Hot 'Coffey'

KISS, not the 80’s rock band, famous for flashy make-up and outrageous hair, (that even put Jaromir Jagr’s mullet/shag of the early 90’s to shame) rather, KISS among hockey circles means something entirely different. ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’, is a phrase echoed by angry coaches throughout dressing rooms coast to coast. The term is often used to dictate a style of play, however it has been adopted by one Canadian stick manufacturer trying to ‘keeping it simple.’

Sher-Wood Hockey is one of the original manufacturers of hockey sticks and although they no longer hold their spot among elite stick makers due to the one piece craze, they still remain popular with their loyal supporters.

Since the creation of the Sher-Wood 5030 P.M.P. wood stick in 1949, they have kept traditionalists happy by making only gradual alterations since then. “The P.M.P. 5030 was the best stick in the world,” claimed 70’s great Guy Lafleur.

In fact, following Lafleur was Oilers great Paul Coffey who inked an endorsement deal with Sher-Wood in the early 1980’s where they have been producing the ‘Coffey’ curve since then. . The ‘banana curve’ has become legendary in beer league dressing rooms everywhere and has remained the same since its inception even though Coffey is long retired. This fact alone is what keeps Sher-Wood’s customers loyal, they know exactly what they’ve been using for years and the stick and curve will remain constant.

“I come in grab a Coffey off the shelf, I’m good to go. I’ve been using it since I was young … ain’t no way I’m changing now.” Says long time beer leaguer Bob Gilroy.

Contrarily, other manufacturer’s haven’t got this memo of consistency. Easton for instance has seen the name of their most popular curve go from the ‘Modano’ to the ‘Forsberg’ and now the ‘Zetterberg’, and that’s just the past three seasons. For people in the industry that’s more than enough to keep up with, let alone the average hockey player and consumer.

Say you’re purchasing a new stick once a season and each of the last three your favourite curve is no where to be seen, by altering the name each year, the task of buying a new stick becomes an arduous one.

Hockey player’s are often referred to as not being the sharpest tools in the shed, although this can be argued by many, few will argue with the logic, simplicity and longevity that Sher-Wood maintains. Doing their part to avoid the stick rack muddle keeping it simple, and to all other manufacturers remember to ‘KISS’ your customers will love you.