What Happens to Used Equipment & Broken Sticks in the NHL & PWHL?

We take a look at what the leagues do with broken sticks, used pucks, and other items that won't be used in games anymore.

Have you ever watched an NHL game, seen a stick break, and wondered what happens to it after it’s handed over to the team’s equipment manager? At The Hockey Writers, we went behind the scenes with the Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota Frost to find out what happens to those broken sticks, used pucks, and other gear that often gets forgotten about when the action happens during game time.

Some of the routines may vary from team to team, but overall, most are probably quite similar, like having a puck cooler somewhere in the penalty box area to keep pucks frozen so they don’t stick to the ice. We’ll start by looking at what teams do with all of those broken sticks and move on from there.

Broken Sticks: Where do they go?

It happens at least once every game, and in the NHL, it’s sometimes 2-3 times per game; players break their sticks either by taking too hard of a shot or by hitting it in just the right way that it snaps. Players sometimes break their sticks intentionally, but that’s rare. For the Wild, when players break a stick, they send it back to the manufacturer for a new stick if possible.

However, there are some sticks they aren’t able to send back. Those are sold to benefit the Wild Foundation, which benefits local hockey programs around Minnesota. They also help with children’s charities.

The PWHL is only in its second year, but they’ve already broken many sticks since the start. When a player on the Frost breaks a stick, sometimes the players keep it, and sometimes a friend or family member will take it to make it into furniture or art, with very few being thrown away.

Also, a fun tidbit: if you’re ever at an NHL game, watch the benches; typically, the equipment manager will have their fingers on the stick of the player who currently has the puck and will move as the puck moves so they can grab the right stick if a player breaks theirs.

Pucks: Games & Practice

We discussed broken sticks, but what happens to those pucks used during games and practices? Well, practice pucks are reused as much as possible for the Wild and Frost since they don’t have to be in pristine condition. Game pucks are treated differently; of course, any puck that gets lost in the crowd goes home with the fan who finds or catches it.

Most also know that when a player scores their very first goal in their respective league, their teammates will typically fetch the puck and give it to their team staff, who will sometimes label it as the first goal. Then, the player usually gets to keep it after a photo-op. However, I learned from the Wild that with every goal scored outside of the players’ first goal, that puck is grabbed, goes to their store, and is sold to benefit the Wild Foundation.