The National Hockey League (NHL) is one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the world. Every year, thousands of people flock to the outdoor rinks to cheer on their favorite teams. Fans can get excited about a game because of the unique and colorful hockey pucks that their teams use.
Unlike most other sports leagues where the athletes’ wear similar plain and simple outfits during games, the NHL puts a unique spin on things with their hockey pucks. Some of the jerseys worn by players feature patterns or funny sayings while others have animals, skulls, or other Halloween-related images on them.
The most popular maker of hockey pucks is the United States. The steel industry in the country produced over 22 million pounds of hockey pucks in 2016 alone.
Canada is the second-largest manufacturer of the balls, with a 16.8% share of the total market, according to a report by Acumen Consulting. China, which doesn’t compile official export figures, is the third-largest exporter of the balls while Denmark, Italy, and Turkey round out the top five. (It should be noted that some of these countries don’t actually produce the steel needed to make the pucks. They just purchase it from countries that do.)
Here’s a closer look at where the most popular hockey pucks come from and how they’re made:
Table of Contents
Where Do The Pucks Come From?
Of the 22 million pounds of hockey pucks that were made in the U.S. in 2016, over 13 million were made in Pennsylvania. This is largely due to the fact that this is where the largest steel producers in the country are found. The state is also home to numerous other metals and metal-related businesses, which helps to explain the variety of colors that the NHL has come up with.
Another huge manufacturer of hockey pucks is Canada. The country exported over 2.5 million pounds of the balls that it made in 2016. However, like many other countries, Canada doesn’t actually produce the steel needed to make the pucks – they just purchase it from countries that do. Some of the largest producers of steel in Canada are: Calgary, Alberta; Hamilton, Ontario; and Port Colborne, Ontario. In 2016, Hamilton Steel Inc. alone produced 700,000 pounds of steel. Some companies make their own steel while others buy the raw material from third parties and incorporate it into products that they sell.
How Do The Pucks Get Made?
The process of making a puck is fairly simple and takes just minutes. The steel that will be used to make the ball is first melted in a blast furnace. The heat generated from the furnace melts the steel, which is then run through an open-air casters that shape it into a round bar.
The next step is to slowly cool the hot bar. The open-air casters allow air to flow around and through the puck, which prevents it from overheating and becoming distorted. After the bar has completely cooled, it is cut into sheets the desired size for the puck. Each sheet is then passed through a series of rollers that give it a polished appearance.
If you’d like to learn more about the process, check out the National Steel Scrap Recycle Corporation’s website:
- NSR Corporation (NSR.com): How Pucks Are Made.
- Steel Authority (SA): The Steel Industry.
- Owens Corning (OC): Corning: Innovation.
- Continental Ball (CB): Continental: Quality, Innovation, Productivity.
- Hockey Canada (HC): Hockey: Our Game, History.
- American Iron And Steel Institute (AISI) (AISI): Steel: What Is It? Where Does It Come From? Where Is It Maintained? (AISI.com).
- American Society For Testing And Materials (ASTM) (ASTM): Standard Practice, Procedure, And Methods Of Testing And Documentation For Metals And Metal-Based Materials (ASTM.com).
- United Steelworkers (USW) (USW): Principles Of Responsible Management (USW.com): Steel: What Is It? Where Does It Come From? Where Is It Maintained? (USW.org).
- International Union, Order Of The Sacred Treasure (I.O.T.S.T) (I.O.T.S.T): International Metal Trade Association (I.M.T.A.) (I.M.T.A.): A nonprofit educational association whose mission is to “promote the exchange of knowledge among professionals engaged in the international metal trade,” via publications, conferences, and outreach efforts. (I.M.T.A. website)
Unique Design Elements
Apart from being the source of the material, the design of the puck is also important. The sheets of steel that will be used to make the ball are first cut into rounds before being laser-engraved or etched with unique and colorful designs.
The four major brands that have incorporated a colorful image into their puck design are:
- CB (Continental: Quality): The design on this puck, featured on the right side, is a yellow sun with blue and green wisps spiraling upwards. (Design detail via Acumen Consulting)
- HC (Hockey: Our Game): This product has a large blue H in a white field with the outlines of a hockey arena in the background. (Design detail)
- OC (Owens Corning): The top of this product’s puck is etched with orange flames while its bottom is inscribed with the name of the company that made it. (Design detail)
- SA (Steel Authority): The pattern on this product, which is made of cutouts of Native Americans wearing feathered headdresses, reflects the shape of the U.S. (Design detail)
NHL Pucks And The Future
The excitement surrounding the NHL playoffs stems from more than just the games that are being played. It’s the excitement of seeing the unique and brightly colored hockey pucks that the league uses during the regular season.
If you’d like to see more innovation and uniqueness from the NHL, then the best thing that you can do is buy a puck at the end of the season. Be sure to check out the source websites for these products to learn more about their unique designs and cool historical facts.