FLOOR HOCKEY STUDY GUIDE
HISTORY
British soldiers devised modern ice hockey while stationed in Canada in the 1850s.
In 1879 students at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, set rules. In 1963 some
sporting goods stores began to sell plastic sticks and pucks similar to those used in
floor hockey. Tom Harter, a director of Civic Recreation in Battle Creek, Michigan is
credited with introducing the game of floor hockey. Since then, it has become more
popular in many other countries, especially Russia and Sweden.
GAME OBJECTIVE
Players from two opposing teams move up and down the playing surface trying to
strike the puck into the goal with their hockey sticks while stopping the opposing
team from scoring. During the game, the goalie is the only player allowed to hold
the puck in their hands.
PLAYERS
The game is played with six players on the floor at one time. The positions are
center, left wing, right wing, left defense, right defense and goalie. The main jobs of
these players are—
Center: an offensive player that performs face offs, controls the puck and
tries to score goals; plays mostly in the center of the floor
Wing: an offensive player that works with teammates to score goals,
works the corners to control the puck; plays mostly on the
outside of the floor; also called a Forward
Defense: a defensive player that attempts to stop opponents from scoring;
starts offensive attacks by passing to forwards; plays near own goal
Goalie: a defensive player that wears special safety gear; uses their body and
special gear to stop shot by opponents; plays directly in front of net
TERMINOLOGY
Face Off—an activity that starts game action after a stoppage in play
(we will use the JMS or three tap face off technique)
Blade—the plastic portion of the stick that contacts the puck
Save—a shot that is stopped by the goalie
Hat Trick—three goals scored in a game by the same player
Assist—a pass that directly allows a teammate to score a goal
Goal—a score in hockey where the puck enters the net and counts one point
Goal Crease—The safety area directly in front of each goal
SAFETY
Many rules are used in floor hockey to maintain safe play for all. Violation of these
rules is a penalty and disqualifies a player for a specific period of time. These safety
rules include:
1) High Sticking--The plastic blade of the hockey stick may not go higher than
waist level.
2) Checking—Players may not make aggressive body contact with another
player.
3) Cross Checking—Players may not make contact with an opponent with their
stick in horizontal position
4) Slashing—Players may not use their stick to hit an opponent in a chopping
manner
5) Tripping—Players may not trip opponents using their own body or stick
6) Lifting—Players may not intentionally get the puck airborne higher than
waist level unless they are taking a shot on goal from a close proximity. If a
puck deflects off another stick and becomes airborne, this is not considered a
violation.
7) The goalie is the only person or equipment allowed in the goal crease.
8) Throwing or tossing a stick is illegal.
9) All players must wear required safety equipment in order to participate.