Stories from the Blackhawks Equipment Manager

Corey Wolfe of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix interviews Troy Parchman, a Moose Jaw native now working as the equipment manager for the Chicago Blackhawks. The article even discusses Illegal Curves!

The SP: (Laughs) That’s some crafty coaching. OK, last question. Do you know if a player’s sticks are illegal?

Parchman: Oh yeah. Because if they are, it’s my fault. Most equipment guys can pick out a stick right away and say it’s illegal. Having a blade that’s too wide is a big one now. They changed the curve rule, so having a half-inch curve is huge and it’s hard to have an illegal curve. Nowadays, there are so many sticks going back and forth between teams for charities and stuff, so we measure other guys’ sticks. You’re not necessarily going to call it, but you want to know in the back of your mind if there ever comes a time.

The SP: So who’s on your list?

Parchman: (Teemu) Selanne’s stick was always way illegal. The blade was so wide. You could see that from one end of the ice to the other, but nobody ever really called him that much.

Pretty good read. I bet the collected stories of the NHL’s equipment managers would fill a book.