Floor Hockey Equipment
The sport of floor hockey requires the type of sporting equipment described below. It is recommended that programs provide equipment that is in good working order, a minimum of one per athlete and if possible an adequate number of spares. Equipment should be checked regularly for damage and replaced as needed.
Helmets (Mandatory)
The most important piece of protective equipment a hockey player wears is a floor hockey helmet. The helmet must cover the entire head with a full mask. It is mandatory for all players. A chinstrap is necessary. The helmet must be worn at ALL times during training and competition, and it should fit snugly (not too tight, not too loose).
Shin Guards (Mandatory)
Floor hockey shin guards come in three styles: sponge padding that slides into the socks (not recommended), an ankle wrap with plastic sleeve inserts or a full-length knee-to-ankle shin guard. Higher skill level teams should use the full-length knee-to-ankle shin guard.
Gloves
Street hockey/roller hockey style gloves with padding on tops of fingers and hand are strongly recommended to prevent hand injuries from sticks. Higher skill level teams should consider making gloves mandatory for their athletes.
Elbow Pads/Kneepads
Protective equipment consisting of a pad worn over the elbow or knee by floor hockey athletes.
Goalie Equipment
Goalie equipment includes a regulation ice/street/roller hockey goalie stick. The goalie is also required to wear a goalie helmet with full face mask. A goalie is allowed to wear regulation-size ice/street/roller hockey goalie pads and gloves or some reasonable facsimile thereof (e.g., cricket pads, baseball catcher's glove). Goalie pads cannot be any larger than regulation ice hockey pads. Goalies need proper equipment, and the equipment must fit well. The style of equipment chosen depends on individual preference.
Sticks
Floor hockey sticks are rods or dowels of uniform thickness. Sticks consist of wood and/or fiberglass with a circumference from 7.5cm to 10cm (3 to 4 inches) and length from 90cm to 150cm (3 to 5 feet). The floor end of the stick is rounded. No tape, string or other object is allowed that increases the diameter of the bottom of the stick. Some sticks have a felt tip on the end of the stick to lessen friction between the stick and the playing surface and to prevent damage to wooden playing surfaces.
Pucks
Floor hockey pucks are "donut" shaped felt pucks with a center hole of 10cm (4 inches), a diameter of 20cm (8 inches), a thickness of 2.5cm (1inch) and a weight of 140 to 225 grams (5 to 8 ounces).
Goals/Nets
Floor hockey goals are 1.8 meters wide, 1.2 meters high and .6 meters deep (6 x 4 x 2 feet). The sides and back of a goal should have appropriate netting. Regulation ice/street/roller hockey nets are also permitted. See supplier list below.
Additional Equipment
Instructional equipment may be needed during the course of a floor hockey training program. The coach will find some of this equipment essential to teach the skills effectively:
- Whistles
- Cones or pylons
- Stopwatches and/or electric timers
- Equipment bags
- Tape (floor tape, masking tape and/or duct tape)
- Scrimmage vests
- Clipboards
- Pens/pencils or felt tip markers
- Labels (to label athletes' helmets with their names)
- Minor tools (screwdriver, pliers etc.)
- First aid kit
There are many ice/street/roller hockey companies that provide equipment that meets the requirements stated above. The following websites are good resources for locating much of the equipment required:
- Mylec Inc. sells a full range of hockey equipment. http://www.mylec.com/mylechockey/Products/tabid/102/Default.aspx
- Hockey Giant http://www.hockeygiant.com/
- Bron Tapes is a good supplier of floor marking tapes in a variety of colors and widths. http://www.brontapes.com/
- Slik Stik Floor Hockey Sticks
9 Windham Dr.
North York, Ontario, Canada
M2K 1X7
(416) 224-5002
Supplies regulation floor hockey sticks with felt tips, replacement felt tips and floor hockey pucks.
The four companies mentioned above are good resources; however, it is strongly recommended that you do research to find the equipment you need at the best prices.
