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Sledge hockey is one of the newest and fastest growing sports for the disabled. It is hockey, pure and simple. All the basic rules are the same. The only difference is how you get around on the ice. In Sweden and Canada, countries that have been playing hockey this way for years, they call them "sledges". In America, they are called "sleds.". Sled hockey is played mainly by people with various lower extremity disabilities (e.g. people with amputations, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, post polio, etc.). Individuals use their arms to propel themselves by digging the picks, on the ends of two short hockey sticks, into the ice and pulling forward. Each player has a right and a left stick that are miniature copies of a typical hockey stick , with the blades curved accordingly. On the end of each stick is a metal picks (like figure skate toe picks) to help grab the ice. The sticks work for shooting, passing, and propelling the player. shoot, pass, and propel yourself with them. The players are seated on the sleds, which are affixed to 2 hockey skate blades under the seat. The sleds are about 3 inches off the ice and are anywhere from 2-4 feet long, depending on the size of the player. The sled glides on the blades and a metal bar in the front. For beginners the blades can be set wide apart for stability. As your skills progress, the blades are placed closer together for better turning. There are multiple straps to help you become one with your sled, which in turn gives you much more control. The few differences between a sled hockey game and a typical hockey game are these: 15 minute periods instead of 20, two sticks instead of one, and the sled hockey players wear a sled on top of their skates. The puck is the same, as are the pads. There is a lot of checking so the need for protection is ever present
