Roller Hockey was the biggest thing ever circa 1992 - 1997 if you ask me. I remember when Bauer came out with their first line of skates for roller hockey. I think I started with the H3’s. Everyone played it. The NHL Breakout tournaments. It seemed like there were leagues and tournaments all over my city back then. My friends (team mates) and I would have RHI parties every Saturday in a buddy’s garage. 11pm on ESPN. Such good times. The RHI always will be the best most professional league ever. No other league came close. The look, the jerseys, the colors the coverage. They looked professional. Now these new leagues look like 17yr olds in clown uniforms. It was so fun back then I miss it. I’m 45 now. There aren’t any leagues in my city and really nowhere to play. My last custom skate set-up was a pair of Bauer Air 90 boots with LaBeda Predator chassis, 80 80 78 78. Hyper wheels abec 9 bearings. I swear to this day I’ll get back into it and start playing again. One day.
The NHL Breakout tournaments were so much fun! I remember playing in the Coors field parking lot and it was packed and a mad house. Roller hockey was so popular in the 90s, it was weird it never took off as a true professional sport.
shout out to my fellow current and former PIHA, AIHL, NARCh, State Wars, and team USA guys. we all know the work every single one of us put in to keep roller at the highest level we possibly could.
Thank you buddy. I just started playing indoor roller a couple months ago and just made the PIHA Lakewood Fire minor team here in Colorado. We just did a 2 hour skate tonight to see who’s going to make the semi pro and pro rosters. I’m hoping I can get up on that semi pro one at least. I’ve played ice since I was 4yo, and played on odr rinks every once in awhile, but never played on the indoor floors except maybe once or twice when I was younger because my older cousin played, and they’d let me skate around sometimes during their warmup. I haven’t played hockey since 2008 after high school and glad to be back for the game, and I also forgot how great the hockey community is.
There could definitely be a Pro Roller Hockey RUclips channel that broadcasts games and talks about the best players, host shows about the players' journeys and potential. You could have at least 1 live game every day and host pre and post game shows. Replay the live game later on and have shows throughout the day hosted by the players themselves and tell them to sell rivalries and generate controversy. It could be cool...
Absolutely. But it seems like every event turns into an insular boys club organization. We need to roll Narch and State Wars and TORHS and everything all together... And video editors need to stop using dubstep for roller. Hard to promote 2005 fashion and music...
Those were the days. As an aussie, rushing each month to grab a magazine to check the scores from the league. I picked up the game in the 90's, still playing now into my 40's & both my sons have started.
I played roller hockey in YMCA leagues as a kid in the Des Moines area. My first coach played for the St. Louis Vipers. Being originally from Minnesota and a North Stars fan, I cheered on the Minnesota Artic Blast.
Thanks allot for this! Growing up my ice hockey team spent the springs and summers playing roller. We all loved it but roller always played second fiddle to ice. Now I play beer league and cannot find a roller equivalent. Roller / inline hockey is its own unique sport that deserves allot more attention then it gets. It’s also more affordable than ice hockey, making it a great entry point for either surface of play.
My only experience in playing hockey was inline hockey back in the summer of 96 while living in Scotland. That was my summer before freshman year in high school. I played on my high school's club when I moved back to California the following year and played up until 2002. Never been good on ice but I've been a fan of hockey ever since. Thanks to all of the pioneers for starting a Cali kid's love of the fastest sport!!!
I remember ads for inline skates in Hockey Digest magazines in the late 70s & early 80s. They promoted it as skates used by the Russians to train. Excellent video. I had no idea a professional inline hockey league existed.
In the heyday of inline hockey (mid 90’s) there were leagues all over the Chicago area. At one point there was a world cup tournament here and teams came from several countries to play. In the week before that tournament, one of those teams rented out the same rink we played on to use for practice. After our league game was finished, their coach approached us and asked if we wanted to stick around and scrimmage against their team. They were very cocky during warmups… showboating and overconfident. We mopped the floor with them.
My uncle worked for the Kings/|Lakers organization and I got to go with him to the first game at the forum when I was 13 years old. USA vs Canada, and I even got to go in to the locker rooms after the game. I used to play goalie and the team Canada goalie gave me his stick (I just remembered that). Then I would coach roller hockey at the Beverly Hills YMCA while in high school and would go to many LA Blades games. Haven't played roller hockey in 25 years (switched back to ice hockey), but it was/is a very fun sport and I do miss it. Very happy to see this video and the history behind the league, brings back a lot of positive memories from my youth.
Put a team in Montreal. They used to have the Roadrunners. Then also put one in Quebec. It's be full no doubt. Since the NHL doesn't want the Nordiques, something close might drive Bettman mad.
Put a team in Montreal? The league doesn’t even exist anymore. If you wanna build the league properly, you’re gonna have to change the whole roller hockey skate structure so it can be more modern
I was at the inaugural game for NJ in 1994. We caught 2 pucks, still in good condition. I have 2 Rockin-Rollers shirts. And to top it off I own both a Rob Laurie game worn Anaheim Bullfrogs and Pat Mazzoli NJ Rockin-Rollers game worn.
I used to go to the New Jersey Rock N Rollers games in 1994, 1995, It was so much fun and an air conditioned place to watch a cool sport in the summer time.
A friend of mine played for LA. He was a great player. Someone on purpose high sticked him in the eye in the minors for an NHL team. He couldn't play in the NHL because of the vision he lost in his eye. But he did great playing in LA in the Roller League.
Played ice hockey my whole life, usually roller during the summer. Played for a bunch of teams and played in Naren a lot because I live in Anaheim CA so I’m close to all those rinks. Good times
I was at every Long Island Jaws games! I met Bryan Trotter, who was just sitting in the stands like a normal fan. I spotted him and didn't think twice about running up to him and talking! He was such a cool dude!
I remember watching these games on ESPN2 back in the early/mid 90s. From there it turned into my and my buddies playing roller hockey in the streets. I got some mylec street hockey goalie pads and played a bunch. I miss those days.
Dont forget the WRHL held at the rink at Universal studios in Orlando...all games at 4pm on ESPN summer of 94....awesome times....played 2 games for the Fury but only has an emergency player
Pro Beach Hockey...w the ramps behind the nets, the water weighted ball instead of a puck, played outdoors on blacktop AND THE v-form wheels on their skates to supposedly better mimic the edges of an ice hockey skate blade... Friend and ice hockey team-mate of mine played for the Buffalo Junior Wild Wings when i was in high school in the late 90s. I was always better at roller hockey. The no contact, 4 on 4, puck half the weight of an ice hockey puck, no blueline and overall looser style of play fit what i could dould do mych better than ice hockey where youre playing in a system, guys constantly clutching grabbing you away from the puck and running you over with it prevented me from being good. When i was a freshman i played in a summer league csll high school stars that was basically a bunch of guys grom different high school teams forming their own smaller team. It wasn't something my high school was involved in so i got lumped onto a team of guys who had no team of their own in the league. First game we get on the ice for warmups and i see a dude blast a puck from the d zone all the down to other end off of the glass. I had never played with anyone at that point strong enough to take a slap shot that remained airborn goaline yo goaline. I rrmber watching the puck just keep rising only stopping when it hit the glass and thinking how my slapshot could barely make it to the redline in the air....but with a roller hockey puck i could shoot like that. If roller hockey had been taken as serious as ice hockey i would have been able to play beyond high school.
Damn this takes me back. I played Six Pac back during this era. I got the magazine, remember the Bullfrogs was THE team back then. Played PIHA, AIHL, MLRH when I got older, but man I wish RHI had lasted.
Damn. I'm from Long Island, NY. I was playing ice hockey at the time with a kid, about 21/22 yrs old, that ended up making that team it's first or second season. Can't remember his name. Wasn't even that good. lol.
We used to play roller hockey on the tiniest Of rinks available. It was at the local park in New York, back in the Mid to late 80s. We would have killed to have a league like this exist back then.
Sadly the rules currently in place makes it very boring to watch. I play and i love it, but pro roller hockey is all about puck control. If you have the puck you come down try to set something up and if soesnt look right you bring it all the way back. Effective but boring to watch.
True, four players I played with in Ottawa got full rides, it was a fun sport on a sport court in the civic centre in Ottawa not many fans but it was fun.
It was concrete. Would have been better just concrete, but it was slippery, no coating. They got the idea to try to put some white chalk on the floor to help make the wheels grip, but what ended up happening is it became super spotty, where it was grip in patches, but slippery everywhere else. I played in that game. What I also remember is we had to wear Bauer ZT7's. My feet sweat through the bottom onto the wheels, so I would have to change socks in between and blow dry the insoles between periods. It was brutal. The elements we dealt with made good hockey players look bad, but it was a blast. I actually put that full game on Vimeo a few years back.
@@narchplayers this was not on polyurethane or Sport court? Those two surfaces I always played on in East Texas when I played in-line hockey for about 15 years.
@@narchplayers I’ll check it out. Thanks for the info and all. Yeah sweat through your boots is bad. I tried the ‘No socks because you feel the skate better’ at USARS nationals in July in the 90s. Tough day.
I grew up in the NY area playing roller hockey since the early 80s - with a little bit of ice hockey experience. I was a soccer player at St. John's university in the early 90s but ended up going to a try out with a few other roller hockey friends (very good players) for the team Long Island was starting. I got pretty far, actually. But after the 2nd or 3rd round I remember them bringing in a few former NHL'ers from the 80s and thought to myself..."what the F am I doing here" Lol. Withdrew and just said to myself be happy your playing D1 college soccer.
But in a sense the ABA and WHA still survive today in the form of their former teams that now play in the NBA and NHL and the new rules that proved successful and were adopted by those leagues.
Roller Hockey was the biggest thing ever circa 1992 - 1997 if you ask me.
I remember when Bauer came out with their first line of skates for roller hockey. I think I started with the H3’s.
Everyone played it.
The NHL Breakout tournaments.
It seemed like there were leagues and tournaments all over my city back then.
My friends (team mates) and I would have RHI parties every Saturday in a buddy’s garage. 11pm on ESPN.
Such good times.
The RHI always will be the best most professional league ever. No other league came close. The look, the jerseys, the colors the coverage. They looked professional.
Now these new leagues look like 17yr olds in clown uniforms.
It was so fun back then I miss it.
I’m 45 now. There aren’t any leagues in my city and really nowhere to play.
My last custom skate set-up was a pair of Bauer Air 90 boots with LaBeda Predator chassis, 80 80 78 78. Hyper wheels abec 9 bearings.
I swear to this day I’ll get back into it and start playing again.
One day.
The NHL Breakout tournaments were so much fun! I remember playing in the Coors field parking lot and it was packed and a mad house.
Roller hockey was so popular in the 90s, it was weird it never took off as a true professional sport.
shout out to my fellow current and former PIHA, AIHL, NARCh, State Wars, and team USA guys. we all know the work every single one of us put in to keep roller at the highest level we possibly could.
Back at your brother, lot of blood, sweat, and tears!
piha and aihl man that brings back memories great times, also forgot mlrh
hell yeah!
A lot of you guys are forgetting about the CIHL and MLRH
Thank you buddy. I just started playing indoor roller a couple months ago and just made the PIHA Lakewood Fire minor team here in Colorado. We just did a 2 hour skate tonight to see who’s going to make the semi pro and pro rosters. I’m hoping I can get up on that semi pro one at least.
I’ve played ice since I was 4yo, and played on odr rinks every once in awhile, but never played on the indoor floors except maybe once or twice when I was younger because my older cousin played, and they’d let me skate around sometimes during their warmup.
I haven’t played hockey since 2008 after high school and glad to be back for the game, and I also forgot how great the hockey community is.
There could definitely be a Pro Roller Hockey RUclips channel that broadcasts games and talks about the best players, host shows about the players' journeys and potential.
You could have at least 1 live game every day and host pre and post game shows. Replay the live game later on and have shows throughout the day hosted by the players themselves and tell them to sell rivalries and generate controversy. It could be cool...
Absolutely. But it seems like every event turns into an insular boys club organization. We need to roll Narch and State Wars and TORHS and everything all together... And video editors need to stop using dubstep for roller. Hard to promote 2005 fashion and music...
Bring it back. The interest is there!
I still play roller hockey.
Hockey is life!!
Nice. Thanks, T.
Those were the days. As an aussie, rushing each month to grab a magazine to check the scores from the league. I picked up the game in the 90's, still playing now into my 40's & both my sons have started.
I played roller hockey in YMCA leagues as a kid in the Des Moines area. My first coach played for the St. Louis Vipers. Being originally from Minnesota and a North Stars fan, I cheered on the Minnesota Artic Blast.
I remember the RHI days. Games were fun.
the good old days. thanks for the comment, Jason.
I officiated some rhi games. It was a blast. I hope it makes a come back
Nice. Thanks for the comment Bill.
Thanks allot for this! Growing up my ice hockey team spent the springs and summers playing roller. We all loved it but roller always played second fiddle to ice. Now I play beer league and cannot find a roller equivalent. Roller / inline hockey is its own unique sport that deserves allot more attention then it gets.
It’s also more affordable than ice hockey, making it a great entry point for either surface of play.
I remember seeing some RHI games on TV back in the early 90's. They were fun to watch.
My only experience in playing hockey was inline hockey back in the summer of 96 while living in Scotland. That was my summer before freshman year in high school. I played on my high school's club when I moved back to California the following year and played up until 2002. Never been good on ice but I've been a fan of hockey ever since. Thanks to all of the pioneers for starting a Cali kid's love of the fastest sport!!!
My california high school also had a roller hockey team. Hell yeah.
I remember ads for inline skates in Hockey Digest magazines in the late 70s & early 80s. They promoted it as skates used by the Russians to train. Excellent video. I had no idea a professional inline hockey league existed.
Right on. Glad you liked the doc and that it gave you some new info. Thanks for the feedback, and for taking a moment to leave your thoughts.
In the heyday of inline hockey (mid 90’s) there were leagues all over the Chicago area. At one point there was a world cup tournament here and teams came from several countries to play. In the week before that tournament, one of those teams rented out the same rink we played on to use for practice. After our league game was finished, their coach approached us and asked if we wanted to stick around and scrimmage against their team. They were very cocky during warmups… showboating and overconfident.
We mopped the floor with them.
Where in Chicago area were there leagues?
I remember Darien, Homer Glen and Palatine.
My uncle worked for the Kings/|Lakers organization and I got to go with him to the first game at the forum when I was 13 years old. USA vs Canada, and I even got to go in to the locker rooms after the game. I used to play goalie and the team Canada goalie gave me his stick (I just remembered that). Then I would coach roller hockey at the Beverly Hills YMCA while in high school and would go to many LA Blades games. Haven't played roller hockey in 25 years (switched back to ice hockey), but it was/is a very fun sport and I do miss it. Very happy to see this video and the history behind the league, brings back a lot of positive memories from my youth.
Put a team in Montreal. They used to have the Roadrunners. Then also put one in Quebec. It's be full no doubt. Since the NHL doesn't want the Nordiques, something close might drive Bettman mad.
Put a team in Montreal? The league doesn’t even exist anymore. If you wanna build the league properly, you’re gonna have to change the whole roller hockey skate structure so it can be more modern
Still got a Bullfrog Jersey. Never tossing it out. Moths will have to eat every thread before its gone
I was at the inaugural game for NJ in 1994. We caught 2 pucks, still in good condition. I have 2 Rockin-Rollers shirts. And to top it off I own both a Rob Laurie game worn Anaheim Bullfrogs and Pat Mazzoli NJ Rockin-Rollers game worn.
Hey look! It's that pigeon Ryan Whitney @ 40:48
That guy sure is cocky for a nobody. Pigeon indeed !
I used to go to the New Jersey Rock N Rollers games in 1994, 1995, It was so much fun and an air conditioned place to watch a cool sport in the summer time.
A friend of mine played for LA. He was a great player. Someone on purpose high sticked him in the eye in the minors for an NHL team. He couldn't play in the NHL because of the vision he lost in his eye. But he did great playing in LA in the Roller League.
Played ice hockey my whole life, usually roller during the summer. Played for a bunch of teams and played in Naren a lot because I live in Anaheim CA so I’m close to all those rinks. Good times
I was at every Long Island Jaws games! I met Bryan Trotter, who was just sitting in the stands like a normal fan. I spotted him and didn't think twice about running up to him and talking! He was such a cool dude!
Anaheim Bullfrogs!
I was a stick boy for the San Diego Barracudas for 2 seasons 94-95. Best job I ever had… I’ve still got my ID Badges and a bunch of tickets 🎟️
I was a Bullfrog fan myself.
I haven't played in over a year and I could easily play in a full on pro league and dominate it.
Take it easy Uncle Rico😅
I went to a bull dogs game at the spectrum in Philly. Good memory. Still playing Roller hockey to this day. Great sport/fun!
I remember watching these games on ESPN2 back in the early/mid 90s. From there it turned into my and my buddies playing roller hockey in the streets. I got some mylec street hockey goalie pads and played a bunch. I miss those days.
Dont forget the WRHL held at the rink at Universal studios in Orlando...all games at 4pm on ESPN summer of 94....awesome times....played 2 games for the Fury but only has an emergency player
Pro Beach Hockey...w the ramps behind the nets, the water weighted ball instead of a puck, played outdoors on blacktop AND THE v-form wheels on their skates to supposedly better mimic the edges of an ice hockey skate blade...
Friend and ice hockey team-mate of mine played for the Buffalo Junior Wild Wings when i was in high school in the late 90s. I was always better at roller hockey. The no contact, 4 on 4, puck half the weight of an ice hockey puck, no blueline and overall looser style of play fit what i could dould do mych better than ice hockey where youre playing in a system, guys constantly clutching grabbing you away from the puck and running you over with it prevented me from being good. When i was a freshman i played in a summer league csll high school stars that was basically a bunch of guys grom different high school teams forming their own smaller team. It wasn't something my high school was involved in so i got lumped onto a team of guys who had no team of their own in the league. First game we get on the ice for warmups and i see a dude blast a puck from the d zone all the down to other end off of the glass. I had never played with anyone at that point strong enough to take a slap shot that remained airborn goaline yo goaline. I rrmber watching the puck just keep rising only stopping when it hit the glass and thinking how my slapshot could barely make it to the redline in the air....but with a roller hockey puck i could shoot like that. If roller hockey had been taken as serious as ice hockey i would have been able to play beyond high school.
ESPNs marketing and it being in the summer with almost no competition sports wise aside from baseball
Just look at him! in -line skating effortlessly back in the 70's.
Recreation ice hockey season $300
Recreation roller hockey free-$140
i was playing in a league in quebec province back in 1996
I remember when the white Nike roller skates came out. Those were baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad ass!
Damn this takes me back. I played Six Pac back during this era. I got the magazine, remember the Bullfrogs was THE team back then. Played PIHA, AIHL, MLRH when I got older, but man I wish RHI had lasted.
Bring it back!
St Louis Vipers Baby. Would love to see Inline in the summer Olympics!
Damn. I'm from Long Island, NY. I was playing ice hockey at the time with a kid, about 21/22 yrs old, that ended up making that team it's first or second season. Can't remember his name. Wasn't even that good. lol.
@@magamaga1827 yeah I just have memories as a kid going to see the vipers in the mid 90s
We used to play roller hockey on the tiniest Of rinks available. It was at the local park in New York, back in the Mid to late 80s. We would have killed to have a league like this exist back then.
Shout out to Richard Graham!👍🏿
Always nice to see you get some shine, my friend.😎
Sadly the rules currently in place makes it very boring to watch.
I play and i love it, but pro roller hockey is all about puck control. If you have the puck you come down try to set something up and if soesnt look right you bring it all the way back.
Effective but boring to watch.
I've started to prefer playing roller over ice hockey. The problem is it's hard to find people who play!
Loved giggling at the roller kids acting all baller while they didn't know what a "body check" is
16:16 tiger williams in the suit!
The video summary really threw me off for a second
omg didn't even realize. thanks so much for brining this to my attention, somebody made a mistake, fixing it now.
Alot of people I hear in Canada go and play there and get a full ride for uni .not bad
Smart. I still owe money on my college loans. Eeek! Thanks for the comment.
True, four players I played with in Ottawa got full rides, it was a fun sport on a sport court in the civic centre in Ottawa not many fans but it was fun.
San Jose Rhinos!
fun while it lasted, thanks for the comment Juarez
Only flaw it has is no offside , and smaller goals .why the weird goal frame?
wtf? Bobby Ryan, Sam Gagner and Paul Statsny did not start out as roller hockey pros? lmfao what
36:01 That is Irvine Inline. I just played my first competitive roller game last weekend there.
Was that first game at the Forum played on the bare concrete floor?
i thought it was painted cement, but now I don't know
Polyurethane flooring. Works smoothly.
It was concrete. Would have been better just concrete, but it was slippery, no coating. They got the idea to try to put some white chalk on the floor to help make the wheels grip, but what ended up happening is it became super spotty, where it was grip in patches, but slippery everywhere else. I played in that game. What I also remember is we had to wear Bauer ZT7's. My feet sweat through the bottom onto the wheels, so I would have to change socks in between and blow dry the insoles between periods. It was brutal. The elements we dealt with made good hockey players look bad, but it was a blast. I actually put that full game on Vimeo a few years back.
@@narchplayers this was not on polyurethane or Sport court? Those two surfaces I always played on in East Texas when I played in-line hockey for about 15 years.
@@narchplayers I’ll check it out. Thanks for the info and all. Yeah sweat through your boots is bad. I tried the ‘No socks because you feel the skate better’ at USARS nationals in July in the 90s. Tough day.
🔥
40:50 The WHIT DOG
Who? Don Cherry?
@@DownTheRabbitHoleYT Ryan Whitney?
Let's go oilers !!!!
YES! Thanks for the comment, dub!
I grew up in the NY area playing roller hockey since the early 80s - with a little bit of ice hockey experience. I was a soccer player at St. John's university in the early 90s but ended up going to a try out with a few other roller hockey friends (very good players) for the team Long Island was starting. I got pretty far, actually. But after the 2nd or 3rd round I remember them bringing in a few former NHL'ers from the 80s and thought to myself..."what the F am I doing here" Lol. Withdrew and just said to myself be happy your playing D1 college soccer.
This should've done better than it did. Wish I could've at least gone to a Skates game.
Expert in creating sport leagues that are doomed to fail and go bankrupt,
Just saying
But in a sense the ABA and WHA still survive today in the form of their former teams that now play in the NBA and NHL and the new rules that proved successful and were adopted by those leagues.
So why would you not just play on skates?
Exactly, ice hockey > roller hockey
Dirt Diggers