By: Patrick Lynch
Have you ever wondered how expensive a hockey stick is now? Normally, an average composite hockey stick is priced around $200. Some newer sticks are being priced at about $300. The sad thing about buying a hockey stick is that you’re putting money into a stick that will not last long. An average hockey player will go through about 3-5 sticks a season. At least that was the case for me and most of my teammates on my team. It is such a huge heart break when a hockey player takes a shot and breaks their stick. The real problem when breaking a stick is that right when you just get used to playing with it, the stick breaks and you lose your confidence in your ability to play.
The Colt is a new Canadian hockey company that has created a, so-called, unbreakable stick that could last many seasons. This is the future for hockey players, who won’t need to worry about their stick breaking or having to buy sticks. This company was created two years ago off of Kickstarter, by only asking for $75,000. They received $100,672 in just a month after introducing their idea on Kickstarter. This company has their own website, and they are selling their sticks online for about $270.
The largest slogan on their website is, “Because Players and Parents Deserve More for Their Money!” This company has been aiming towards young hockey players who are playing at a college level and below. The main reason why Colt has targeted non-NHL players are because the pros do not care if they break their sticks. All pro hockey players do well financially and they get all their sticks for free, so they don’t care if they break their stick. The Colt’s market is aiming towards parents who by sticks for their kids. This is probably the biggest market in hockey. Normally in any sport, more athletes are shown to start at a young age, and then years go by and many athletes stop playing their sport because only a few of course go on and play professionally.
The Colt hockey stick weighs pretty similar to an average stick that costs around $150-$200. It weighs about 30-50 grams heavier than a high end composite stick. The Colt hockey stick has a bending load of 397 lbs., whereas a conventional hockey stick has a bending around 263.5 lbs. This means that the Colt hockey stick can withstand about 400 lbs. of pressure until the stick breaks. So the Colt hockey stick is on top of the market having the most durable stick, but it is one of the heaviest due to the engineering required to make the stick last.
The only way you can buy the Colt hockey stick is online through their website. They do not sell their sticks through any retailers, so you can only buy through them online, which is difficult for many buyers. Shipping costs are relatively expensive when buying a stick, and it is going to cost a pretty penny if it is shipped from Canada to the United States. This company needs to act fast by trying to sell their sticks through retailers like TSR or Pure Hockey. They need to get their name around before a much larger well known company like Bauer or Easton creates one of their own unbreakable sticks, which would most likely knock Colt out of the hockey stick market.
Sources:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/trying-to-break-the-unbreakable-stick/
Marketing Discussions 
Patrick, being a former hockey player myself I share your concern and frustration about broken “twigs.” I like the idea of the Colt and the metal coating involved like the ping pong ball. I would have to look into the product a little more, but I think its a great topic. Coming from a business perspective I wonder how they would compete to the other big name companies, Bauer, Easton, etc. that have great reputations for their quality and brand loyalty. The Colt sets the bar increasingly high for durability standards around the industry, I’m curious to see if they loose some sales because it is so durable. I know a few people that have broken Bauer sticks, but still stand by the brand regardless, continuing to provide sales for the company. My concern is the possibility that they may not get as many returning customer sales because the sticks are so durable.
Also, how far can the company go into the hockey (stick) industry? There next product could be goalie sticks, then maybe head into another market similar to what Warrior did, starting in lacrosse then expanding out. The main competition they are up against have all sorts of hockey products not just sticks; pants, gloves, skates, helmets. Ultimately I would be interested in seeing for myself the impact this stick could have.
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Very cool! I, too, understand the annoyance of snapping a stick on something as simple a a snap-shot. The current sticks are less concerned with durability, than they are with minimizing weight. When I started playing hockey the newest trend was aluminium sticks. These were lighter and more durable than wooden sticks, but the blade was still a separate piece of wood. This was a weak point within the structure of the stick and the distribution of weight was awkward. With the next generation came carbon-fiber, but with a lighter weight came more shattered sticks. Colt’s newest type of hockey stick is a great idea. However, can they really market it as “unbreakable” and, if a stick does break, do they replace it for free? It’s stated that the max pressure is 400 lbs, so inevitably there will be broken sticks. Young kids probably couldn’t break this stick, but high-school and older certainly could. I’m surprised they haven’t priced it closer to high-end sticks, especially since they won’t have lots of repeat customers- assuming the Colt really is as durable as advertised.
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Although I am not familiar with the hockey game, I definitely know the hockey stick is one of the most important equipment for a hockey player. It looks like same that a board is the most important for ski and snowboard player. According to the above of article, I believe that the Unbreakable Hockey Stick is a good improved product. The Unbreakable Hockey Stick is not only strong and durable, but the price is similar to other stick. Under the circumstances, the Unbreakable Hockey Stick can attract more customers who is amateur player and do not afford high price of stick. Therefore, I think that Colt company finds a correct market position for its new product. Also, I suggest that the company should expand its marketing channel. They should not only sell the stick on website. As we know, high shipping fee is a big hinder for selling the products and expending the market of stick.
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Actually, as a Chinese, I am not familiar with hockey. But according to this article, I think they do catch the customers’ needs, and combined with their special sales. It looks great, and this could be the key reasons that why they are successful in this industry.
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Having an unbreakable hockey stick is definitely a great Idea don’t get me wrong but I doubt this stick is actually unbreakable. I have seen a similar video about a company regarding lacrosse heads and shafts that claimed to be “unbreakable”. I thought this was a great way to save money but once I bought the product it broke after a few games. I feel as this unbreakable hockey is nothing but a market tactic. It may be unbreakable for younger kids but once older kids use it I doubt it will be able to last that much longer than a regular sitck.
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I think this is a great idea. Hockey sticks are so expensive and if they really have a stick that can last multiple seasons that is definitely going to catch parents attention.
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I use to play hockey myself and would go through a few sticks every season. It’s amazing that in such little time they were able to raise more then enough money for their product. I think the concept of the colt being more durable is great for hockey players that spend thousands on sticks throughout their career. I believe that the biggest challenge for them is going to be to get their name out on the market against tough competitors like EASTON, BAUER, and CCM. Even though the price seems like it may be similar to the other competitors. I personally should still choose to stick with the brand I feel most conferrable with.
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Thank you all for the comments, but I think this stick will never reach it’s fullest potential. The Colt hockey stick says it is unbreakable but I’ve seen people on Youtube using the stick testing it’s durability and it has snapped in half. I think Colt shouldn’t promote their stick saying it’s unbreakable; they should say it’s the most durable stick on the market to not let their buyers feel uncomfortable buying this product when their are videos of their stick breaking. This company should market their sticks towards men’s league players. Men’s league is a hockey league normally played between the ages of 30-50 yrs. of age. I think this would be a great fit, because these hockey players are not as competitive and just want a cheap long-lasting stick to play with. If the stick’s schematics are made to be just as light as a top market stick, then I think this stick could be a strong player in the market. Presently, the sticks weight and false advertisement saying its unbreakable will not make it far into the market.
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like you said no stick is unbreakable that still serves a purpose in the game. Sticks break it happens, but the fact that Colt is taking initiave to stopping this problem i think that it can be a strong competitor to other hockey brands.
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I agree with patrick here, that the company should not use the word unbreakable. It showcases the product to be a VERY superior product compared to its competition and should be done as so. As he said in his comment players have tested the durability of it and it has snapped in half. A video like that on social media will deteriorate the image the company worked so hard to achieve. However i like the idea of making a more durable hockey stick as hockey players tend to go through a lot of them through out their careers, and this could maybe be the future of hockey sticks.
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I’m not exactly sure how well this stick will do since most players look for performance in their stick rather than how durable it is. It was never fun breaking my stick a couple of times a season but I don’t think I will give up the quality and performance of the top-brand sticks for the durable Colt stick. However, I think only selling the sticks online will cause the company to fall because most players would never buy a stick without getting a feel for it beforehand. Putting the stick into retail stores would be a must for them especially since the company is still young.
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As a hockey player I have seen many sticks that have claimed to be “unbreakable”. The Bauer Endure is the first one that comes to mind, yet when I got one I broke it in the first practice I used it. I’m interested to see how durable it actually is. Another thought I had was the flex of the stick. When they coat it in metal, does it make the stick more ridged and less flexible? As a hockey player, the flex of the stick aids in shooting, allowing you to have a harder shot. If the medal makes the stick more stiff, than it won’t be as easy to shoot with and just creating another problem.
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