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April 4, 2008

Strange But True!

Q. A hockey puck a) can cost up to $50,000 b) was once fashioned out of a lacrosse ball c) is refrigerated for National Hockey League games d) is made of vulcanized rubber, the same stuff as auto tires, shoe soles, etc.

A. All are true, as hockey was originally played with a lacrosse ball until exasperated rink owners got tired of all the broken windows from errant orbs, says Alain Hache in “The Physics of Hockey.” So they cut the ball into three pieces and kept the puckish middle section. “Ever since 1885, the game has been played with just such a rubber slice.”


 
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