Sled hockey, also known as sledge hockey, is the fast, exciting, rough-and-tumble version of ice hockey played primarily by people with lower limb mobility impairments. The game is essentially the same as “stand-up” ice hockey, the major difference being that the players use a sled with two hockey skate blades mounted under a seat. The players use two sticks, one end of each having a conventional hockey stick blade and the other end equipped with stainless steel "picks" which can be dug into the ice to allow propulsion. In competitive play, hard checking, raised-puck shooting, and penalty killing are as much a part of sled hockey as they are in “stand-up” hockey.
Fast Facts:
Sled hockey is one of the fastest growing disabled sports in the world with new sled hockey programs and sled hockey teams showing up everywhere.
There are about 50 adult and junior sled hockey teams in the USA.
Sweden claims to have originated sled hockey. It is played in a number of countries.
Sled Hockey is an official Paralympic sport.
The USA Sled Hockey Team won the gold medal in the 2002 and 2010 Paralympics.
The Northeast Sled Hockey League is the first organized adult sled hockey league in the USA.
Sled hockey players are extremely committed to the sport of sled hockey and regularly teach sled hockey clinics and participate in sled hockey outreach events and sled hockey exhibitions. Anyone wishing to try sled hockey should have ample opportunities to play.
