Get Pucked

Strap on your pads, tie up your skates and get ready for some inline action, because the 10th annual Hong Kong Inline Hockey Cup will be skating in to King’s Park this November. During the two-week event, teams from all over the world, from Brazil to Iran, will be facing off for a chance to take home the championship title.

A game of speed, agility and teamwork, inline hockey is quickly becoming one of the more popular sports in Hong Kong, with over 800 players already. For those of you not in the know, the idea of inline hockey is very similar to that of ice hockey, except that the equipment and rules have been adjusted to better suit the playing environment. Inline hockey can be played on just about any non-slip surface: plastic tiles, wooden floors or concrete.

Ice hockey may be known for the brawls that take place on the rink, but inline hockey strictly prohibits any stick-checking. Roughhousing or fighting can land you anywhere between a two to five minute penalty, or even ejection from a game. But fear not—inline hockey does have its fair share of tussles: players still push up against each other and the boards. But broken bones and bloody knuckles are a rarity; the most common injuries are a few scrapes and bruises here and there. “You’ve got to be determined, and you’ve got to have a little feistiness. But it’s not just pure physical intimidation, there’s a lot more stick handling and skating skill involved,” says Tim King, Vice President of the Hong Kong China Inline Hockey Cup Association. King is also the chairperson of this year’s Inline Cup.

Moreover, unlike ice hockey, there are four players and a goalie to each side, which means more puck possession for each player. “You get the puck a lot more in inline: that’s why the longer a team holds the puck, the bigger the chance that team will win. All game strategies are built around that idea,” says Andrew Sponagle, Head Referee of the Hong Kong China Inline Hockey Association.

The popularity of the sport lies in its broad appeal and ability to be played on just about any surface. “This is the perfect sport for a place like Hong Kong. Inline hockey isn’t confined to an area with ice, you can play wherever, in a courtyard, the pavement, and whenever,” said Sponagle. Its simplicity is also a reason why inline skating is quickly gaining a reputation here. “Whether you’re playing for the first time or just watching a match, inline is a blast. Unlike some sports, it’s a really easy game to learn. The learning curve isn’t very steep, you can pick up the basics pretty quickly,” says King. Sponagle adds, “It’s a sport anyone can do: if you can walk, then you can skate and dribble a puck.”

If you’ve never played before, all you need to do is grab a stick and a pair of skates. “Whether you’re a kid or an adult, there are a lot of training programs and workshops to help with the progression from amateur to professional,” says King. If you just want to play for fun, there’s a recreational team too. Sponagle says that playing inline hockey can be a great opportunity to hang out with friends, and make some new ones too.