A new hockey stick design coated with a nano-metal finish is capable of breaking the world record for slapshot speed: 110 mph.
The SlapShot XT can apparently beat Boston Bruins Captain Zdeno Chara's world record of 105.9 mph, says Hockey Robotics, a company based out of research from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, which designed a two-armed robot that can repeatedly send pucks flying through the air.
Toronto-based Integran Technologies was brought in to strengthen the new sticks with a nano-metal that makes them less likely to break like the composite brands now on the market.
Hockey Robotics developed the puck smashing machine as a way of testing the strength of hockey sticks since broken sticks have been a problem in NHL and amateur games for several years.
The XT machine is more complex than the golf club hitting robots because it uses two arms to hold a stick, utilizing a gear, sprocket and belt system to hit pucks into the net.
University of Waterloo engineering design professor John McPhee says he hopes the research will lead to more durable sticks. They have already partnered with Sherbrook to test new materials and construction techniques, including the metal finishes.
PF reveals the qualifying shops in its annual Top Shops Benchmarking Survey — a program designed to offer shops insights into their overall performance in the industry.
_KOCH.jpg;maxWidth=300;quality=90)
