Patent 7980969 was granted and assigned to Franklin Sports on July, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A hockey blade having a malleable metal core sandwiched between the lower portions of the front and rear planar striking surfaces fabricated of semi-rigid, but bendable and durable, high strength molded plastic material. The metal core also extends through the molded neck of the blade received within the tubular end of the hockey stick handle. Thus, the blade may be bent along its length to a desired and retained curvature.