The hockey net is as much a symbol of the game of hockey as a puck or a hockey stick. The look and dimensions of hockey nets are different from any other sport's nets. Hockey nets need to be regulation size and follow certain specifications from the time kids play in their first leagues all the way up to the NHL.
Frame
A regulation hockey net features a steel frame with two goal posts and a crossbar. The net stands 4 feet high and the posts are 6 feet apart when they're measured from the inside of each post. The posts and crossbar are both painted red. The frame extends back on the top and bottom of the net in two semicircles, with a middle post from the crossbar down to the back of the frame. The rounded back of the frame has 20-inch diameter corners and is made of white, vinyl padding.
Netting
The netting of a hockey goal is made from white nylon, and it's attached to the frame with medium nylon cord. The net is attached in such a way that the puck is not able to rest on the outside of it, but it will still remain in the net when a goal is scored. The netting extends from the crossbar across the top to the back part of the frame, and then down the back of the frame to the bottom. The netting for a hockey net is made from 0.197-inch diameter, three-ply twine that has an appropriate tensile strength of 700 lbs. When stretched out, the size of the mesh is 2 1/2 inches from each knot to each diagonal knot.
Anchoring
The hockey net must be anchored to the ice to ensure that it remains in place after sustaining light contact. Flexible, plastic pegs that are 10 inches long are anchored into holes on each side of the goal crease. Hockey posts were once anchored with steel pegs, but the net had little give when it was hit at high speeds, and injuries were common.
Crease
The goal crease that the hockey net is anchored in has specific dimensions of its own. A 2-inch painted line extends 4 feet 6 inches outward and starts one foot outside of each post. These lines are at right angles to the goal line, which runs across the crease from one post to the other. A semi-circle with a 6-foot radius joins the ends of each of the extended goal crease lines. The middle of the goal line is the center point for that semi-circle.
Member Comments