In 1963, North Bay’s Canadian Sports Hall of Fame inductee Sam Jacks, created the foundation of Ringette. Developed originally for girls, ringette is a fast-paced team sport on ice in which players use a straight stick to pass, carry, and shoot a rubber ring to score goals.
For a decade, play centred in Ontario and Quebec, however the sport quickly spread across Canada and is now played in all ten provinces and the Northwest Territories. In fact, the sport has become one of Canada’s favourite activities for females, with over 50,000 participants across Canada.
The sport’s explosive growth isn’t just limited to Canada, as it continues to grow at an international level, with the formation of associations in the U.S.A., Finland, Sweden, Estonia and France.
How its Played
The game of Ringette itself is played on most standard rinks. Teams include six players permitted on the ice at one time, consisting of one centre, two forwards, two defenders and a goaltender.
The objective of the game is to score on the opposing team. Skates must be worn and all players, with the exception of the goalie, use a straight stick to pass and maneuver a blue rubber pneumatic ring on the ice and into the net. “Ring hogging” is prevented by rules that restrict any one player from carrying the ring the full length of the ice. The ring must be passed over the blue line to another player, which makes ringette a team oriented sport.
Similar to hockey, a team plays short handed (down one or two players), when a player gets a penalty and must sit for a defined interval in the penalty box. Regardless of the number of players in the penalty box, at least three skaters must be present on the ice at all times.
One of the sport’s most recognizable and defining features is the fact that it does not involve the use of intentional body contact as a strategic component.
The Ringette philosophy is to provide “a mass participation team sport which encourages the physical, mental, social and moral development of individual participants within the highest standards of safety, sportsmanship, personal excellence, and enjoyment.”
Despite its primary popularity among female participants, the sport is officially mixed.
Ringette is a uniquely Canadian winter sport that's played on the ice or in the gym "gym ringette". While ringette looks a bit like hockey, it has some very distinct differences - making it the fastest game on ice. The main goal of ringette is to use a stick to shoot a ring into the opposing team's goal. The team with the highest score at the end wins.
Ringette is played with a ring and a straight stick
The ring is hollow and made of rubber. Sticks are not recycled hockey sticks. Companies produce sticks with tapered ends with steel, aluminum, or plastic tips. Different styles, flex and weight are available.
Ringette is played 5 on 5 plus goalkeepers
Teams are usually made up of 11 to 17 players, with six skaters on the ice simultaneously (a goalie, two defences, a centre, and two forwards).
The ring is passed at every blue line
A player cannot carry the ring over a blue line in either direction. The ring must be passed over the blue line to another teammate. That teammate is permitted to skate ahead of the ring carrier and already be across the blue line before the ring crosses it.
Players never enter the goalkeeper’s crease
If the ring lands in or on the crease, the only player who can touch it is the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper usually picks up the ring and throws it to a teammate. The goalie has five seconds to pass it out of her crease.
Players have 30 seconds to take a shot on the net
Teams have 30 seconds to take a shot on goal after they gain possession of the ring. If time runs out on the shot clock, a buzzer sounds and the other team is awarded the ring.
In the offensive zones, the game is played 3 on 3
You will notice the free-play lines (small red lines at the top of the circles) on the ice. From this line to the end boards, it’s a game of 3 on 3. Players can rotate in and out of the free-play zones producing a lot of movement and creativity.
Ringette players wear protective equipment
Players wear a neck guard, elbow, knee, and shin pads and equipment that provides hip and tailbone protection. Helmets with a full-face mask are mandatory. The masks must have triangular or tight horizontal bars to prevent the stick from penetrating.
There is no intentional body contact
Ringette promotes a no-contact policy when it comes to the physical aspect of its game. Penalties are given when a player makes excessive body contact with another player, checks a player too high on the stick, trips, hits, or interferes with another player.
What is ringette?
Ringette has some very distinct differences to other ice sports. In fact, while it looks a bit like hockey, it more closely resembles lacrosse or basketball in terms of its offensive and defensive play.
Ringette emphasizes team play over individual stardom.
Deliberate contact is prohibited.
Ringette offers competition at every skill level - recreational leagues, elite leagues, university, National Ringette League and international competition.
Ringette strongly promotes the physical learning principles of Long Term Athlete Development.
Ringette seeks to develop individuals to their maximum potential as an athlete and as a person.
Who can play ringette?
While ringette was created for women and girls to have a competitive on-ice sport, the sport has evolved to include EVERYONE - girls and boys, men and women
