About
Sledge Hockey is a sport that was designed to allow participants who have a physical disability to play the game of ice hockey. Ice sledge was invented in the early 1960s in Stockholm, Sweden at a rehabilitation centre. It is currently one of the most popular sports in the Winter Paralympic Games and rivals Wheelchair Basketball for popularity and membership outside of the UK, especially in countries where Ice Hockey is a dominant sport. Sledge Hockey is the only disability team sport that allows athletes with a spinal injury to compete without the use of the wheelchair alongside those with non-wheelchair dependant disabilities such as amputation.
Sledge hockey is a full contact sport played using International ice Hockey Federation Rules(IIHF). Players transport themselves along the ice by sitting in a sledge which consists of two ice hockey blades connected to a frame which allows the puck to pass underneath. Propulsion comes from two ice hockey sticks with ice picks attached to one end using a technique similar to skiing). Due to a minimal classification Sledge Hockey teams are made up of players with differing disabilities including Cerebral Palsy, Amputation, Spino Bifida, and spinal injuries as well as other physical disabilities which prevent a player from ice skating. At a club level non-disabled players are welcomed and not penalised thereby ensuring the Sledge Hockey is a fully inclusive sport.
Sledge Hockey was first played in the UK in 1981 and was made a Paralympic Sport in 1996. Great Britain have had teams compete at the 1996, 1998 and 2006 Paralympic games. Although currently ranked twelve in the world in 2005 GB attained their highest world ranking of 5th.
In 2009 the sport of Inline Sledge Hockey was developed by the British Sledge Hockey Associaiton. Based on Ice Sledge Hockey, Inline Sledge Hockey is played to the same rules as Inline Puck Hockey (essentially ice hockey played off ice using inline skates)and is played in a sports hall and not on ice. Inline Sledge Hockey was originally the brainchild of British Paralympian Matt Lloyd, however it has been developed though the dedication and commitment of several key organisations including the Hull Stingrays Elite League Ice Hockey Team, sports wheelchair manufacturers RGK, the British Sledge Hockey Association, Wheelpower and the British Inline Puck Hockey Association. There is no classification points system dictating who can be involved in play within Inline Sledge Hockey unlike other team sports such as Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Rugby. Inline Sledge Hockey is being developed to allow everyone, regardless of whether they have a disability or not, to complete up to World Championship level based solely on talent and ability. This makes Inline Sledge Hockey truly inclusive.
The first games of Inline Sledge Hockey were played within the Veterans Inline Puck Hockey torunament held at Bisley, Surrey, England on 19 and 20 December 2009. The games were played between the Hull Stingrays (captained by Nigel Wright) and Grimsby Redwings (captained by Natalie Calthorpe).
