How Did the Hockey Puck Originate?

The modern hockey puck can be traced back to the game of bandy in the United Kingdom. Today, there are several kinds of pucks, including official NHL pucks, practice pucks and roller hockey pucks.

  1. Bandy

    • The game of bandy was developed in 1820, in the United Kingdom, so field hockey players could continue to train in the cold European winter. Bandy consisted of using a round hurley ball and stick on ice. European immigrants bought bandy to North America.

    Hockey Puck Invented

    • In 1875, students at Boston University were fed up with the uncontrollable hurley ball, so they cut the top and the bottom part of the ball off and used the middle part. Other sources say Victoria Rink, owner of one of the first indoor rinks, invented the modern hockey puck in Montreal, Quebec, Canada when she sliced the ball in half.

    First Indoor Hockey Game

    • On March 30, 1875, J G A Creighton organized the first indoor ice hockey game at Victoria Staking Rink in Montreal, Canada. This was the first time a hockey puck was used in a public game.

    Early Puck Construction

    • The first hockey pucks were made by gluing two pieces of rubber together. However, the puck would often split apart when it hit a hard surface.

    The Beveled Puck

    • A beveled puck was developed in 1931. However, many players disliked the way the puck performed, so they went back to the older version of the puck

    The Modern Hockey Puck

    • In 1940, Art Ross designed the modern hockey puck. The hockey puck is made of black vulcanized rubber. A modern hockey puck weighs between 5 1/2 and 6 ounces. It is 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.