Hockey puck
Categories: Ice hockey equipment
A puck is a hard black disk of vulcanized rubber used in ice hockey. A standard puck is one inch thick (25.4 mm), three inches in diameter (76.2 mm) and weighs between 5.5 and 6 ounces (156-170 g). Pucks are often marked with team or league logos on one or both faces.
Ice hockey evolved from field hockey as played on ice surfaces in Canada. Early players of the game found that the rubber ball used in field hockey was far too active on the hard ice surface, so they cut off the top and bottom of the ball to form the hockey puck. Today, pucks are frozen a few hours before the game to further reduce bouncing during play.
The origin of the word is obscure, but evidently not connected to Shakespeare's Puck or the mythical Puck. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests the name is related to the verb to puck (a cognate of poke) used in hurling for striking or pushing the ball. In some Southern states, and especially in the Dallas area, a "puck" is also refered to as a "disk" (see Dallas accent).
Types of puck
A number of variations on the standard black, 6 oz. hockey puck exist. One of the most common is a blue, 4 oz. puck that is used for training younger players who are not yet able to use a standard puck. Heavier 10 oz. training pucks, typically reddish pink or reddish orange in colour, are also available for players looking to develop the strength of their shots or improve their stick handling skills. A hollow, light weight flourescent orange puck is available for road or floor hockey. Other variants, some with plastic ball bearings or glides, are available for use for road or roller hockey.
The FoxTrax smart puck was developed by the FOX television network when it held NHL broadcasting rights for the U.S. The puck had integrated electronics to track its position on screen. A blue streak traced the path of the puck across the ice. The streak would turn red if the puck was shot especially hard. This was an experiment in broadcasting intended to help viewers unfamiliar with hockey to better follow the game by making the puck more visible. It was ill-received by traditional hockey fans and did not meet its intended objective of drawing new viewers to the game. The experiment was (mercifully) short-lived (1996-98).
Pucks in play
During a game, pucks can reach speeds of 100+ mph (160 km/h) when struck and are potentially dangerous to players and spectators. Puck related injuries at hockey games are not uncommon. This led to the evolution of various types of protective gear for players, most notably the goalie mask.
The most serious incident involving a spectator took place on March 18, 2002 when a thirteen year old girl, Brittanie Cecil, died two days after being struck on head by a hockey puck deflected into the crowd at a National Hockey League game between the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus. This is the only known incident of this type to have occured in the history of the league. Partly as a result of this tragedy, glass panels sitting atop the boards of hockey rinks to protect spectators have been supplemented with mesh nets that extend above the upper edge of the glass.
"Icing the puck" or "to ice the puck" is to shoot the puck the entire length of the playing surface as a delaying tactic or a (sometimes desperate) defensive play intended to shift the momentum of play away from the offensive team. It is a rule infraction that generally results in a stoppage of play to return the puck to the offending teams end of the ice for a faceoff.
Puck enters the language
The phrase "dumb as a hockey puck" is a form of a common idiom.
"What are you lookin' at, you hockey puck?!", became one of the stock insult phrases of Mr. Warmth, comedian Don Rickles.
"Hockey puck" is also a derogatory name for the small, round, unergonomically designed mouse included with the original Apple iMac.
"Puck" may also refer to the cursor/mouse used with digitizer hardware or graphic tablets in CAD or desktop publishing applications.
Underwater hockey puck
A puck is also used in underwater hockey. While it essentially looks the same as an ice hockey puck, the underwater hockey puck differs in that it has a metal core weighing approxinately three pounds (1.5kg) within a plastic coating. This makes the puck heavy enough to sink to the bottom of the pool. The game is then played by two teams of six players each maneuvering the puck along the bottom of the pool with submerged goals at either end of the pool.cs:Puk de:Puck (Eishockey) fr:Palet ja:パック (アイスホッケー) ru:Шайба (хоккей с шайбой) sv:Puck