Street hockey is a variant of the outdoor game of ice hockey wherein the game is usually played outside on hard earth, sometimes with inline skates or roller skates with a ball or puck. Both puck and ball are usually manufacturing to be played outdoors, on non-ice surfaces, with minimal or no protective equipment. However, there are many differences between outside ice hockey and street hockey. These differences, in addition to the equipment variations are explored below.

Generally, street hockey differs from ice hockey in that there's less protective equipment. The players wear more shirts and T-shirts than hockey players. Ice hockey players utilize long-sleeved jerseys, long-sleeved pants and protective equipment like helmet, mask, gloves, etc. A few of these protective equipment are optional for street hockey. These clothing items are vital for Ice Hockey gamers, due to the character of the game, as they must move around continuously to evaluate goals. Without these clothing items, Ice Hockey is not possible.

As in regular hockey, street hockey involves physical contact, particularly collisions, and stick-fights. This physical contact could result in minor injuries like lumps, bruises, and other minor injuries. Though road hockey is largely played by kids and teens, some grown-ups do occasionally play. Typically, adults play against younger children and teens, although adults have been known to participate in low-level youth leagues too. That is because the physical contact associated with this contact sports can result in considerable harm if it isn't properly handled.

To compete at a street hockey league in the United States, one must have one's own motor vehicle. Since street hockey is an outdoor sport, most of the leagues need participants to bring their own vehicles. Participants also will need to bring their own protective equipment, such as gloves, helmets, padding, and other equipment.

In addition to protective equipment and clothes, Ice Hockey players also utilize special pucks called "pucks" or "ice rinks". Though originally made from wood or metal, the contemporary "ice rinks" are made from durable plastic. Many modern ice rinks use aluminum or acrylic for their surfaces, rather than traditional wood. Even though the pucks can be reached from any type of material, many ice hockey enthusiasts prefer to use plastic since it enables the players to command the puck better when it comes down from the ice.

There are three different sizes of Ice Rinks from the United States. Smaller rinks are often found in towns and small cities and are usually employed by local teams. Larger ice rinks are located on private roads in larger cities and are frequently employed by professional and inter-regional teams. The US government has designated particular states as having full-blown ice rinks, which are run and maintained during the entire year.