DMan, I didn't make the last posting about floor ball. I have seen floorball and played a game of it in Vierumaki, Finland. It is very similar to floor hockey.
When I was teaching PE almost everyone in our school played intra mural floor hockey and about 25% participated in Basketball about 50% in volleyball. Kid's love it. They can at least play defense and shoot the ball down the floor.
I found the using the floorball (wiffle ball) stuffed with a plastic bag to be safer because the ball doesn't bounce as high so the sticks stay down. We used plastic floor hockey sticks or various sizes and shapes. It is difficult to find floorball equipment in North America.
Another great sport for the off season from Scandanavia is Rink Bandy http://hockeycoachingabcs.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20080727170321145 . It is played in the arena on ice with the same equipment except there are short rinkball sticks and a ball is used. There is no hitting and the rules for offside and icing are different but there is a lot of skating and the same principles as all goal centered games apply. It would be a great game for spring and summer where they keep the rinks open year round like about 20 are in Calgary.
As I write this I am watching the World Cup for Football (soccer). The game principles are the same as in hockey. Messi got about 4 great chances for Argentina; all from short passes and then breaking for the give and go. The horns blowing all the time creates a very different atmosphere than the chanting in other continents. Holland just won 2-0 over Denmark and plays Total Football with constant pressure on the ball. Football is the World Game and has been using SAG's and practicing in patches on the field for a long time. Hockey coaches can take a lot of lessons from the way they practice.
Thanks Tom,
My mistake there....I apologize.
I wish we had 20 rinks open in the summer! We are a one rink town, and it's closed for almost four months in the summer. That's why games like floor hockey, street hockey, and maybe someday floorball are so great...they keep the kids enthused in the long off-season.
Good point about using a plastic bag to keep the ball low too....we were lucky to escape the floor hockey season with all our teeth. They now inject street hockey balls with liquid to accomplish the same thing....haven't tried them yet though.
Thanks again,
DMan