Yesterday, Kickstarter launched in Canada, and one of the first products on there was uniquely Canadian: a better hockey stick! After 24 hours, the stick campaign is already 25% funded and is leading Kickstarter Canada as the most successful launch day campaign!
While normal "bare" composite hockey sticks are sought after for being lightweight and having great performance for both ice and floor hockey, elite level players are known to break them every few months. The product aims to use Nanovate metal (also known as PowerMetal in sporting goods) to improve the durability of carbon composite shafts that are prone to breakage.
COLT Hockey is addressing this durability issue using the same approach that Cervelo did a few months ago, adding Nanovate structural metals over the carbon composite. The Nanovate metallization has extremely high strength and toughness. Over a carbon composite, this increases the surface hardness, reduces crack propagation in the composite, and improves the overall durability without adding much weight.
The testing of the initial design confirmed the hockey stick had superior performance. Here is an image of flex testing of the shaft to failure.
You can learn more and support the Kickstarter at the link below: