1. The Earliest Hockey Games Were Played With Chunks of Frozen Cow Dung.
This dates back to the game’s outdoor roots. For understandable reasons, modern athletes prefer the vulcanized rubber disc we all know today … although the game might be a bit more interesting if they brought back the old method.
2. The First Rubber Hockey Pucks Were Made From Sliced-Up Lacrosse Balls.
When the sport moved indoors, whole balls were originally used, but rink owners soon found it preferable to cut them into thirds and keep the middle section. This basic design was the standard by 1885..
3. You Can Celebrate the Hockey Puck’s “Birthday” on February 7th.
The word “puck” was first recorded in the February 7th, 1876 edition of the Montreal Gazette, so the NHL regards this date as the hockey puck’s birthday—even though they’d already been used for decades by then.
4. The Average NHL Game Uses a Dozen Pucks.
Players are required to use frozen pucks which are easier to control than unaltered pucks, but these tend to thaw quickly. Thus, they’re constantly replaced by officials and an average of 12 come into play per game, though as many as 22 have been recorded. (The last NHL game to use only a single puck—which is currently on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame—was in 1979.)
5. You Can Celebrate the Hockey Puck’s “Birthday” on February 7th.
The word “puck” was first recorded in the February 7th, 1876 edition of the Montreal Gazette, so the NHL regards this date as the hockey puck’s birthday—even though they’d already been used for decades by then.
