Euro Cup

[johnny2suede]

Euro Cup? World Champions? Uh? Is this a little pocket of the East Coast thing? Someone actually cares?

[NoMoreNiceGuy]

If you want to see the sport grow, try being a little more positive. This is better than playing a mens league game where even the girl friends don't show.

[calihockey]

You make a comment to be more positive and then you make a shot at the IHA? Hypocritical don't you think? Have you actually been to a game? Let's compare which league is more stable? There is no one out here in the west coast that does not respect Jeff Buma. Has any of the leagues matched the true pro talent? Look at all the former RHI guys and current NARCh pro. It is even good enough for some of the east coasters to come out. Also, have you looked at what companies are backing the league? It is not just the hockey companies.

[NoMoreNiceGuy]

I never mentioned the IHL, I simply pointed out that this program was better than playing in an inhouse league.

If and when the IHL gets to it's second season (which few "pro" leagues have accomplished lately - even the rebirth of RHI in 1999 didn't make it to 2000), then I will be more than happy to support it

[calihockey]

so let's not help it, then wonder why it fails? Not a way to lookout for the "best interest" of roller hockey. I am sure you will jump on the bandwagon if it suceeds. I expect that.

[SpiderRat]

This is my third season playing in MLRH. 1st with the Virginia Storm, 2nd season, Boston Storm/NJ Ottakringer, 3rd, NY Rockers. I think that's more than one season. Will you support us now. Just checking.

Blah Blah Blah, Shoot the puck already

[DblJ44]

Spider, No more Mr.Nice guy was involved with the Riot when they had a team.

Im fat, bald, and slow.

[wolves89]

the problem with MLRH is that there are new teams every season... with the exception of the team you are on now, the other 3 do not even exist... it's tough to build a fan base when the teams get relocated and shut down from season to season... i do know however that the wanna be XIHL had a lot to do with that this past season...

i'm not slow, i'm patient

[Superstar9]

as disfunctional as the MLRH can be most of the time, they still seem to at least put a league together every year. We have to give them some credit for at least hanging in there when all others have quit. As for the IHA, more power to them and I wish them the best. Hopefully it'll become THE league of the future, it's certainly headed in the right direction. Everyone needs to stop being a critic and start encouraging, it'll get the sport a lot further.

Street

ps- has anyone heard anything about teams for MLRH this season? Who's in? Who's out? Are any of the XIHL teams coming back?

[Brooklynite10]

I do give the MLRH credit for it's survival. Now it's time for growth. Bill just might have to join up with the IHA guys to achieve that.

[Superstar9]

personally, Bill needs to take on some help. He's far too busy and could use additional heads for organization and ideas.. I've offered and so have others. The website should be the 1st thing to change. Having a decent website alone would help with the league's appearance and image.

Street

[NoMoreNiceGuy]

You recall the last time he hired someone; Steve did more harm to MLRH than if Bill ran it alone. Where can he find someone trustworthy.

[SpiderRat]

At the risk of being redundant, one of my goals, other than winning the title, will be to sit down with Bill and discuss the upcoming season. Questions like; start date, teams involved, rink commitments, advertising and any other questions you the reader may have. I'm hoping Bill will give a little and except some help. I'll be leaving work around 2:00 tomorrow for the airport. If you have any questions, comments, concerns you would like me to address while meeting with Bill, please let me know by then. I'm hoping with some positive direction from the players and team owners, we can have a successful season coming up. Thanks. Also, remember what your Mom told you, if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing. Or like my Mom used to say, "boy, you say that again and I'm going to knock the taste out of your mouth".

Blah Blah Blah, Shoot the puck already

[RichardGraham]

Hey Roger,

Good luck. Tell Bill I say hello.

Somehow, what remains of the inline hockey world has to get together and learn to compromise for the betterment of our sport. It's hard to look at today's fragmented inline hockey scene and have great hopes for the future.

And there's no use pointing fingers, either. Unless those of us who remain can somehow work together and move this sport forward, it's destined to remain a two-bit shadow of what it could be. And that's just sad.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[Stampede]

Hockey isn't just fragmented in the US, it's the same in the UK and a lot of other countries.

When ever there is "amature" sport it will always get the power struggles.

Football (Soccer to you boys) in the UK is run by the FA. They control it from Manchester United to the U10's who play in the local Sunday leagues. When they have the control from grass roots to pro it makes the world an nicer place!!!!!!

None of that stinkin' root beer

[NLane]

I don't think that is an accurate assessment of what happened but that is my opinion. Bill is the best "Spin Doctor" I know as far as inline hockey goes and he is good at it. I want a league with rules and boundaries and Bill is too nice (or easy-haha) and can't say no to players and/or a few dollars when maybe he should. His "big picture" is great but the details tend to escape him. I will always remember him for giving inline the next level, at the beginning, and will remain helpful to the sport, thru him, when I can be.

[WMBG_GM]

John,

I think this posting does a rather huge disservice to Steve Seeger. Ask any player, (guys, feel free to chime in):

What was the best MLRH AAA season you recall, and why?

My guess is the majority of responses will mention the season when Steve was Commish all year long. What was that, two years ago?

He did an incredible job, working for payment that, as I understand, he never got. It is also my understanding that he, personally, floated the operating costs of the league ($5k+) to simply get it to the point where there could be a playoff/final. Seems pretty trustworthy to me.

As far as the claim he did "harm" to the MLRH.... I would say it would be more correctly stated as "the failure of Bill and Steve (and 100% of current team ownership) to come to an agreement that all could live with" did the "harm" to the MLRH. Not that Steve was some underhanded sneak as you have implied.

Not trying to start anything, just taking Steve's back so to speak.

Ben Loyall

[wolves89]

It is a shame though that steve got the better end of the MLRH teams to leave with him and then only run a league for 1 awful season... we are more set back then ever right now especially since PIHA and MLRH seasons are on top of each other, because XIHL forced MLRH to move and now PIHA is when MLRH is taking place.

i'm not slow, i'm patient

[WMBG_GM]

I agree

Ben Loyall

[NJwerewolves12]

Very good point Special K

Do the Sing Sing

[MDE3]

Amen to that position Ben....The "harm" came when a failure to agree to multiple improvements was tabled...and a rift occurred between Bill Raue and one club owner in particular....Steve took the path which I am sure he percieved as the one more likely to succeed in principle, and which ended up being diverted from it's intended path to late to change things...

His actions were not done with any overt intent to "harm" Bill....but were intended to unify the sport at the pro ranks....In fact this new organization fully intended to include Bill Raue, not ostrasize him.... but unfortunately egos got in the way.....hmmm sound familiar?

The whole "XIHL/American Inline Hockey Properties" exercise could well be percieved as a microcosm of what prevents the sport of inline hockey from succeeding.

I believe from conversations I had with certain individuals, that the fundamental problem stemmed from a battle which ensued over the rights to the MLRH name and use within this new group...Bill defended his rights to maintain the ownership of his league name, and profit from it's future use and earnings...not really an unreasonable position given his prior investment.

Unfortunately this became a major legal sticking point in the formation of a "super" league which would have included the MLRH and Bill Raue as one of the founding members.....If some common ground had been found...the "XIHL" name would never have existed, and that whole unification exercise might be functioning successfully today under the American Inline Hockey Properties flag.

However Steve's position and actions within the whole context were....from my perspective....nothing but honorable...he truly was doing this with a vision to make a better product, and create some major unity within the pro versions of the sport. Same could be said for "Benny" by the way.

[NoMoreNiceGuy]

That is BS, Steve was having secret meetings with owners and caused the trouble because he wanted to take the league away from Bill. He was causing internal problems from the day he was hired.

[WMBG_GM]

You are mis-informed

Ben Loyall

[MDE3]

I see......sorry...but Steve while he no doubt realized some levels of frustration working for Bill in the 2003/04 season, did a masterfull job of co-ordinating one of the best seasons of MLRH ever... I know Steve spent a great deal of effort to keep Bill away from the day to day administration, but that is hardly the same as "stealing the league"....

As for the "secret meetings"....well after the whole blow up took place...there was certainly a lot of scrambling going on to form some kind of a season, when the original plan went into the tank.

And as for defending the "new league" concept...if you took the trouble to look back..I was one of it's rabid opponents...based on principle alone....at least an opponent of unleashing another new "Pro League" acronym when the general public barely recognized the existing ones. However I never felt that the intiative was wrong in that effort to consolidate..and originally it was intended to keep MLRH and PIHA all under one roof....as I said some egos got involved and it all got very messy.

Bill Raue is a "concept" and marketing guy...and has used his energy tirelessly to promote his league and the sport...or at least his vision thereof....The day to day administration of the league is quite a different matter....what may be good in Bill's view for his long term vision of the league..may in fact be antithetical to it's survival from a day to day viewpoint....Hence a portion of the conflict between Steve and Bill....

What I saw and was told was happening from several different conversations with the specific persons directly involved over the time these events unfolded, was pretty much as I told it above...

[GROWL]

How very true every word of this is. Steve and Benny have come and gone, much like we probably all could have predicted, the two still standing here in the east are Charlie and Bill. Each have there strong holds, but let's all hope that the elite league is so impressive that it forces something major to happen out here. I suspect that this is both our best hope and a likely possibility. As a supporter of Charlies efforts for 5 years now, it is good to finally see that he has leaped on of his major barriers with expansion this season. The Colorado league, named the Rocky Mountain Division, and the continued success in the western pa area are good signs, but I am particularly please with the annoucement of a Virginia team, traditionally a MLRH strong hold. Hopefully this will spread the word of our league in this area and we can continue to grow. Imagine if we could put all of Bill's and Charlie's efforts and teams together, what we would have. But havent we all done that atleast 10 times everytime we visit this particular board.

[NLane]

Remember speed hockey? And am I mistaken or didn't Mr. Yoder have something to do with the XIHL but suddenly disappeared? I could be wrong....I do think that the historical part of VA will be MLRH. Richmond may do non-check. Of course he was going to do State Wars too, but....It would be great for the sport if these leaders could somehow mesh and form a league that would encompass everything we'd like to see.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by NLane on 09/07/05 08:20 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

[Superstar9]

I for one would bring the NC Knights to PIHA if asked.

Street

[GROWL]

where in north carolina are you located

[GROWL]

Amen

[Superstar9]

Raleigh/Durham

Street

[Brooklynite10]

You aren't mistaken about Yoder and XIHL. The only way to get the two leagues to mesh is for all teams to go on "strike". Team owners and players should put there foot and not play in either league untill one solid league is established. MLRH and PIHA would have the choice of either meshing or folding. I have a feeling they would work something out. As far as contact vs. non contact, it can be a bit of both like we have in some tournament serious's. Hitting along the boards but none in the open rink.

[WMBG_GM]

You really don't want "hitting along the boards" or the dreaded "10 foot rule." MLRH AAA was like this when I first got involved. The big problem is one week, 10 feet is actually out to the faceoff dots. Next week, with a new ref, 10 feet is closer to 5. That is further compounded by nobody want to get hit so the play stays in the middle third of the floor and is boring as heck to watch. And when it does go into a corner or along a wall, it isn't a hit. It is a mugging.

If you are going to have contact, have contact. Don't try to mix and match. That just ends up with hurt players and confused fans.



Ben Loyall

[Brooklynite10]

I am all for full contact. I was just offering a solution if MLRH & PIHA combined and couldn't come to an agreement about having contact or not. It might not be the solution, but if a team of good, consistent refs were used, it wouldn't be that bad. If players don't want to go into the corners, then thats more pucks for me. lol

[Superstar9]

you can have those pucks in the corners bro.... everybody knows I sure don't want em!!

Street

[GROWL]

Justin,

If that were the simplified answer to differences in the two games, I would absolutely be on board with that sort of deal. The longer I am involved however, the more it becomes clear that it is ego and power that keeps the leagues apart. Maybe one day.

[Brooklynite10]

Since ego is the problem here, then let's just hope that one league emerges as THE league and blows the other out of the water. Roger Lee just posted that the MLRH will be starting up in early NOV. and PIHA will start in the spring. That's one big positive. Let's just hope that the MLRH playoffs do not overlap with the beginning of PIHA.

[33]

i believe that piha will start in january...which could pose another problem with schedules overlapping.

[GROWL]

I do not know where you are getting your info, but it is incorrect. PIHA will begin as of January 1 and run until some time in June. I am sorry to see that once again there will be an overlap in league play, but I am not surprised.

[SpiderRat]

Sorry for the incorrect info on PIHA. I was told by a player that that was when the league will start. My bad. I would be surprised to see guys leave their MLRH team to go play PIHA considering the prize given in MLRH. A free trip to Prague, or a trophy. Hmmm, I think I'll try and win the trip.

Blah Blah Blah, Shoot the puck already

[wolves89]

actually you are mis-informed again... dunno if i can say BUT there is a lot more of a prize for PIHA this season then MLRH!!!!

i'm not slow, i'm patient

[33]

from what i understand, the winner here on the east coast will play the winner of the rocky mountain division for 10 g's.

[Brooklynite10]

Cool, let the turmoil begin !

[SpiderRat]

Who's paying for the flights and hotel rooms? If it's the players, than you can write the 10 G's off as expense cost. So 10 G's to get there, and you win 10 G's, well that ties at zero if my accounting degree meant anything.

Blah Blah Blah, Shoot the puck already

[33]

very good roger. it's good to see you have finally found a talent. :)

[yokes]

Wow look who thats coming from!!!!

If you dont hit me im not stopping it.

[SpiderRat]

You tell him J. Coming from a guy who can't skate backwards, he might not want to chime in. LOL By the way TT, did you every recover fully from your skating accident? I think I still see a lump on the side of your head.

Blah Blah Blah, Shoot the puck already

[wolves89]

that depends on what team wins the east and has to fly to colorado... some teams have expenses paid... or partial help... i'd rather play for 10 g's any day

i'm not slow, i'm patient

[SpiderRat]

Instead of going to Europe??? I don't get it. Say you win the "10 G's", which hasn't been confirmed as of yet, you split that by 15 skaters, that leaves each player $666.67 each. Minus food, partying, replacing a broken stick, that leaves you a couple hundred each. Say you go with ten skaters, $1,000. each, minus food, partying, etc., you end up with $700.. I've never been to London, or Prague, and to get to go on the donut, and play hockey, wow, no brainer here. Maybe it's just me. Does anyone else see it my way? You can make a couple hundred bucks selling your old gear on ebay, but to go over seas to play hockey, well......

Blah Blah Blah, Shoot the puck already

[yokes]

That thing the size of a basketball Rog is his head not a lump.

If you dont hit me im not stopping it.

[SpiderRat]

LMAO!!!!!!!!!! Next time you skate with him, sneak and see what size his helmet is. Then I'll call the folks over at Guinness. You know we are kidding right Ying. ;)

Blah Blah Blah, Shoot the puck already

[yokes]

I think ill have to measure it with a pants size. Im guessing a 34. I hope you dont take this to heart ill be up for the bach. party friday Yings.

If you dont hit me im not stopping it.

[SpiderRat]

It better be a big pair of pants. Kidding Ying. I know how sensitive you are.

Blah Blah Blah, Shoot the puck already

[wolves89]

i guess i do see your point as far as playing over seas... i've played ice in europe almost a dozen times and traveled there for vacation a few other times.. so going there doesn't have the same appeal to me as others who have not gone there, it's not all it's cracked up to be, it's fun the first few times... so say we win 10g's with 10 players... i would rather have the 700 bucks, playing against the best comp there is too offer... you know CJ is going to have a better team in colorado to play against then europe has to offer...

i'm not slow, i'm patient

[33]

that's just the way my head is.

[33]

yeah, like i really take ANYTHING you clowns say seriously. friday night should be a gong show. i can't wait.