By: Sam Gotowiec
What if you could have a lightweight composite stick, with the puck feel and soft flex profile of a wood stick? CCM asked the same question, and the result is the 2019 CCM E-Flex 4 Composite Goal Stick. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one for some testing, and I was incredibly impressed. First, let's touch on the composite v. wood debate and see how CCM addressed the issue. As another spring season quickly approaches, I have seen composite goal sticks continue to grow in popularity. From NHLers to kids, most goaltenders today are switching into lighter, more responsive composite sticks, thus abandoning their old, heavy wood and foam-core sticks. Along with being on the heavier side, the main downside of wood goalie sticks was that they lacked responsiveness and would progressively get softer over time.
Despite some of the downfalls of wood and foam core goalie sticks, they were a staple in the NHL, even still being represented today. So why was that? Wood and foam core sticks offered excellent vibration dampening and puck feel when making saves and had a certain flex to the stick when playing the puck that was hard to replicate in anything else. CCM has taken this idea and created the E-Flex 4 goal stick. As the first composite stick under the E-Flex line, the team at CCM goalie developed a unique type of composite construction, working closely with NHL goalies to combine the benefits of composite and wood goal sticks. Let’s dive into the tech and my first impressions of the stick.
Final Thoughts
In the new age of composite goal sticks, I think that differentiating “Soft” (E-flex 4) and “Stiff” (Premier 2) goal sticks, rather than giving goalies only one option for a lightweight composite is very smart. With player sticks having a range of flex options, and them having been able to fine-tune their flex for decades, it only makes sense to take this thinking to the goalie side. As someone who has used composite sticks for a couple of years now, The E-flex 4 was able to be that high-end lightweight stick that I want to use, while keeping the benefits that I missed about my old wood sticks. Whether you are a goalie like me that wants a lightweight stick with a unique flex and feel, or somebody that is looking to get on board with composite sticks, I think CCM’s newest composite goal stick is definitely worth checking out!
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