nhl and ppg
A new coating on NHL pucks will cause them to change color when they’re reaching the end of their life span and in need of replacement.
The hockey league announced on Monday that is has partnered with PPG Industries to put a thermochromic coating on its pucks for the 2019 NHL Winter Classic, when the Boston Bruins challenge the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium on New Year’s Day.
The advanced coatings will change from purple to clear when a puck’s temperature is above freezing, which will provide an automatic visual indication to officials that it’s time for a puck to be replaced. Pucks are frozen prior to use to reduce bouncing.
The coating is dispersed into an ink system and screen printed directly onto the official NHL game pucks. Coated pucks will be tested this season at NHL tentpole events, and will be further evaluated for broader use in the future.
“Hockey pucks are made of vulcanized rubber and glide smoother and faster when frozen,” said Dan Craig, NHL’s vice president of facilities operations, in a statement. “Freezing a puck eliminates bouncing, and game officials closely monitor the puck for temperature changes that affect performance while in play.”
PPG is the official paint supplier of the NHL and is used to protect a number of objects throughout professional hockey, including helping to reduce chips and wear on hockey equipment such as goal posts.
“Working closely with our technology partners, LCR Hallcrest and QCR Solutions Corporation, we’ve been able to offer a smart and elegant solution to a problem that can significantly impact game play,” said Alicia Cafardi, PPG senior marketing communications manager of industrial coatings. “The custom dye pigment that changes color with temperature was developed specifically for this application on hockey pucks, but the solution represents an opportunity for other applications where an easy, visual reference could serve to improve the performance or use of an object.”
SportTechie Takeaway
The NHL has been exploring a number of ways to use technology to enhance the sport recently. The league has been particularly focused on innovating the puck, which travels at speeds as high as 100 miles per hour during games. Using advanced coatings to ensure that pucks are being replaced before they start bouncing might help to reduce injury and ensure there are less stoppages in games. Meanwhile, the league is also exploring putting chips in pucks to track their location with extreme accuracy—recording data 200 times per second. The latter move would help the league gather an immense amount of gameday data, which could be used for anything from fan engagement and broadcast tools to sports betting.
