My WEAPON
I’VE BEEN USING A Warrior stick for quite a while. I used to have what they called ‘The Modano Curve,’ but I’ve done some things with the toe and the heel, so I guess I’d have to call it ‘The Henrique Curve’ now. I’ve probably cut about six or seven inches off the stick, and that was mostly because of (former Devils coach) Adam Oates. When he came here, he talked to me about it and a lot of what he said made sense. He was always a great puckhandler, and he used a shorter stick, so he got me to do it, and it’s really all about puck control. You can do a lot more with the puck in a confined space when you have a shorter stick. Maybe your range is limited a little more, but you notice how a shorter stick helps, especially when the puck is in around your feet. You can bring it in much closer to your body with the shorter stick and anytime you can do that, you lessen the chance it will be stripped from you. It was a really good idea that has helped me a lot.