Sled Hockey

Sledge hockey, called Para ice hockey by the International Paralympic Committee, also known as ice sledge hockey (or, in the United States, sled hockey), is a sport that was designed to allow participants who have a physical disability to play the game of ice hockey. Para ice hockey was invented in the early 1960s in , Sweden, at a rehabilitation centre. It is currently one of the most popular sports in the Winter Paralympic Games.

Two men from Sweden designed the sled for Para ice hockey in the 1960s because they wanted to continue to play hockey despite their physical disabilities. Their design included two skate blades on a metal frame that allowed the puck to pass underneath. They completed the ensemble by including two round poles with bike handles for sticks. Although there are many restrictions to the measurements and weight of the sleds used in the Paralympic Games, little has changed from the original design to the ones that exist today.

Despite the initial decline of interest after the invention of sled hockey, competition between sled hockey teams started up in 1971 that included five teams in Europe. In 1981, Great Britain established their first sledge hockey team, and that was shortly followed by Canada in 1982. It was not until 1990 that the United States developed their first ice sled hockey team. Sled hockey continued to expand when Estonia and Japan developed their teams in 1993. International ice sled hockey became an official event in 1994 for the beginning of the Paralympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, with Sweden claiming the first gold medal for ice sled hockey competition. In 1998 the following Paralympic Games in Nagano, Japan, Norway won the gold medal as Canada and Sweden took the silver and bronze respectively. For the 2002 Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, the gold medal belonged to the United States with Norway and Sweden finishing second and third. The 2006 Paralympic Games in Torino, Italy, saw the gold medal go to Canada, silver to Norway, and bronze to the United States. In Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, it was the first time the tournament was competed by mixed teams; teams were permitted to have female athletes on their rosters, previously having been only competed by men.

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