On February 7, 1876, a newspaper in Montreal first used a word that has permanently entered our sporting lexicon. The word?
“Hockey Puck”
In celebration of the 135th anniversary of the introduction of the puck label, here’s something I’ve pulled from my own archives: a “Who Knew?” rundown of the puck!
- In the 1860’s and 70s a rubber ball was used, not a puck. Because it bounced too much, some moved to using a block of wood instead. Materials also used for pucks? Stones, lumps of coal or frozen cow/horse dung
- The genesis of the modern hockey puck took place sometime around 1875. Depending on who you believe, individuals in Montreal or at Boston University sliced the opposing rounded ends off a rubber ball to make an early version of the disc-shaped rubber puck.
- The first recorded use of the aforementioned flat rubber disk was in Montreal in March 1875.
- Early pucks were initially made by gluing two pieces of rubber together. Foreshadowing the green movement of a 100 years into the future, these pucks were sometimes made from old tires.
- In 1931-1932, an adjustment to the disc-shaped puck saw it taking on sloped edges. By the middle of the season, however, the players and coaches had had their fill of this design, leading to the return of the original puck.
- NHL regulation pucks were not required for professional play until the 1990–91 season, but were standardized for consistent play and ease of manufacture half a century earlier, by Art Ross, in 1940.
- Regulation NHL pucks are black, 3 in (7.6 cm) in diameter, 1 in (2.54 cm) thick, and weigh 5.5-6 oz (154-168 g).
- The edge of a puck has a series of raised bumps/ grooves to give the stick something to grip when the puck is shot.
- Pucks are produced in only four countries: Canada, Russia, Czech Republic and China
- Pucks are kept frozen to reduce their “bounce”
- Although no one can say definitively where the name originated, many people believe that the puck is named after the character “Puck” in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. Conversely, the Oxford English Dictionary suggests the name is related to the verb "to puck" used in the game of hurling for striking or pushing the ball, from the Scottish Gaelic puc or the Irish poc, meaning to poke, punch or deliver a blow
- From the 1995-96 to 1998-99 season, the league also used the in famous “FoxTrax” puck. In an effort to attract new viewers the brain trust at Fox believed they needed to make the puck easier to see and subsequently the play easier to follow. How best to do this? Create a puck that glows when being moved and leaves streaks when passed or shot. How to do this? Here’s the skinny thanks to the folks at enotes.com:
“To that end, they developed an enhanced puck called the FoxTrax puck. It contained a computer board and battery at its center and 20-pin holes all over the puck (12 on the edges, four on top, and four on the bottom) that guided infrared emitters, each beeping approximately 30 pulses per minute. These emitters communicated with 16 sensoring devices placed around the rink to follow the puck's movement. The sensoring devices were linked by fiber optics to computers outside in the "Puck Truck."
When processed by computer, the FoxTrax puck had a completely different look to the television audience. It had a translucent blue halo, which was supposed to make the puck more visible on a small screen. When a player shot the puck at speeds exceeding 50 mph (80 kph), a red tail appeared on television. If the puck reached speeds over 75 mph (120 kph), the tail was green. When put into play, each FoxTrax was remotely activated by a wireless controller. Unlike standard pucks, which were used until they went into the stands or otherwise damaged, FoxTrax pucks could only be used for about 10 minutes before the battery ran out. While Fox-Trax pucks weigh about the same as NHL regulation pucks, they cost much more to make. Each puck had a value of about $400.
From its first use, players complained that the FoxTrax puck did not move the same way a normal puck did. The FoxTrax puck also did not hold the cold as well. FoxTrax pucks became bouncy much more quickly than their regulation counterparts. When the Fox network declined to renew its contract to air the NHL All-Star Game and play-offs after the 1998-1999 season, the FoxTrax puck was no longer used or manufactured.”
Here’s a peek at this abomination:
This was not the first lame attempt at making the puck “easier” to see on television, however. Pre-dating the FoxTrax puck by a few years in the 90s was the “Fire Puck”. This had colored reflective materials laminated into the flat surfaces and the vertical edge of the puck. A spotlight attached to the TV camera would create a coloured reflection off the puck. Although never used in the NHL outside a short demonstration of the Minnesota North Stars using it in practice shown during the 1993 NHL All Star game, it was tested in-game in the IHL and ECHL between ’94 and ’97. It was discontinued for three main reasons. First, the structural change resulting from the attachment of the reflective materials to the puck caused the puck to bounce more than a normal puck. Second, the players were bothered by the use of the spotlights which would reflect off the ice. Finally, the most common camera angle in hockey is the wide rink shot, one where the spotlight is unable to noticeably enhance the pucks appearance. I’d love to show you guys video or a picture but I’ll be damned if I can find one! If you’ve got one please let me know!
- The world's largest hockey stick and puck are displayed on Cowichan Community Centre in Duncan, British Columbia. Constructed from Douglas Fir beams reinforced with steel, it measures 205 feet in length and weighs 61,000 pounds.
- In 1973, as an off-beat way of explaining hockey to sun-belt viewers new to the game of hockey, NBC requested Hanna-Barbera create them a cartoon to air during their game of the week. They created Peter Puck, a little character responsible for instructing the uneducated fan on the rules and regulations of hockey. He lasted two years on NBC and another five on the CBC before getting the axe in 1980.
In the name of filling space, more videos involving a puck!!
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