Facts about Ice Hockey

1. 07

   Gordie Howe played professional ice hockey for 32 seasons, retiring in 1980 at age 52 after competing in six different decades.

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2. 06

   Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record for most career points with 1,963, achieved over 20 seasons from 1979 to 1999.

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3. 05

   At 200 feet long and 85 feet wide, an NHL ice hockey rink is smaller than an American football field but larger than an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

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4. 04

   Modern ice hockey goaltenders can stop pucks traveling at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour using specialized equipment that weighs approximately 40 to 50 pounds.

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5. 03

   During the 1980 Winter Olympics, the United States defeated the Soviet Union 4-3 in ice hockey, an upset victory now known as the Miracle on Ice.

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6. 02

   A regulation ice hockey puck weighs between 5.5 and 6 ounces and is frozen before games to reduce bouncing and improve puck control.

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7. 01

   The Stanley Cup, first awarded in 1892, is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America still competed for in ice hockey.

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