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Ice Hockey & Ice Sledge Hockey
Photo by Clive
Brunskill/Allsport, published in Olympian, p. 36, May/June 1997.
Ice hockey is an official sport of the Deaflympics.
Ice sledge hockey is an official sport of the Paralympic Games.
Athlete Eligibility and Classification
 | Athletes with physical disabilities that
prevent "regular" ice skating are eligible to compete in Paralympic
ice sledge hockey. There are no classifications. In fact, the only
eligibility requirement is satisfaction of minimal disability
criteria, e.g., amputation through the ankle, loss of muscle function
in the legs, loss of joint mobility in the legs, extension limitation
of at least 30o at the knee, cerebral palsy, or leg
shortening of at least 7 cm. |
| Ice hockey players who are deaf compete under
CISS rules which require a minimum hearing loss of 55 dB in the better
ear. Classification procedures and criteria are described on the CISS
web site at http://www.ciss.org.
Click on "about," then "regulations," then scroll down to Article 1.3
on eligibility. |
Events
An ice hockey game consists of three 20-minute
periods, and an ice sledge hockey game consists of three 15-minute
periods. Both games include intermissions after the first and second
periods. A sudden-death overtime period is played to determine a game
winner in the event of a tie. If a winner is not determined in the
overtime period, a "shoot-out" determines the outcome of the game.
Playing Area
According to International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)
rules (http://www.iihf.com//hockey/rules/rules.htm),
"international" hockey rinks shall be 60-61m long x 29-30m wide. The
corners of the rink are rounded. The boards that surround the rink are
1.6m-2.0m high at the ends of the rink, and .8m to 1.2m high on the
sides. Protective glass walls are 1.6-2.0m high at the ends of the rink
and .8-1.2m high at the sides.
From the perspective of one team, the playing area
is divided into three areas, an attacking zone at the end of the rink
where the opponent's goal is located, a neutral area in the middle of
the rink, and a defensive area at the end of the rink where the team's
goal is located. The boundaries between the neutral zone and the
defensive/attacking zones are marked with blue lines. Other rink
markings include red goal lines, a red center line, and five face-off
spots/circles.
The "crease" or goal area is 3.6m in diameter.
Hockey goals are 1.22m high and 1.83m wide, with a deep net. Goals are
located 4.0m from the end of the rink, allowing play to occur behind the
goal.
The playing area for ice sledge hockey is a
standard-size hockey rink with standard-size goals and standard
markings. Accommodations for ice sledges and players include plexiglass
shields in front of team benches and penalty boxes, level access from
these areas to the rink, and ice-covered or plastic-coved surfaces in
these areas to prevent damage to the players' sleds.
Illustration from Learn2.com -
Tutorial #0546,
http://www.learn2.com/05/0546/05468.asp
Rules
Hockey is played by two teams of six players. The
object of the game is to score points by propelling a puck into the
opponent's goal. International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rules (http://www.iihf.com//hockey/rules/rules.htm)
are observed in Deaflympics play. IIHF rules with a few modifications
are observed in Paralympic ice sledge hockey competition.
|
IIHF Ice Hockey Rules |
Paralympic Ice Sledge
Hockey Modifications |
| Teams. Six
players are allowed on the ice - usually a goalie, two defensive
players, two wings, and one center. Teams have fewer players on the
ice when a team member is in the penalty box. Players wear hockey
skates. |
No modification in
team composition. Players use narrow, two-blade, lightweight sleds
called sledges. |
| Offsides. An
offensive player is "offsides" if s/he precedes the puck into the
attacking zone. Play is stopped and then resumed with a neutral zone
face-off. |
No modification. |
| Icing.
"Icing" refers to shooting the puck from the team's own half of the
ice beyond the opponent's goal line. Icing is not called when the
offensive team has fewer players on the ice than the defensive team,
when a goal is scored, or if the puck touches a defensive player
before crossing the goal line. Play resumes with a face-off inside
the defensive zone of the attacking team. |
No modification. |
| Face-off. In
a face-off, an official drops the puck between two opposing players.
Face-offs are used to start play at the beginning of a period and
after any stop in play. |
No modification. |
| Playing the puck.
Players use a hockey stick with a bladed end to propel the puck.
Players are allowed to bat or push an airborne puck with the hands,
or to kick the puck; however, a goal may not be scored by a puck
that has been kicked. A goal may not be scored if the stick of the
offensive player is above the height of the goal crossbar. |
Sledge hockey
players use a shorter, modified stick with a blade at one end and a
pick at the other end. Players may use two sticks. If
the puck is stuck or unplayable under
a player's sled, the
referee will stop play. A face-off is used
to resume play. Goalies cannot use the side of the sled to stop a
shot on goal. |
| Goals. A goal
is scored when an offensive player shoots the puck across the goal
line, between the goalposts, and below the crossbar. One point is
scored for each goal. |
No modification. |
Penalties
| Minor (two-minute) penalties include
hooking and holding, charging, high-sticking, elbowing and
kneeing, cross-checking, interference, slashing, and roughing. |
| Major (five-minute) penalties include
fighting, boarding, and spearing. |
|
Modifications
include:
| Minor penalties include using stick of
nonconforming size, carrying pick end of stick above the waist,
playing or shooting with the pick end of the stick when an
opponent is near, ramming into an opponent, turning up the under
part of the sled at an opponent, or trapping the puck against the
ice. |
| Major penalties include pushing a player
from behind with the stick, drawing blood with the pick end of the
stick, throwing the stick, or any attempt to deliberately injure
another player. |
|
Equipment
| Puck. Pucks are typically made of
vulcanized rubber. IIHF dimensions are 7.62cm in diameter and 2.54cm
thick. |
| Hockey sticks
 | Ice hockey. Sticks must have a
straight shaft not more than 1.63m long. The blade may be straight
or curved and may not exceed 32cm in length. |
| Ice sledge hockey. Sticks must have a
straight shaft not more than 75cm in length. One end of the stick
has a blade that is no longer than 25cm in length; the other end of
the stick has "picks" to help the athlete propel the sledge. Pick
ends must have six teeth, and the depth of teeth may not exceed 4mm.
Players may use two sticks to facilitate ambidexterous shooting.
|
|
| Skates/sledges
| Ice hockey. Players wear ice hockey
skates with steel heel guards. Goalies wear special goalie skates. |
| Ice sledge hockey. Sledges are narrow,
two-blade, lightweight sleds. The distance from the ice to the
bottom of the frame measures 8.5-9.5cm, permitting a puck to roll on
edge under the sledge. Frames cannot exceed
⅓ the
length of the sledge. Seat cushions may not
exceed 10cm in thickness.
Short backrests are permitted, and straps may be
used to secure the player's body to the sledge. |
|
| Protective gear. Protective gear
includes an approved helmet with a visor to protect the face (goalie
helmets must have a full face mask); gloves; a protective throat
collar; and elbow, shoulder and shin pads (goalies must wear leg
guards). |
Links
Page prepared by Annette Jennings and revised by
Gail Dummer |
|
