Roller in-line hockey
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Roller in-line hockey, or inline hockey is a variant of hockey played on a hard, smooth surface, with players using inline skates to move and ice hockey sticks to shoot a hard, plastic puck into their opponent's goal to score points.[1] The sport is a very fast-paced and free-flowing game and is considered a contact sport, but body checking is prohibited. There are five players including the goalkeeper from each team on the rink at a time, while teams normally consist of 16 players.[2] There are professional leagues, one of which is the National Roller Hockey League (NRHL). While it is not a contact sport, there are exceptions, i.e. the NRHL involves fighting.
Inline hockey players | |
| Highest governing body | World Skate and International Ice Hockey Federation (former) |
|---|---|
| First played | 20th century United States |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Yes |
| Team members | 5 per side (including goaltender) |
| Mixed-sex | Yes, separate competitions |
| Type | Team sport |
| Equipment |
|
| Venue | Inline hockey arena |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Worldwide |
| Olympic | No |
| World Games | 2005 – present and 2022 – present |
Unlike ice hockey, there are no blue lines or defensive zones in roller hockey. This means that, according to most rule codes, there are no offsides or icings that can occur during gameplay. This along with fewer players on the rink allows for faster gameplay. There are traditionally two 20-minute periods or four 10-minute periods with a stopped clock.
In the United States, the highest governing body for the sport is USA Roller Sports (USARS). USARS is credited with the development of the present-day rules and regulations that is used throughout multiple tournament series. They organize tournaments across the United States but they are not the only tournament provider. Some of the other independent tournament providers include Amateur Athletic Union, North American Roller Championships, and the Torhs 2 Hot 4 Ice tournament series.[2] Internationally, inline hockey is represented by two different unions, the World Skate and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Each organizes its own annual world championships.
Due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, World Skate banned Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from its competitions, and will not stage any events in Russia or Belarus in 2022.[3]