Why Pucks Fly

Why do pucks lift off the ice when a slapshot is taken?  

Even though for simplicities sake the calculations were done earlier assuming no friction, when a puck slides across the ice there is friction and this causes heat.  This is important because that little heat melts some of the ice into water.  This water creates a kind of suction on the puck keeping it on the ice.  When a puck is shot by a slapshot the bottom of the blade of the stick breaks the seal by lifting up slightly on the puck. 

The curve of the blade causes the puck to start spinning creating the same Bernoulli effect that a Frisbee does to fly.  Most of hockey stick blades are curved either to the right or the left.  when a puck is shot it travels along this curve.  The blade of a hockey stick is also covered with a cloth like tape that allows for better handling of the puck and adds an additional layer of protection. Because this tape is only about 3/4 in. wide it is wrapped around the blade.  this creates ridges helping to make the puck spin as it comes off the stick. 

http://www.goodnewsweekly.ca/2010/09/very-superstitious-nhl-season-begins.html

The Bernoulli effect is the effect of lift.  when a wing crates lift it is more accurate to say that it creates the lack of force holding it on the ground.  In essence the spinning and round nature of a hockey puck force the air to move slightly faster over the top of the puck than the bottom.  This faster moving air  creates a low pressure spot allowing the puck to rise more.  As the airspeed around the the puck starts to equalize the puck's rise slows until it reaches the top of the parabolic arc and starts to fall back to the ice. 

What does the flight path look like?

http://physicsofhockeyproject.weebly.com/shooting.html


The flight path of a hockey puck is the same simple parabolic arc that is created by type of projectile motion.  If the angle that the puck leaves the ice, the velocity, and the acceleration are known then it is possible to predict how far away the puck will land.