Survival/Emergency uses for a hockey stick

My thoughts in the spear thread have gotten me to thinking about all the uses for old hockey sticks. This is a VERY common item in households, vehicles, stores, etc. here (and I'm sure in many other places too). Since I'm thinking so much about it I wanted to write them all down...and since I'm doing that I figured I'd give you all a shot at the same time.

• Walking Stick
• Fishing Pole (one pole could be used to make several ice fishing rigs)
• Window lock (cut to length and put in a window to prevent it from being opened from the outside)
• Door Lock (propped against a door to prevent it from being opened)
• Tarp Pole (Drive a nail in the end to go through the grommet)
• Makeshift crutch(es)
• Staff for self defense
• Shaft of a spear
• Shaft of a harpoon
• Bow? (I'm sure there are some makes of stick which are flexible enough for this though I'm not sure I'd have the skill to make one)
• Club (I've seen many 'fish whackers' made from a length of hockey stick)
• Shelter (can be used in uncountable ways especially if you have screws or nails or are even just really good at lashing)
• Reenforcement material (strengthen a door, shutters, floor, beam, etc)
• Snow Sled (whole sticks could be lashed together to make a sled or a frame for one
• Stretcher (strong enough to make an old school canvas stretcher or several could be attached together to make a backboard.
• Splint for a leg or arm
• Kindling? (I'm not sure how well a laminate stick burns or how safe they burn with all the glue and fiberglass but an old school, all wood stick would always be dry and is already a good size for fire starting)
• Pack Frame (lashed or screwed together)

Granted you could use any stick for many of these tasks but sometimes trees aren't around (urban) and these days there is a strong public aversion to cutting down live foliage for any reason...and the hockey sticks just seem to be a more suitable choice for many of these tasks...if you have them handy.

I was never a big hockey player but even I went through quite a few sticks when I was younger...I regret not keeping them now!

Given enough duct tape and sticks you could probably fashion a ladder. I'm sure screws/nuts and bolts would be better, though.

Hacksaw - I made a real nice improvised axe handle out of one once. It worked so well that I never bothered to buy a replacement handle for the one I broke.

I can see a laminated shaft from a hockey stick as the handle for almost any and every tool, from a shovel, ax, pick ax, hoe, post-holer digger, etc., etc. etc.

I can also see them being used as building material for a lot of things.

At near the same size, their cannot be many stonger pieces of wood than a laminated hockey stick.

As I mentioned on the "Fishing" post I am a big fan of using tough hockey stick shafts in constructing outdoor items.

Here is a use that has nothing to do with survival, but made my wife happy (therefore made me really happy).

The under-cabinet short screws that anchored our dishwasher into the countertop would often pull out and the dishwasher would tilt forward when the door was opened causing the lower rack and dishes to fall on the floor. Also one of the screws fell unnoticed into the dishwasher and ground away in the drain pump, that cost me a repairman service call for about 5 minutes work.

So I epoxed a thin hockey stick shaft (actually one of my son's mini-stick shafts) under the lip of the counter and screwed the dishwasher brackets to it, problem solved!

Mike

P.S. A hockey shaft fitted with a metal head makes a decent light ice chisel, and if you mark a measuring scale on it you can measure the length of your fish.

I never thought of a ladder...that's a good one!

If you had a surplus and some good tools you could make quite functional furnature too.

Makes me want to start stockpiling them!

In Sports Bars I have seen hockey sticks used as picture frames and coat hangers, it went well with the decor.

Mike

Picket fence or small animal pen?

They're pretty waterproof you could likely make good box style traps out of them for catching live fish or other critters.

I smell a new book hitting the shelves

Northern Stickcraft by Slap Shotchanski

Clint Eastwood had a line: 'Nothing like a good piece of hickory'.

A hockey stick isn't likely to be made of hickory but a good piece of wood always has a lot of potential uses.

A friend held off an attacker with flimsy badminton racket. He laughed at it as a weapon but backed off after she told him he would be pretty easy to identify with it hanging out his rear. Figures a rapist would be more enthusiastic about giving than receiving. Maybe it was the Christmas spirit. Sometimes even a small piece of wood has uses.

I always admired that girl ... she has grit.

maybe as an emergency oar

Not being sports-minded, I always consider the sports paraphenalia most useful as weapons or for getting stuff from under the refrigerator.

A double-handed, hard-as-you-can whack at the base of an intruder's neck seems like it could do some harm.

When I lived in Las Vegas, there was an article in the paper about a woman who went down to the corner mini-mart for some bread or milk or something, was only gone a few minutes. A guy apparently watched her leave, went to her apartment, kicked a hole in the door and reached in to unlock it. He hadn't counted on the 10-year-old boy with the baseball bat.

Sue

How about using it as a golf club. Remember the movie "Happy Gilmore"?

I have used them for fishing things off the roof, separating two fighting dogs, and slapshots...

You would have a decent supply of tape. Not the tape on the blade (that doesn't come off well), but the tape wrapped at the top for the "knob".

When the snow melts but it's still frozen here, we use them as fun ways to clean up the frozen dog crap. Controlled wrist shots work well, slap shots do not.

Living in the southwest US and not being a hockey fan, I have never seen a hockey stick close up or handled one. Would you be able to make a decent hiking staff from one if you sawed off the blade? I like your list. It fits other pole like pieces of wood, like recycled broom and mop handles..

A laminated hockey stick is kind made like plywood. Strips of wood are glued together. However, a stick is normally tougher than plywood, IMO. The stick is square though, so if you want it rounded, you will need a file and some effort and patience. I played a lot of hockey and saw few sticks broken in the middle, while many blades break.

As far as a hiking staff, a hockey stick might be a too short, if you are tall. At full length, one comes to my chest.

A new stick might be long enough...before it's cut to suit the user...or a stick from a big guy.

A traditional stick is mostly poplar with reenforcement material laminated to the outside (similar to fiberglass or carbon fiber).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKkk7RuAG48&feature=related

They go up from there in technology with laminates like plywood to using more synthetic materials.

A pro stick is all composite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ueMOMW6mw

Even if I couldn't find one, you can buy junior sticks new for under $8 here at countless places.