Hockey-Stick Blade with Tailored Performance Regions

Abstract

A hockey-stick blade includes a heel region, a toe region spaced longitudinally from the heel region, and a mid-region located between the heel region and the toe region. The toe region includes one or more reinforcing elements, optionally of different lengths, located at different vertical positions within the toe region. The blade further includes a hosel that optionally is tailored to substantially match the strength and stiffness characteristics of an attached or integral hockey stick shaft. The mid-region of the blade exhibits improved feel and flexibility characteristics due to the increased stiffness in the toe region.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of forming a hockey-stick blade comprising:
 providing a separate upper core element, a separate middle core element, and a separate lower core element;   proving the upper core element with an upper core lower edge and wrapping the upper core element lower edge with a first reinforcing element;   providing the middle core element with a middle core element upper edge and a middle core element lower edge and wrapping the middle core element upper edge with a second reinforcing element and wrapping the middle core element lower edge with a third reinforcing element;   providing the lower core element having a lower core upper edge and wrapping the lower core element upper edge with a fourth reinforcing element; and   providing a front face and a rear face.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising placing a first rib between the first reinforcing element and the second reinforcing element. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising placing a second rib between the third reinforcing element and the forth reinforcing element. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the first rib separates the upper core element from the middle core element and the second rib separates the middle core element from the lower core element. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising separating the upper core element from the middle core element entirely by the first rib and separating the middle core element from the lower core element entirely by the second rib. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising spacing the upper core element, the middle core element and the lower core element apart from one another in a vertical direction from a heel region to a toe region. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth reinforcing elements comprise fiber-reinforced plies. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising providing one reinforcing element with a length in the longitudinal direction that is greater than a length of another reinforcing element in the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         9 . A method of forming a hockey-stick blade comprising:
 providing a separate first core element, a separate second core element, wherein the first core element defines a first core upper edge, a first core first face, a first core second face, and a first core lower edge, wherein the second core element defines second core upper edge, a second core first face, a second core second face, and a second core lower edge;   wrapping only the first core element lower edge, the first core first face, the first core second face with a first reinforcing element;   wrapping only the second core element upper edge, the second core first face, and the second core second face with a second reinforcing element;   placing the first core element and the second core element adjacent to one another; and   providing a front face and a rear face.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising placing a rib between the first reinforcing element and the second reinforcing element. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the rib separates the first core element from the second core element. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising separating the first core element from the second core element entirely by the rib. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising spacing the first core element and the second core element apart from one another in a vertical direction from a heel region to a toe region. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second reinforcing elements comprise fiber-reinforced plies and the first rib is formed of fiber-reinforced materials. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising providing one reinforcing element with a length in the longitudinal direction that is greater than a length of another reinforcing element in the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         16 . A method of forming a hockey-stick blade comprising:
 providing a separate upper core element, a separate middle core element, and a separate lower core element, wherein the upper core element defines an upper core upper edge, an upper core first face, an upper core second face, and an upper core lower edge, wherein the middle core element defines a middle core upper edge, a middle core first face, a middle core second face, and a middle core lower edge, wherein the lower core element defines a lower core upper edge, a lower core first face, a lower core second face, and a lower core lower edge;   wrapping only the upper core element lower edge, the upper core first face, the upper core second face with a first reinforcing element;   wrapping only the middle core element upper edge, the middle core first face, and the middle core second face with a second reinforcing element and wrapping only the middle core element lower edge, the middle core first face, and the middle core second face with a third reinforcing element;   wrapping only the lower core element upper edge, the lower core first face, and the lower core second face with a fourth reinforcing element   placing a first rib between the first reinforcing element and the second reinforcing element;   placing a second rib between the third reinforcing element and the forth reinforcing element.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first rib separates the upper core element from the middle core element and the second rib separates the middle core element from the lower core element. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising spacing the upper core element, the middle core element and the lower core element apart from one another in a vertical direction from a heel region to a toe region. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth reinforcing elements comprise fiber-reinforced plies and the first and second ribs are formed of fiber-reinforced materials. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the first, second, and third cores comprise foam.