Hockey puck facts for kids
A puck is a flat, round disk used in some sports, much like a ball is used in other games. The most famous sport that uses a puck is ice hockey, which is a huge sport played all over the world.
Hockey pucks are made from hard rubber. They are usually black, about 1 inch thick (25.4 mm), and 3 inches wide (76.2 mm). A standard puck weighs between 5.5 and 6 ounces (156-170 grams). Sometimes, pucks have team or league logos printed on them.
What is a Puck?
Pucks are designed to slide smoothly across a playing surface. In ice hockey, the puck glides easily on the ice. In other sports, pucks might be used on different surfaces, like floors or underwater. The goal of the game usually involves hitting or pushing the puck into a specific area, like a net or goal.
Ice Hockey Pucks
Ice hockey pucks are frozen before games. This makes them less bouncy and helps them slide faster and more predictably on the ice. Players use hockey sticks to hit the puck, trying to score goals by shooting it into the opponent's net. The puck can travel at very high speeds, sometimes over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h)! Because of this, players wear lots of protective gear.
Other Sports Using Pucks
While ice hockey is the most well-known sport using a puck, other games also use similar disks:
- Roller Hockey: This sport is played on roller skates or inline skates, usually on a hard floor. The pucks used in roller hockey are often lighter and designed to slide well on non-ice surfaces.
- Underwater Hockey: Also known as Octopush, this game is played at the bottom of a swimming pool. Players wear fins, masks, and snorkels, and use short sticks to push a heavy, lead-filled puck along the bottom of the pool into the opponent's goal.
Images for kids
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A standard ice hockey puck
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A roller hockey puck, also called an inline-hockey puck
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An Underwater Hockey puck being pushed by a stick
See also
In Spanish: Puck (deporte) para niños
