Inline Hockey History

[RichardGraham]

Hi Folks,

I'm writing a history of inline hockey for a sports encyclopedia and could use your help.

What people and events do you consider the most important in inline hockey's history?

I'm doing my own research, but I thought it would be fun to get IHC's readers' input as well.

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[rhhof]

Nobody, huh - Well - I'd consider, though I haven't met these guys and would like to just to chat at length with them, Paul Chapey - Founder of NARCH and what most people dont know he helped design the jofa/isd in-line puck that revolutionized the game a bit!! Also his countless work with the world teams and overall with the sport from the West Coast...Dave McLane who was one of the guys who helped put RHI together along with the World Roller Hockey League and Pro Beach Hockey - pretty inventive guy...WHY NOT RICHARD GRAHAM!! He is Alone in Front!! IHC has been helping the inline industry communicate for years and Richard has been editing magazines, articles and throwing around years of expierience in our sport. Though still as humble as can be, he has organized banquets and put together awards and hopefully soon with the Roller Hockey Hall of Fame maybe we can do it again

Go Roller!!

Adam
Roller Hockey Hall of Fame.com
3918 James St
Suite #14
Drexel Hill, PA 19026

[RichardGraham]

Hey Adam,

Thanks for the kind words. Your suggestions about Paul Chapey and David McLane are good ones. I hope some more readers will also respond.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[Rebecca]

Paul Chapey and Todd Melton (AIRHS then came NARCh)

and don't forget the ::managerial:: women behind some of these men: Tera and Leslie

Rebecca

[dcdawgs]

Richard,

I think that some important dates in roller hockey history is the first ever FIRS World Championships, I believe in 1992.

Also, the first ever IIHF Inline Hockey World Championship in 1996. You can maybe talk about over the years how other countries besides the USA and Canada, are starting to compete really well, like Finland, Sweden, Germany, etc.

Just some thoughts.

Josh

[N2HKY]

You might want to mention Scott Accongio coach for AKS who, along with his partners Keeler and Shaw, (can't remember first names) designed and manufactured the first aluminium inline chassie hence the team name AKS.

[RichardGraham]

Hi Rebecca,

Thanks for the suggestions.

Actually, NARCh preceded AIRHS.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[RichardGraham]

Hi Josh,

Thank you for your response and the good suggestions. Thinking about inline hockey's history is bringing up some good memories. What I can't use for the encyclopedia, I'll put in a piece for the Inline Hockey Central Home Page.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[RichardGraham]

Hi N2HKY,

Very good suggestion. Thanks. Product innovations are a very important part of inline hockey's history.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[NLane]

Todd Melton was a ref for the 1994 USARS Nationals in Buffalo, NY. That was the first time I'd seen him and NOBODY gave him even a 2nd look when he made a call.

[NLane]

Try contacting the USARS office in Lincoln, Nebraska. Maybe they have some info they can just send to you. USARS, or whatever they were called at the time, was the only National event in which our rink participated. That started in 1991 and sissy sticks and short pants were used. There had been other teams involved in hardball hockey in previous years from other rinks/locations in our area.

[RichardGraham]

Hi NLane,

Thanks for your suggestion. I appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[Defense1st]

Gilbert and Sealing lived in Hewlett, just behind Grant Park's Ice Rink. I quit playing goalie when he hit me in the head with a slapshot and I could not hear for a month.

Pick up hockey in the streets with NHL players was a kids dream in that part of the Island.

Phil

[RichardGraham]

Hi Rich,

>Are you ging to go back to the days where it all started? In the streets with roller skates, shopping carts for goals. We used to make goalie gear out of cardboard, mask and all.<

My understanding is that the assignment concerns "inline hockey," the version of the sport that was jump-started by the invention of the modern inline skate. If it's about the quad-skate version that was big back East in the '50s, then I'm in big trouble. LOL.

>When I was a boy, we would visit family in Long Beach, New York. When they were home, Rod Gilbert, Brad Park, Jimmy Neilson, and Rod Searling would come out and play street hockey with us kids on Sat. and Sundays with regular old roller skates. Thats where I had my first roller games, I was 8 years old.

Thems was the days..........<

Oddly enough, I never played hockey on roller skates when I was a kid. I played ice hockey in winter, and "street hockey" in summer, when we wore tennis shoes and played with a tennis ball. That was a blast.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[RichardGraham]

Hi Phil,

>Gilbert and Sealing lived in Hewlett, just behind Grant Park's Ice Rink. I quit playing goalie when he hit me in the head with a slapshot and I could not hear for a month.<

Ouch.

>Pick up hockey in the streets with NHL players was a kids dream in that part of the Island.<

I don't recall any Toronto Maple Leafs joining in on our street hockey games, but I was thrilled to play outdoors in Santa Monica with Luc Robitaille. Other pros that showed up there included Steve Duchesne, Felix Potvin, and others that I'm drawing a blank on at the moment. Bottom line, though -- it was fun!

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[MDE3]

we never had the courage to try to play with "strap ons" (different context,,,,,/wtimages/icons/smile.gif), and besides the local arena was open for summer ice play pretty much every day..nice way to cool off.

[Alistair]

Hi Rich,

Congratulations on your latest assignment and I'm sure it will be a great success. I guess you know that the first inline skate wasinvented in 1823 and called the Valito. This was the first 5-wheel, inline, fully rockered skate to come into existence. For plenty of pictures and more info go to www.skateattack.co.uk/pages.php?Page=pages/iop.htm

If you want to follow up on the history I know the exact person for you to talk to - Mr Norman Silver - he's also the owner of the historical collection of pictures and skates.

Alistair

[RichardGraham]

Hi Alistair,

Thanks for the suggestion. The article is only one thousand words, so it will be more of a summary than anything in great detail. However, I think that the modern version of inline hockey dates back to the popularization of the inline skate, wihch Scott Olson had a lot to do with, before he sold his interest in the skate to Rollerblade.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[JMUDukes26]

Rebecca and Burke from the ECRHA... and probably Jon Huck, former CRHL guy...

Gary LaBelle
President
JMU Roller Hockey

[blackhawk]

What inline hockey history would be complete without including the NIHA and their magazine, Hockeytalk! (( :

Nice 'seeing' you Richard.


Coach/Founder NorCal Blackhawks

[RichardGraham]

Hey Dan,

What a blast from the past. Nice to hear from you. /wtimages/icons/cool.gif

Fire me off a private e-mail; I've got some questions for you.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[MartyAlexander]

Richard:

This should be very interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing this and I'm glad your doing it.

Say, rumour has it that roller hockey was an exhibition sport in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Any truth to this? If so, what happen etc. Probably really have to get your research hat on for this one!

Cheers and let us know how the "thesis" is coming along from time to time.

I'd be happy to give it a review once you've got a draft together.

Cheers,

Marty Alexander
Communications & Promotions Coordinator
Hockey Alberta In Line Development Committee

[RichardGraham]

Hi Marty,

You are right. Roller hockey with quad skates and short canes was a demonstration sport at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. But because it wasn't inline hockey, I didn't have a lot of interest in it. /wtimages/icons/shocked.gif

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[RichardGraham]

Hey Rebecca,

When did Marshall Dickerson and Mike Nelson put together the National Collegiate Inline Hockey Association (NCIHA)? All my old Roller Hockey and InLine Hockey News magazines are in storage! Thanks. /wtimages/icons/smile.gif

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[Rebecca]

hmmm, I want to say 1996 but going to check on it!

Rebecca

[WCRHL]

Hey Rich. I played (and so did Jim Helbrecht, now director of the SCHL) in the event in September 1996 in Las Vegas, Jim believes it was at the Sands Expo. There were 2 outdoor rinks as well as 2-3 indoor rinks.

Marshall took over from Ptak and Nelson in 1995-1996. Marshall was left with the remnants of the league. The NCIHA initially was a west coast deal by Ptak and Nelson, not really a national organization at all. I believe that Marshall was the one who branched out to other areas of the country. I have some all star jerseys that may say NCIHA on them....with College Inline USA oval patches on them.

My first season of college hockey was 1995-1996. We played 2 seasons, a fall and a spring. Then nothing over summer, and the championships were held that September(which was pretty weird, but it was held with NIHA I believe).

I have a program somewhere, from 1996 or 1997, but it's in storage too. Don't think my wife wants me to delve into this kind of project!!!!

Brennan

Brennan Edwards
League Director
Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League
www.wcrhl.com

[MartyAlexander]

Richard:

I had a feeling that might be the case and you're right, it's not inline hockey. Thanks for the confirmation on this historical note.

Marty Alexander

[RichardGraham]

Hey Brennan,

Thanks for the detailed heads up. I'd forgotten about Dave Ptak. That's why you can't go on memory when you're writing history! The problem I'm running into now is that I have far too much material, and the assignment's only 1,000 words. It's easier to write long than short, I've found. /wtimages/icons/mad.gif

Thanks again! /wtimages/icons/cool.gif

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central