How it began
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) says para ice hockey was invented in the early 1960s at a rehabilitation centre in Stockholm, Sweden, by players with physical impairments who used a metal sled fitted with two skate blades. By 1969, the IPC says, Stockholm had a five-team league and hosted the first international match, against a team from Oslo. The sport became an official Paralympic event at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Games.
How it is played
The IPC describes the sport as following IIHF rules with modifications. The Hockey News (12 March 2026), writing at the time of the Milano Cortina Paralympics, set out the main ones:
| Feature | Para ice hockey (Paralympics) | Olympic and IIHF hockey |
|---|---|---|
| Players at full strength | 5 skaters a side plus a goaltender | 5 skaters a side plus a goaltender |
| Periods | Three of 15 minutes | Three of 20 minutes (IIHF Rule Book 2026/27, Rule 77.1) |
| Overtime | 4 on 4 | 3 on 3 (IIHF Rule Book 2026/27, Rule 84) |
| How players move | Seated on a double-blade sledge, pushing with two short sticks | Skating |
| Benches and penalty boxes | Level with the ice, with clear boards in front so seated players can see | Not covered in that comparison |
Sledges and sticks
According to The Hockey News (2026), players sit on double-blade sledges with a frame at least 80 cm long. They are strapped in at the hips, knees, ankles and feet. Each player carries two short sticks, each with a blade at one end for handling and shooting the puck and a toothed pick at the other end for pushing off the ice. The detailed equipment rules sit in the World Para Ice Hockey rulebook, which was not read for this site.
Who governs it
The IPC's own pages describe the governance in two ways. Its rules page names World Para Ice Hockey as the sport's International Federation and links the World Para Ice Hockey Rules 2018-2022 and the Regulations 2020/2021. Its about page says the IPC governs the sport, with a World Para Ice Hockey Technical Committee coordinating it. Both pages are the IPC's; check the current rulebook edition with World Para Ice Hockey before relying on it.
National bodies run the game at home. In the United States, USA Hockey said on 16 September 2025 that its Disabled Hockey playing rules had been added to the general USA Hockey rulebook for 2025-29. In Canada, Hockey Saskatchewan told on-ice officials to wear a BNQ-approved neck guard from 3 January 2024 in games where players must wear one, a list that included para hockey.
Who plays
The sport is for athletes with a physical impairment in the lower body. The IPC says the Paralympic tournament is open to both men and women, but that women have rarely taken part: one female player in 1994, one in 2018 and one in 2022. The Hockey News (2026) reported that there was no women's para hockey event at the 2026 Games and that plans targeted 2030; that comes from a single source and could not be confirmed.
Recent Paralympic results
| Games | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing 2022 | United States gold, Canada silver, China bronze | IPC about page |
| Milano Cortina 2026 (final 15 March 2026) | The United States beat Canada 6-2 in the final; Paralympic.ca called it a fifth straight Paralympic title for the US and a third straight silver for Canada | Paralympic.ca, 15 March 2026 |
Trying it
The place to start is your national ice hockey federation. In the United States, USA Hockey says its 2025-29 rulebook now includes its Disabled Hockey playing rules. The getting started page lists the beginner programmes the governing bodies run, and the governing bodies page explains who runs what.
Sources
- International Paralympic Committee, para ice hockey about page
- International Paralympic Committee, para ice hockey rules page
- The Hockey News, how para hockey differs from Olympic hockey (12 March 2026)
- Paralympic.ca, Canada earns para ice hockey silver (15 March 2026)
- USA Hockey, 2025-29 playing rules changes (16 September 2025)
- IIHF Official Rule Book 2026/27 (PDF)
- Hockey Saskatchewan, memo on officials wearing BNQ throat protectors