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The United States Sled
Hockey Association
The primary mission of The United States Sled
Hockey Association (USSHA) is to foster the
advancement of sled hockey for all individuals
without prejudice or discrimination. The
organization pledges, through progressive leadership
and mutual cooperation, to ensure meaningful
opportunities and enjoyable experiences for
competitors in a sportsmanlike environment, both
within the United States and internationally. Sled
hockey is played mainly by people with lower
extremity disabilities, but is not limited to people
with amputations, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy,
and post-polio. Players use their arms to propel
themselves by digging the picks on the ends of two
short hockey sticks into the ice and pulling forward.
In sled hockey, players are seated on sleds, which are
affixed to two hockey skate blades under the seat.
The sleds are about three inches off the ice and are
anywhere from two to four feet long, depending on
the size of the player. The sled glides on the blades
and a metal bar in the front. The few differences
between a sled hockey game and a typical hockey
game are 15 minute periods instead of 20, two sticks
instead of one, and the sled hockey players wear a
sled on top of their skates. The puck is the same and
the pads are the same.
The United States Sled
Hockey Association
usahockey,comi
The American Amputee
Hockey Association
The American Amputee Hockey Association’s
(AAHA) primary mission is to develop the sport
of ice hockey for amputees and other amateur
athletes, regardless of physical ability. The AAHA
assists people with disabilities who are interested in
competing locally, nationally, and internationally.
They are sanctioned by USA Hockey and Disabled
Sports USA to conduct developmental camps and
clinics, and to advance the goal of future Paralympic
participation by amputee hockey players competing
upright on or with their prostheses. Amputee
Hockey is identical to amateur ice hockey, except the
athletes are missing one or more of their upper or
lower extremities. Competing with other amputees
allows participation in a fast-paced exciting sport on
a level playing field. One of the AAHA’s objectives
is to grow the sport to a national level, with the
hopes that other national teams and international
tournaments will follow.
The American Amputee
Hockey Association
amputeehockey.org
108 Major National and International Adaptive Organizations
Major National and International Adaptive Organizations
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