Hockey Net Sizes

Too big, too small, or just right? "Shins and heads were battered, benches smashed, and the lady spectators fled in confusion," screamed a wire dispatch from Kingston's Daily British Wing in Montreal on March 30, 1875. The pandemonium in question ensued at the end of what is believed to be the first indoor hockey match organized by James Creighton, considered by some as the father of ice hockey, at Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink. The game of hockey has come a long way since then, and the hockey nets as we know them today, have also gone through a lot of changes.

The diverse charms of hockey

There are three common variants of the game of hockey - ice hockey, roller or inline hockey, and field hockey. Of these, ice hockey is the most popular in the United States. Roller hockey, played on inline skates, has gained popularity in the U.S., and competitive roller teams now play on plastic tile courts with a plastic roller puck. In the United States, field hockey is widely regarded as a girls' sport but there are some men's leagues as well. Hockey nets and equipment depends largely on what type of hockey is being played.

Hockey goal posts and hockey nets

The ice hockey net is placed in the center of a 2-inch-wide line and 13 feet from the back of the rink, and is centered between the sideboards.

• Ice Hockey - The regulation professional ice hockey goal consists of a metal frame 4 feet (1.22m) high and 6 feet (1.83m) wide. The net depth is 4 feet.

Extending from the back of the frame down to the ice surface are thin, curved bars that support a mesh nylon net. Goals are held in place by short, 10-inch pegs embedded in the ice. The goal posts and cross bars are painted red and the nylon net is white.

• Roller Hockey - The official National In-Line Hockey Association (NIHA) goal size is 6 feet between the posts and 4 feet from ground to top.
  
• Field hockey nets are 7 feet in height, 12 feet in length, and 4 feet in depth.

Choice of hockey net sizes

There are eight classifications of hockey play in the United States starting from Mighty Mite (ages 6 and under) to Professional (ages 19 and up). White standard regulation size hockey nets are used by the Professionals, smaller-sized hockey nets help younger players develop accurate shooting and gradually master the nuances of the game. Hockey nets and goal posts are available in various sizes for players of varying ages and skills. Some of them even fold for easy portability. And enough practice at the right hockey net might even turn your little one into another Wayne Gretzky!