Facts About Hockey Pucks

Hockey players have the ability to shoot a puck at very high speeds toward the goal due to the makeup of the rubber disc. The hockey puck is the focus of the game, and its size and shape comes under scrutiny by the National Hockey League, with each puck meeting a strict standard. A handful of nations make all the world's pucks, with the NHL getting theirs from one source.

  1. Standards

    • A puck must meet guidelines set forth by the NHL for weight and dimensions. In 1940, Hockey Hall of Famer Art Ross came up with the idea of having all pucks meet certain requirements. Pucks have remained the same since then, with each being 3 inches in diameter and an inch high. The puck must weigh no less than 5 1/2 ounces and no more than 6. Grooved diamond-shaped edges, a feature that gives a puck some traction with the hockey stick, are necessary. The NHL puck, with the exception of the colored logos on it, is always black.

    Geography

    • Three countries where hockey is incredibly popular produce pucks--Canada, the Czech Republic and Russia. China is also a manufacturer of pucks. Canada's Viceroy Reliable Group, a Toronto-based outfit, makes and sells more than 2 million pucks a year. These pucks are not the same type that the NHL uses in its contests. A Quebec company, Inglasco Corp., provides the league with its pucks.

    Vulcanized rubber

    • A type of rubber known as vulcanized rubber comprises hockey pucks. The chemical process known as vulcanization heats the rubber to very high temperatures. Sulfur and other materials mix into the rubber to precipitate chemical reactions that bond molecules tightly together. This results in a hard rubber that stands up to the wear and tear a puck endures during a game. The surface of vulcanized rubber is smoother than other rubber, allowing the puck to glide along the ice more freely.

    Puck production

    • Workers pack the vulcanized rubber into special molds by hand where the rubber compresses and forms a puck. A rubber-based ink produces the NHL logo on one side of the puck through a silk-screening process. As many as 5,000 pucks per week come out of a factory, shipped in boxes that hold 100 pucks apiece.

    Frozen pucks

    • A cold puck develops a very fine sheath of ice on it, allowing the puck to slide along the ice more readily. The frozen puck is less prone to bouncing along on the ice as well. This is why during a game hockey pucks that were frozen stay in a bucket near the timekeeper. When a puck comes out of play, the referee inserts a cold one into the game.