Ice sledge hockey Sledge hockey ( known as sled hockey in the United States ) is a sport that was designed to allow participants who have a physical disability to play the game of ice hockey . Ice sledge hockey was invented in the early 1960s in Stockholm , Sweden at a rehabilitation center . It is currently one of the most popular sports in the Paralympic Games . History . Two men from Sweden designed the sledge for ice sledge hockey in the 1960s because they wanted to continue to play hockey despite their physical disability . 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 sledges 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 sledge hockey , competition between sledge hockey teams started up in 1969 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 sledge hockey team and sledge hockey continued to expand when Estonia and Japan developed their teams in 1993 . International ice sledge 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 sledge 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 . Rules . Essentially all of the regular ice hockey rules in able - bodied ice hockey leagues apply to ice sledge hockey . The only differences those necessitated by the ice sledge and the athlete . The first set of international rules was created in 1990 and was drafted from Canadian rules . The entrance ways to the players ’ benches and penalty benches from the ice are built flush with the playing ice so the players can access them without the help of a coach or able - bodied person . Additionally , the surface area inside the players ’ benches and penalty benches are made of smooth plastic or ice , to avoid damage to the players ’ sledges . All players are required to have their ice sledge hockey equipment follow the standard that has been set by HECC ( the Hockey Equipment Certification Council Inc . ) , including their sledges , sticks , helmet , skates ( if applicable ) , and other protective gear . The sticks for ice sledge hockey players have a blade curved at one end in a manner similar to regular ice hockey , and generally six to eight metal teeth at the opposite end of the blade for maneuvering and propulsion . Movement is achieved by using the metal teeth as a means to grip the ice and push oneself forward . The metal teeth cannot be too pointy nor protrude farther than 1 cm beyond the stick , to prevent damage to the ice or injure of other players .