Yes, you will find several terms from football and the organization on the field is quite the same. But you use skates and sticks as in ice hockey.

Anyway, the difference is more than just that there are 11 players in bandy and 5 in ice hockey.

1. Puck and the ball: at bandy games you use a ball, in hockey a puck is used instead. The difference is that if you shoot a puck, it is difficult for the puck to lift from the ice.

2. 11-man and 5-man: When ice hockey is played with 5-man, 4 players and 1 goalkeeper, bandy is played with 10 players and 1 goalkeeper. The difference is faster game in ice hockey and fast changes. The opposite of bandy.

3. Plans and targets size: a bandy field is like a soccer field, that is, approximately: 100 x 45 meters. An ice hockey rink is 60 x 30 meters. An ice hockey rink has a frame, then plexiglass over sarge to protect the spectators. At bandy games there is a net only at the short sides, behind the goals. Dangerous for the spectators in the long sides.

4. Period Length: in bandy you play 2 x 45 minutes (sometimes 3 x 30 minutes due to weather conditions), as in soccer. In ice hockey you play 3 x 20minuter. As in paragraph 3, faster changes in ice hockey and faster moves.

5. Objectives size (goals): In hockey, small rink, small targets 1.83 x 1.22 meters. Bandy, great field major target 3.5 x 2.1 meters. In ice hockey goalkeepers sit down, because of the smaller goals, and with proper equipment. In bandy the goalkeeper stands up and does not have quite as much protection.

6. Indoor and outdoor: to play indoors instead of outdoors is a big difference. Or it's just a difference but it is great, it's the weather difference. Wind, wind and snow with more. That´s make a big difference in different sports.

7. Popularity: Bandy is not as popular as ice hockey. Hockey, played in almost whole the world and bandy is just played in the north.


There is the difference between bandy and ice hockey sports. It is also of course, rule differences between the 2 sports, such as tougher tacklings and a very special rule:

Bengal* is not prohibited in bandy. I think it is only in bandy we may bring Bengals to. Soccer becomes severely fined if they have it, even on ice hockey and other indoor sports.

Personally, I would say hockey is a funier sport, because of the faster tempo. Or you can of course go to GAIS instead ....

*: What is a Bengal? : A bengal is a fire stick that´s smokes and lit very much. This stick is normally used for boats to get help at the water. These are very populare at ex. soccer.


/VINCENT