Image of a sledge hockey team

Sledge hockey is played with the same rules as hockey. There are six players (including a goalie) per team on the ice. The "skates" are sleds that the players sit on with two skate blades fixed to the bottom at varying widths to accommodate balance. Players move along the ice on their skates by use of spikes on the ends of two 3-foot-long hockey sticks, enabling a player to push himself as well as shoot and pass ambidextrously. Rinks and goals are regulation Olympic-size, and games consist of three 15-minute stop-time periods.

There are two organizations working to bring sledge hockey to the forefront: the United States Sled Hockey Association (USSHA) and Sled Hockey America (SHA). Through these two organizations, sled hockey is being made available to all people of all abilities and all age ranges.

Who Can Participate

Sledge hockey is available to athletes in the following categories:

• amputees
• spinal cord injured/wheelchair
• cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke

NCHPAD Resource:

• Hockey Factsheet - http://www.ncpad.org/47/351/Hockey
• Sled Hockey Video-enabled Factsheet - http://www.ncpad.org/videos/fact_sheet.php?sheet=246