Sledge hockey

Sledge hockey

A player handling the puck
Highest governing body	World Para Ice Hockey International Paralympic Committee
Nicknames	Para ice hockey, sled hockey
First played	1960s; 64 years ago (1960s), Stockholm, Sweden First international rules: 1990; 35 years ago (1990)
Characteristics
Contact	Contact sport
Team members	2 Forwards 2 Defenders 1 Centre 1 Goaltender
Type	Parasport, winter team sport
Equipment	ice hockey sledge carbon fiber sledge hockey sticks helmet with facemask, shoulder pads, elbow pads, shin guards, ice hockey gloves pants and footwear based on player's comfort and need goalies: standard mask, chest and arm protector, blocker pad and catching glove, leg pad if they wish, stick with teeth on the paddle and the knob of the stick goalies may make modifications to their equipment
Venue	Ice hockey rink
Presence
Paralympic	Men's/Mixed only
World Games	No

Sledge hockey, also known as Sled hockey in American English, and Para ice hockey in international competition, is an adaptation of ice hockey for players who have a physical disability. The sport was invented in the early 1960s at a rehabilitation centre in Stockholm, Sweden,^{[citation needed]} and played under similar rules to standard ice hockey. Players are seated on sleds and use special hockey sticks with metal "teeth" on the tips of their handles to navigate the ice. Playing venues use an ice hockey rink.

Sledge hockey has been a part of the Winter Paralympics programme since 1994. Via its division World Para Ice Hockey, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) acts as the international sanctioning body for the sport. It has been played in the Winter Paralympics since 1994, and has been one of the most popular events.^[1][2] Since 2016, the IPC has promoted the sport under the name "Para ice hockey" for linguistic reasons, as part of an effort to streamline its sanctioning of the sport outside of the Paralympics.^[3][4]