Physics In Ice Hockey

Skating in hockey is really all about physics: more specifically, it's about forces and friction. Because the ice is very slick and has a low coefficient of friction (both static and kinetic), a hockey player cannot accelerate by simply pushing backward with their foot, like we do when we walk (where the friction is greater and allows the ground to push us forward when we push on it). In order to generate force and accelerate forward, a hockey player must instead push off at an angle perpendicular (or as close to 90 degrees as possible) to the location they want to go. By angling their ankle and skate blade closer to the ice, they are able to dig into and push off the ice (supply a force into the ice), which subsequently generates a force that is perpendicular to their foot and is in the opposite direction of the force the skater exerts. This is the normal force that the ice supplies. By increasing the angle to 90 degrees (pushing off perpendicular to where they wish to go), they can ensure that most or all of the force generated is in the direction they want to go; this works because normal force is always perpendicular to the ground or surface that receives the applied force, which in this case is the force of the skater pushing their foot and skate blade into the ice.