Ice Hockey vs. Rugby: Defining the Distinction

Everyone play sports. Most of the sports have some similarities and also differences in many aspects. Rugby and ice hockey are two sports, which are comparable in objective but very different in their directions and guidelines. Both of these games have shown a steady increase in its popularity over the past 25 years making it one of the best popular sports in world. Each of this sports have their own crazy fan base that is willing to do some face and body painting on themselves which many people often do not believe. All in all in spite of few similarities they have they are still numerous differences. There are three differences between rugby and ice hockey which is the number of players needed, the field types and the equipment needed during the games.

The first difference between rugby and ice hockey are the number of players needed. For rugby, the players needed are fifteen persons per match. During the match are conducted, only seven replacements are allowed for injuries or any reason depending on the tournament rules but once a player was replaced he is not permitted to return to the field unless there is an injury or no other backups player. In contrast, ice hockey only need six players for a match. Five of these players are referred to as skaters and the sixth is a goal-tender. However, there are unlimited number of substitutions of players and can happen at any time throughout the match.

The other difference between rugby and ice hockey is the field types. Rugby is played on a field surfaced that is completely covered with grass. The rugby field is rectangle in shape with a measurement of 70 metres wide and 100 metres long. At each end of the field there is an area called the ‘in goal’. This where the tries are scored. The side lines are called the ‘touch lines’. Meanwhile, ice hockey is played on ice, usually in a rink that is specially design for ice hockey which is quadrilateral in shape, has curved corners and is surrounded by “boards” made of wood or fibre glass which is 1 metre high. The rink is divided in half by a red centreline, and blue lines between the centreline and the goals divide the rink further. The official size of the rink is approximately 61 metres long and 30.5 metres wide with a corner radius of 8.5 metres.

Finally, the equipment needed during the games are different between rugby and ice hockey. In rugby, the players must wear shin guards, jersey, a matching shorts and the most important protection is a gum shield. The gumshield not only protects the player’s teeth and gums, but it can reduce damage to the jaw and reduces a player’s chances of getting concussed. The ball used in rugby is made up of an inflated rubber bladder, encircled by stitched leather but in modern era the ball is made from synthetic material and appears oval in shape. Most of the players now wear spikey shoes to allow grip on the grass but flat soles are frequently worn for synthetic grass surfaces. Conversely, in ice hockey the things needed are much more than rugby. Skaters need to wear helmet with cage to protect their faces, shoulder pads, mouth guard, gloves, hockey pants, a jock, hockey stick, puck and skates. However, goaltender use a diverse equipment than the skaters. Goaltender wear a special goalie skates which make him easier to move side to side, a blocking gloves, a goalie mask, jersey, a chest shield and a jock. Even though there are few similarities in rugby and ice hockey in terms of equipment but there are still many differences that can be observe in their equipment.

As a conclusion, rugby and ice hockey have a very distinct difference.