So what is Inline Hockey?

Inline hockey was developed from ice-hockey. It's a worldwide sport that has been played in North America as a professional sport since 1993.  It's a fast flowing and exciting game to watch - an excellent spectator sport.

What equipment is used?

Much of the equipment used is the same as ice hockey.  However, instead of a rubber puck, inline uses a lighter, non-bounce plastic puck with hard nubs to reduce friction. The sticks are the same as those used in ice-hockey.

The players wear protective padding for the shins, knees and elbows and wear a padded girdle.  A helmet with a visor or cage is also a must as are padded gloves. The goalie wears a lot more padding and uses a stick with a long flat blade to help protect the goal.

The skates are very similar to ice-hockey skates, with four wheels replacing the ice-hockey blade. The skates are usually lace-ups with no brake (unlike recreational inline skates).

Playing Surface

The surface needs to be smooth enough for the puck and players to move with as little resistance as possible.  It's often played in sports centres or purpose-built indoor rinks.

How is inline different from ice hockey?

Checking isn't allowed in inline hockey - contact is only allowed when going for the puck.  The game concentrates more on skating ability than strength and so in younger grades of hockey, the teams will often be mixed male and female players.

Each side can only have four players plus a goalie on the rink at any time - ice hockey has five players plus a goalie.

Rules of the Game

The aim of the game is to get the highest number of goals into the opponents goal net. The rules of the game vary slightly from country to country and between the various leagues.

With Inline hockey forward passes are allowed, unlike in rugby.  Many leagues have an an offside rule, where a puck can't be passed to a player that crossed the center line before the puck.  The puck is generally hit with the stick but players can also redirect the puck with any part of their bodies, subject to certain restrictions.  For example the puck can't be intentially 'batted' with a hand.

The boards surrounding the floor help keep the puck in play and they can also be used as tools to play the puck. 

If a referee needs to stop the game for some reason with a 'faceoff' - two players face each other and the referee drops the puck to the floor, where the two players attempt to gain control of the puck.

Players can be substituted at any time during the course of the game.  If the whole unit of four players (excluding the goalie) is replaced, its called a 'line-change'.

The best way to learn about the game is just come along and take a look!