Here's something that might surprise you: that hockey stick length advice you've been following for years? It's probably wrong.
Most players measure their sticks the same way their coaches taught them decades ago. Stand the stick up. If it reaches somewhere between your chin and nose, you're good to go, right?
Not quite.
After diving deep into professional player data, coaching insights, and real player experiences, I discovered that the traditional stick length guidelines might actually be holding you back. And if you're an older player or someone dealing with flexibility issues, following conventional advice could be making your game worse, not better.
Let's fix that.
The chin-to-nose measurement has been hockey gospel for generations. But here's the kicker—it's based on outdated assumptions that don't match how the game is actually played.
Hockey Hall of Fame legend Howie Meeker called this out way back in 1973. He noticed thousands of kids were starting with sticks that were "two to four inches too long." His observation? When players used chin-measured sticks, their top hand got forced behind their body. Try stickhandling like that. It's nearly impossible.
The evidence gets more compelling when you look at the pros.
Wayne Gretzky? His stick barely reached his chest.
Sidney Crosby? Uses a stick about 2 inches shorter than what most coaches would recommend for his height.
Mario Lemieux, at 6'4", used a stick only one inch longer than his 6'0" teammates.
These aren't exceptions. They're the rule among elite players.
A frustrated hockey player put it perfectly: "I'm 6'2" and I use a 58" stick. People tell me all the time that it's too short for me but anything longer than that fucks up my posture."
Sound familiar?
Let's look at the numbers that matter—what the best players in history actually used.
Arizona State University Assistant Coach Alex Hicks, a former NHL player himself, shared some eye-opening insights about professional stick lengths. His research shows a clear pattern across decades:
1960s - Bobby Orr: Blade flat on ice, arm almost perfectly straight by his side. Stick length? Way shorter than conventional wisdom suggests.
1980s - Wayne Gretzky: The Great One's stick was so short that his arm was "almost perfectly straight" when holding it naturally. This wasn't an accident.
1990s - Mario Lemieux: Despite being 6'4", Lemieux's stick was shockingly short. He kept his bottom hand "right in his hip pocket" while stickhandling—something only possible with a properly sized stick.
2000s - Joe Sakic: One of the era's best goal scorers used a stick that came "4 inches below his chin level." He scored 483 NHL goals with that "too short" stick.
2010s - Sidney Crosby: Crosby's stick measures about collarbone height when he's on skates. Not chin height. Not nose height. Collarbone.
The pattern is clear. Elite players across every generation chose shorter sticks than traditional guidelines recommend.
Why? Because shorter sticks offer advantages that matter in real games:
Here's what really matters when sizing your stick: blade contact with the ice.
Former NHL player Paul Matthews explains it best: "With a shorter stick, I could stickhandle much better and catch passes easier."
The key principle is simple. When you're in your natural hockey stance, the entire blade should sit flat on the ice. Your hands should be in front of your body, not pinned to your hip.
But individual differences matter more than most guides acknowledge:
Arm Length Variations: Two players of the same height can need different stick lengths based on arm length alone. That's why the one-size-fits-all approach fails.
Skating Posture: How low you naturally skate affects your ideal stick length. Beer league players who skate more upright need different measurements than players with deep knee bend.
Age and Flexibility: This one's huge and rarely discussed. A 46-year-old player shared: "From 7 to 22 I kept my stick at my chin... But 2 years ago I started playing again... I added 2 inches to it and I feel more comfortable, it hits my lips now. Maybe it's because I'm older and not as flexible?"
As we age, our flexibility decreases. Our skating posture becomes more upright. The stick length that worked at 20 might cause back pain at 40.
Blade Lie Angle: Most retail sticks come with a lie between 5 and 6. The difference? Only about 2 degrees. If your stick length is way off, no lie adjustment will save you.
Your position influences your ideal stick length—but maybe not as much as you think.
Forwards benefit most from shorter sticks. Here's why:
The Dangler Profile: Players who specialize in stickhandling need maximum control. A shorter stick (chin level or below) lets you:
The Playmaker Profile: Centers who win faceoffs and make quick passes often prefer sticks around chin height. It balances control with just enough reach for defensive plays.
Real-world example: Patrick Kane, one of the NHL's best stickhandlers, uses a noticeably short stick. Watch him weave through traffic—that stick length isn't holding him back.
Defensemen face a unique challenge. They need reach for poke checks but can't sacrifice too much control.
The Modern Defenseman: Today's defensive players often use sticks only slightly longer than forwards—maybe an inch or two above chin height. Why? Because they need to:
The Stay-at-Home Defender: Traditional defensive defensemen might add another inch for maximum reach. But even Zdeno Chara, at 6'9", needed special permission for his extra-long stick. You probably don't.
Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights offers an interesting case study. He uses a 65" shaft (longer than average) and consistently ranks in the NHL's top 10 for takeaways. But he's also known for his unusually large stick knob—another personal preference that works for his style.
Players who battle in corners and in front of the net often prefer a middle ground. An average-length stick helps them:
The lesson? Your playing style matters more than your position.
Forget the chin-to-nose rule for a moment. Let's find what actually works for you.
This comes from people who've discovered it through trial and error:
If you have to reach behind your body or crane forward to get the blade flat, the stick is the wrong length.
Pro Stock Hockey recommends this approach:
If the toe points up, the stick is too long. If the heel lifts, it's too short.
This one's simple but effective:
If you answered no to either question, adjust the length.
Marcel from Marcel's Hockey School offers this pro tip: "When you buy a new stick, maybe don't cut it down quite as much as you normally would. Cut it a little bit longer and see how it feels for one practice."
Smart advice. You can always cut more off. You can't add it back (extensions exist but aren't ideal).
Let's solve the most common stick length issues players face.
One player described it perfectly: "It's like coming in for a pole vault competition."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CScWrTbAFz4
For Too Long:
For Too Short:
The best time to experiment with stick length? During practice or pickup games. Never make drastic changes before important games.
If you've been using the same length for years and suddenly it feels wrong, consider:
Any of these factors can affect your ideal stick length.
After analyzing professional players, coaching insights, and real player experiences, here's what actually matters:
The player who shared the Howie Meeker wisdom summed it up best: "I found the shorter stick helped immensely with puck handling and strength when battling in close."
Here's your homework: Question everything you've been told about stick length.
Try cutting your stick an inch shorter than usual. Just for practice. See what happens.
Test different lengths during stick-and-puck sessions. Pay attention to:
Remember, you're not looking for what's "correct" according to some chart. You're looking for what makes you play better.
The best stick length is the one that lets you play your best hockey. Period.
And if someone tells you your stick is too short? Show them Sidney Crosby's measurements. That usually ends the conversation pretty quickly.
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