Ryan O'Reilly owns NHL's most unorthodox stick blade
There have been some wild stick curves over the years from the completely flat blades of the original six era to Marty McSorely's infamous illegal curve, for which he actually earned a penalty. But no stick blades are quite as unorthodox as that of newly acquired Leafs' centre Ryan O'Reilly.
There are 3 primary blade curves: heel, mid, and toe. While most NHL players fall somewhere along that spectrum, O'Reilly, takes toe curve to a whole other level. Instead of a more open toe, O'Reilly's blade has a 45 degree angle at the end of his blade. Basically resembling a mini stick stove top curve gone bad. The image below show's just how bizarre his curve really is.
While not possessing the ability to pass or shoot off his toe quite as smoothly, he is able to control the puck better at times, and owns one the the league's most lethal backhands. His blade, along with his hockey IQ and compete level, allow him really excel at the defensive aspects of the game. O'Reilly is continuously top 5 in Selke trophy voting, a trophy voted on for the league's top defensive forward. He also uses his unconventional curve efficiently in the faceoff dot. O'Reilly currently sits 25th in league faceoff percentage but has led the NHL in face off wins previously in St.Louis.
While his blade is extremely unorthodox, Ryan O'Reilly continues to excel as one of the premier 2-way forwards in the NHL. Time will tell, but hopefully O'Reilly and his strange stick blade can help curve the Leafs back toward playoff success come April and beyond.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 20 | 92 ANSWERS Ryan O'Reilly owns NHL's most unorthodox stick blade Does Ryan O'Reilly have the craziest stick blade curve in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 82 | 89.1 % |
| No | 10 | 10.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
