Broken sticks costly part of kids' hockey

My son set some kind of record last season for broken hockey sticks - two wooden ones, two $100 composites. We tried to repair one of the composites, but because it was broken near the heel, the results were not satisfactory - a waste of time and money. The situation was made all the more frustrating by a coach's request for a specific curve to improve his game. Ever try to find a gentle curve? Even in the heartland of minor hockey - London, Ont. - it's a challenge. Most are wicked, crazy curves endorsed by NHL forwards. My son is a defenceman, yet found comfort in a hard-to-find Henrik Zetterberg curve.
He's already broken one this season - and that was in practice while he was trying to master a slap shot.
In a perfect minor hockey world, kids would use cheaper wooden sticks. Things like flex are alien to them, anyway. But image, style and status rule the teenage mind and paying $100 for a stick instead of $30 is a burden parents seem to have gotten used to.
Sigh.
Here's an informative article about stick selection posted today: http://www.letsplayhockey.com/1017swusa.html