Participating Countries
Download the official app
The Olympic puck is here
The Olympic puck is here
Presentation held in Sochi as Czechs win First Channel Cup
The Olympic and Paralympic pucks for Sochi 2014. Photo: Alexei Kudenko / RIA Novosti
Each puck has been made according to the International Ice Hockey Federation’s standards; the thickness of the Sochi 2014 puck is 2.54 cm and it has a diameter of 7.62 cm.
The inauguration event was attended by Vladislav Tretiak, triple Olympic champion and President of the Russian Hockey Federation, and Dmitri Chernyshenko, the President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee. By tradition, all pucks used in the matches for Olympic bronze and gold will be sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
“You have to make friends with the pucks – it’s the main piece of equipment for hockey,” Tretiak told R-Sport. “They’re very beautiful pucks with our national ornamentation.”
Following the presentation, legendary goalie Tretiak went into the net for a first save with the new puck.
On the front side of the Sochi 2014 hockey puck, the “patchwork quilt” is applied in colour together with the Sochi 2014 logo. Purple will be used at the Bolshoy Ice Dome and blue in the Shayba Arena as each Olympic venue has its one colour.
“Patchwork quilt” is the look of the Sochi Olympics. It symbolizes a range of nationalities across Russia.
The other side of the puck is designed in a restrained classic black and white style: it displays the Olympic rings, and the black and white patchwork quilt surrounded by an inscription XXII OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES, SOCHI 2014 in English.
Goalie legend Vladislav Tretiak, President of the Russian Hockey Federation, and Dmitri Chernyshenko, President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, present the Olympic puck that will be used in Sochi 2014. Photo: Alexei Kudenko / RIA Novosti
It took more than 20 sketches and 30 enhancements by the organizers to make the perfect puck for the most important ice hockey tournament in the world.
On average up to 80 pucks are needed for one game. Technological preparation of pucks for the game involves freezing for a few hours before the match in order to reduce friction and prevent rebound from the ice surface.
“Today we can reveal the official Sochi 2014 puck. I am sure that each of these pucks used on Sochi Olympic ice will give all the fans unforgettable moments and the hockey tournaments will be a real spectacle of the Winter Olympics in Sochi,” said Chernyshenko.
Similar pucks with the logo of the Paralympic Winter Games will be used for the sledge ice hockey tournament in Sochi.
The third tournament of this season’s Euro Hockey Tour in Sochi was won by a team that had underperformed before. The Czech Republic defeated Finland 2-0 in its first game that was held in Prague on Thursday with goals from Petr Nedved and Jaroslav Hlinka before moving to Sochi.
Then the Czechs defeated Sweden 2-1. Mikael Johansson brought Sweden the lead on a power play but Robert Kousal tied it up with 8:07 remaining in regulation time before the Czechs won in a shootout.
In the deciding game before 9,897 fans at the Bolshoy Ice Dome the Czechs defeated host Russia by the same score. Russian forward Alexander Radulov opened the scoring after 18 seconds of the third period when he capitalized on a penalty shot but Tomas Nosek tied it up two minutes later and Jiri Novotny scored the game winner at 4:08.
After the game Alexander Salak had a 96.92 save percentage in the Czech goal and also Jakub Kovar shone as he earned a shutout with 35 saves in the Czechs’ first game against Finland.
Finland finished in second place ahead of Russia and Sweden.
Belarus succeeded in another tournament that involves Olympic participants as the host of the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship defeated Switzerland 3-2 in shootout to win the Arosa Challenge. Slovakia finished the tournament in Switzerland in third place ahead of Norway.
– with files from the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee.
Back to Overview
