In the early prior art, lacrosse sticks were customarily made of wood, usually hickory, shaped by American Indians with whom the game originated. Such lacrosse sticks lacked uniformity as to quality, strength, weight, and feel in the hands of a player.
To overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, great strides have been made in the recent past in the construction of lacrosse stick heads and handles. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,507,495; 3,822,062, and 3,905,088 to Tucker et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,984 to Crawford et al disclose elastomeric lacrosse stick heads and parts therefor which are highly resilient and have dramatically revolutionized the sport of lacrosse. Additionally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,739,994; 4,037,841, and 4,206,918 to Lewis disclose novel lacrosse stick handles which haVe further enhanced the quality of lacrosse sticks. Accordingly, it is now common for lacrosse stick heads and handles to be interchangeable in order to suit the needs of a player, or for repair of a broken head or handle.
The prior art, for example in the above-noted U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,507,495 and 3,822,062, teaches the attachment of stop means at the juncture of the side walls of the lacrosse stick head for receiving and cushioning a lacrosse ball. As apparent from the above patents, for example FIG. 8 of the '495 patent and FIGS. 4 of the '062 patent, the stop is of a material such as foam rubber secured by an adhesive or the like to the juncture and side walls. These patents provide an adequate stop means. However, at times the stop means loosens and requires repair. The present invention provides an improved stop means.