Across modern professional ice hockey broadcasts, few bench rituals capture public curiosity as sharply as players snapping small capsules beneath their noses right before stepping onto the ice.
Fans across online communities frequently question what these athletes are inhaling and why such a pungent tradition remains prominent at the highest levels of competition.
These capsules contain smelling salts—chemically known as ammonia inhalants—which produce a rapid sensory shock designed to heighten temporary awareness.
While the visual of high-profile players reacting intensely on the bench creates an impression of athletic enhancement, the physiological reality involves an involuntary reflex rather than a true boost in physical power.
The Benchside Mystery: What Are Players Sniffing?
Unpacking the Visual Phenomenon
During pre-game preparations or critical moments on the bench, camera close-ups regularly catch athletes crushing small white packets and inhaling deeply.
The immediate physical reaction is nearly universal: eyes wide, heads snapping back, facial contortions, and abrupt bursts of physical energy.
High-profile incidents involving players like Ryan Reaves hitting smelling salts prior to shifts highlight how ingrained this behavior is within elite team culture.
Despite recurring online speculation regarding what substances are being utilized during games, the practice is entirely distinct from banned substances or pharmaceuticals.
The benchside action represents a legal, sensory stimulus designed to shock the central nervous system out of momentary sluggishness.
Defining Ammonia Inhalants
The substance used by hockey players is officially classified as an ammonia inhalant, commonly referred to as smelling salts.
These inhalants are standard medical-grade chemical compounds housed inside crushable capsules, engineered to release noxious vapor upon activation.
While the practice has existed across various strength sports and combat disciplines for decades, hockey has retained it as a highly visible pre-shift ritual.
The Science: Chemical Composition and the Involuntary Reflex
[Capsule Crushed] ──> [Ammonia Vapor Released] ──> [Nasal & Lung Irritation] ──> [Involuntary Reflex Activated] ──> [Brain Breathing Center Stimulated]
Chemical Makeup of Smelling Salts
At a chemical level, standard smelling salt capsules consist of a precise combination of ammonia gas, water, and alcohol sealed inside a small, brittle glass capsule wrapped in a protective outer layer.
- Ammonia Gas: The primary active agent responsible for producing the noxious odor.
- Water: Acts as a solvent to stabilize the compound within the container.
- Alcohol: Functions as a diluent and carrier to facilitate rapid evaporation once exposure occurs.
- Protective Casing: Ensures the glass capsule shatters safely inside cotton or fabric padding without causing physical cuts to the user’s fingers.
The Involuntary Inhalation Reflex
When an athlete crushes the capsule between their fingers, the internal glass breaks, instantly releasing a sharp, pungent ammonia vapor into the air.
Inhaling this gas directly irritates the sensitive membranes lining the nasal passages and respiratory tract, which triggers an immediate, involuntary inhalation reflex.
This irritation sends rapid signals directly to the brainstem, stimulating the brain’s primary breathing center. The rapid inhalation causes the diaphragm to contract forcefully, sharply increasing the rate of respiration.
Athletes who experience this sensation frequently describe the chemical shock as a sudden burst of extreme cold, comparing the sudden mental jolt to “jumping into ice water”.
Performance Reality: Sensory Jolt vs. Game-Day Ritual
Short-Term Physiological Response
The primary motivation for inhaling ammonia vapor is to achieve an immediate, short-lived surge in nervous system activity. Upon inhalation, players experience:
- A Quick Surge in Alertness: A sudden awakening effect that clears lingering lethargy.
- An Instant Jolt of Energy: A brief spike in subjective feeling of readiness.
- Elevated Heart Rate: Temporary acceleration of cardiac rhythm induced by the sudden chemical irritation.
- Heightened Focus: Short-term narrowing of psychological attention toward the immediate environment.
Because hockey is characterized by short, high-intensity shifts lasting anywhere from 30 to 90 seconds, players strategically time their usage.
Athletes typically utilize smelling salts immediately preceding the opening faceoff, between taxing shifts, or during periods of physical fatigue in demanding games.The Psychological “Green Light” and Superstition
Beyond the direct chemical shock, smelling salts serve a major psychological function in locker rooms and on benches.
For many athletes, cracking a capsule functions as a mental “green light”—a behavioral anchor signaling the precise moment to transition from a calm state into a highly aggressive, competitive mindset.
Over the course of an 82-game regular season, habit plays a dominant role. Once a player incorporates smelling salts into their routine, the action becomes a superstitious requirement without which they may feel mentally unprepared for puck drop.
Strength, Skill, and the Placebo Dynamic
Despite widespread use among elite athletes, formal evaluation demonstrates clear limits regarding what chemical inhalants can achieve:
- No Muscle Strength Gains: Clinical observations confirm that ammonia inhalants do not improve physical strength or cardiovascular endurance.
- Reduction in Fine Motor Control: Evidence indicates that while respiratory rate and heart rate spike, the intense sensory overload can cause a slight decrease in fine motor skills. In a sport requiring delicate stickhandling, precise passing, and exact shooting angles, compromised fine motor coordination represents a notable downside.
- The Placebo Effect: Because the physical stimulation dissipates rapidly within minutes, experts emphasize that much of the ongoing performance belief relies on a placebo effect rather than sustained physiological enhancement.
Health Risks, Medical Concerns, and League Regulations
Direct Physical Side Effects
While smelling salts are widely accessible, direct exposure to irritating chemical vapors carries predictable physical side effects. Common adverse reactions reported by users include:
- Nasal Irritation: Burning sensations throughout the mucous membranes of the nose.
- Throat and Airway Stinging: Acute discomfort caused by inhaling concentrated caustic gas.
- Headaches: Secondary tension or vascular headaches resulting from the abrupt chemical shock.
The Concussion Masking Hazard
The most significant medical concern associated with ammonia inhalants in contact sports involves head trauma management.
Because the involuntary inhalation reflex forces a dazed or fatigued brain into sudden hyper-awareness, smelling salts can temporarily mask the symptoms of a concussion.
When an athlete sustains a traumatic brain injury, the brain requires rest and immediate medical evaluation.
If a dazed player inhales ammonia vapor, the immediate sensory surge may create a false illusion of recovery, allowing them to return to play while still suffering from severe neurological impairment. This creates extreme vulnerability to secondary impacts and long-term brain damage.
Lessons from Combat Sports and Evolving Governing Body Rules
The dangers of artificial neurological arousal have long been recognized in other professional athletic domains. Notably, smelling salts are strictly banned in professional boxing.
Regulators prohibited their use in the ring because trainers were using ammonia vapors to prematurely awaken dazed or semi-unconscious fighters, forcing them back into dangerous combat when their natural reflexes were compromised.
In response to medical warnings regarding youth safety and concussion protocol integrity, hockey governing bodies have begun taking restrictive measures:
- Hockey Quebec Restrictions: Regional governing bodies like Hockey Quebec have restricted and discouraged smelling salt usage across youth and amateur divisions to protect developing athletes.
- PWHL Directives: Organizations such as the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) have implemented policies discouraging or limiting smelling salts due to potential safety hazards and concussion risks.
Summary
The persistent presence of smelling salts on hockey benches represents a unique intersection of organic chemistry, sensory reflex, and deep-seated sports psychology.
While the immediate inhalation of ammonia vapor undeniably triggers a powerful involuntary reflex that stimulates the brain’s breathing center, it delivers no measurable gains in physical strength or physical endurance.
Instead, the practice functions primarily as a psychological ritual—a personal “green light” that players rely on to enter a competitive mindset.
As sports medicine continues to prioritize concussion identification and long-term brain health, the regulatory landscape around ammonia inhalants is shifting.
With major governing bodies like Hockey Quebec and the PWHL taking active steps to restrict their use, the hockey community is increasingly evaluating whether this pungent benchside tradition remains worth the potential health risks.
