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It’s 2009 again, Martin St. Louis is still with the Tampa Bay Lightning potting goals with his bright yellow Warrior twig, Canada’s Golden Boy has just won his first Stanley Cup, and the Chicago Blackhawks are gearing up for their first cup season of their soon-to-be dynasty (they just don’t know it yet).
Talk about nostalgia.
And that’s exactly what Warrior’s brought in with their new Covert Throwback series of composite hockey sticks. A marriage of retro touches and modern technology, they’re bringing together the best of their stick lineup and the old-school flair we remember so fondly. Introducing the Warrior Covert Super Mac Daddy and Dolomite sticks.
Warrior Covert QRL Long-Term Review
The Warrior Covert QRL has been out for some time, and stands as one of the quickest releasing sticks on the market today. The Lightning Quick Release profile gave each shot an incredible amount of velocity and speed, and paired with the Dagger Taper made for a really effortless release. Despite using around 10 flex more than I typically do (on Warrior’s already-longer shaft length, cut down), I didn’t really have to exert any extra effort in loading the stick and still got the pop I expected.
Couple all of this with the durability and lightness of the Minimus 1000 Carbon, and the responsiveness, balance and great puck feel from the True 1 construction – Warrior has produced a performance stick that’s well deserving of the praise it’s been getting from its wide range of users. It’s held up through all the wear and tear of the face-off circle, and has stood strong even after taking its fair share of slashes; all without losing any of its pop and puck feel.
Warrior Covert Super Mac Daddy
Warrior takes all that performance of the QRL, and dresses it in a Limited Edition Mac Daddy graphic. Whether it was seeing the old guard from the turn of the century all use Warrior sticks – Draper, Lidstrom, St. Louis, Kovalev – or the fact that I can’t help but love the flair a little bit, the Throwback Graphics looks absolutely stunning on the new stick.
It’s a different approach to limited edition design: whereas other manufacturers always try to make their limited edition sticks more modern and minimalist, or super-retro; Warrior has answered the call of their players and given us back a little bit of something we love – that one stick everyone has in their memories when they say “they just don’t make ‘em like they used to”. The result is a gorgeous redesign, but backed with the technology and performance that Warrior has been known for.
Warrior Covert Super Dolomite
But where would we be without Warrior’s tried-and-true stick of the previous decade: The Dolomite? A stick so loved that Martin St. Louis has a bright yellow “lightning” version made up for him, year in, year out, even as stick technology around him progressed and changed.
Fear not, Dolo fans, Warrior hears you too. The Warrior Covert Dolomite is a marriage of the Dolomite shaft geometry with QRL technology, all built with modern materials, to modern standards. A more traditional shaft-feel, for a better, powerful grip through those hard shots. This gives the Dolomite the quick, effortless release from the QRL stick; but with the pro-style balance and feel that users of the original Dolomite sticks had come to love.
Warrior Covert Dolomite and Mac Daddy
No one can put a price on nostalgia, but Warrior rounded off their Throwback Series with the Covert Dolomite and Mac Daddy, a QRL4 with Dolomite shaft geometry, and a redressed QRL5 respectively. Once again, this provides the balance and performance of Warrior’s Covert line has been known for, while joining them with the fit and finish of their Throwback design – all at a budget-friendly price point.
Final Thoughts
Warrior has hit the mark perfectly with the release of their Covert Throwback series, showing their dedication to creating product fueled by the wants and needs of their players. The result is a great tribute to the sticks we’ve come to love, both old and new, all while holding themselves to the standard that we have come to know Warrior by.
I’ll see you guys at the stick rack on October 28th. We can talk about Crosby’s first Stanley Cup.
Play hard,
Jeremy
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