Below are some interesting facts from the world of hockey!

Any interesting hockey facts or tidbits to share? Forward them to info@clarenvilleminorhockey.ca

• The world’s first ice surface to be frozen by mechanical means was the Glaciarium in London England. This modern marvel was built in 1876 by John Gamgee was accomplished by an indirect refrigeration system utilized glycerine as the secondary coolant and either as the primary coolant.


• Before 1914, referees used to place the puck on the ice between the players’ sticks for face-offs. This led to many cuts, bruises, and even broken hands for the referees. Starting in 1914, the referees were allowed to drop the puck between the players’ sticks.


• The in-line skate was actually designed before the roller skate in the 18th century by the Dutch and was simply a metal frame attached to an old hockey boot. It was not manufactured, however, until the early 1980’s by the Olson brothers in North Carolina. The skates became more and more successful as hockey players found them to be helpful for training during the off season. Today, in-line skating is the fastest-growing sport.


• The Clarenville Stadium was originally a livestock arena used for housing and selling livestock. In 1956, the owners realized the potential of the building as a hockey arena and bought ice making equipment from Bay Roberts, Newfoundland. They then converted the Clarenville Livestock Arena to the Clarenville Hockey Arena, also known as the Clarenville Stadium. All of the minor hockey teams, senior men's teams, curling teams and figure skating teams from Clarenville and surrounding area use the Clarenville Stadium to play and practice.


• The name hockey--as the organized game came to be known--has been attributed to the French word "hoquet" (shepherd's stick). The term rink, referring to the designated area of play, was originally used in the game of curling in 18th-century Scotland.


• Early hockey games allowed as many as 30 players a side on the ice, and the goals were two stones, each frozen into one end of the ice. The first use of a puck, instead of a ball, was recorded at Kingston Harbour, Ont., in 1860.


• From 1979 until 1999, the only players besides Wayne Gretzky to win the NHL scoring title were Marcel Dionne, Mario Lemieux, and Jaromir Jagr.


• Seven women have had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup.


• The first Hockey puck ever used was a frozen piece of cow poop.


• The first skates consisted of blades attached to shoes, and the sticks were made from tree branches.


• The first radio broadcast of an NHL game was from Foster Hewitt on March 22, 1923. He used a telephone to broadcast the game between Kitchener and Toronto Parkdale.


• On Sept. 11, 1943 the Hockey Hall of Fame was created in Toronto.


• On March 10, 1955 the Zamboni is introduced in a game in Montreal.

Q. What year was the first formal ice hockey game played?
A. The first year on record was 1855 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Hockey was adapted from the Native American game of lacrosse to play on a frozen ice surface.

Q. What year did the National Hockey League begin its first season?
A. In 1917, the NHL began with the following “Original Six” teams: Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Q. What was the price of the Stanley Cup, the most famous trophy in sports?
A. The Stanley Cup was purchased in the late 1890’s by Lord Stanley of Preston, Canada’s Governor-General for $48.67. Lord Stanley of Preston originally donated the Cup to the Canadian National Champion in 1893. Today, the Cup is awarded to the NHL Playoff Champion.

Q. What is the size and weight of an official game puck?
A. An official game puck measures three inches in diameter and one inch thick. It weighs six ounces and is constructed of vulcanized rubber. The puck is not only solid to remove the “bounce”, but it is frozen prior to professional games to make it even more bounce resistant.

Q. What is the temperature and thickness of the ice?
A. The best ice for professional hockey is approximately 3/4 of an inch thick and is held at 16 degrees Fahrenheit for proper hardness. The thicker the sheet of ice becomes, the softer and “slower” it is. Commercial ice shows often perform on “warmer”, slower ice.

Q. How much piping does it take to freeze an ice rink?
A. It takes approximately 10 miles of piping (laid down below a concrete surface) to freeze an ice rink. Glycol (anti-freeze) is chilled by compressors and flows continuously through the pipes 24 hours a day to keep the temperature of the ice surface at a cool 16 degrees.

Q. What exactly does a Zamboni do?
A. The Zamboni is a highly specialized machine that reconditions the ice – leaving a smooth surface behind. In its travel across the ice, it scrapes the loose shavings off and lays down a layer of hot water. The water must be hot to melt the upper ice surfaces and weld a smooth sheet of ice. It takes just a few minutes to freeze.

Q. How many different countries are represented on NHL teams?
A. Hockey is played worldwide with a variety of professional leagues. Here in the United States, the National Hockey League hosts players from 16 different countries including: Canada, United States, Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Latvia, Ukraine, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom (England, North Ireland and Scotland).

Q. What are the dimensions of the nets?
A. The nets are six feet wide and four feet high – allowing twenty-four square feet between the pipes for potential scoring opportunity.

Q. How fast does the puck travel?
A. Some slap-shot shooters can propel the puck between 90-100 miles per hour (MPH). Speeds of up to 120 MPH have been recorded by some of the hardest shooters. Compounding the problem for goaltenders is that frequently the puck will curve in flight, much like a baseball.

Q. What is a “Hat Trick”?
A. A “Hat Trick” is when one player scores three goals in one game. A “Natural Hat Trick” is scoring three goals in a row within the same period, with no intervening goals from either team. A “Gordy Howe Hat Trick” is when a player has a goal, an assist and a fight during one game.

Q. Why is it called a “Hat Trick”?
A. This question poses some difficulty as there exist numerous answers and no definite way of proving which historical view is correct. Below you will find outlined the four most common answers.

• Hockey borrowed the term from Cricket. In 1958, a Cricket player in England took three wickets with consecutive balls, an incredible trick. As a reward, his club gave the bowler a new hat, hence the name “Hat Trick”.


• In the early days of hockey history, players earned little money from their teams and fans were not allowed to give the players money. In those days, hats were a sign of wealth and affluence and worn by all respectable men. As a result, the fans gave players hats instead of money. Unable, due to rules and practicality , to give players a hat after every game, fans only gave a hat to a player when he accomplished the impressive feat of scoring three goals in one game.
• “I take my hat off to you.” When a player managed the amazing task of scoring three goals in one game, the fans recognized this by taking their hats off to the player. This eventually turned into the fans throwing their hats on the ice after a “Hat Trick”!


• When the sport of hockey first began, it was a very different game than it is today. Instead of putting the puck into the net to score, the players had to knock the puck, on the ice, between two posts. The goal judge sat five feet back from the posts and waved his hankie when a goal was scored. On one windy day, a goal judge had his hankie blow away. To get the attention of the players and fans when a goal had scored, he threw his hat on the ice. It just so happened to be after the player scored his third goal. From this point on, fans took to throwing hats on the ice after a player scored three goals.
• “I take my hat off to you.” When a player managed the amazing task of scoring three goals in one game, the fans recognized this by taking their hats off to the player. This eventually turned into the fans throwing their hats on the ice after a “Hat Trick”!


• “I take my hat off to you.” When a player managed the amazing task of scoring three goals in one game, the fans recognized this by taking their hats off to the player. This eventually turned into the fans throwing their hats on the ice after a “Hat Trick”!