Facts About Hockey Pucks

Hockey players slap the puck at amazing speeds back and forth across the ice. Hockey pucks used in game play must meet rigid standards set by the National Hockey League and International Ice Hockey Federation.

History

For many years, it was generally accepted that hockey originated from an English game called bandy. British soldiers played bandy, also called English field hockey, in the early 1800s throughout Canada. Field hockey used a hurley ball and a stick on an ice playing field. Later research found mention of a game played in Nova Scotia in the early 1800s that was based on the Irish game of hurling. It used a hurley stick and a square wooden block instead of a ball. The first pucks were made by cutting the hurley ball top and bottom to make a flat puck that would not bounce on the ice. About 1860, the first hockey puck fashioned from wood was made. In 1886, the first vulcanized rubber hockey puck was used.

Regulation Puck Size

Hockey pucks used in game play for amateur or professional sports must meet NHL and IIHF regulations for size and weight. A regulation hockey puck is black, made of vulcanized rubber, weighs between 5.5 to 6 oz., is 1 inch thick and 3 inches in diameter, according to the NHL rules.

Types

Regulation hockey pucks used in competition are not the only types of hockey pucks available. Specialized hockey pucks made for training purposes are also used. Blue training pucks can weigh 4 oz. for younger players or 10 oz. to 2 lbs. for more experienced players. Training pucks are used increase wrist strength. Other training pucks used to increase stick-handling abilities are made of steel. Lightweight orange pucks are used for floor or road hockey. Yellow fluorescent pucks are used for street hockey, and pucks with plastic ball bearings are used for nonice surfaces.

Behind the Name

The word puck is Gaelic and Irish in origin, according to "An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language" by Walter William Skeat. Puck is also the name for a goblin or mischievous sprite.

Puck-Related Deaths

Hockey pucks typically speed around the ice at 85 mph, but can reach speeds up to 120 mph. Puck-related injuries are common, and three puck-related deaths have been reported since 1979 in professional hockey. This number can be misleading because of the number of minor-league hockey teams, youth hockey teams and other hockey games that are not regulated by the NHL. In 2010, a puck killed a Swedish referee. The referee, 62, was wearing a helmet when he was struck at the nape of the neck by the hockey puck. He was pronounced dead before the paramedics arrived, according to "The Local," Sweden's English newspaper.