I. Sticks Through Time: The Evolution of the Hockey Stick"

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Audience: General visitors, sports enthusiasts, school groups
Format: Guided exhibit and multimedia presentation
Description:
This interactive, museum-based educational program explores how hockey sticks have transformed from simple wooden tools into high-performance engineering marvels. Participants trace the history of materials and design, discovering how changes in construction reflect advances in physics, materials science, and player performance.    

        

Program Goals

Participants will:

• Understand the historical progression of hockey stick materials and design.

• Explore the physics principles that govern shooting, flex, and puck control.

• Discover the materials science behind wood, fiberglass, and carbon fiber composites.

• Experience hands-on testing and analysis to see science in action.

 

Program Structure

 

Duration: 60 minutes

Format: Guided presentation, interactive demos, and hands-on lab stations

 

1. Introduction – “The Stick that Changed the Game” (10 min)

• Short multimedia presentation showing key moments in NHL history tied to stick     evolution.

• Showcase timeline of stick construction (maple & ash → fiberglass-reinforced → carbon fiber composites).

• Display autographed, game-used sticks that mark milestones in design change.

 

2. Materials Lab – “What’s It Made Of?” (15 min)

• Participants rotate through three touch-and-learn stations:

  • Station A – The Wooden Era:

Examine traditional wooden sticks, noting grain direction, weight, and stiffness.

• Station B – Fiberglass Revolution:

Learn about laminate layering and the transition to reinforced sticks in the 1970s–80s.

• Station C – Carbon Fiber Age:

                                   Explore lightweight composite materials and anisotropic strength properties.

 

3. Physics in Play – “The Science of the Slapshot” (20 min)

• Demonstration on how torque, flex, and energy transfer work together in a shot.

• Use motion sensors or slow-motion video to analyze how stick flex stores and releases energy.

• Participants can “test their shot” using a soft training puck and digital radar system to correlate stick material with puck speed.

 

4. Discussion & Reflection – “Balancing Art and Engineering” (15 min)

• Group discussion on how technology affects gameplay, sustainability, and tradition.

• How did changing materials influence player technique?

• Are modern sticks better—or just different?

• Environmental considerations: sourcing wood vs. producing composites.

 

Educational Outcomes

By the end, participants will:

• Understand how physics principles (force, momentum, energy transfer) apply to sports.

• Recognize engineering innovations in materials science and design.

• Appreciate the balance between tradition and technology in hockey’s evolution.

 

Supporting Materials: Interactive digital touchscreen displays, flex-testing rigs and radar shot analyzer, cross-section samples of stick materials, worksheets with guided observation and data collection tables
 

Educational Value: Connects sports history with technological innovation, craftsmanship, and cultural change.

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Entertainment Factor: Combines rare artifacts with video clips, interactive replicas, and dramatic storytelling.

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II. "Junior Stickhandlers"

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Audience: Children, school groups, families
Format: Interactive workshop and activity stations
Description: Three-Station experience where young students will be guided by educators or archive tour staff following the standard multimedia exhibition.

• Forensics Station: Students will access a touchscreen that invites them to pick their favorite NHL team, where a player will show their current favorite stick and explain why they use the curve of the blade that they use and how they tape their sticks.    

• Slapshot Station: Children are given a chance to take a slapshot from a virtual station that will display their shot on a screen with a timed speed. They will get to take slapshots on soft pucks with four different sticks, from a model based on the first hockey sticks used in shinny to polished wood to fiberglass or aluminum to the latest carbon fiber.

• Creative Station: Students can decorate their own miniature wooden hockey sticks with various stickers, markers, and stencils inspired by what they’ve seen

 

Educational Outcomes

By the end, participants will:

• Understand the difference in handling and shooting with sticks of different materials

• Recognize the advancement of the effectiveness of sticks through science and design

• Appreciate the unique art, blade angle, and taping of each stick particular to a certain player

 

Supporting Materials: Interactive digital touchscreen displays, radar shot analyzer, sticks in different materials, miniature wooden sticks, stencils, paint, markers, stickers, worksheets

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Educational Value: Encourages observation skills, history learning, and creativity.

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Entertainment Factor: Hands-on exploration and problem-solving in a playful casual format.