and receiving passes. Now here are some notable players seen skating with their top hand in front of their body.
Ilya Kovalchuk
Ray Bourque
Martin Erat
Wayne Gretzky
Steve Konowalchuk
Joe Sakic
Matt Duchene
Dan Cleary
Alex Kovalev
Now this isn't quite like the other pictures but obviously Mike Cammalleri is using a very short stick in this picture. He carries himself pretty low to the ice so he doesn't always skate with his top hand in front of his body, but this pictures shows how short his sticks is.
Now obviously these are not the only guys using shorter sticks, but they are the guys that were really easy to find good pictures of on Google. Seriously though, watch some NHL games and it's easy to pick out the guys with shorter sticks.
My switch from medium length stick to a short stick was very recent, so I plan on doing an entire post dedicated to the short stick and whether I feel like my game has benefited from the change.
MEDIUM STICKS
The medium stick, from what I have observed, is the current most popular stick length among hockey players from NHL level to Bantam level. The medium length stick lets you still have keep a good level of control over the puck as far as puck handling goes, without sacrificing shot power, or reach in terms of poke checking and picking up loose pucks.
I mention shot power, because with a longer stick, comes more torque on snap and slap shots, so the puck is shot with much more force. Now I'm not saying you'll never be able to shoot hard with a shorter stick. It can be the opposite in some cases. Like I said stick length is all about preference. Some people get more power from a longer stick than a shorter stick, and for some people it's the other way around.
The basic rule I followed when cutting my sticks to a medium length is to stand up straight in street shoes, and mark the stick somewhere between your bottom lip and the tip of your nose, and then you're ready to saw the stick down.
The medium stick is for people who skate either upright or crouched. I've seen it work either way for people. One thing to keep in mind about skating crouched and using a medium stick is that, to keep your blade flat on the ice, you have to bend your elbow much more than you would with a short stick, and it forces your top hand to the side of your body as opposed to out in front of your body the way a short stick would.
As with the shorter sticks, here are some pictures of NHL players with medium sticks:
Make sure to pay attention to where their sticks and hands are. To the side of the body when crouched, out in front of their body when standing upright. When standing in skates with the stick in front of them, the stick should reach somewhere close to the chin. When crouched down, you can see that the players elbows are bent much more with a medium stick to keep their blade flat on the ice.
Adam Henrique
Ryan Nugent Hopkins
Jonathan Toews
Patrick Kane
Pavel Datsyuk
Evgeni Malkin
Mike Richards
Bobby Ryan
T.J. Oshie
Patrick Marleau
Steven Stamkos
Again, the medium stick length is very popular, so this is a very small portion of the guys that use it. All the pictures are just to get you thinking about how you play and where you feel comfortable holding your stick.
LONG STICKS
The long stick is used mainly by defensemen. Up to this point I haven't shown many defenseman. There are, however, a very large number of defensemen that use a medium stick. There are some forwards that prefer the longer stick as well. with the long stick most players will be skating upright. if they are skating crouched they require a lot of bend in the elbow to keep the stick flat on the ice, and sometimes even that can't keep the blade of a long stick flat on the ice.
Long sticks obviously increase the reach of a player, which is very appealing to guys who play a defensive game, or for forwards that really work to get takeaways on the back check. Pavel Datsyuk tends to switch between a medium stick and a longer stick, and his takeaway stats are a reflection of that.
Another reason behind using the long stick is the increase in shot power due to a huge increase in the torque of the stick. Long sticks will normally bend a lot more, and because they are so long, they create an effect similar to sling shot. Defensemen like to have a hard slap shot, so a long stick helps a lot in that respect.
To cut your stick to a longer length, you usually won't need to cut it at all. The stick should be somewhere between the bottom of your eyes and the middle of your forehead. I know that sounds really long, but a decent amount of guys use sticks that length. Alot of people might need to add a wood extension to their stick to get it as long as they'd like. They're really cheap and pretty popular to use
Here are some NHL players that use long sticks:
Note the elbow bend and look at the length of the stick in relation to the body. When standing on skates with the stick standing upright in front of them, a long stick will reach somewhere around the players nose.
Tyler Seguin
Brad Marchand
Willie Mitchell
Notice that Tobias Enstrom is standing upright, and his long stick forces him to still bend his elbow a lot to get the blade flat on the ice.
Tyler Myers
Ryan Whitney
Here's a little video of Brad Marchand talking about his stick. He talks about the length of his stick in this video and mentions that he cuts it around his forehead.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Like I've been stating this whole time, stick length is really about a preference. I mentioned that, the longer the stick, the more powerful the shot. Of course, I'm not saying you can't have a hard shot with a short stick. Alex Ovechkin, for example, has an incredibly hard shot, and he uses a short stick.
I might talk a little more about my personal preference for stick length in another post. Mainly about my experiences with each of these types of stick length. I've tried all three, but haven't had a lot of time using the short stick so I don't think I can accurately evaluate it yet.
One thing I haven't talked about is blade lie. The blade lie is a measure of the angle of the blade from the shaft of the stick. A lie 5 corresponds to a 135 degree angle. Each increasing lie value, corresponds to a 2 degree decrease in angle. the lie of your stick will directly affect which stick length feels right for you, because it will affect where you have to hold the stick to keep the blade flat on the ice.
I'm interested to hear your thoughts about stick length, so let me know if you have any questions about things I didn't cover. Or give me a little insight about your stick length, what type of player you are, and why you use your preferred length.
Until next time
P.S.
Here are some extra links to some other sources about stick length and hockey sticks in general. If you didn't like what I had to say, you can check out these helpful sites that might give you some more insight!
