Rover

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ice hockey consisted of seven positions. Along with the goaltender, two defencemen, and three forwards who remain today, a Rover was also part of the team. Unlike all the others, the rover did not have a set position, and roamed the ice at will, going where needed.

As the skill level of players increased, the need to have a rover was decreased. When it was formed in 1910, the National Hockey Association decided to exclude the rover. The league's successor, the NHL, did the same in 1917. However, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, formed in 1911, kept the rover. The Western Canada Hockey League also used a rover when it was founded in 1921.

As the NHA and later NHL didn't have a rover, but the PCHA did, a compromise was made during Stanley Cup matches, which, at the time, was a challenge cup. Games would alternate between the NHA/NHL rules and PCHA versions, allowing each team an advantage and disadvantage during games.

The first Olympic ice hockey tournament in 1920 used a rover, but this position was eliminated for subsequent games.

In 1923, both the PCHA and the WCHL decided to drop the rover position, as it was seen to be crowding the ice and therefore reducing the speed of play. With the decision to remove the rover, it disappeared from professional hockey forever.

Contemporary Usage

The term is sometimes used to informally describe fast, rushing offensive defencemen, such as former NHLer Scott Niedermayer, as they often roam the ice creating offensive pressure instead of being simply "blueliners".

The term is also used to describe the extra attacker, who roams the ice instead of assuming their usual positions.

See also

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game/Chapter IV

• Too many men penalty

External links

• Rovers inducted in the HHOF

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