Hypothesis:

I believe that the frozen pucks will slide better and shoot better because of less friction on the puck. Through my research, I also learned that many of the elite hockey organizations use frozen pucks, and after learning about how much data they collect, there must be an important reason that they use frozen pucks. Even though I am not yet an elite athlete, I still think that I will be able to see a difference in the handling and distance of frozen pucks.

1. What temperature does the N.H.L freeze the hockey pucks at?

The N.H.L freezes the hockey pucks at negative seven to negative ten degrees Celsius, or around 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.What are hockey pucks made of?  Hockey pucks are made from vulcanized rubber, the same type of rubber used in car tires.

3.What is friction?  Friction is a force that stops objects from sliding or rolling. An example is rubbing your hands together.

4. What impacts friction?  Some things that can affect friction are surface texture, elasticity, weight, and the nature of the surface.

5. If hockey pucks are made of vulcanized rubber\, then how does friction affect it?  How easily things slide past each other can be determined using a coefficient of friction. The coefficient of friction for a puck on ice is around 0.06.  For reference, a puck on asphalt is around 0.6.  So, a puck on ice slides much easier, and there is much less friction. The coefficient for a frozen hockey puck is much less than a warmer hockey puck.     6.How long has the N.H.L frozen pucks?  The N.H.L started using puck specifications in 1990, meaning they have frozen pucks for 36 years.    7. How long does the freezing last?  The freezing usually lasts 2-3 minutes on the ice, which means they have to have lots of pucks for one game.    8. What happens if a hockey puck gets too cold?  If a hockey puck gets too cold, it will contract and be prone to breaking, and most likely shattering if too much force is applied

Meeting with Calgary Flames expert (Matt) I found that: 

• Hockey pucks are stored in groups of 100 inside freezers at negative 7 degrees Celsius 

• Every game they track when the puck goes in play, when it comes out, how long it was in play, and if it was returned. 

• Every N.H.L puck is tested in a machine before the game to make sure the sensors work 

• N.H.L pucks cost 150 dollars to make 

• N.H.L pucks change color if they get too hot 

• The N.H.L has 40 pucks in the penalty box before the game and they use around 25 pucks per game 

• N.H.L pucks cannot be reused so they sell them for around $50 

• The N.H.L keeps track of when a puck goes in play, when it is taken out, the duration of the puck, and if it was returned or not 

• The Calgary Hitmen store their own pucks somewhere else than the Calgary Flames and the Calgary Wranglers. .

Controlled variables:                                    

• Same type of Hockey pucks  

• Ice surface used (Outdoor rink) 

• Condition of ice 

• How hard the puck is shot 

• Temperature throughout the experiment 

Manipulated variables: 

• Temperature of the pucks 

• People taking the shots and stick handling 

Responding variable: 

• How far the puck travels 

• How often the puck bobbles when stick handling

Procedure:   1. Place 20 hockey pucks in the freezer and keep 20 hockey pucks inside the house to come to room temperature.  2.According to my research, freeze the hockey pucks 24 hours before use.  3. Take them out and put them inside a cooler to keep them at the right temperature.  4.Bring all the materials needed to the hockey rink.  5. Put on necessary equipment and go onto the ice.  6. Set up pilons for the experiment.  7. Take turns seeing how long it takes to go through the cones and see how many bobbles there are with the frozen and normal pucks. Five trials of cold pucks for each of the two participants\, then five trials of room temperature pucks for each of the two participants. 8.Take turns seeing which puck has the better shot, the frozen or the normal pucks with five pucks of each temperature for each of the two participants. 9. Go home and make my graphs and my conclusion to see if my hypothesis is correct.

Observations:

In conclusion, me and my Dad found that frozen hockey pucks are significantly better than normal hockey pucks because of reduced friction. The frozen pucks glided much better and stick handled great.

Extension/Application   My results showed that frozen pucks do make a difference.  As my hockey league doesn’t use frozen pucks, as someone learning new skills, I think it would be helpful for my team to use frozen pucks to reduce friction and bobbles when learning new drills.    I will send my results to the McKnight Hockey Association asking if we could have frozen pucks for our games.

Sources of Error: 

• Human participants mean that the passes might not have been even each time.  Perhaps using a machine to shoot the pucks would give better results. 

• The ice at the outdoor rink isn’t perfectly the same across the entire ice, which could have changed how the puck slid.  I would re-create the experiment at an indoor rink next time. 

• Although we used all regular hockey pucks, some of the pucks may have been slightly newer, and in slightly different condition.  I could improve this by using only brand new pucks in the experiment next time.

Reference list  Allain, R. (2020). Physics on ice. [online] Physics World. Available at: https://physicsworld.com/a/physics-on-ice/.  Britannica (2020). Coefficient of friction | physics. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/science/coefficient-of-friction.  DeVore, C. (2023). History of the Hockey Puck. [online] Third Assist. Available at: https://www.thirdassist.com/blogs/pond-blog/history-of-the-hockey-puck?srsltid=AfmBOooUxVcJYwx-ctnxBQmKTOPQYDMYEmSqhYf1TN8uQhGBhVwPR3uJ [Accessed 5 Feb. 2026].  Jones, T. (2021). JONES: Cold weather shattering pucks, not spirits at World’s Longest Hockey Game. [online] edmontonsun. Available at: https://edmontonsun.com/sports/hockey/jones-cold-weather-shattering-pucks-not-spirits-at-worlds-longest-hockey-game [Accessed 5 Feb. 2026].  KnowledgeBoat. (2025). What are the factors that affect friction? | KnowledgeBoat. [online] Available at: https://www.knowledgeboat.com/question/factors-affect-friction--1248153726788870000 [Accessed 5 Feb. 2026].  Makena Arteaga. (2024). Inside the Chill: Unveiling the Secrets of Frozen Hockey Pucks. [online] Available at: https://makenaarteaga.wordpress.com/2024/11/09/inside-the-chill-unveiling-the-secrets-of-frozen-hockey-pucks-2/.  Muro, T. (2023). Explainer: What is friction? [online] ScienceNewsExplores. Available at: https://www.snexplores.org/article/explainer-friction-force-physics.  Officialgamepuck.com. (2021). Hockey Puck Endurance. [online] Available at: https://officialgamepuck.com/products/hockey-pucks/endurance [Accessed 5 Feb. 2026].  Simon, A. (2019). Do not adjust your TV: NHL puck now changes color when it’s too warm.  [online] Fairfield Sun Times. Available at: https://www.fairfieldsuntimes.com/news/national/do-not-adjust-your-tv-nhl-puck-now-changes-color-when-it-s-too-warm/article_f7e47328-ea07-11e9-8ab5-fb3bac057c4a.html [Accessed 5 Feb. 2026].  Song, G. (2025). What is a Hockey Puck? The Complete Guide. [online] XbotGo. Available at: https://xbotgo.com/blogs/knowledge/what-is-a-hockey-puck?srsltid=AfmBOorVB0pQI_Vr3Z3pYZK_m3Kk7SYfGr3cyZFslmiS9A5vbRAfhs6t [Accessed 5 Feb. 2026].  Staff, F. (2022). Do You Know What Hockey Pucks Are Made Of? - FloHockey. [online] FloHockey. Available at: https://www.flohockey.tv/articles/7966340-do-you-know-what-hockey-pucks [Accessed 5 Feb. 2026].  Warwick, T. (2024). How do different surfaces affect friction? [online] blue-scientific.com. Available at: https://blue-scientific.com/news/2024/01/how-do-different-surfaces-affect-friction/.  www.flohockey.tv. (n.d.). Do You Know What Hockey Pucks Are Made Of? - FloHockey. [online] Available at: https://www.flohockey.tv/articles/7966340-do-you-know-what-hockey-pucks-are-made-of.  Zeidan, A. (2019). friction. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/science/friction.

Dear Calgary Flames, February 17, 2026 My name is Jason Forrester. I came to the Saddledome a few weeks ago for some research, and it was really fun. I just want to say thank you for letting me come and do research with Matt, the puck expert. He is really nice and I hope he is loved by all the staff members. He really helped my project come together, and my Dad and I both learned a lot that day. So, thank you for taking the time to let me come to the Saddledome and have an amazing time with Matt. I hope to come to a Hitmen game soon and maybe we could meet up to say Hi”. Anyways, thanks for reading this, and thank you all for that wonderful experience. From, Jason Forrester

I would also like to thank my Dad for being a participant in my experiment.