When hockey was first played on frozen ponds and rivers of North America and Europe, many creative items were used as hockey pucks. Anything that was small, frozen, hard, and slid well on the ice could be used. These items included stones, coal, potatoes, and animal droppings. As time went by, wooden pucks were used and they eventually evolved into the vulcanized rubber hockey puck as we know it today. Official hockey pucks are one inch thick and three inches in diameter and they weigh between 5.5 and six ounces. You can also get lightweight pucks that weigh between four and five ounces for youngsters and heavier training pucks that weigh about 10 ounces. Two ounce sponge pucks are also available. Hockey pucks are frozen before professional games to keep them from bouncing on the ice. The hockey team’s or league's logo is usually imprinted on the top of the puck for marketing purposes. Most hockey pucks are black, but if you look around you may find some other colored pucks out there for recreational use.
