  Parameters of a shot of an ice hockey player are mostly determined by the
capabilities of the player and the physical properties of the stick used. To
reach better performance, every hockey player uses also a hockey tape for an
adjustment of the stick blade, that changes both the damping properties as well
as the friction coefficient of the blade surface. To show the unexpected extent
to which these physical properties of the blade affect the shot, we compared
two types of blade cover: traditional tape (rolled onto the blade) and a blade
sticker that adheres to both sides of the hockey stick blade. We analysed
high-speed recordings of two types of shots by 13 players, ranging from
amateurs and junior players to NHL superstars. The two covers differ greatly in
friction coefficient and stiffness, which results in significantly (more than
$99\%$ confidence) greater speed, rotation and energy when using the stiffer
and rougher sticker.
