Puck
The hard vulcanised rubber disc used in place of a ball in ice hockey.
Definition
A puck is the small, hard disc of vulcanised rubber that players shoot, pass and score with in ice hockey, taking the role a ball plays in other sports. Its flat, low profile lets it slide quickly and smoothly across the ice.
Because rubber becomes livelier when warm, pucks are commonly frozen before play to reduce bouncing and keep them flat on the ice. Related sports use their own implements, so a puck should not be confused with the ball used in field hockey.
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Equipment
- The goal and the creaseThe net a hockey team defends and the protected area in front of it — the exact goal dimensions, what the crease area includes, and why goaltender contact so often disallows a goal.
- The puckThe vulcanised rubber disc ice hockey is played with — its exact diameter, thickness and weight under IIHF rules, and the limits on what may be printed on it.
- Hockey stickA curved-headed stick used to control, pass and shoot the ball or puck in hockey.
- Tennis ballA hollow rubber ball covered in felt used in tennis and related racquet sports.
- Table tennis batA small wooden blade covered with rubber used to hit the ball in table tennis.
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- Content type
- Term
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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