When considering the role of tape as part of your equipment, one should keep in mind that it is of no less importance to you, as far as safety and performance is concerned, as is any other part of your outfit. Just as you would choose the best protective equipment for yourself or your child, you should consider how you want the tape to perform and what does it offer you.

As early as 1920, the use of tape on hockey sticks made it's appearance. Several hockey players including Harry Watson and George Vezina began using this new strange looking material on their sticks to strengthen the blade and protect it during the game. Tape as we know it today is quite different from those early times. . Tapes were mostly a gum-like sticky coating applied to cloth. In Scandinavian field hockey a similar material was used on the "bandy-sticks". Very little white cloth tape was used then; it was virtually all black. In 1939 when "Babe" Slideborg and several other N.H.L.® players began using tape on the blade shaft and upper part of the stick, the practice started becoming widely acceptable. Hockey tape was here to stay!

Today, hockey tape is available in many sizes and colors. It has become a sophisticated product and employs many different coating techniques and types of adhesive.

Protection and Safety

Athletic tape was developed to provide many uses including protection and safety for the athlete. It is strong, supportive, lightweight and allows for conformity to the body contours and its' movement. Also, it can be quickly removed in the event of injury because of the web-like construction which tears or breaks easily when pressure is applied at the edge. Today, we find many people using all kinds of other pressure sensitive tapes as leg and ankle wraps. Some of these materials, like heavy plastic packaging tapes or marking tapes make it almost impossible to remove quickly. It is fundamental that injuries be attended to as quickly as possible. Our cloth tapes provide this safety. How often have the paramedics been delayed in rendering aid by heavy plastic wraps?

To the average individual, the quality of tape is usually judged by its' appearance and performance. Generally, if it looks good, and performs adequately, the consumer will buy it. To the manufacturer, quality means much more.

Tape

First, the product must look good to the consumer which means uniformity and choosing the right cloth. Secondly, rigorous laboratory testing to determine the coating weight of the adhesive is undertaken. Inconjuction with the previous tests the tensile strength of the final product is continually checked. All these tests, and many others, are aimed at producing and maintaining the best possible product, while maximising the raw materials efficiency for the manufacturer.

Generally, athletic tape should have an even, fairly stiff unwind from the roll. Particularly in trainer's tape, the unwind must be constant for the entire roll. The coating should be evenly spread on the cotton and when held up to the light, one should see very few "pin-holes" in the adhesive. The adhesive should be adequately "anchored" to the cloth to enable the coating and cloth to remain intact during use. Some people feel that a true test of this anchoring strength is exhibited by folding a piece of tape over double and pulling it apart. More often than not, some of the adhesive will pull away from the cloth which to the eye may appear inadequate. In fact, this is not the so, but only shows the strength of the adhesive in what is referred to as the "face-to-face" peel test.

Another aspect to athletic tape is that it should tear easily and evenly when pressure is applied at a specific point along the edge. However, it should not tear or break during normal application such as taping an ankle or hockey sticks. Most trainers will tear four or five strips of tape while checking the tensile or tearing strength. What they are looking for is a uniform tear strength to which they have become accustomed to from day to day use.

Trainer's Tape

What is referred to as "trainer's tape" is used most often in body related applications, since this type of tape usually comes into contact with the skin, one of the tape's components should be an anti-irritant. The anti-irritant most commonly used is zinc-oxide at a concentration of 1%. This helps the skin to resist infection or irritation in areas of contact between itself and the adhesive.

Zinc-oxide was widely used during the early war years as a packing for bandages and its use in a preventive role is continued today. Some athletes suffer rash or skin disorders thought to be brought on in certain cases by the reaction of body perspiration in concert with some part of the equipment used or worn by the individual. In some cases, a loose layer of tape containing zinc-oxide under the equipment has alleviated this problem. Trainer's tape is usually a bleached cotton which provides a clean, antiseptic appearance.

Trends

There has been a recent increase in the use of colored tape. This is partially due to the fad of matching colors to uniforms of one's favourite team and the desire to try something different. Several N.H.L.® teams began using colored tape many years ago, especially those teams with European players. The Europeans have long been noted for their flare in color combinations for uniforms and their use of colored tapes. Though a Russian psychologist documented a study showing that players having a fewer number of horizontal stripes or lines on their uniform gave the impression to their opponents as being taller or larger and could lead to intimidation which the Russians have tried to exploit to their advantage. You may have noticed the very plain uniforms worn by such teams as the Russians and Czechs.

Summary

In summation, tape is used today in hockey, for many uses other than it's original application. It does provide a barrier to water absorption which possibly could weaken a player's shot and it adds overall strength to the hockey blade. It does provide some cushioning effect when the blade and puck make contact. Some players claim that having tape on the blade helps control the puck when stick handling or receiving a pass. Some claim that tape causes the puck to spin when released by shooting, and therefore, increases the velocity of the shot. Then, there are those who will tell you that black tape on a stick helps to conceal the puck from the goal tender for that last slit second.

True? Perhaps, but for sure, any professional player or trainer will tell you how important the need is to have only the best equipment and supplies. This applies similarly even to the amateur and to the smallest beginner in minor hockey.