tiny puck, BIG IMPACT
Never has galvanized rubber been so sexy.
In 90 minutes, you can not only witness some of the best and most brutal forces of athleticism out on the ice, but you also bear witness to a full business model start to finish.
Well sort of.
One must also take into account the prep from the chefs in the concession stands, the ingress and egress of 18,000 fans before and after, the installation of the scoreboards, and just how often do they have to change the lightbulbs? How exactly are hockey pucks made? (How bad does it hurt if you get hit by one)? And of course – who the hell came up with this game?
If you’re an inquisitive little creature like me, all of these questions race through the course of my mind in the span of those 90 minutes. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE sports, and watching the game. However, I’m writing this article because even if you’re not a fan of sports, or think a hockey game doesn’t impact you, chances are it does.
Let’s take one of those questions above, and let’s look at its impact on not just an individual, but entire industries.
The journey of a hockey puck, from inception to the rink, all begins with vulcanized rubber.
Synthetic rubber derived, in fact, from petroleum. So those in oil & gas, yup you too play a big role in ice hockey.
Next, carbon black is added to strengthen the rubber along with bonding agents, and get this, anti-aging compounds. What exactly is carbon black? It is a fine black powder made from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons like oil, gas, or tar. It’s the same reinforcing filler one might find in their tires to improve durability and wear resistance.
Now that we have the base of our anti-aging goal-scoring machine, the puck still needs to become just that, a puck. Enter the manufacturing industry.
First you compound, then you heat and press the circular molds under extreme pressure, followed by rapid cooling to ensure they retain that shape and hardness when getting the literal tar slapped out of them by a carbon fiber hockey stick.
Distribution you’re on deck. Supply chain industry – we need you! From factory to warehouse, warehouse to storage, storage to shipment, and FINALLY that devilishly-polished little beauty arrives at the arena where it is then frozen before being distributed to the refs each game to reduce bouncing. (Which is helpful, because I did not want to dive into the physics of that other question I had, which is just how bad does it hurt to get hit with a puck).
So what have we learned?
That on average 75 people are involved in the making of a puck, and it takes three industries to bring the star of the show to the game. Oh, and if you find yourself employed by the manufacturing and supply chain industry, and also find yourself in Chicago on March 18th during the ProMat2025 Conference, there is a Blackhawks Game at United Center and Suitehop still has glass seats available.
Well, we did, but that game has ended with the Blackhawks losing 2-6 to Seatle Kraken... ouch. You can still find more Blackhawks games. Check them out HERE.
Why not see that lean, mean, little carbon-pressed machine in action?
