Tips and Tricks to Master Puckdoku Grids
If you’re a hockey lover who lives for deep stats, obscure player trivia, or the challenge of a perfectly filled-out grid, Puckdoku is your new obsession.
Inspired by the Immaculate Grid and designed specifically for NHL fans, Puckdoku blends trivia with logic, making every game a test of both memory and hockey IQ.
Whether you’re a casual fan looking to improve or a stats savant chasing that perfect rarity score, mastering Puckdoku requires more than just knowing household names—it takes strategy, creativity, and a few insider tricks.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore pro tips, clever techniques, and useful resources to help you become a true Puckdoku grid master.
Understanding How Puckdoku Works
Before diving into tactics, let’s recap the basics.
Puckdoku presents a 3×3 grid, often combining team affiliations with stats-based categories. Each cell represents a unique intersection, like:
- Player who played for both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings
- Player who scored 30+ goals and played for the Vancouver Canucks
Your task: fill each cell with a player who meets both criteria. The twist? You can only use each player once, and your total score depends on how rare or obscure your answers are.
A correct answer gives you a check. An incorrect one ends your chance to solve that cell—so precision matters.
Tip #1: Know the Journeymen Players
When solving team-to-team combinations, multi-team players are your best friends. These “journeymen” may not be Hall of Famers, but they’ve suited up for enough franchises to fill half a grid.
Notable Journeymen to Remember:
- Mike Sillinger – Played for 12 teams (!)
- Jiri Tlusty – Sneaky option with multiple Eastern Conference appearances
- Dominic Moore – Played for over 10 teams and often forgotten
- Lee Stempniak – A rarity score goldmine
Create your own personal shortlist of these players, especially ones who crossed conferences. They’re invaluable for team intersections.
Tip #2: Think in Eras
A great way to cover more ground is to think decade by decade. Many fans default to current or recent players, but grids often reward those who reach further back.
How to Use Era-Based Thinking:
- 1990s players help separate you from the crowd
- Look for franchise legends from the expansion era (e.g., 1970s Canucks)
- Don’t forget the lockout years (2004–05) and Olympic opt-outs
Players like Ron Francis, Theo Fleury, and Doug Gilmour are useful for older grids. They’re more rare, but often valid.
Tip #3: Verify with Hockey-Reference or EliteProspects
Never assume. If you’re unsure whether a player fits the exact criteria, use resources like:
- Hockey-Reference – Great for team histories, seasons played, and stats.
- EliteProspects – More in-depth, including minor league and junior info.
Just don’t overdo it—many Puckdoku players value the challenge of using your brain, not your browser.
Pro tip: use Hockey-Reference’s “Player Comparison Finder” to confirm teammates or seasonal stats.
Tip #4: Start With the Easy Squares
Some grid intersections are easier than others. Solve them first to build momentum and get inspired.
Easy Square Examples:
- Player who scored 40+ goals: You’ve got Matthews, Ovechkin, Pastrnak…
- Player who played for Chicago + Buffalo: That’s Dominik Hasek, right?
Knocking out the obvious ones clears mental space for the tougher spots—and ensures at least partial grid completion.
Tip #5: Use Player Relationships (Brothers, Teammates, Trades)
Think in connections. If one player triggers a memory of a trade, rivalry, or sibling, you’ve struck gold.
Examples:
- Eric, Jordan, and Marc Staal: Three brothers, multiple teams
- Subban Brothers: P.K. and Malcolm cover different teams and positions
- Blockbuster Trades: Ryan O’Reilly, Jack Eichel, or Phil Kessel have all been involved in high-profile trades that create grid possibilities
When you’re stuck, following a trail from a familiar player often unlocks adjacent cells.
Tip #6: Master the Rarity Score
Every correct answer earns a rarity score, which measures how uncommon your pick is among other solvers. Lower scores = more unique = higher bragging rights.
How to Get a Better Rarity Score:
- Avoid superstars (Ovechkin, McDavid, etc.)
- Choose retired or less memorable players
- Pick players from earlier decades
- Consider short stints—e.g., Marian Gaborik’s brief time with the Kings
Use the “casino corner” strategy: think like someone playing low-risk poker—conservative but strategic. Don’t throw in wild guesses, but don’t just go with the most obvious name either. Find your sweet spot.
Tip #7: Understand NHL Geography and Conferences
Often, you’ll get grid prompts like:
- Player who played for both a Canadian team and a Pacific Division team
- Player from a European country who played for Boston
Knowing the division layouts and conference alignments (especially post-2013 realignment) helps a lot.
Keep in mind:
- Canadian teams = 7 (Canucks, Flames, Oilers, Jets, Senators, Leafs, Canadiens)
- Metro Division = High-profile Eastern teams like Penguins, Capitals, Rangers
- Pacific Division = Includes teams like Vegas, Anaheim, San Jose, and Calgary
This geographic knowledge helps rule out or confirm players quickly.
Tip #8: Build Your Personal Database
Puckdoku is part trivia, part memory game. The best players don’t just guess—they remember smart.
Create a Tracker:
- Use a spreadsheet or Notion page
- Log interesting player facts
- Track journeymen or stat thresholds (e.g., 30+ goals, 500+ assists)
- Make notes on odd team stints (e.g., Paul Kariya on the Avalanche)
You’ll start to see patterns and connections that repeat across multiple games.
Tip #9: Don’t Rush—There’s No Timer
Unlike other puzzle games, Puckdoku isn’t about speed—it’s about accuracy and thoughtfulness.
Take time to:
- Visualise jerseys (what team colours did that player wear?)
- Mentally scan team rosters from past decades
- Eliminate guesses if you’re not sure
It’s totally fine to walk away from the puzzle and return later with a fresh mind. That “a-ha!” moment often comes when you least expect it.
Tip #10: Play With Friends
Puckdoku is meant to be fun, and it’s even better when you share the experience.
Ways to play socially:
- Compare grids with friends or co-workers
- Share your scores or best rarity picks on Reddit or Discord
- Try “co-op solving” a grid over coffee or during a game break
Hockey is about community—and so is Puckdoku. Trading rare answers or stumping each other with trivia creates a whole new level of engagement.
Bonus Tip: Learn NHL Draft & Trade History
Knowing who was drafted where (and by whom) is a powerful advantage, especially for stat-based or team-origin cells.
Study Notable Drafts:
- 2003 NHL Draft: A legendary year with players like Bergeron, Getzlaf, and Parise
- 2015 Draft: McDavid, Eichel, Marner—now key players on multiple teams
- Recent Trades: Keep an eye on multi-team trades or deadline moves
These changes often create obscure, valid intersections for newer grids.
Puckdoku Is More Than Trivia—It’s Hockey Culture
Puckdoku isn’t just a game, it’s a celebration of hockey knowledge. It rewards fans who remember the quiet workhorses, the surprising trades, and those “wait, he played there?” moments.
With a few strategies and a bit of practice, you can sharpen your skills, reduce your rarity score, and—more importantly deepen your love of the game.
Whether you’re reminiscing about the ’90s Penguins or unearthing a forgotten stint by a backup goalie, every grid solved is another piece of hockey history relived.
So lace up, hit the grid, and let your NHL knowledge shine.