Although many of us think of ice hockey when we hear the word “hockey”, there are actually different types of hockey. In this article, we go through the 7 different types of hockey in detail providing you with information for each type.
Hockey isn’t only played on ice, you can play without a puck, and many of these hockey variations are played around the globe. Let’s take a look at the 7 different types of hockey below.
1. Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is a fast-paced non-contact or contact team sport that is played on a sheet of ice. Players wear a pair of ice skates and use hockey sticks to control and shoot a hard vulcanized, rubber disc known as a puck. The object of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team.
Each team plays the game with five skaters on the ice (three forwards and two defencemen) as well as a goaltender. Learn more about hockey positions and roles here.
Body checking is allowed in most competitive hockey leagues and players protect themselves by wearing padding over most areas of the body. Penalties are called for fouls which break the rules and culprits must leave the ice to serve them in a penalty box, leaving their team shorthanded.
A typical hockey game consists of three 20-minute periods with most leagues deciding tie games with a period of sudden-death overtime or a penalty shootout.
Ice Hockey is a winter Olympic sport for both men and women and is very popular in areas including North America, Europe, and Russia and can be played both indoors and outdoors. The roots of modern hockey can be traced back to Canada with the first indoor game reportedly being played in 1875 in Montreal, Quebec.
Many nations now have amateur and professional hockey leagues with the most popular pro leagues being the National Hockey League (NHL) and American Hockey League (AHL) in North America as well as the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), which includes clubs from Russia, China, Belarus, Finland, Kazakhstan, and Latvia. The playing surface for most North American professional games is 200 feet long by 85 feet wide while Olympic-sized ice and many European rinks use a surface of 200 feet by 100 feet.
2. Sledge Hockey
Sledge hockey is also known as sled hockey or Para ice hockey in some parts of the world and is played on an ice surface. It has its own world championships and is also played at the Winter Paralympics. In general, the sport is aimed at players who have some type of physical disability.
It was invented at a rehabilitation center in Sweden in the 1960s and uses rules similar to ice hockey with players also wearing protective equipment. The players are seated on two-bladed sledges or sleds and propel themselves around the rink by the use of their arms.
A special stick is held in each hand with the stick having metal teeth on the handles which allows players to dig into the ice and move in any direction. The other end of the stick contains a small curved blade which is used to pass and shoot the puck.
The sport is sanctioned by the World Para Ice Hockey organization and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Games are made up of three 15-minute periods with overtime and penalty shootouts used when necessary to decide tie games. There are numerous tournaments and leagues for sledge hockey around the world but no professional leagues as of yet.
3. Field Hockey
Field Hockey is a summer Olympic, limited-contact team sport for both men and women and typically consists of two 35-minute halves. Each team consists of 10 players and a goalkeeper with the aim of the game simply being to outscore the opposition. Players use field-hockey sticks to control and shoot a round, hard hockey ball and typically wear shorts or skirts and Tee-shirt jerseys with minimal protective equipment underneath. The modern version of field hockey was developed in the United Kingdom during the 19th century and is played in most areas of the world.
Goalies are allowed to play the ball with any part of their body but only with the front part of the stick, which is flat in the front and rounded on the back. The other players must also use the flat side of their stick only to play the ball. If a player uses the rounded part of the stick to play the ball it results in a penalty. Depending on the league or tournament, field hockey games can end in a tie or they’re decided by a form of overtime or a penalty shootout.
Although it’s called field hockey in most parts of the world as it’s usually played on grass, the game can also be played on artificial turf as well as indoors on a boarded surface. The playing surface is 91.4 metres long by 55 metres wide (100 x 60.1 yards)
The sport is governed by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) with the top competitions being the World Cup, Olympic Games, Champions Trophy, Junior World Cup, and World League. There’s a professional league known as the FIH Pro League which consists of several national teams rather than individual clubs.
There are also pro leagues throughout Asia, Australia and Europe. Indoor field hockey is also played with teams having five players a side plus a goalie and the playing surface measuring approximately 40 metres long by 20 metres wide (131 × 66 feet).
4. Ball Hockey (Floor Hockey)
Ball hockey is typically played on the hard cement floor of ice-hockey rinks during the summer months. It’s also known as floor hockey which is often played in school gymnasiums. Many players compete in local ball hockey leagues throughout the world and the sport generally uses the same rules as ice hockey, which means a team consists of five players and a goalie.
Ice-hockey sticks are usually used in ball hockey but a round orange ball is used instead of a puck. However, when playing floor hockey in gymnasiums plastic sticks or blades are often used to help stop the floors from scratching. In addition, floor hockey shouldn’t be confused with the sport known as floorball.
Contact and non-contact versions of ball hockey exist and there’s also a world governing body for the sport named the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation (ISBH). Protective gear is usually worn and the game can also be played on outdoor surface.
In general, ball hockey has its own provincial, state, and national governing bodies in North America and while it’s a fast competitive sport, there are no known professional leagues. Also, the sport of dek hockey is a variation of ball hockey, is played on a smaller surface, and usually consists of three or four players on the surface at a time plus a goalie.
5. Street Hockey or Road Hockey
Street or road hockey is typically played outdoors on a street, tennis court, or parking lot on roller skates or on foot. A puck or ball can be used and the rules are generally made up by the participants. It’s simply another form of hockey in which the teams try to outscore each other during a game.
This is usually an informal gathering of friends or neighborhood children or adults who decide to play whenever the mood strikes them at any time of the year. Of course, they could also create their own league if they wish but it’s generally an informal game with no pro leagues.
6. Roller Hockey Quad and Inline
Roller hockey is also known as quad hockey in some parts of the world and is a variation of hockey which is played on roller skates. A hard ball is used with games taking place both outdoors and indoors, usually on hard wooden or cement floors. Depending on the league, a team will consist of four or five players plus a goalie and will consist of two 25-minute halves with tie games usually being decided by overtime or penalty shootouts. Players wear quad skates in quad hockey and inline skates for inline hockey.
The sport of roller hockey typically allows some contact but nothing excessive. Roller hockey is governed by an organization known as World Skate and World Championships have been held since 2017. Roller hockey appeared at the 1992 Summer Olympics as a demonstration sport and a Roller Hockey World Cup is also held. There are professional roller hockey leagues in numerous nations including Spain, India and Pakistan.
Inline hockey has pro leagues in the UK, Portugal and the USA and a hard plastic puck is used with each team consisting of four or five players and a goalie. The pro National Roller Hockey League was formed in 2014 in North America with games consisting of three 15-minute periods. There is no offside rule or icing and fighting is allowed in the league with combatants receiving a five-minute major penalty.
In addition, a league known as Major League Roller Hockey (MLRH), is played in Europe and the USA and is known as the only pro inline contact league in the world. The rules are similar to the NHL but the game consists of two 17-minute periods while the ‘Super’ League consists of four 12-minute quarters. There’s also a league in Europe known as the French Ligue Elite.
7. Bandy
Bandy is a team sport for men and women played on ice with participants wearing skates and using a sticks to control and shoot a ball into the opposing team’s net. It’s basically a variation of ice hockey and field hockey without any body checking.
However, players are allowed to use their shoulders when battling an opponent and protective gear is worn. The sticks are bowed similar to field hockey sticks and time-wise, a game of bandy is similar to soccer as it’s typically divided into two 45-minute halves. Also similar to soccer, a bandy team consists of 10 players and a goalie and the playing surface is approximately the same size as a soccer field.
Rink bandy is played on an ice-hockey surface with each team having four or five skaters and a goalie, depending on the league. Both rink bandy and 11-a-side bandy are recognized by the International Olympic Committee but the sport currently isn’t included in the Winter Olympics. Rink bandy was the inspiration for a sport known as rinkball and bandy is also regarded as the predecessor of the indoor sport known as floorball.
The Federation of International Bandy governs the sport’s world championship. Sweden was the home to the first national bandy in 1902 and in 1913 a European championship was held. Russia helped found the International Federation back in 1955 and the sport hosts a World Cup and World Championships. Several nations such as Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Norway have pro bandy leagues such as the Russian Bandy Super League.
Read our related post “8 Types of Shots in Hockey (Each Type Explained)” here.
Ian is an experienced ice hockey writer with a passion for the game. He has been covering hockey for over 25 years and has contributed to various publications. He covers all aspects of the sport, from NHL rules to in-depth analysis of the game as well as previews. Ian is also an avid fan who attends numerous games and has played hockey regularly since moving to Canada at the age of 10.