Freezingly Fascinating Facts About Ice Hockey.

People of all ages love the fast-paced action of ice hockey.

While you may already know some basics about playing the sport, you’ll be surprised at some of these weird and interesting facts about the game.

Brush up on the facts below, and suggest an “ice hockey” category at your next trivia night.

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.

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

When there were only six NHL teams in 1952, eight wins during the playoffs clinched the Stanley Cup.

Think of 8 wins as tentacles on an octopus.

That was the line of thinking brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano, who threw an octopus on the ice during a Red Wings playoff game that year.

Since the team took the Cup, octopi have become the team’s lucky charms.

And as of 1995, an octopus became the team’s official mascot.