Hockey is a sport that combines strength, speed, coordination, balance, and intelligence. There are many varieties of hockey including ice hockey, field hockey, street hockey, air hockey, and roller hockey. If you want to know more about hockey, take a look at some fun facts below.
The puck
The ‘ball’ used in hockey is called a puck. It is a curved disc, flat on top with a three-inch diameter. The puck has to be frozen before each game of ice hockey to ensure it doesn’t bounce on the ice.
The Zamboni
A Zamboni machine or ice resurfacer is a machine used to clean the surface of the ice. The first ice resurfacer was developed by an engineer named Frank Zamboni and so all ice resurface machines are now called Zambonis. The machine has a large blade that shaves off the top layer of the ice. The shavings are then pumped to a large container hence the large size of the machine.
The Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is the trophy awarded to winners of the National Hockey League – the premier hockey tournament in North America (with 24 teams from US and 7 teams from Canada). The Stanley Cup is seen as a prestigious trophy as it is the oldest trophy awarded for a sport in North America, dating back to 1892. The original bowl is only 7 inches tall, yet the trophy has been continuously altered and is now aa sizeable 35 inches in height. There are a number of bands on the trophy with numerous winners names over the years. A decision was made to increase the size no further. Now, when a band is full the oldest band is removed and placed in a museum to maintain the same size of the trophy. This happens roughly every 13 years.
The best
Wayne Gretzky is the undisputed greatest player of NHL history with 61 records. The Montreal Canadiens are the best team in history with the highest number of NHL wins.
