Tyler Bertuzzi, acquired from the Red Wings on Thursday, made a good first impression in his Bruins debut on Saturday, assisting on the opening goal in a 4-2 Boston win.
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He made a different kind of impression among some Bruins fans on Twitter, though. While Bertuzzi was in the penalty box after getting called for a slash, ABC’s camera panned to him and captured a close-up of his stick. And, well, something was missing.
No knob. No tape at all. Not even a plug at the top of his stick. Just an open hole, as if the stick were fresh out of the factory. That is pretty much unheard of at any level of hockey.
So, what’s the deal? Well, Bertuzzi was asked that after the game. He said he played with his stick like that a little bit last year and started doing it more this season.
OK… but why? Surely, there must be some science behind it. Maybe it’s easier to stickhandle or shoot with an even lighter stick? Maybe it just feels better in his hands?
Nope.
“I’m lazy,” Bertuzzi said, offering a short, sweet and honest explanation.
Bertuzzi had previously used the same explanation a couple years ago when the Red Wings’ team website asked him why he used a grip sticker on his blade instead of regular hockey tape.
“I have a sticker that kind of feels like sandpaper. It’s pretty easy to put on,” he said then. “I’m kind of lazy taping sticks, so when I found out that I could put this on my stick, I was all in.”
Some of his sticks in the hall outside the Bruins’ locker room did have a very little bit of American flag tape at the top of them. That? Also the result of laziness. Those were older sticks and Bertuzzi hadn’t bothered to peel the tape off.
Wait… why the American flag and not Canadian? Bertuzzi is from Ontario.
“I got my green card [last year]. I like America,” he said.
Mystery solved.
Anyway, here are some of the funnier tweets regarding Bertuzzi’s tape situation:
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