Not many people think of a hockey puck other than it going into the net. For NHL teams like the Vegas Golden Knights, they think about putting the puck past the goalie. Sometimes, they'll think about not letting said puck slip past them in the net. It's an interesting world to be a tiny black disc skating around an ice rink.
Imagine the abuse that little thing goes through. From being batted down for on-ice warmups to having a forward perform a slapshot, they take so much damage from players everywhere. Thank goodness for being a human, huh? As long as you're not being hit by that little disc.
Still, it's worth wondering what this tiny coaster-like object is made of. What makes it hard and dense? What constitutes an average puck used in the games? Often, fans don't think about these questions because they're focused on their team(s) winning. As long as their club has more goals than their opponent, life is good. But let's look at what's inside these small things and what makes them special.
Hockey pucks are made of vulcanized rubber
In case you're wondering about the hockey pucks that the Vegas Golden Knights shoot around, they're made of vulcanized rubber. They have dimensions of 1 inch in thickness (2.54 centimeters) and 3 inches (7.62 centimeters) in diameter. However, they can vary in weight, ranging from 5.5 ounces to six.
But what about the regulation pucks? How does that process work? They are made by mixing granular rubber with a bonding material. Once they're mixed together, they're compressed after being placed in a room-temperature mold. Of course, they're checked for any imperfections before being distributed. You can find NHL pucks being made in Quebec, specifically in a small town called St. Jerome.
As for the practice pucks, they're created from 40-ft.-long rubber tubes sliced into four-inch pieces. After that, they're dropped into a two-piece heated mold and compressed. Pucks are frozen before a game to prevent excessive bouncing from happening. Otherwise, hockey players would be playing pinball with these small rubber discs. That would be all sorts of chaos on the ice.
With the upcoming season fast approaching, it's a nice thought to have before watching the Vegas Golden Knights play. It also adds to the intrigue of being an NHL fan, for not many people know the materials used. Here's hoping the Golden Knights can put the vulcanized rubber into the net more often than their opponents this season.