Hockey Tape Buyers Guide

I have been playing hockey at a high level for a little over 15 years and I know about hockey tape. Let's face it, there are many kinds of tape out there and sometimes it can be hard to choose. I will give you a description of each kind. After that, I'll give you some tips for taping. There are four main kinds of hockey tape...they consist of friction, white cloth, black cloth, and clear (poly).

WHY USE HOCKEY TAPE? because it protects the blade of your stick from moisture-which can weaken your blade. Besides protection, tape cushions your blade giving you a better feel of the puck.

WHITE AND BLACK CLOTH: These types of tape are made out of the same materials and only differ by color. White and Black are the most gemon type of tape used on the ice. This tape has a very good resistance to moisture. Which makes it ideal for use on the blade of your stick. White and black are also used at the butt of your stick for better grip. There is an ongoing debate on what tape is better to use on your blade. There are many reasons to use each. White tape allows you to better see the puck on our stick. Black tape blends in with puck giving the tape a disguise. ALL goalies use white tape on their blades. This is so they can see the puck when it's on their stick.

FRICTION: Friction is black tape that is sticky on both sides. Players who use friction tape are looking for a different feel of the puck. Also, friction tape resists moisture better than any other tape.

CLEAR (POLY): Clear tape is strickly used for taping legs or knee pads. Most players tape over there socks to get a tighter fit. Clear tape is ideal for taping your knee pads because of its ability to stretch. It also has extremely strong adhesives.

HOW TO TAPE A STICK: The majority of players start from the heel of their stick and tape to the toe, leaving about 2 inches between the tip of the blade and the tape.

TAPING THE BUTT-END: When applying tape to the butt-end of your stick, leave just enough tape to leave you with a good grip. Your upper-hand is the hand which controls your stickhandling-you need that hand to move freely. Having a big knob only makes things worse. GOALIES: Ignore what I just said! You NEED a big knob on your stick.
IMPORTANT!!!! when taping the the butt of your stick do not use friction-it will destroy your palm of your glove and leave it sticky.

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