History of the Hockey Puck Patent

The hockey puck is an essential element of the game, and its history is full of interesting stories and facts. 

 

The first known use of a hockey puck occurred in 1875 during the first recorded hockey game at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. The puck was made of wood and was created by slicing a wooden block in half and then carving it into a round shape with a flat bottom. This wooden puck was used for a number of years until the early 1900s when a rubber hockey puck was introduced. 

McGill Hockey

The rubber hockey puck was first used in the National Hockey Association (NHA) in 1910. The puck was made of vulcanized rubber and was designed to reduce the amount of bouncing that occurred during games. The NHA also standardized the size of the puck, setting it at three inches in diameter and one inch thick.

1910 Hockey Puck

The use of the rubber puck in the NHA quickly became popular, and other hockey leagues began using them as well. The NHL adopted the rubber hockey puck in 1917, and it has been used ever since. 

NHL Puck History

The most iconic moment in hockey puck history is undoubtedly the “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Winter Olympics. The US men’s hockey team, made up of mostly amateur players, faced off against the heavily favored Soviet Union team. With just seconds left in the game, the US team scored the winning goal, leading to one of the most memorable moments in sports history. The hockey puck that was used in the game is now housed in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada. 

Miracle on Ice

In recent years, technology has been used to improve the performance of hockey pucks. In the mid-1990s, the NHL introduced the “super puck”, which was designed to reduce the amount of bounce that occurred when a puck hit the boards. The super puck was made of a hard plastic material and featured raised ridges on its surface to help it slide more easily on the ice. 

 

Today, hockey pucks are still made of vulcanized rubber, but they have been improved upon with the introduction of new technologies. The NHL has also standardized the weight of the puck, which is now 6 ounces and is 3 inches in diameter. 

NHL Puck

The hockey puck is an essential part of the game of hockey, and its history is full of interesting stories and facts. From its early days of wooden pucks to the modern-day super puck, the hockey puck has been an integral part of the game for more than a century. The Miracle on Ice will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic moments in hockey puck history, and the puck from that game will remain in the Hockey Hall of Fame forever.

Miracle on Ice Puck

In 1940, Arthur Ross of Marshfield MA filed a patent for the Roll-Preventing Hockey Puck. His design removed sharp corners from the puck, lowering the likelihood of the puck’s rolling which was a major hindrance to game play at the time. The Tyer Rubber company was assigned the patent when it was filed and still has control over it today. 

Check out the patent

Hockey Puck Patent


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