from Matt Porter of the Boston Globe,
The infectious disease that has stifled life in China has ripple effects for National Hockey League players.
The highly customized sticks used by some 75 percent of the NHL are made in small batches at Chinese factories. With work and travel halted in that country since late January as the country combats an outbreak of coronavirus, the NHL has been unable to get fresh stock in the middle of its competitive season.
During Thursday’s Sabres-Red Wings broadcast, NBC Sports analyst Pierre Maguire said equipment managers told him there was a “major shortage” of sticks.
Hockey manufacturers disputed that, but conceded they are worried.
Bauer, headquartered in Exeter, N.H., makes its pro sticks in China, as does its main competitor, Montreal-based CCM.
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