Hockey Stick Curve Translator and Cross-Brand Chart

A curve, also called a blade pattern, is the shape molded into the bottom of your stick blade. It determines how the puck sits on the blade, how shots leave the face, and how the stick behaves when you stickhandle. Two sticks with identical flex, weight, and length can feel completely different in your hands if the curves differ.

Curves vary in three main dimensions. The first is the location of the deepest point along the blade, which is either heel, mid, mid-toe, or toe. The second is the face angle, which can be open, neutral, or closed. The third is the depth of the curve itself, ranging from slight to deep. A separate spec, the lie, describes the angle between blade and shaft when the stick sits flat on the ice.

A toe curve sits the puck on the front of the blade and is built for quick releases and toe drags. A heel curve sits it back and produces flatter, more controlled shots. Most modern NHL curves cluster in the mid and mid-toe range because they balance shooting power with stickhandling control. Picking the right curve is less about copying a pro and more about matching your shooting style and position.

Position is a starting point but not the whole answer. Forwards who release the puck in close benefit from toe and mid-toe curves because the puck sits forward and leaves quickly. Forwards who shoot from distance or set up plays often prefer mid curves for accuracy and backhand control.

Defensemen typically choose mid or heel curves. Long, hard, low shots from the point load best through a flatter blade. A heel pocket also helps you bat down passes and chip pucks along the boards. Goalies pick their curves by feel rather than position science.

Beyond position, think about your shot mix. If most of your goals come from snap shots and quick releases, a toe or mid-toe curve will reward you. If you take a lot of one-timers from the high slot or wing, a mid curve gives you a flatter face that stays square to the net. Stickhandlers should also consider how open the face is. Open faces make it easier to lift the puck off the wall but harder to keep shots low.

If you played in the 2000s or early 2010s, you probably still call your curve by a name no current retail stick uses. Sakic, Modano, Yzerman, Lidstrom, Iginla, Forsberg, and Drury were all standard pattern names a decade ago. Most of them were retired during the carbon shaft era as brands restructured their lineups and licensed new player names.

The shapes did not disappear. They mapped forward into the modern catalogue and now sit under different codes. A few common translations:

• Sakic, Modano, old Crosby are closest to the modern P92 family (Matthews, Tavares, P29 Crosby, TC2 Marner).
• Yzerman, Iginla, old Kane live on through the P88 Kane family.
• Lidstrom, Getzlaf map to the modern P05 Coffey and P02 Lidstrom heel patterns.
• Forsberg, Duchene sit inside the P14 family (P14 Toews, P14 Duchene, PM9 Stamkos).
• Drury, Parise are closest to the P91A Staal and W05 Granlund shapes.

If you remember a curve by an older name, type it into the search box in the translator above. It will route you to the closest modern equivalent and show you what every current brand calls the same shape.

A handful of curve families dominate the NHL and the retail shelf. If you are switching brands and your current curve is one of the four below, find the row in the chart above to see what to ask for at the shop.