Preuss: Selection of red color for hockey line is arbitrary

To the Editor:
This is a reply to Rick Peterson’s question as to why the red line in hockey is red.
The line has two purposes: first, to divide the rink in half; second, as a line to help with a game delay called “icing.”
It started as a solid line, but with the invention of black and white TV, the line was broken so it could be distinguished from the other blue lines.
In today’s professional hockey arenas there is no red line. Your belief that it might be patriotic does not fit with hockey’s origin. Hockey was invented in Nova Scotia and then spread to western Canada. The Canadian Flag has a white background with a red maple leaf in the center. It lacks a blue color. Red, white and blue are American patriotic colors. Therefore it is my conclusion that the colors were simply arbitrary.
In researching the origin of the “Red Line,” I now know more about it than I really care to know. Perhaps you do, too.
I have noticed that when I think outside the box, my thinking leads to trouble. However, what else can one do while waiting out a blizzard?
Rick, here is a question for you. Why are some newspapers called Star ___? Star Herald, Star Tribune, etc.
Bill Preuss
Luverne