Science of Hockey

Here are some interesting facts about hockey from

The Physics of Hockey. Johns Hopkins University Press. (2002)

• ... down to temperatures as low as -250 degrees Celsius, the ice surface contains a thin semi-wet layer and that's why pucks and skaters can slide on it so well? Without this layer, the friction of ice would be as large as most other materials, like concrete and asphalt.
  
  
• ... when a player the size of Eric Lindros (240 lbs) skates at half his top speed and comes to a stop after having checked someone against the boards, the energy dissipated is enough to power an average household lightbulb for one minute?
  
  
• ... when two average-size players collide in mid-ice, the impact can produce several thousand pounds of force?
  
  
• ... a team that is on a losing streak tends to have a better chance of winning its next game than a team of similar strength that is on a winning streak?
  
  
• ... while today's NHL best shooters can send the the puck no faster than 100 to 105 mph, Bobby Hull's slapshot was measured at 120 mph and his wristshot was clocked at 105 mph? Although he used heavier sticks than now permitted, Hull's ability was largely due to his strength and technique.
  
  
• ... when a hockey player suffers a concussion, he becomes more sensitive to injuries from damage from subsequent blows to the head? And the effect is cumulative: the more hits, the greater the risk of permanent injuries.
  
  
• ... a puck shot from the blue line at 100 mph will reach the net in 0.34 seconds? Although most people have reflexes slighlty faster than that, very few have the ability to anticipate the trajectory and move fast enough to make the save.
  
  
• ... when a hockey player shoots from the blue line and score between the pad of the goaltender, the margin of error is only about 1 degrees of angle?
  
  
• ... the fastest players in the NHL can skate at speed over 45 km/h?
  
  
• ... more than 60% of the net can be sealed by a goalie's equipment that meets the NHL maximum size requirement?
  
  
• ...the odds of a young hockey player to ever make it to the NHL is one in several thousands?
  
  
• ... during a slapshot, the bending of the stick shaft and the contact with the ice allows for significantly greater speeds than otherwise possible?