Some of the most frequent questions I get about my sport involve the equipment we use. While the protective gear is standard issue hockey stuff, there are some major differences that make this an “adaptive” sport. Here’s a rundown of my personal gear that I’ve accumulated over the past several seasons.

Throughout this post I’m going to refer to “program” equipment. This just refers to the equipment the team has on hand for players to use. Because disabled people are often on a fixed income, we often can’t afford all the equipment. And it’s not practical to have people buy all kinds of equipment when they want to try sled hockey for the first time. So teams usually have a stash of basic equipment on hand.

When a player get serious, they usually buy some or all of their own gear. Almost all of my gear is my own, except for my helmet and gloves, which tend to expire or wear out and need to be replaced more often.

Protective gear is available at Pure Hockey or any sporting goods store, but sleds and other sled hockey specific things are usually purchased from Mobility Sports in Indiana or Unique Inventions in Canada. You can get some sled hockey sticks at Pure Hockey.

The Sled

My amazing and trusty sled

My first program sled was from Mobility Sports, but when I bought my custom sled it was from Unique Inventions. Their sleds are more customized and seem to be more high end. At one of the big tournaments, I visited the Unique Inventions booth and had them take all my measurements, then they shipped me my sled about a month later.

The sled has a tubular aluminum frame. On that is the bucket (seat), under the bucket are two skate blades, and in front is a plastic front piece called a skag.

The cover

The bucket should be as tight and form fitting as possible. This will prevent you from shifting around when you fall over or get hit during a game. At that point you’re unbalanced and pretty useless. I had to go down to a kids’ size to get one that fit right. It has a protective cover that goes over my lap, and this held on with a pair of ratchet straps. If you have the money, or Team USA or the VA will pay for it, you can get a custom bucket built that is made from a cast of your body.

My sled cost about $650 USD. When I initially ordered it I didn’t realized they quoted me in Canadian dollars, so it was a nice surprise when I got my credit card bill.

Blades

The blade width set to the minimum 1″

For a long time I used the blades that came with my sled, but this summer I got a pair of blades from Blade Tech, and they make a huge difference. They don’t keep their edge as long, but they really bite so I can make really sharp turns.

You can adjust the distance between the two blades. Further apart (up to 4″) is more stable, and closer (down to 1″) is for better turning and maneuverability but less stability. I currently have mine set at 1″.

Sticks

The sticks. All the sticks.

Players use two sticks with a blade at one end for handling the puck and shooting, and metal picks at the other end for pushing off the ice. (Yes, those picks are sharp, especially when they’re new). Program sticks are usually made of wood, but those are heavy and most players prefer to buy their own composite sticks.

I’ve gone through a few types. My first sticks were from Mobility Sports (top). These are much lighter than the wooden ones and they lasted me several seasons. That is, until I found sticks from Warrior (middle). The blades on these are a lot wider, which helps puck control, and I like the curve a lot more. These come in two parts that are put together with hot glue: the blade, and the shaft (which is my case came from a broken hockey stick). The nice thing about these is that if a shaft breaks, you can use a heat gun to melt the glue and replace it. But of course, Warrior stopped making them this way, and now they only sell their sticks molded into one piece (bottom). These are lighter and feel great to use, but at $125 per stick they’re expensive to replace. Luckily my team had some grant money and some of us got these.

The length of the sticks is pretty important. Too long or too short and it will be hard to skate. The rule of thumb is that when you’re sitting in your sled, and the pick end is on the ice, the end of the blade should just reach your shoulder.

Picks

My preferred tape method

Like regular hockey sticks, you add tape to the blade to help grip the puck. Most people wrap their tape around the traditional way, but one of the Team USA guys showed me how to tape as shown. This uses less tape, and leaves the sided of the blades smooth so it’s easier to change my hand position from skating to shooting.

Protective Gear

Standard hockey stuff

This is standard hockey stuff: Shin pads, elbow pads, shoulder pads/chest protector, and a helmet. Some people wear hockey pants, but I don’t because the cover of my sled does a good job protecting me. Some wear a mouth guard, and some wear a neck protector (these are required by Team USA for their games).

You do need a full face shield of some sort on the helmet. Most have a cage, but I got a hand me down half shield/half cage from one of the Team USA guys and I really like it.

Gloves

Treated gloves

Gloves always take a beating. The knuckles often come in contact with the ice, so they get ripped up and it’s not uncommon to see a piece of knuckle padding on the ice during a game. There are various things you can put on the knuckles to make them last longer, like Shoe Goo or epoxy. This year I found that Flex Seal works great. It’s waterproof, tough, easy to spray on, and it goes on with a smooth finish so it looks good too.

 

In all, a setup like this would probably cost about $1200, which is why sponsorships and grants are so important to sled hockey programs. Luckily most of this stuff is pretty durable and can last multiple seasons.