King of the Blue Floor

[MDE3]

Well two golds for Team USA in FIRS and Pan-Am games with somewhat the same team, and a Silver in IIHF Inline (different team and different competitors).

Enquiring minds want to know..........which team is the best? Is the competition tougher in IIHF Inline? We heard rumours of several NHL players and draftees playing on European squads in IIHF Inline Worlds, - was the same thing true in FIRS?

Not to diminish the efforts of any of these teams, but one always has to ask the question. Like back in the day when Russia was stomping the best amateur clubs from Canada and the USA, we always had the fall back......... well if we used our "Pros" too.......and then we did - oops...

But we always wanted to know - which teams are really the best of the best. So too in Inline Hockey - how do we get the best of the best on the floor? Maybe it's time to have a face off between the two "National Teams"........."Gentlemen - start your engines"

Think we could even get some TV coverage???? Maybe two of the top three teams in the world playing each other could get somebodies attention?

Of course when you had all of the best teams in the world together - at two different world championships - it was still not enough. Please someone take the cloaking device off of Inline Hockey!!!!!!!!

[Alexander]

Definitely an interesting concept. It would definitely make for an exciting game much like the upcoming Canada vs. USA game on Sep. 13 to kick off the Speed Hockey league.

The only point I'd make is that the Pan Am Games only involved six (6) national teams whereas the IIHF and FIRS events involved 16 and 15 teams, respectively. It still amazes me that there are two world championships. Hopefully inline hockey won't turn out to be as bad as boxing in this regard.

Marty in Alexander

[NLane]

Using hockeydb I looked up players from both squads. The Firs team had many players with both ice and inline and some with just inline experience. The IIhf team had a few players with both and many players with just ice experience. Could that be the difference? Not trying to start a TIDAL wave here, just noticed these facts and I did only look at one source.

[rinkrat15]

The best players available play in Firs because it is the road to the Olympics. Thats why you see all the "big names"play in Firs. If the IIHF was the road to the Olympics then the big boys would play there. Congrats to Rob and the Boys from the US squad on winning the Gold as well to my Canadian boys on the Silver, North America is where the best play, congrats to both....Mike

National Inline manager for Rink Rat wheels.

[NLane]

Big names of what? Inline, right? Our paper still hasn't posted ANYTHING about the hockey at the Pan Am games! Hard ball hockey was an exhibition sport in the early 90's. Haven't heard about inline/roller since. I don't think even our "big names" matter to anyone except inline players. Wish I could figure out how to break that barrier.

[RichardGraham]

Hi Mike,

I'm not convinced that FIRS is the "Road to the Olympics" for inline hockey. If it is, then the Pan Am Games sure make it sounds like Olympic Hockey would set our sport back one hundred years. See my reply to NLane's recent post for more details.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[patrick14]

FIRS currently is the "road to the olympics" for players in the US. and here is why... (accoring to word of mouth from a few well informed characters, aka...nothing i've read from the USOC)

FIRS is the national governing body of roller hockey because it is a roller sport. But wait, there's more... USA hockey inline, which is really a subsidiary? (probably not the correct word) of USA HOCKEY can not be the governing body in the US for two olympic sports. So until USA HOCKEY INLINE becomes it's own organization, they will never be the NGB for roller hockey, as the are already the NGB for ice hockey.

My personal opinion after talking with a few folks involved here and there (with both squads) including head coaches and players, is that the FIRS team would likely defeat the IIHF team by a small margin, and needless to say, this would be a great game.

Secondly, it would be AMAZING to see this game on TV. Sadly, no major sports channel has carried anything remotely close to real roller hockey, but sure...you can go home and watch slamball. This is really pretty sad when you consider that the FIRS championship game was televised nation wide.

Hopefully, in the next few years; when people like myself who have spent their lives around roller hockey are in the position to make these sort of changes they will happen... and it won't be played on an 85x85 foot surface :(

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by patrick14 on 08/17/03 11:57 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

[Marquee]

A silver?Sorry,mate,but Sweden won the silver at IIHF!

[MDE3]

Sorry about that - you are absolutely correct. "Bronze"