DCHP-2

puck DCHP-2 (July 2016)

• n. — Hockey

  a disk of hard, black rubber used in (ice) hockey (see Image 1).

  Type: 4. Culturally Significant — According to OED-3, puck most likely comes from the Irish English verb "puck", meaning to hit or strike (see OED-3, s.v. "puck" (n.5 1.a)), which itself is probably from the Irish "poc", a strike or blow in the game of hurling (see OED-3, s.v. "puck" (v) and "puck" (n.4)). EDD also defines puck as a "blow, esp. a blow with the horns of a goat" (see EDD, s.v. "puck" [sb.2 and v.1 1]). The term may be related to "poke", which OED-3 defines as a stroke made in cricket, with the first attestation dating back to 1853 (see OED-3, s.v. "puck" (n.5) 1.c); EDD defines "poke" as a"blow, esp. one which produces a hollow sound" (see EDD, s.v. "poke' (v.2, sb.5 and adv. 13)).
  Because of the historical and cultural significance of hockey in Canada, puck has acquired special significance (see expressions such as drop the puck). It is widely acknowledged that the first organized indoor hockey game took place in Montreal in 1875 (see the quotation). Because the game was played in an enclosed space, there appears to have been apprehension on the part of potential spectators of the ball hitting the crowd. For this reason, a "flat circular piece of wood" was used instead of a ball. Indoor, organized hockey as played at the Victoria Rink in Montreal may have contributed to the replacement of the ball for the puck.

  See also: hockey  road apple  drop the puck  puck-ragging