Checking in RollerHockey?

[KenFas]

Just trying to light up the board and spark some discussion, Will there ever be a form of checking in roller Hockey. I know my first reaction to the question was absolutly no way, but then I thought about it. After competing at nationals and watching several others national events maybe our sport would actually get safer from some version of checking. I know many of you skill guys will oppose at first but think it through. First playing the body and how physical you can get has been the discretion of the ref and I noticed every year at national events the game is getting rougher and rougher. legalizing playing the body in the open floor would at least eliminate the grey areas and prepare players for what to expect instead of skating with his head down and being suprised. Also if the body was legal players would probably wear all the protective equipment. I know all the anti checking forwards are going to argue it would slow the game down and take away scoring. Well that arguement wouldn't stand. The NHL overtime 4 on 4 with blue and center lines doesn't lack the offense. And the pro divisions of NARCH are as physical as can be and the score are still high and the flow fast paced. I haven't watched any age group at a national level that doesn't have its cluthcing and grabbing and the game still flys from end to end so why would we be against some form of checking in Roller Hockey?

[Benny_Gulakiw]

I'm sure you realize that you've just opened a pandoras box. There are many issues when you consider whether or not to allow checking in roller hockey. From a house league standpoint, there is the liability issue. From a tournament standpoint, there is the consistency issue. Some teams will come from leagues that allow checking and some will come from leagues that don't. Trying to get a uniform policy on this or any other issue among all the various sanctioning bodies is a task onto itself.

However, coming from the pro sector (now two years removed), I feel that checking should be part of the game not only for a lot of the reasons that you've identified, but also from an entertainment point of view. I've always felt that roller hockey is hockey on inline skates and that the physical properties of the skates, the playing surface and the puck is what makes the sport of roller hockey different from ice hockey. From my experience, allowing checking in roller hockey compliments those differences. It's much harder to check someone in roller hockey than ice, particularly an open floor check. So when there's an open floor check or a collision in the corner, it's much more exciting.

Checking is an integral part of hockey, so why shouldn't it be a part of roller hockey. There should be an age limit as to when to allow checking similar to ice hockey; keeping in mind a player's ability to check and be checked. Some people will say that not allowing checking is what attracts players to the inline version of the sport. I feel, though, that if a player excels at the positive aspects of the sport, like speed, stickhandling and positioning, that player will continue to excel even if checking is allowed. Some players may get slowed down, but that's what hockey has always been about.

Checking was part of the pro game and it was still the most exciting sport around, even more so than ice hockey. Scores were still high, there were still one-on-oh, two-on-oh, three-on-one breaks. So I'm all for checking in roller hockey.

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey

[The_GM]

Allow it along the boards, in the open areas of the floor..its too easy to twist or catch a knee and that would suck...
from Bantam and above let them hit, maybe that will keep some of the stickwork and turnstiling down a bit when people skate by each other

of course. i don't see this at the local levels..but for things like a NARCh event, it makes sense...the crappier players will just wind up fighting one anohter

[Titan55]

I agree with it. In events like NARCh I think it could be allowed, but only to Bantam age and up. I mean, at NARCh we basically hit anyways! I don;t think it would hurt the games too much. My only concern is that we wear no shoulder pads, and if we are allowed to hit we would hit much harder than we do now, and people would be getting hurt all over the place!
Just my thoughts!
Phil Christie, Ontario Hyper Titans #24
One Love!

[The_GM]

So go buy some small lacrosse style shoulder pads..most of the pros who played pro roller didn't wear anything more, if that...and all you did was essentially repeat my post, I think you like just seeing your name on this site.
As for NARCh now, its not hitting its all stickwork ..unless your playing Div 1 it ain't close to checking

[Titan55]

AHAHAHA, you make me laugh!!!
I just like seeing my name up here??? What would be the ponit of just wanting my name up here, I mean nothing can happen from having my name on the board! Maybe if you had of been a member here for longer you would realise that I have very valid points on this board, but who am I to say that, maybe I do just want my name on here even though that would be pointless.

By the way...atleast I put my name on my posts, I don't just hide behind a user name!

Phil Christie, Ontario Hyper Titans #24
One Love!

[KenFas]

GM why are you so synical. Any topic is free game. I answered your post on the other message board as well. I just want to see some conversation on this board that would be constructive. As for more about checking I agree with all that it should start with the bantam age group and up. I know,as a ref, it would make it a little easier to decide what and what not to let go. The other issue I believe is every player that plays even at the highest level are not as skilled as some in speed and stick handeling but are more skilled in front of the net and along the boards don't they have a place in rollerhockey? Some players have speed, some quickness, some strength. It seems we lose credibility from the Ice guys because there is no room for the big strong player in the 4 on 4 world.

[The_GM]

I rest my case

[BigTymeSniper33]

Basically all the anti-rollerhockey players are those big ice hockey players who dont have a place in the game of inline hockey which is infront of the net as you said, thats why they turn baised towards the sport of inline hockey. It would appeal to much more players if they allowed checking in inline.

[j_bo]

Well.. looks like I will be in the minority here then...
In all of our RECREATIONAL leagues, there is NO checking... Ice or Roller...

Why I don't want it??
I go to work, I have a family to support, & I like my body parts the way they are. It's bad enough that we get banged up with no checking. I could imagine if checking was actually okay to do... Our biggest problem is high sticking and controlling the stick.
I also agree that more people come to play for the fun of it, yes, competition is a big part too. But, if you start adding checking, more persons will be injured, insurance for the rinks will go up, the cost to play will increase so the rink owner can recoup his higher cost of insurance, "goons" will abound, the family part of the game will go away, parents will freak when "lil johnny" gets beaten and banged up, need I go on? I have a zillion other reasons to keep checking out of roller hockey.
I suggest to leave the game the way it is, NO CHECKING!

Of course, I live in Louisiana, and we don't have a very high participation rate here. So we don't wanna scare away any newcomers coming to the sport. Most everyone I know of, when you say hockey, they think of all the big NHL players out there, and that's all they have to base the sport on.
When I mention that we play, and that there isn't any checking involved, most people wanna atleast give it a try......j-bo

[Benny_Gulakiw]

I would like to make a few comments in response to your post. First, some of my comments about having checking in roller hockey were meant to be applied to the elite tournaments, travel leagues and pro (if there's ever a league again). The Buffalo Wings currently run a good size summer league (94 teams, 1,000 players) and we do not allow checking at any level. This was a policy that our league director initiated. What we may do, as our league continues to grow, is start a elite division and a rec division at each age group starting at the bantam level. That way people can chose what intensity that they want to play at. As far as smaller leagues, the league director can choose if they will allow checking or not. And you can choose, or the parents can choose whether or not to play in a league that allows checking. No one is going to force you to play in a league that allows checking.

I think you're right, though. Young kids and areas that are just getting started shouldn't be exposed to checking until they are ready for it and as I said, if a league can afford to do so then they can offer an elite and rec division so people can choose. But I believe that checking should be part off roller hockey, at least at the higher levels.

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey

[Eccinline19]

Here is why hitting should never be legalized in inline......1)Equipment-Most palyers I know don't want to have to go out and spend money on Pads and stuff, plus it's way to hot. 2)On ice, almost every player can stop on a dime, in inline, there are too many that can't. 3)Parents don't want checking........besides, isn't inline supposed to be different than ice?? Why don't we try to get off-sides goin instead to cut down cherry picking??

[Benny_Gulakiw]

1) If you don't want to buy the equipment then don't play in a league that allows checking, play in a non-checking rec league, 2) You're right, it's harder to stop in inline, that's why when you get a player that can check in roller it's more exciting because it happens less often than in ice, 3) Who ever said inline was supposed to be different than ice. I always thought that when the sport of inline hockey was first started it was supposed to hockey on inline skates. That's why floor manufacturers and puck manufacturers and skate manufacturers all try to create respective products to mimic the feel of ice hockey.

I'm not trying to be a jerk about this, I just don't agree with some of the points about not allowing checking. I mean it's simple, you don't have to play in a league that allows checking if you don't want to. I'm sure there will always be non-checking rec leagues around.

By the way, I absolutely agree with your point about off-sides. Again, my perspective is from the pro side and at least there was some kind of off-sides rule. The offensive players could be on the offensive side of the red line if a teammate carried the puck across the red line. A player couldn't pass the puck across the red line to a teammate in the offensive zone. Cherry-picking is definitely not fun or exciting to watch.

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey

[j_bo]

Here is my turn again on the OFFSIDES...
If you want offsides....then play REAL OFFSIDES....

Why??
Well....we tried the OFFSIDES rule that you have mentioned above. I think NARCH or some organization came up with this "brilliant" (sarcastically said) idea.

Why is it dimwitted??? Well....it does not stop cherry picking at all...
Example: I stole the puck by my defensive blue line or close to the redline and my offensive player is a lazy slob and stays at the offensive zone by the net... I am a good puck handler, so I take it from a player close to the redline, and my guy is already down by the net, as soon as I skate across....zip... there he is, uncontended....that's how easy it is to get around the offsides rule....believe me, it was very easy to do...
So..how do you stop cherry picking then right??
Have REAL OFFSIDES, just like Ice hockey.... OR... whoever is doin the cherry pickin, skate by him, knock him on his butt, or intimidate the crap outta him, or whatever.... again, did that just once, and the player decided he didn't want that again, so no cherry pickin...but mostly.... MOSTLY....each team hates cherry pickers, and will berate their own players, and try to stop doin it...if all that don't work....then keep a skater down and babysit the baby...j-bo

[The_GM]

If you play as a team, even with RHI style offsides (don't blame NARCh, they have been no offsides since the beginning I believe), a team that cherry picks will pay the price. You will have an advantage in their zone and if you don't shoot wide and cycle, you should dominate..

I've played 5 on 5 and even 4 on 4 ice hockey offsides..all it is, is 8 or 10 people crunched up at the blue line, never mind stopping on inlines for most of them and all the crap contact that ensues and the bs that follows crap contact..

finally just stick someone back on a cherry picker...people cherry pick in all forms of hockey..whether it be at the red line or further..its up to you to defend..if I wanted to play ice hockey, I'd play ice hockey, its more fun when playing that style..playing ice on inlines would suck...

[Benny_Gulakiw]

J bo & The GM,

You guys are right. Even with modified offsides rules you can't completely stop cherry-picking and ice hockey offsides rules makes the game too muddied and takes away the flow. Although you can't completely stop the cherry-picker, he/she can hurt their team because it will mean more odd-man breaks going the other way (which the fans love but the goalies and coaches hate). And if the player doesn't get on the C.P. then the coach will.

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey

[Eccinline19]

I ref and play in a facility which has the RHI off-sides rules for every league and it totally changes the game. We get more 1 2 goal games than anywhere else I've ever seen.

[N2HKY]

Here's an intresting article I found right here in the Northern Exposure Column. Concerning "Checking in Roller Hockey"

Northern Exposure 4
May 6, 1998

by Derek Moscato

The Stanley Cup playoffs never cease to amaze me. For a month or two every spring, the best hockey players in the world duel it out for the bragging rights to the sport's most glorious prize. Unlike the regular season, the NHL playoffs provide nail-biting tension and sheer excitement. Here, the agony and athleticism of sport is on full display.

The playoffs can be characterized by their most redeeming traits: break-neck speeds, strategic coaching, high emotions, excellent defense and bombs-away body contact. It's the last characteristic that leaves me scratching my head time and time again. Watching the likes of Peter Forsberg and Mike Grier, two superb players who have the skills to match their brute hitting force, I wonder if inline hockey players will ever be able to crack the pro ranks of hockey without a foundation in body contact.

I'm coming from the position of someone who wants to speed up the game of inline hockey, not a supporter of ice hockey barbarism. Clearly, body contact should be differentiated from the jabbing and cheap shots that go on in many hockey leagues, including the RHI, NHL, and the NCAA.

While rug rats shouldn't have to worry about dodging some seven-year-old thug taking a run, it's at the age of 10 or 11 that young players start to consider their futures in the sport. Do they want to pursue hockey at a high-end competitive level, and possibly make a push for a collegiate or professional career? This is a question many players and parents ask, including those in inline hockey. If so, it's time to take a long hard look at body contact.

Body contact isn't about violence or excessive aggression. Hockey thrives off of a physical element because it speeds up the play of the game and encourages players to move the puck. There's only one thing worse than having to watch a puck hog who fails to acknowledge his linemates, and that would be playing with one. Body contact forces greedy players to make a move or pay the price.

There's no question that body checking provides an exciting element to the game. Does it have a place in inline hockey? So far, it has only been able to crack the pro ranks.

USA Hockey InLine does not allow body checking at any level of play. According to director Mark Rudolph, however, incidental physical content which results from two players playing the puck who have run out of free space is legal.

"Inline hockey is philosophically different than ice hockey," says Rudolph. "Body-checking in inline hockey is dangerous. Ice hockey players can stop and move laterally, to step into an opponent, in an instant. This creates a "safe" mechanism for body checking. In-line hockey players cannot do this."

Rudolph makes a point. An inline skate doesn't afford players the same precision in movement as the ice skate. Players who don't want to make the effort to stop may simply run into other bodies to decrease their speed.

The absence of full-scale body contact certainly gives inline hockey an identity of its own. Some players liken the inline game to soccer, where graceful object control supersedes other strategies such as dump and chase.

Rudolph believes that the few players ready to make a jump to the professional ranks can easily adapt to the physical requirements.

"The number of players who will ever play professional inline hockey is very small, compared to the overall inline hockey population," he says. "Body-checking skills can be taught by good coaches when the player enters a league in which body checking is legal."

Whether or not the absence of hitting in amateur inline hockey is hurting or helping the game has yet to be seen. Young players are certainly benefiting from a greater concentration on shooting, stickhandling, skating and passing, while parents can breathe easier when their child participates in a safer sporting environment. Still, what's a good thing early on may hinder player development in the long run.

"You can't play the game without contact," says Bill Jensen, who played defense for Major League Roller Hockey's New York Riot last summer. "It really does ruin the basics of the game, particularly when you have the roller hockey players that are pure roller hockey players trying to make the pros. If they've played roller hockey all their lives, they may have great skills, but they're the ones with their heads down."

Jensen, who had experience in hitting leagues before turning pro, believes amateur inline hockey players could be in for a rude awakening down the line.

"When people bitch about how pro roller hockey is overrun with ice hockey players over the summer, a lot of it has to do with politics," says Jensen. "But a lot of it has to do with roller hockey players not having the hitting experience. The minute they go to the (pro) tryout, they're going to get popped."

Inline hockey may not be ready for hitting yet, but there is clearly a movement supporting an introduction of bodychecking to the amateur game. One can only hope that somewhere in the near future, pure inline hockey players can compete on a level playing field with their ice-hockey brothers when it comes time to turning pro.

Derek Moscato lives in Kelowna, British Columbia. His writing credits include Inline Hockey News, Puck, InLine, and Travel Channel Online. The former centerman with the University of Kansas Jayhawks can be found reliving his college glories along the banks of Okanagan Lake. E-mail Derek at [email protected]

[evman113]

great post. hitting has to be allowed at the top levels of play. in most sports, when you get into higher competition levels the aggression and contact get higher, more frequent, and tougher. now mind you this is only in soccer, lacrosse, and hockey but it does. we have an adult gold league at my rink, and it is really rough. but there is a consistant measure of dispute between what the various refs consider too much and what the players think is too much. by allowing checking, it makes for A. more consistent ref-ing and B. makes for a speedier, more exciting play. the smaller, faster players will skate faster and quicker in order to evade the larger, heavier hitting players. and the hitters will still make the big hits to keep people on the edge of their seats.

as for the argument about offsides, i have seen very few quality teams play a cherry-picking style and win. also, the best defense is a good offense as far as im concerned so whenever consistant offensive pressure is placed on a cherry-picking team, more goals will be score and thus make the cherry-picker realize how pointless his play is. and on a minor note, as a goalie, i have learned to be quite proficient on breakaways and one on one situations. they are very fun for me. and as anyone who has played against me can verify, i may stop all 6 breakaways against me, but three well placed slapshots will score every time.

[zamboni]

evman
what's your secrets on the one on ones, I'll take the slap shots anytime!!!. I am doing the transition from ice to inline and am having troubles with one on ones, and just getting around the crease area effectively. Any advice??

thanks
z

{shocked}

[evman113]

a few things. on breakaways, i am very agressive and challange the shooter fully. i also happen to be blessed with good speed skating backwards. this helps a lot, as i can guege pretty closely the speed of the oncoming skater so that the skater, the net, and myself all arrive at the same time, or preferably with me getting there a tad sooner. as for tips, never give up on the play. you may find yourself completely out of position only to roll over, throw a arm up in the air, and have the shooter freak out and skate into an area where he has a poor shooting angle and miss the net completely. i usually flash a big 5 hole on my way back and try to get him to shoot for it, only to close it as soon as he shoots. i have tall pads and use the top thigh part to cover it quickly when i butterfly. and if the shooter seems to have poor control of the puck, slide out and take it away, either with a strong poke check or full body slide (which usually ends in a spectacular collision with the skater feeling all the pain). breakaways are very fun for me. i always look foreward to them. there are 4 possibilities. A. you make a save, B. the shot misses the net, C. the shot hits the post, or D. the shot score.

about the slapshots, i am a smaller goalie and pucks seem to find the corners, and in new rinks it takes me a while to get adjusted so that i don't get lost when playing the angles (as i am prone to do) and over play the posts, especially to the gloves side as to give a good three feet of empty net.

about ice, when you make a save or go down, you will slide in that position for a distance. in roller you do not. you stop pretty dang quickly. also realize that you need to get less of the puck to stop it. its not going to slide in on most cases. it might roll, but that sucks anyways. oh and try to keep your body up. too many times i see goalies go down and have their body hit the ice, only to allow the entire top of the net. try the splits to cover the bottom and contend for a shot upstairs. if there is anything else you need just ask, but im no expert. remember those stupid slappers from the point.


as far as movement goes, just practice going around the outside of the crease. everyone has there methods. i can't even tell you how i do it, i do it subconcoiusly. a lot of movies or stuff like that tell you to "shuffle step" to move laterally, well that doesn't work for nothin. players will just come in, turn sharp, and as you lift your feet to move, shoot underneath you or to the bottom corners. i will tell you that my main movement is telescoping. if i do anyhthing else, i will usually open up and slide in a sorta t shape to get wherever. mainly, just develope your own way.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by evman113 on 08/09/01 02:02 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

[dapost22]

Keep checking out of this game.

As a tactic checking sucks. The game is too wide open and if you miss, you not only look stupid, you are stupid.

This game is like international ice the way it was played in the early 80's by the Soviets and Chechs. It's wheeling and dealing, wide open hockey.

Forget checking. It's boring unless you're an ignorant NHL fan who had drank too many beers and just wants to see hits.

This game is skating, passing, dekes and moves, the more the better. Let the slow fat boys stay with ice.

This game is for the Lafleurs, Lafontaines, Orrs, Bures, etc who have skill and wheels. No fat boys please. Only phat dudes.

Also if hitting gets into this sport I guarantee you that insurance will become a problem. There will be injuries and rinks will not be able to get insured.

One more thing: Offsides. IT SUCKS! The rules for are roller hockey as they exist now are perfect and if anyone tells me cherry picking is a problem, well you just don't know what you are talking about. Cherry picking does not work and it is not done at a high level.

If cherry picking worked, it would be a tactic in the NBA because you can pass the ball over head. In roller just block the passing lanes.

Tell me cherry picking is a problem in this sport and I'll tell you you don't know what's up. It's that simple.

[macmill1]

If you allow roller to be full check, the "pro" teams will load up with big guys who make a career of semi-pro ice who have less skill than the elite inline players. Roller can be exciting. Checking can be exciting. Together, the are a recipe for failure. I'd say, based on the past, a guarantee of failure. Lose the blue line, no check, open up the game and it will be exciting.
Unless of course the idea is to follow in the "pro" league footsteps. In that case, I suggest lots of hitting, fighting, and hooking/holding. You could even make the rinks bigger because you won't need room for stands.....

Al

Alan MacMillan

[Benny_Gulakiw]

Alan,

I'm sorry but I think your statement is flawed. I speak from a "pro" standpoint and teams did not "load up" with the type of players you referred to. I've been involved in the pro version of the sport since 1994 and I have never seen a type of team that resembled the "Broadstreet Bullies". Yes, teams would have one or two players for muscle but a winning team would have to have a balance.

Speaking from experience, as Vice President of Operations and General Manager of the Buffalo Wing since 1998, it was my job to put together a winning AND ENTERTAINING team. That meant having good goaltending, fast skating players, good goal scorers and checkers. In 1997, under GM Rick Seeley, our designated muscle was Peter Vandemeer. In 1998 it was Martin Woods and in 1999 it was Mark Major. And although it was the job of these guys to hit, with the exception of Vandemeer, they could also play the game and contribute to the offensive side. Woods was second on the team in penalty minutes (I believe 4th or 5th in the league) and second on the team in assists. Major was a top five player in the league in points and penalty minutes in 1999.

Let's look at some other players. I was in Florida and watched the pro semi finals and finals. In the three games I saw, Gerry St.Cyr was probably one of the best players. He knows how to throw a check as well as score a goal. C.J. Yoder, who I feel is THE best ROLLER HOCKEY player right now also nows how to play the body. Now I watched these and other games played during NARCh Finals and yes, they were fun to watch because they were the best player in N.A. But I think they would have been more exciting to watch from a fans perspective if there was checking. Maybe not at NARCh, per se, but at a pro level (of which one doesn't exist right now).

Alan, I have a lot of respect for you but I don't know what pro games you ever watched. There were never any goon teams in either RHI or MLRH. Even at the beginning of the 1999 RHI season everybody thought Chris McSorely's Las Vegas Coyotes was going to be a goon team but they ended up playing solid roller hockey and lost in the quarter finals in one of best best games ever played.

You know these pro leagues didn't fail (from a spectator point of view) because they allowed checking. They failed because they were too many people at the top who didn't know what they were doing and had other agendas. The fans I talked to, in Buffalo and other cities, loved checking, and fighting. I remember in 1999, we didn't have enough fighting or hitting. That's what we had Kenny Corp for. Everybody in the stands wanted to see the little 4 foot whatever drop the gloves a pop someone twice his size. I can't believe you would imply that fans stayed away from the pro games BECAUSE there was checking. It was quite the opposite from my experience.

I've watched many of our Buffalo Junior Wings games over the years. They play in the Major Junior A Roller Hockey League based in Southern Ontario. It's a 22 & under league with no checking and no offsides. What I would see is cherry-picking and stick-work like slashing and cross-checking, and fighting. We would spend hours in league meetings going over the rules on fighting penalties.... for a no check league. To me that doesn't seem right.

I loved N2HKY's post on the subject where he included the article by Derek Moscato. I thought that he hit the nail right on the head (no pun intended).

This has been a great thread and I have had a lot of fun trying to 'spread my gospel" on the subject. There are definitely two different points of view on the subject of checking in roller hockey and I don't think anyone is going to change anyone else's mind anytime soon.

I'm glad we have a venue like the IHC message board to share our opinions like this. As a side note, I did talk to Paul Chapey about having a symposium during the NARCh Finals, but obviously it was too short of notice to do something right. We are planning on doing something during 2002 NARCh WInternationals in conjunction with the Let's Play Hockey show. I'll make sure we have "checking in roller hockey" on the agenda.

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey

[KenFas]

For all the anti Checking guys you do make some valid points and some not so valid. For starters there are going to be players that are 200 plus pounds that actually like roller hockey more for the same reasons you point out wide open offense and again I argue checking will no slow the game down. In fact I do not see the game slowing down one bit. I have seen the pro division teams play and the games are physical right to the brink of full checking and the game still flys from end to end. One of the problems without checking is the hotshot 150 lb stickhandling whiz that can skate head down school many a good defenseman and then allowed to run his mouth all the way back to the face off at center. If he could be stood up would balance the game a bit. If you played defense in Ice and in roller you would have to believe roller is much tougher on the defenseman. I truelly believe that as years have passed officials have become more lenient about defenseman playing the body just to help some of the big guys out. Every year we go to a national tournament and the game seems more physical and the line between contact and penalty blurs, all I'm saying is draw the line allow players to be stood up and let stronger players play where they can excel along the boards and in front of the crease, the skill player will still excel in the open floor in a 4 on 4 game.

I do however agree that the checking game is for the older age groups and doesn't need to be part of house leagues. Elite travel hockey has a place for some form of checking. The Irony to me is I believe the game would become safer if the rules allowed it and players new what to expect. This balony about it being to hot for more equipment is absurd. Football players wear more in 100 degree heat outside. In fact I think more safty equipment should be required for Inline hockey. Many players don't wear a girdle(padded pants) and try to slide on elbow pads for more speed. The risk they take are not smart. I have witnessed a ruptured spleen that would have been prevented from a girdle and gruesome elbow injury from wearing improper elbow prevention. These injuries came in a non checking league, so wearing more protective equipment is probably a good thing.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by KenFas on 08/10/01 06:26 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

[Eccinline19]

I've been playin the sport for about 8 years now......I don't wear elbow guards, Shoulder Pads, Girdles, hockey pants.......never had any major injury, so I don't think more equipment is needed.....as far as the 150 lb s#!t-talkers, I've seen plenty of huge guys bury some little guy and stand over him or talk crap, so don't classify all trash talkers as 150 lb scorers

[morrisville75]

i would love to see checking in roller hockey becuase i am now playing ice hockey

[KenFas]

I'll agree with that.

[eulogy01]

It was mentioned that only checking along the boards should be allowed, and I agree. Say you're a defenseman and the forward is trying to go around you, and you push him wide towards the boards. You should be able to rub him out. That's nowhere near an full blown, "open ice" check. Checking would also be beneficial to the forwards who actually bother to forecheck.
On the other side of the coin, those that mentioned insurance are dead right.
I just thought of anyother good reason to allow checking: to keep Lindros from playing.

[Miki_Tribe]

i think that protective equipment must be required.
no checking and playing with ball will make a bigger difference between inline and ice hockey and will not be favorurable for bigger players. playing with ball is much easier for players, faster and more attractive for viewers.
sincerely
Miki

[morrisville75]

i would say if there is any check you will have pads like ice

if there was full out hitting( open ice) then there would be no reason to play ice because roller would in a way turn into ice

[SpeedDemon]

I would have to strongly disagree with the ball concept. Anyone can play with a ball. Playing on the right surface with the right puck, dramatically increases the skill level of the players. All the players I know who have played "pro" ball hockey and pro puck hockey wouldn't even have to think twice if presented with the option.

As for checking, all equipment should be required, absolutely.

SD