NHL announces new puck technology for upcoming Winter Classic outdoor game

While the sport of hockey has changed so much from its early days there’s one thing that’s remained unchanged since the very first professional hockey game in history: the puck. The one inch by 3 inch, six ounce vulcanized rubber puck has been in production and use for over 100 years and has become the lasting symbol of the sport internationally. 

During the 1990s when American broadcaster FOX had exclusive NHL rights in the United States, it attempted to introduce a “smart puck” called the FoxTrax that, when enabled, would create electronic paths on the TV screen to indicate the direction and velocity of passes and shots. 

Remember this?

Needless to say traditionalists weren’t too impressed with the “glow puck” and the fad died out just as quickly as it started.

So, while the glow puck may be dead the NHL is still introducing new technology in its pucks for the upcoming 2019 Winter Classic between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium on New Years Day.

Check it out:

How cool is that? Literally…

The new thermodynamic finish on the pucks will change color when the puck’s temperature gets too warm. For those unaware, the NHL literally freezes pucks for each game, as frozen pucks tend to bounce less and are generally more predictable when put through the stresses of an NHL game.