Para Ice Hockey in Manchester
Manchester Mayhem is a para ice hockey club, offering disable and able bodied people the opportunity to play hockey in Manchester! If you want to know more, their Facebook page is the best way to get in touch with the team.
The Manchester Mayhem
The Manchester Mayhem play and train at Planet Ice in Altrincham and are Manchester’s only para ice hockey team. They have been playing since before 2013 and play against teams from Peterborough/Cambridge, Cardiff and Sheffield. The team plays in a league structure and enjoys regular competitive matches.
It’s free to go and watch a game and so we recommend that you keep an eye on their social media for upcoming fixtures! They also have a website in development, which we will link to once complete!
The Sport
Para ice hockey is an adapted version of ice hockey and is a Paralympic sport. It is played at the Winter Paralympics and debuted in 1994 in the Norwegian Winter Olympics.
The player’s pilot an ice sledge, with two skate blades on the bottom. There is a gap between the two blades, for some filthy dangles. Player’s have two shortened sticks, with a stick blade at one end and a ‘pick’ at the other, to help propel the sledge. The game is played with the same intensity and physicality of ice hockey.
British Para Ice Hockey
One of the best ways to support Para Ice Hockey in the UK, is to sign up for and play their association’s lottery. Guess what, you also get a chance to win yourself some money too in the process! Win, win.
The British team is ranked 14th in the world. They are looking forward to a strong display in the next winter Olympics. The Olympics should have taken place in Tokyo in 2020 but has been postponed and will hopefully happen soon.
If you’re interested in watching, playing or supporting the team, check out their Facebook page (link above). Mayhem have loads of great events going on throughout the year.
Get to know the Manchester Mayhem
We asked Manchester Mayhem some questions, in order to get the know the team and bring you an insight into their character!
The Logo
The team was originally formed at the time when the Manchester Phoenix, was Manchester’s premier team (check out the hidden page that explains their legend). As such, they were originally known as the Manchester Phoenix Sledge Hockey team. When the Phoenix returned to the ashes, the team was left with a really short time to re-form and re-brand.
The chaos and mayhem of that time, informed the name, the Manchester Mayhem. The current design was the winning entry in a public vote!
The playing kit
The red gradient Vancouver Canucks jersey design inspired the original kit. The same jersey used to inspire the Vancouver Canucks reverse retro jersey! Clearly good taste.
The away jersey was also put to a public vote and the current design is the winning entry.
There are rumours of a 5 year anniversary jersey, coming soon, so keep an eye on the Manchester Mayhem’s social media!
Manchester Mayhem’s rivals
That’s right now we’re getting into it. Who are the Manchester Mayhem’s biggest rivals?
The team’s biggest rivals are the Sheffield Steelkings and Cardiff Huskies. The Sheffield Steelkings is a natural choice, given the Lancashire vs Yorkshire vibes (the War of the Roses). Yes that’s right, to anyone reading in North America, a 15th Century civil war, is still absolutely a good reason to have a local rivalry.
We love the rivalry with the Cardiff Huskies too, founded on some really competitive, hard fought matches between the two teams over the years. Surely that is what makes ice hockey so great to play and watch!
Mayhem’s favourite match
2017 saw the Manchester Mayhem reach the play offs in their league. Not only that but they won the playoffs, beating the team finishing first in the regular season in he semi final and then the second placed team in the final! What a season!
Manchester Mayhem music/celebrity
The mayhem picked two great song choices to typify their changing rooms. Killing in the name of, by Rage against the Machine and Rise of the Phoenix. They also said that their closest celebrity would be Bez from the Happy Mondays or Frank Sidebottom, which is absolutely brilliant!
How do you get involved and join the Manchester Mayhem?
If you want to take part in upcoming taster sessions (no kit required and coaches/players will be on hand), keep an eye on their social media. Also, you can e-mail the team on info@manchestermayhem.co.uk.