Roller hockey mimics ice hockey in most respects, save for the obvious difference in playing surfaces. Roller hockey takes place on concrete, plastic or even wood flooring, and roller hockey often features a ball or plastic puck rather than ice hockey's traditional vulcanized rubber biscuit. Roller hockey goalies sometimes don't wear skates, opting instead to compete in their normal athletic shoes.
Skates
Ice hockey goalies wear specific skates due to their position's unique demands, with the boots reinforced to withstand punishment and the blades sharpened with only a very small hollow to permit sliding across the ice. In roller hockey, goalies wear the same in-line skates as forwards and defensemen: There are no possible variations to the wheels to aid lateral movement.
Limitations
If a roller hockey goaltender wishes to move to his right, he can't merely push off his left skate and slide across on his right as in ice hockey. Trying the same maneuver in roller hockey will cause the right skate's wheels to catch on the flooring, making the goalie stumble, fall or even incur injury. For a roller hockey goalie to move side to side, he has to lift his skate off the ground and place it where he wants. This stepping motion creates greater separation between the pads and exposes more of the net to opposing shooters. Roller hockey goalies who wear skates may also experience greater difficulty in moving backward, as wheels don't provide the same biting action for precise stopping.
Movement
Due to in-line skate restrictions, roller hockey goaltenders must learn two basic maneuvers to achieve smooth lateral movement. The first is the shuffle, which has the goalie taking small, chopping steps to either side while remaining in ready position. Keeping the steps short and quick protects against shooters scoring between the pads or along the ground. The other key movement technique is the T-push, which requires the goalie to turn his lead foot in the direction he wants to go and then push off the inside edge of the other skate. Again, this maneuver leaves the goalie vulnerable, as his lead leg is turned sideways, opening more net to shooters.
Considerations
Because of all these limitations, many roller hockey leagues will offer goaltenders the choice of whether to wear skates. Although skates do provide a more hockey-like experience, they also limit a goaltender's mobility, compromise safety and hinder the goaltender's ability to stop the ball or puck. Roller hockey goalies who choose not to wear skates gain an immediate advantage in mobility and can move side-to-side with precision and fluidity.
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