ScottM Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Here's a pretty decent article on an icon of hockey, Warroad's own Christian Brothers. Since WSJ is subscription, here it is: the Wall Street Journal May 20, 2004 Christian Brothers' Goal? A Break for Wooden Hockey Sticks By MARK YOST May 20, 2004; Page D10 Whichever remaining teams make it to the Stanley Cup in the next few days, it will mark the first hockey finals in about 30 years without a Christian Brothers logo to be seen. "Christian Brothers is a name that's synonymous with the history of hockey," said Brian Jennings, group vice president of marketing for the National Hockey League. Not seeing one of its wooden sticks in the Stanley Cup is like not having an Andretti or Unser in the Indianapolis 500. As recently as the early 1990s, most hockey sticks were made of wood. But about 10 years ago, they began to be replaced by sticks made of graphite composite. By last year, only 9% of sticks used in the NHL had more than a passing acquaintance with trees. But, as in fashion, what is old can become new again. Some hockey players are considering going back to wooden sticks. And that would be an answer to Christian Brothers' prayers. Despite its name, this Warroad, Minn., company is not a sideline for monks with woodworking skills. The founding brothers (there was a founding brother-in-law too) are Bill and Roger Christian, who played on the 1960 and 1964 Olympic hockey teams. And the siblings, who hail from Warroad, about as far north as you can get without being in Canada, were national heroes. In the 1960 Olympics, Bill scored the tying and winning goals against the Russians; Roger scored four goals in the third period of the Gold Medal game against the Czechs, sealing the U.S. team comeback from a 4-3 deficit. (Bill's son David also played for the U.S. In 1980 he was member of the "Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey team.) Sons of a carpenter, the Christians grew up playing hockey with sticks made by their dad. They eventually started making their own and in the mid-1960s founded Christian Brothers Hockey with Hal Bakke, their brother-in-law, and the motto "hockey sticks by hockey players." "We were building houses during the day and making sticks at night," Roger Christian said in a recent interview. They started out making sticks from ash and elm, but then went to a 21-ply laminated Finnish birch in 1970. From there, the business grew until the mid-1980s, when the Christian Brothers factory was making up to 3,000 sticks a day and was Warroad's largest employer. Their forte was not simply making sticks, but tailoring the curve and angle of the blades for a player's particular style. Name nearly any NHL star from the 1970s and '80s -- Gordy Howe, Bobby Hull, Andy Moog -- and you'll find a customer. But in the early 1990s, the first composite sticks -- lighter and, initially, more durable than wood -- were introduced by other manufacturers. "If I made a mistake as a businessman, it was not getting into making synthetic sticks," admits Roger Christian. "But I don't regret a minute of it." Last year, unable to recapture the market, the Christian Brothers factory was forced to close its doors, and its assets were placed in bank receivership. But that didn't deter the most diehard devotees. Many called Rick Christian, Roger's son, who had taken over the family business, and begged him to make them sticks. "When I wasn't trying to get the business back on its feet, I was in the shop making sticks," Rick said. "These were loyal customers who loved our sticks, and I just couldn't say 'No.'" But just as Christian Brothers was shutting down production, complaints about composite sticks and their tendency to break were reaching a climax. The composites were increasingly brittle because many players were demanding ever-lighter sticks. The lighter composites also cost up to 10 times more than wood sticks. Many players began to feel the composites simply weren't as good. The predominant trend today is a composite shaft with a wood blade. But some players and equipment managers are looking at going back to all wood. "The wood stick has a real snap to it," Roger Christian said. "And it gives you better control. If you watch the players today, they're always chasing the puck, having to handle it." The one set of players that Christian Brothers -- and other wood-stick makers like Sherwood -- never lost was the goal-tenders. Many of the greatest goalies -- both past and present -- have been Christian Brothers customers: Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, Ed Belfour of the Montreal Canadiens, and Roman Turek of the Calgary Flames. Because the company didn't pay the NHL licensing fee for this season, NHL players who still use Christian Brothers sticks have to tape over the name. Today, Christian Brothers is back in business. Its new owner, Harrow Sports, a Denver sporting-goods maker, bought the Christian Brothers assets from the bank last year and the Warroad factory went back online in December. Harrow is letting Rick Christian run the business, and thinks it has a plan that will put Christian Brothers in the black again. Gerry Hogue, president of both Harrow Sports and Christian Brothers, says that the company's strength is going back to its roots of making custom-made wood blades while expanding its line of all-wood goalie sticks. "We're seeing a real trend toward the wood blades again," he notes. "We can tailor the curve and shape of the blade for an individual player," he said. "And we can do that very cost effectively." Christian Brothers also makes a good buck producing nostalgia sticks. The company manufactures replica sticks for Hall of Famers like Mr. Hull to sign at autograph sessions. And it had 100 commemorative sticks waiting for the University of Denver Pioneers when they returned from winning this year's NCAA championship. Christian Brothers sticks were also featured in "Miracle," the movie about the gold medal-winning 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. And with any luck, they may turn up in a future Stanley Cup finals, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Good news for a hockey icon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVCL Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Here's an additional link to the whole story for those interested. History The Christian family is an icon in the world of hockey and it's legacy should and will never be forgotten. I for one named my son after them and wish them the best with their new business endeavors. Long live the wood hockey stick. I do have one of the original Christian Bros aluminum shafts before they sold to Easton and one of the original fiberglass sock blades to go with it. The composites have always been a nuisance. It's time get the control and feel of the wood sticks back on the ice! The composites in the NHL should be thought of in the same light as aluminum bats in major league baseball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 After seeing the high number of sticks breaking at bad times you wonder if the article is right and that we'll start seeing more wood sticks again. I remember watching the replay of the Final Five championship game and Potulny's stick broke on a shot right under the handle and Woog was pretty critical that anyone would use a stick that would break that easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fighting Sioux Fan Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 It is good to see Christian Bros. back in business! They were the only type of stick I used when I played hockey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 It is good to see Christian Bros. back in business! They were the only type of stick I used when I played hockey. It is great to see them back. I hope they can continue for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#1siouxfan22 Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 It's great to see Christian back in business even tho Harrow sports owns them. They are trying to be competitive by coming out with a One piece this summer and they have great gloves. Hopefully thier wood sticks make a good comeback too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxhockey5 Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 When did Ed Belfour start playing for the the Montreal Canadians Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#1siouxfan22 Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwing77 Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 what? If you read the article carefully, you will notice that the article has a misprint in that it lists Ed Belfour's team as the Canadiens, not the Maple Leafs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#1siouxfan22 Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 o sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11~ZachAttack~11 Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Wasn't there a Dave Christian on the movie "Miracle" ? Did he have any relation to the Christian Brothers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#1siouxfan22 Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#1siouxfan22 Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 My friend Tommy here is goin to be hitting you in the head with a tack hammer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Somebody flunked reading comprehension. I'd recommend re-reading the last sentence, the one in parenthesis, of the third paragraph of the story that "ScottM" posted to start this thread. PS - Next someone will be asking why UND used to almost exclusively use Christian sticks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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