A hard wrist shot from a graphite stick can have as much or more speed than slap shots of old from the all-wooden sticks of yesteryear. But the slap shot is still a widely used tool in the game.

A graphite windfall. Here's the legend: In the mid-16th century, ... To make the graphite a bit easier to use, surveyors and artists wrapped sticks of plumbago in string or sheepskin.

From sticks of graphite wrapped in string to mechanical pencils made of gold, centuries of innovation went into crafting the perfect writing utensil. The pencil isn't just for the SATs. It is the ...