SNY "Street Games" episode re: roller hockey

[siberian khatru]

If you have not seen it already the Sportsnet New York (SNY) "Street Games" show that featured the Manhattan Roller Hockey League's summer 2007 playoff games is being rebroadcast this week at the following times (East Coast):

Today: 6:30 PM
Tuesday: 1:30 PM
Wednesday night/Thursday morning: 12:30 AM
Thursday: 6:30 PM

You'll see teams named Organic Near You (now known as Professor Thom's) and Tequila Jack's (now known as Westside Skate) playing for the inaugural Manhattan Roller Hockey League championship last August. You'll also see the Organic captain Adam Root (who played ice hockey at Michigan) interviewed on his way to work at Lehman Brothers in midtown Manhattan. They also interviewed various league officials and players (including another Michigan player Reilly Olson) about the league and the sport. Check it out if you get a chance.

You can also watch two clips from the show by selecting "Episode 4 - October 4, 2007" at this link: http://www.sny.tv/schedule/streetgames.jsp

-Mark Barbour (Founder and Chairman) www.manhattanrollerhockeyleague.com

[showtime89]

Well, I guess that answers my question about if they still play at Chelsea Piers.
Good length on the clip. Did that air on TV or just their website?

[siberian khatru]

It was on TV as about 18 minutes in two segments out of a 30 minute program. They first broadcast the episode (#4 out of 10 episodes that made up the entire series) last October. They are rebroadcasting our episode tonight and then three more times this week.

I signed up a team at Chelsea Piers in 2006 and then found out halfway through the season that Chelsea lost the lease on the roller rink to New York State so a Hudson River waterfront park could be built. They're replacing the kids skateboarding park that Chelsea had but otherwise putting running trails and a carousel where the roller rink used to be. Just like the Meatpacking District, the Chelsea section of Manhattan is getting gentrified and the folks moving in and buying million dollar condos and coops don't want a rink attracting adult hockey players to the neighborhood. The nearby Roxy night club that had Wednesday night roller disco and gay and straight dance nights is also gone. All the adult-themed attractions in the area are being replaced by more kid-friendly things for the incoming families as NYC and the local community board puts license and tax pressures on the liquor-based businesses.

I started the Manhattan Roller Hockey League so the Chelsea teams sponsored by NYC professional firms had a place to play. We had 12 teams last year and 14 teams in our current Spring season. I'm hoping to get 16 teams in place for the Fall 2008 season. We play our games out of the Stanley Isaacs Park rink at 96th Street and First Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. After 10 years of little work being done on the rink we got NYC Parks & Recreation to replace the beat-up boards and put a painted StreetIce coating on top of the rough asphalt surface that ground down skate wheels. We used a ball last year on the old surface but went to a ProPuck once the paint was dropped. We're finishing up our regular season next week and hope to get our Championship Finals played before the July 4th weekend.

While there are still plenty of places in Manhattan where pick-up games are played we're the only organized league, to my knowledge, in the borough.

[RichardGraham]

Cool clips! Thanks for sharing. Brings back a lot of memories -- I played a lot of inline hockey in the Santa Monica beach parking lots back in the day. We also had to use a ball. Our motto, however, was "No Refs. No Cops. Beach hockey." lol