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The Physics of Hockey
Alain Haché
What do Wayne Gretzky and thermodynamics have in common? A lot more than you might think. The game the National Hockey League calls “the coolest game on earth” is also a fast-paced, dynamic display of physics in action.
In The Physics of Hockey, physicist and amateur hockey player Alain Haché examines some of the physical principles behind the world’s most popular winter team sport. What makes ice so slippery you can skate on it? How can you skate backwards most rapidly? How can physics improve your slapshot? Why do some collisions cause injuries but not others? How does a Zamboni work? And how do you prepare a pure, smooth ice surface in Dallas when it’s sweltering outside and there are twenty thousand people inside?
Haché investigates the properties of the ice surface, the science of skating and of skates, the odds of winning and losing streaks, and the principles behind shooting, hitting and goaltending. A thought-provoking, fun and accessible introduction to some basic issues in physics, The Physics of Hockey is a unique book that deserves a place on the shelf of every hockey fan and physics enthusiast.
“The Physics of Hockey opened my eyes to a whole new way of viewing and understanding the game the game I love. It is pure entertainment, cover to cover. Who would have guessed physics could be so much fun?” —Mike Brophy, The Hockey News
Alain Haché is an assistant professor of physics at the Université de Moncton, New Brunswick.
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