Para Ice Hockey

Para Ice Hockey

Para Ice Hockey (previously known as sledge hockey) is a sport that was designed to allow participants who have a physical impairment in the lower part of the body to play the game of ice hockey.

It is fast paced, exciting and highly physical, and is one of the most watched Winter Paralympic sports. Instead of skates, players use double-blade sledges that allow the puck to pass beneath. Players use two sticks, which have a spike-end for pushing and a blade-end for shooting.

It has been a Paralympic sport since the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Paralympics. In 2016, the sport was renamed and rebranded from Ice Sledge Hockey to Para Ice Hockey.

Para Ice Sledge Hockey Puck

Para Ice Hockey is played across the UK, with teams in Peterborough/Cambridge, Cardiff, Manchester and Sheffield.

The sport is open to anyone over the age of 18, with teams seeing both non-disabled and disabled people playing alongside each other. Each club will have spare equipment for players to use and will run “come and try” sessions.

The GB National Teams are made up of players with a classifiable disability, with the Men’s and Women’s GB teams competing at IPC World Tournaments

Find a Club (British Para Ice Hockey)

“That first time I’ll never forget how different it felt to any other sports that I had done, mainly due to the fact that it wasn’t in a wheelchair, coupled with how the sledge glided & moved. It just gave me a sense of speed that I had never had and it was physically challenging.” Karl Nicholson (former WheelPower Activity Advisor (Southport) and player for Manchester Mayhem)

The sport in action

The Sheffield Steelkings had BBC Look North come along to one of their sledge hockey training sessions at IceSheffield:

Find out more:

Para Ice Hockey (IPC)

Para Ice Hockey (ParalympicsGB)

British Para Ice Hockey

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