The Science Behind Stopping a Hockey Puck

Have you ever watched a hockey game where a goalie makes a save like this? It leaves the crowd in awe and the shooter thinking “How did he do that?”. Well today, I am going to answer the question, how do goalies make saves?

First, in order to fully understand what a goalie goes through to stop a puck, it is crucial to understand the hockey rink dimensions.

 

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We are going to focus on two different areas different different areas of the offensive zone. The blue line to the goal, which is 60 feet (18.3 m ) in distance and what is referred to as the “slot” in hockey, or the area between the two face off circles to the goal, which is 22 feet in distance  (6.7 m).

The average NHL player can shoot the puck, which weighs about 6 ounces (or 170.1 g), at a speed of around 86 miles per hour (38.4 m/s). However, the top shooters in the league can shoot upward of 100 mph, with the fastest shot ever being recorded at 108.8 miles per hour (48.3 m/s).

If the average player is shooting 86 miles per hour (38.4 m/s) and is shooting from 60 feet (18.3 m), you can figure out the time a goalie has to react to the shot. Since Velocity = Distance/Time, you can rearrange the equation to say Time = Distance/Velocity to figure out the goalies reaction time. Plug those numbers into the equation, and in this certain situation, the goalie has approximately .48 seconds to react to the puck. If the hardest shot ever recorded is being taken, the goalie only has about .38 seconds to react to the puck!

However, if you shoot from the prime scoring area on an ice rink, referred to as the slot, the goalie has even less time to react. If the player is shooting from the slot, or from 22 feet away (6.7m), at a speed of 86 miles per hour (38.4 m/s), the goalie has about .17 to react. If the hardest shot ever recorded is being taken at 108.8 mph (48.3 m/s), the goalie only has .14 second to react! To put in perspective how long a goalie has to react, it takes about 1/3 of a second to blink an eye.

How does a goal compensate for the fact that he has less than a second to react to a puck being shot? Its a simple answer, as goalies position themselves accordingly to have the best opportunity to make a save. Most will tell you that most saves a goalie makes in a game is the result of proper positioning. Goalies will align themselves with the shooter so that the goalies will appear to take up as much net as possible, giving the goaltender the best chance possible of making the save. Most of the time, the goaltender will just let the puck hit them, making an easy save in the process

Keep in mind, while trying to stop the puck, goaltenders are constantly dealing with players around the net and rarely have a clear field of vision most of the time. The puck can bounce off another player or ricochet off another player’s stick, changing the trajectory of the puck and making it even more difficult for the goalie to make the save.

In conclusion, positioning is crucial for a goaltender to stop a puck. Proper positioning can make up for the fact that a goaltender has less than a second to react to the puck. It makes you realize that goaltenders are special athletes and that being a hockey goalie is one of the toughest jobs in sports.

 

One thought on “The Science Behind Stopping a Hockey Puck

  1. Emanuel Gabriel Mitchell

    This article is interesting because it describes how proper positioning can be so crucial and how the slightest amount off centeredness can cause stopping a hockey to be that much more difficult. Here are some other key factors to stopping a hockey puck.

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