The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A decade ago, Whitney Forum manager Guy (Beastie) Rideout accepted the occasional piece of broken arena glass as the cost of doing business. But after he noticed the glass fracturing with increasing (and costly) frequency, Rideout began to suspect that there was more than bad luck at play. It turned out that a number of other hockey arena managers had not only observed the same trend, but had identified the prime suspects: foreign-made pucks. Likely because of differences in density, non-Canadian pucks appeared more likely to shatter glass upon impact. As such, the Whitney has now banned non-domestic pucks and will lend user groups, such as hockey schools and scrub teams, pails full of Canadian pucks to use. 'We're not trying to pick on any supplier in particular,' stresses Rideout. 'It's just a trend that seems to have been flagged that when (arenas) go Canadian-made only, a lot of their (breakage) issues have not disappeared but have pretty well stopped.' In the Whitney's case, Rideout estimates that crews have had to replace upwards of a dozen panels of glass over the last decade. One hockey season alone saw five broken panels. Last season, there were three. Replacing a panel of glass along the sides of the rink costs about $1,000. End panels, which are thicker, cost about $1,500 each. 'That's a lot of money that you don't really expect to lose,' says Rideout. Such costs, Rideout says, have prompted arenas in other Manitoba communities _ including Neepawa, Altona, Winkler and Morden _ to forbid foreign pucks. The trend even extends into parts of the U.S. 'They've decided, instead of playing Russian roulette with their pucks, just (to) go Canadian-made because...Canadian-made pucks...don't have the same problems,' says Rideout. No scrambling Fortunately, the Whitney's foreign-puck ban won't leave user groups scrambling to purchase pails of the black rubber discs. For one, Canadian pucks are already extremely common in Flin Flon and across the country. Chances are good that user groups already have them. For another, Rideout just purchased about 300 pucks, at roughly a dollar each, for groups to use during practices and games. There is no fee attached; he just asks that the pucks be returned. Rideout knows the ban won't put a stop to broken glass panels. Even the best-made puck, when shot hard enough or under the right conditions, can shatter glass. He also acknowledges that only a small fraction of foreign pucks are likely to cause problems. Luck, or lack thereof, is a factor. 'You and I could buy the same tires, the same vehicle,' says Rideout, giving an analogy, 'and you could have two blowouts in the first year and mine go right to the last tread showing.' Nonetheless, Rideout views the ban as a painless way to make the Whitney more financially efficient. 'If we can save $2,000 to $3,000 on glass every year for (the cost of pucks), that's a good investment,' he says. Interestingly, this is not the first time the Whitney has banned foreign pucks for this very reason. But the previous ban, enacted in 1989, fell by the way side at some point. The new ban took effect Aug. 1, with notices around the arena notifying users. Arena staff reserve the right to check pucks to ensure they are Canadian-made, but Rideout is hoping that user groups will show cooperation. 'We want to see if this is going to help us save some dollars,' he says. 'It's a proactive approach.' According to Wonderopolis, a random-facts website, hockey pucks are today made in four countries: Canada, Russia, China and the Czech Republic. Many pucks, however, bear the words 'Made in Slovakia' along their round edges.
