Tarasenko wields aCCM Ribcor Reckoner with an 85 flex.<\/p>
![\"tarasenko-stick-tough-enough\"](\"https:\/\/bellyupsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ccm.png\")
<\/figure>Flex is an individual thing. A rule of thumb suggests you should use a flex (the amount of force in pounds required to bend a shaft 1 inch) equal to half your body weight. Tarasenko is listed at 219 pounds, but flexes in excess of 100 pounds (the bigger the number, the stiffer the shaft) are rare. For reference points, it is believed that Boston\u2019s Zdeno Chara (6-9, 250) uses the stiffest shaft in the league at 130; while Calgary\u2019s Johnny Gaudreau (5-9, 157) has an exceptionally whippy 55-flex. Typical NHL flexes range between 85 and 100.<\/p>
The Reckoner is not the newest stick in the CCM line. It debuted in 2015, during a period of sweeping change in CCM\u2019s stick roster. The Ribcor line was always designed for feel and quick release. The Reckoner\u2019s innovations included a concaved shaft replacing the ribbed (putting the \u201crib\u201d in \u201cRibcor\u201d) design. Its shaft design, meant to optimize energy transfer, was branded \u201cPop Matrix Technology.\u201d Like the Ribcor models that preceded it, the Reckoner has a low kick point (the spot where the shaft flexes).<\/p>
Another Reckoner feature is CCM\u2019s Ascent Blade. It is lighter than its predecessors and, from heel to toe, changes in stiffness. At the heel, it is softer, better to receive passes. The extra-stiff toe enhances a quick release and provides control in traffic.<\/p>
Tough Enough<\/h2>The Reckoner has helped a famously strong player to prodigious scoring feats.<\/p>
From 2014 through last season, Tarasenko led the NHL in even-strength goals with 114, seven more than Alex Ovechkin, and was second to the Capitals\u2019 star in overall goals during that period.<\/p>
Listed at an even 6 feet tall, Tarasenko has rare mass in a league where most of the players in his weight class tend to be 2 or 3 inches taller.<\/p>
His father, former Russian league MVP Andrei Tarasenko, coached young Vladimir in Russia with an eye toward building on his son\u2019s physical gifts.<\/p>
\u201cHis dad coached him every day,\u201d Toronto defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, a former Tarasenko teammate, said in an interview with the Athletic. \u201cAlways, after the practice, they were doing something (extra to build strength). He\u2019s a hardworking guy\u2026 He\u2019s a\u00a0huge<\/em>\u00a0guy.\u201d<\/p>
![\"tarasenko-stick-tough-enough\"](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\")
<\/figure>His current teammates further extolled Tarasenko\u2019s attributes.<\/p>
\u201cHe\u2019s got big guys coming after him and he can force them off almost with one hand,\u201d Blues defenseman Colton Parayko told the Athletic. \u201cThe strength he has with one arm and one hand on the stick is so impressive. It\u2019s really tough to defend.\u201d<\/p>
\u201cHis center of gravity and the way he can stand over a puck is second to none,\u201d Robert Bortuzzo, another Blues defender, added. \u201cYou\u2019ll very rarely see him get caught with a hit. When he does, it\u2019s almost like the defender bounces off him \u2026 I\u2019m sure a lot of his shot is from the power he develops from his lower half.\u201d<\/p>
Final Reckoning<\/h2>Tarasenko using a stick that has been around so long is interesting. By overall player use, there are 16 more-popular sticks in the NHL. Only 10 players used the Reckoner in 2017-18. But, of those players, five (Tarasenko, Sidney Crosby, Reilly Smith, Patric Hornqvist and Micheal Ferland) scored at least 20 goals. Maybe there\u2019s something to be said for sticking with what works.<\/p>
<\/p>
Author bio:<\/em><\/strong> AJ Lee is Marketing Coordinator for Pro Stock Hockey<\/a>, an online resource for pro stock hockey equipment. He was born and raised\nin the southwest suburbs of Chicago, and has been a huge Blackhawks fan his\nentire life. AJ picked up his first hockey stick at age 3, and hasn\u2019t put it\ndown yet.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
![\"tarasenko-stick-tough-enough\"](\"https:\/\/bellyupsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/tarasenko.jpg\")
<\/figure>His current teammates further extolled Tarasenko\u2019s attributes.<\/p>
\u201cHe\u2019s got big guys coming after him and he can force them off almost with one hand,\u201d Blues defenseman Colton Parayko told the Athletic. \u201cThe strength he has with one arm and one hand on the stick is so impressive. It\u2019s really tough to defend.\u201d<\/p>
\u201cHis center of gravity and the way he can stand over a puck is second to none,\u201d Robert Bortuzzo, another Blues defender, added. \u201cYou\u2019ll very rarely see him get caught with a hit. When he does, it\u2019s almost like the defender bounces off him \u2026 I\u2019m sure a lot of his shot is from the power he develops from his lower half.\u201d<\/p>
Final Reckoning<\/h2>Tarasenko using a stick that has been around so long is interesting. By overall player use, there are 16 more-popular sticks in the NHL. Only 10 players used the Reckoner in 2017-18. But, of those players, five (Tarasenko, Sidney Crosby, Reilly Smith, Patric Hornqvist and Micheal Ferland) scored at least 20 goals. Maybe there\u2019s something to be said for sticking with what works.<\/p>
<\/p>
Author bio:<\/em><\/strong> AJ Lee is Marketing Coordinator for Pro Stock Hockey<\/a>, an online resource for pro stock hockey equipment. He was born and raised\nin the southwest suburbs of Chicago, and has been a huge Blackhawks fan his\nentire life. AJ picked up his first hockey stick at age 3, and hasn\u2019t put it\ndown yet.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"