The offseason brings us to a different time where we just do not talk about fantasy hockey or hockey action. However, we may occasionally try a new workout method or a different type of ice skate. Today it happens to be a composite stick repair that does not actually impact the feel of the stick or its performance.
Anybody who plays the game knows that sound of a cracked stick or the feeling when a stick breaks right in your hand. There goes some serious change right down the drain. This is where Integral Hockey comes into play. Who ever thought there was an affordable stick repair solution when the unthinkable happens.
(Integral Hockey’s repair system at work….)
Honestly talking to the people from Integral Hockey was a real pleasure. If I had this option years ago, I could have saved so much money. Thankfully now hockey players have an option at least and it is not so costly.
If you want some proof, then just ask Jason Jaffray of the Winnipeg Jets. Here is what he had to say about the repair system.
“I had a chance to use a stick repaired by Integral Hockey Stick Repair. At first I was very skeptical about using a recycled stick. But after using it, I found it to be no different from my other sticks on my rack. It was just as strong as my other sticks and a week later, I found myself searching the shaft of my sticks to see which stick was the one that was repaired – because honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference between the three. I definitely support Integral Hockey and would recommend them to anyone wanting to save some money and use a stick that still feels like new.”
People are going to ask how much of an impact do you feel weight wise on the stick? The answer is very little (maybe four grams or so). Consider that there are about 28 grams in an ounce and the reality is a 1/7 of an ounce makes virtually zero difference. Honestly any other “repair” I have come across has a weight of at least 1.5-2.5 ounces. That is an impact you can feel where as Integral Hockey’s approach comes nowhere close in a good way.
The key is in the method of repair. Most stick repairs involve plugging the living daylights and pouring liquid resin to make the mend work. Integral uses an aerospace like repair. They use a hollow carbon approach that allows the break to be repaired much closer to the actual impact. What does that mean? The stick is allowed to breathe and flex like the stick used to when brand new.
The cost is relatively inexpensive for such technology. The average repair price is about $45-50 plus tax and yes Integral does do some minor blade repairs as well. One does not even feel the difference between an Integral stick and a brand new stick and a person is not spending 100, 200 or 300 dollars plus on another “twig”.
Another nice aspect is if a stick is sadly just too damaged beyond repair, Integral recycles by grounding the stick down to fibers which can be used to create other products. Not many companies would even attempt something like this and “Integral” has kept all of this affordable even with franchise options available.
So if you have that favorite stick that needs a repair, go check out Integral Hockey today and maybe you can keep that old stick you love so much for a fraction of the cost of a new one.
