Hockey

One of the most sought-after souvenirs from the Vancouver Winter Games was released today: the official 2010 Olympic hockey puck. But collectors  won't find them easy to obtain.

The International Olympic Committee opted for a simple design. One side of the puck has the VANOC logo on a white background. On the flip side of the puck, the Olympic rings are seen over the familiar green and blue Vancouver 2010 background.

But puck collectors will be disappointed: this Olympic souvenir will be very difficult to find.

Produced by Sherwood, just 3,000 of the pucks have been made. Roughly two thirds of those will be used during the men's tournament, while the other third will be played in the women's game. Some 400 additional pucks will be used in the Paralympics. The stash of pucks will be kept under lock and key by the off-ice officials' crew, who will bring a set number to the arena for each game.

Goal-scoring pucks will be given to the scoring team. Some lucky fans will grab pucks that fly out of the rink area during games or warmups, but beyond that, there doesn't appear to be a plan for the sale of any official 2010 Olympic pucks.

Some are sure to find their way to the Hockey Hall of Fame, where all the key artifacts from Vancouver will be displayed in the International Hockey Zone.