Hockey pucks are kept on ice.

Hockey pucks are kept on ice.

 

Pucks are kept frozen until they are needed in a game.

A modern puck is made of rubber, and it becomes flimsy and bounces when it gets warm.

Freezing the hockey pucks prevents them from bouncing, so players can more easily control them.

Hockey pucks are frozen to make them more solid and to reduce bouncing. Pucks are made from vulcanized rubber and the warmer they are the more they’ll bounce when whacked with a stick.

Freezing the pucks reduces the rubbers tendency to bounce, making them more likely to glide across the ice without flipping, bouncing or rolling.

When a puck moves unpredictably during a game, it makes it much more challenging for players to control it, make an accurate pass or shoot on the net properly.

Pro players can deal with rolling pucks, but it makes their plays riskier. Freezing the puck beforehand, makes it less likely the puck will move unpredictably in a game.

On average, 12 pucks are used in NHL games because they thaw so fast.