The tournament is an invitational format to bring four of the strongest Para ice hockey teams together for international competition.

The idea behind the tournament was to give an opportunity for international level play during non-Paralympic years.

The inaugural World Sledge Hockey Challenge tournament in 2007 was hosted in Kelowna, British Columbia, and featured four teams – Canada, Norway, United States and Germany.

Canada captured the inaugural tournament, by defeating Norway 1-0 in overtime in the gold medal game.

In the November tournament that year in Calgary, Alberta, Canada again captured Gold, defeating the United States 4-1 in the final.

The 2012 tournament was held again in Calgary, Alberta and saw the United States capture their second gold, defeating Canada 1-0 in the final.