Special Hockey, sometimes known as Adaptive Hockey, is a version of ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 adapted for athletes with cognitive disorders

Intellectual disability

Intellectual disability is a broad concept encompassing various intellectual deficits, including mental retardation , deficits too mild to properly qualify as MR, various specific conditions , and problems acquired later in life through acquired brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases like...

. For such athletes it bears a similar relationship to ice hockey as ice sledge hockey does for athletes with disorders of mobility

Physical disability

A physical disability is any impairment which limits the physical function of one or more limbs or fine or gross motor ability. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders and epilepsy....

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Administratively Special Hockey is managed through Special Hockey International and through national organizations such as the American Special Hockey Association. Teams are typically supported by regional hockey associations, local adaptive athlete programs, user fees and generous donations from local organizations.

Founded in 2006 Minnesota Hockey's

Minnesota Hockey

Minnesota Hockey is the statewide governing body of amateur hockey in Minnesota and an affiliate of USA Hockey. Since 1947, Minnesota Hockey has been providing volunteer services for the development and promotion of all youth hockey in Minnesota.-Districts:*District 1**Dino Mights**Edgcumbe Hockey...

 Special Hockey Association has 5 teams as of 2010, all in the Twin Cities area. These include the North Polars, West Eagles, Wildcats, Rapters and East Stingers.