MLRH on VERSUS???!!!

[wednthavddr]

I just came across this on the Florida Fusion website but it says that the finals for the MLRH will be aired on Versus on August 30th. This is awesome if true. One thing that is very good is that the sports "wonder boy" Itan Chavira will be playing in that tournament with the Fusion. Also there is a good chance they will be playing a strong Buffalo Wings team.

Now on the other hand. I am not sure how strong the competition is in the MLRH but do you think that the airing of this league is good or would you rather air something like the NARCH Finals??

From what I hear MLRH has some high scoring games and it is full check so that should be fun to watch.

Do not get this post wrong... I am pumped that roller hockey will be nationally televised on a channel that plays all the NHL games, I am just seeing if there is a good thread in this news.

I do not know about you guys but it would be cool seeing Itan on ESPN's top ten pulling a backhand michigan spin-o-rama...or whatever it is called.

[towson9]

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=95299260059

thats the facebook event of it .. says on there Versus will be broadcasting it on August 29th 1pm - 3pm

i personally think its great to get some Roller Hockey back on National TV but would much rather see the NARCh and/or Torhs Pro Finals on TV .. i hope this is a start of things to come, NARCh Torhs AIHL etc. it would be great to see...

[Fusion9]

Buffalo Wings site has the announcement up as well. It's in their building and word has it, the Buffalo Sabres announcers are coming in as replacements for the weekend. The games are being played this weekend (July 11th & 12th) but are now being aired August 30th.

I cant post links or I would...but its a newer account. It's the second story on Buffalo Wings Hockey DOT COM

Wings are expected to be at full-force from what I'm being told and the Fusion have:

Chris Street (FL)
Dave Howard (NC)
Itan Chavira (CA)
Frank Szilagyi (MD)
Trace Williams (GA)
Casey Davis (FL)
Kasey Denesevich(FL)
Leo Silva (TN)
Pat MacAllister (TN)
Alex Pantaleo (FL)
Jared Gailey (TN)
Angel Blanco (TX)
Dave Herman-G (IL)
Dave Levinson-G (NC)

Both teams have semi-finals.....FL vs. Chicago, Wings vs. MI....everyone seems to keep forgetting about those games...

The Versus thing is legit as far as I know, Bill has been selling advertising space for the commercial spots, I know he had to sell 9 total to make it happen and I'm pretty sure he's now workin on gettin the Semifinals on Versus as bonus coverage.

[skooled]

honestly, I think its a great idea..... I would LOVE to get a hold of the games on disc or tape, as we don't have versus in Australia. Looks like MLRH is on track, and keeping the full check is going to be good viewing....

[Ronnie Williams]

Street - good luck this weekend......looks like you're going north loaded! Bring home the 'ship!

As for getting the MLRH on VERSUS - congrats to Bill and his crew for this accomplishment.

As an inline community everyone needs to watch the games on August 29th and make sure you email them or call and tell them what a great idea to broadcast inline hockey. Let's fill up their inbox with emails!


Sincerely,

Ronnie Williams :cool:
"Let's grow the sport together"

[wednthavddr]

There are already conflicting dates for the airing date:

Is it the 29th or 30th. It has been advertised on both I believe

[STEMM]

There are already conflicting dates for the airing date:

Is it the 29th or 30th. It has been advertised on both I believe

I went to the VERSES website and looked at the T.V. Schedule for both of those dates and I do not see MLRH or anything hockey listed for those dates.

[Fusion9]

The original date that was put up on facebook had been changed minutes after the message went out. The versus website thing, I'm not sure what's the deal, I was told that it just hasn't been updated yet. I'm just passing on what info I have to try and answer questions. Don't shoot the messenger, I'm as hopeful as everyone else that it's all legit, the sport needs it.

[skooled]

Street - good luck this weekend......looks like you're going north loaded! Bring home the 'ship!

As for getting the MLRH on VERSUS - congrats to Bill and his crew for this accomplishment.

As an inline community everyone needs to watch the games on August 29th and make sure you email them or call and tell them what a great idea to broadcast inline hockey. Let's fill up their inbox with emails!


Sincerely,

Ronnie Williams :cool:
"Let's grow the sport together"

you've hit the nail on the head. let them know in person, even now, how excited you are about the news of this being aired. and then how happy you are about it after it was aired. I will be from my personal, family and work emails....

[STEMM]

Are you sure this is legit ? I don't even see anything on the MLRH website that promotes this ? :confused:

[FrankFrank]

It's legit... I'm sitting 5 feet away from the interviews and everything is ending in "Coming up on Versus!"

[iceburg]

Is it august 29th or 30th?

[Ronnie Williams]

For those who want the score....in the 3rd period Florida Fusion 4 Buffalo Wings 4.......more to follow.

[Ronnie Williams]

....final score in the MLRH Championship game Buffalo Wings wins 7-5 against the Florida Fusion with an empty netter at the end!

[wednthavddr]

How was the game..Do you think this game will draw viewers into it on tv?? Hitting good? Goals good?

[growl89]

if the versus thing is indeed true, I would think mlrh would leap frog the other leagues back to the top. Teams from all over will be jumping ship to be a part of this. This could potentially be the next big thing for our sport. Mlrh usually disappoints most, so hopefully it was a great show in buffalo with a packed house and hopefully the versus thing works out. I know league supporters will come argue that teams won't jump ship, but what roller hockey player/owner/coach in thier right mind wouldn't want a chance to be on national tv?

[wednthavddr]

good point i didnt even think of that

[Inline_Burl]

I was at MLRH Champioships this weekend and it was an alright event. The game on versus will be a good one except there was maybe 100 people in the stands. I hope for Bill and the sport of roller hockey this thing really takes off. The versus thing was true there were about 5 cameras in the building for filming and they said they were from versus.

Oh and by the was the Buffalo Wings took home the Newron Cup of score of 7-5 over the Florida Fusion...good game.

[skooled]

I don't necessarily think alot of teams will go over, only a handful at most, just the way the MLRH gets structured. smaller amount of teams = better alround league in EVERY way, for the first while

[iceburg]

you never know how this is going to work out .yes ,If It opens the door to pro inline on t.v.,the other leagues could say ,hey versus,we have a pro league also but with more teams would you like to take a look?Is that ...say.. competition?

[ACCCT2]

The versus thing was true there were about 5 cameras in the building for filming and they said they were from versus.

Do you guys really "drink the Kool-Aid" THAT easily...?!? Just so you know -- Versus is NOT in the broadcast production business and DOES NOT 'produce' (as in on-site film, cover or edit) ANY of their broadcast content (their NHL Hockey Central Post Game Report and Stanley Cup Playoff shows being the lone 'in-house' exceptions and these are done with contracted-for production talent brought in on a show by show and/or need basis). Versus has NO production money whatsoever. In fact, nearly 90% of Versus's broadcast content is producer-purchased time-buys or at best, buy-shares -- as in the content producer (in this case Mr. Bill & friends) buying a time-slot and hoping that at the very least that they themselves can sell the ad-slots needed to reimburse themselves for their buy of that very same Versus broadcast slot. MY guess -- "Mr. Bill" told his hired cameramen/production crew to answer "from/for Versus" if anyone asked where they were from or what they were filming for. AGAIN, Versus has NO production money whatsoever -- and they certainly wouldn't waste ANY of their precious time, talents or what little budgets they DO have covering inline hockey, especially a 3rd-rate sham of a league like MLRH/Slamm Hockey -- TRUST ME, NO WAY IN HELL or HIGH HEAVEN does Versus have ANYTHING to do with paying for, producing or in ANY way actually 'covering' the actual MLRH program as it happens.;)

[Downz39]

When I see your name on a post I cringe. I'm curious when you are going to bring/say something productive. Your knowledge of useless information is unmatched. I mean seriously who cares who produces it. Who even asked? It would be great for inline hockey to be on national tv. While the MLRH has had it's problems, the Buffalo Wings is a well established/highly respected organization, and while I don't really know much about Florida, they brought in the face of inline hockey to play with them. Any exposure what-so-ever is good for the sport, and that's the bottom line.

Richard, seriously, anyway we can take up a collection and get a ban on him. I mean I'm all for a forum to voice one's opinion, it's just getting ridiculous with this no-name Debbie Downer. What exactly have you done for this sport other then make negative posts on this site when someone tries to help this sport grow?

[Phelan96]

Oh and by the was the Buffalo Wings took home the Newron Cup of score of 7-5 over the Florida Fusion...good game.

Well Thanks alot for the spoiler, now nobody will watch!!! ;)

[Ronnie Williams]

Jack and everyone - please watch Versus when it comes on in late August. It was a great game from what my son told me and he was playing in it! One of the Miami Mambo girls kept me up to date on the scoring by texting to me (thanks Sarah) and I was on the edge of my chair just reading the text messages. The game was great for all four periods. This Buffalo Wings team was not the same Buffalo Wings team that played Florida two months ago when Florida demolished them 12-3. This must have been their NARCh Pro team this weekend......I give kudos to Chris Street in putting together a squad of inline players plus Itan that played almost every game together for the entire season!

================================================== ==================
I also sent an email to Versus the other night and copied good ole Bill, it read as follows:

To: [email protected]
CC: [email protected]

Versus program director,

A big thank you from the inline hockey community in Georgia for the upcoming broadcast of the MLRH finals in Buffalo, NY.......it is a great big step that we appreciate you taking!!

================================================== =================

Ronnie Williams :cool:

[STEMM]

Is there a flyer or any type of document advertising this event that could be printed out ?

If there is, where can I find it. I'd like to print it out and hang it up at a couple of the local rinks.

[RichardGraham]

Hi Stemm,

Here are two fliers Bill sent me, but he didn't get back to me to confirm the details, so I felt uncomfortable putting them up.

[ACCCT2]

What did I tell you -- Bill bought a broadcast slot (and how many, no-one but he and Versus really knows) and he's now trying to re-coup his investment and hopefully even make a little money by selling ad-slots (although I seriously doubt that this objective is even remotely possible in this ad market).:p

Do yourselves a favor and go to the Versus site, on their own in-site search engine enter in MLRH, Major League Roller Hockey, Slamm Hockey, inline hockey, roller hockey, Bill Raue -- whatever -- NOTHING comes up, NOTHING AT ALL. That's not ME talking, that's the Versus website that lists virtually all of their scheduled and upcoming shows (GOOD call, Richard, on waiting for Bill to "confirm").

Those of you who jumped all over me for "calling a spade a spade" clearly missed my point -- that Bill was clearly intimating (misleading?) people into believing that Versus decided that inline roller hockey was (all of a sudden?) worthy of network commitment, production and broadcast coverage. Let me tell you, short of outright porn or preaching political subversion or revolution, Versus will broadcast just about anything that you're willing to pay them to broadcast (and YOU absolutely WILL have to pay THEM to do so). This is obviously OK left alone by itself, and might even be enjoyable to a clueless viewing public, but misleading everyone into thinking that inline roller hockey is anywhere near a BIG-time (or even little-time) broadcast quality product, let alone network commitment, is definitely shady BS at best -- and if you ask me (which I'm sure many of you won't), "this too" shall (VERY quickly) pass into oblivian.:(

[Fusion9]

Even with that being the case and MLRH is flipping the bill to get it on tv, what exactly is wrong with that? I mean what's the difference? Where exactly was it misleading? I'm not quite sure I follow you as to what the problem is? All that was stated was that MLRH is going on Versus. If that is what it takes to get the sport some exposure than so be it, I recall you saying the sport is too much of a joke for any major sponsor to put money into anyway, so now the sport is taking matters into its' own hands and you're bashing that too? Give it a rest man. You're what's called a "Hater"....why don't you just pick a new topic to hate on? Go to a baseball forum and hate on them for awhile or something.

As for those who actually want to see the sport go somewhere, stay tuned and see what happens. I don't know what else to say, I don't know the details. What I do know is that Bill spent a TON of money this season and did his best to make things work. I don't know any other league that spends 10k + a month to get his teams to events and charges the players zilch. It's not the most organized league by any means but hey, you can't complain when the league flips the bill.

[sbutler]

Fusion9 - I don't think anyone including ACCCT2 is against having Roller Hockey on VS, or that someone, and in this case Bill taking matters into his own hands for getting it done.
The only problem he seems to have, is that people involved, including the cameramen, said they were from VS, which in fact does look to be a slightly skewed truth. The program was filmed for VS to air.. just not by VS. the difference in perception being that a large network took time and money to get roller hockey on TV, versus (pun intended) someone providing the content.

I know, I know it's still gonna be on TV, i agree! I just felt that people were missing ACCCT2's point. I'm sure he/she will be watching like the rest of us.

Here's hoping it's the start of something which grows steadily and evolves into expanded coverage.

Steve

[ACCCT2]

fusion9 - i don't think anyone including accct2 is against having roller hockey on vs, or that someone, and in this case bill taking matters into his own hands for getting it done.
The only problem he seems to have, is that people involved, including the cameramen, said they were from vs, which in fact does look to be a slightly skewed truth. The program was filmed for vs to air.. Just not by vs. The difference in perception being that a large network took time and money to get roller hockey on tv, versus (pun intended) someone providing the content.

I know, i know it's still gonna be on tv, i agree! I just felt that people were missing accct2's point. I'm sure he/she will be watching like the rest of us.

Here's hoping it's the start of something which grows steadily and evolves into expanded coverage.

Steve

Exactly.;)

[Fusion9]

ok, point noted and if that's the case as far as your gripe then I apologize.

[ninedeuce]

Fusion or any 1 esle that was their did the wings wear their narch pro jerseys or the not so good looking ones I have been seing on mlrh website also did evry1 playin have maching helmets n paint on both teams if you didn't that's cool but I tell people that don't know are sport and always say o you pplay roller hockey like on the street I always say know its like nhl on blades all matching stuff music being played during stops and all the fixens just wonderen what I'm gonna se on tv and don't wanna look like I was bull ****n when I have my friends watch thanx for the answer in advance

[STEMM]

Hi Stemm,

Here are two fliers Bill sent me, but he didn't get back to me to confirm the details, so I felt uncomfortable putting them up.

Thank You !

[Fusion9]

The Wings had their big dogs there and they wore all their Reebok stuff

[skooled]

The point you all seem to be missing (i'm with ACCCCCCCCCCCCCT2 here) is that nowhere on the VS site can you find any mention of this. Now I have sent 2 emails to VS and copied Bill in on them. Neither have replied to say a thing.

BUT..... as long as the company hired to film did a top notch job, as long as they don't pan over the smallish crowd, as long as the commentary is excellent, and both teams are wearing MATCHING uniforms in every way, the broadcast (if/when) aired should be good.

[Seven]

The point you all seem to be missing (i'm with ACCCCCCCCCCCCCT2 here) is that nowhere on the VS site can you find any mention of this. Now I have sent 2 emails to VS and copied Bill in on them. Neither have replied to say a thing.

BUT..... as long as the company hired to film did a top notch job, as long as they don't pan over the smallish crowd, as long as the commentary is excellent, and both teams are wearing MATCHING uniforms in every way, the broadcast (if/when) aired should be good.
That's not the litmus test they'll use. What it comes down to it: "Who gives a ****?" If they can find more people that care about the MLRH game than bass fishing, they'll show it. It's all about market share and viewership.

[skooled]

I'm not talking from VS' POV, i'm talking from the viewer

[Sinister Soup]

is it going to be that same game they have on the mlrh website

[FrankFrank]

Sinister... No, the game on the MLRH site was from the DC event back in May.

[STEMM]

I hung one of the fliers up at the rink last Friday. Now this Friday, I'll do some talking and see if anyone noticed it.

Hopefully, everyone gets a chance to put one up at their local rink. I think it would be good to create a Roller Hockey on TV buzz somewhere besides IHC.

[FrankFrank]

Looks like the official word over on the MLRH website is that the games will be televised August 29th at 3pm. Haven't confirmed this over at Versus yet, but am doing that now.

Frank~Frank

[ACCCT2]

"We got a real buzz out of our just completed Pro Tour," Raue added. "There are other leagues out there and they are nice little travel leagues but non-check leagues are really glorified flag football and they are just not commercially viable. The MLRH brand is the only thing that has attracted any television interest and that is primarily because our guys are allowed to hit and occasionally drop the gloves." Raue added. "We're not running a goon league or anything but there is a bit of cache that comes with playing MLRH. It ain't for sissies."

FYI: You all know I'm no fan of how PIHA and the AIHL do things (VERY small, local and amateurish), but for "Mr. Bill" to call his own paid-by-himself buy of VERSUS time (in some kind of desperate ploy to showcase, yes, HIS "goon league") as "a big deal for roller hockey" and insinuating it as some kind of meaningful or seminal moment for the sport is hilariously hapless hype for anyone who really knows how the VERSUS 'broadcast' model works, as well as outright and thoroughly outrageous delusional nonsense -- and that's at BEST. I give him credit for putting HIS OWN money on HIS OWN horse in HIS OWN self-produced, self-promoted and self-paid-for "broadcast" in the inline ("pro"?) league race sweepstakes (notice that there's still NO sign of VERSUS itself 'hyping' the 'broadcast' whatsoever, website or otherwise). But I take serious issue with the outright lie of MLRH "attracting" or in any way illiciting, let alone evidencing, backing and/or securing "any television interest" and/or "cache" from or on the network side of things (or...just how itty-bitty small IS "a bit"?). For anyone who's actually seen his version of marketing and what will supposedly save our sport, for him to say HIS clear-cut sham of a "goon league" is NOT a clear-cut sham of a "goon league", well, he's surely smokin' something pretty powerful and delusional indeed. But I have to admit, I give him credit and kudos for the outrageously audacious PT Barnum-like hype-anything quality in him (however full of untruth and BS his hype might be).:eek:

[alex]

I sincerely hope these games are not terrible to watch.

[FrankFrank]

" 'goon league' " ... ACCCT2, I would under normal circumstances agree with your statement about MLRH, however, if you consider NARCh pro/TORHS pro style of play "goon hockey" then I will have to disagree with you about the pro tour championship game. I encourage you to watch the game, you will be pleasantly surprised. The closest to "goon hockey" in the game was some rough stuff in front of the net and some clean open ice hits.

Frank~Frank

[HockeyFan1989]

I don't understand what the problem is. Roller Hockey will be on Television for the first time in, i guess the number is around 10 years. A majority of the people who are going to watch the game, are not going to care about how the game got onto the Versus network. They are going to sit there and they are going to watch roller hockey on television, maybe for the first time ever. It may not create a huge buzz right away, but people will watch. These people will include those who don't play the sport, and thats a good thing. We need more people hooked onto the game. So you can sit here and ramble on about god knows what, but Bill has done something nobody has done in a long time, and he deserves a lot of credit for it.

[ACCCT2]

Like I said, I give Bill full credit for putting his own money into producing and buying the VERSUS broadcast time, but his clear-cut skewing of the truth and outright misleading of virtually everyone that somehow VERSUS was in ANY way "interested" in MLRH and/or inline roller hockey beyond what Bill himself was apparently willing to pay them (VERSUS) to 'broadcast' his own version of a 'vanity' publishing ("cache"?) of self-hyping nonsense is completely absurd. No way in Hockey Heaven, Hell or even in the Puck-Purgatory in-between is there going to be ANY kind of sponsorship/advertising or even viewer demand for REAL broadcast coverage and/or 'network' support of the sport -- and certainly not MLRH's garishly "goon-ish" version of it. Don't worry, the 'metrics' will prove who if anyone "will watch" and who in fact was right on this one -- so if simply being "on TV" is so darn important, well then, you probably better enjoy what you can this time around 'cuz I really don't think that Bill alone can afford to pay for any season-long time-slot to keep us all happy.:(

[alex]

Were the games that are going to be televised also played with icing and "pass over offsides" rules?

[bigjnstl]

ACCT2,

You are the most negative person i have ever come across. You have not seen the game. Why does it matter how how "Mr. Bill" as you call him got it on the air, it is going to be on major television. Give it a chance. If it turns out to be goonish or second rate production, then you will have a gripe about making our sport look bad. But this is August 5th, the showing is not for 3 more weeks. Give it a chance bro. Jeremy McCoy

[FrankFrank]

Alex... the game was played with the pass-over offsides and icing rules.

[ACCCT2]

ACCT2,

You are the most negative person i have ever come across. You have not seen the game. Why does it matter how how "Mr. Bill" as you call him got it on the air, it is going to be on major television. Give it a chance. If it turns out to be goonish or second rate production, then you will have a gripe about making our sport look bad. But this is August 5th, the showing is not for 3 more weeks. Give it a chance bro. Jeremy McCoy

Listen, anyone who would actually be stupid and/or perverse enough to proudly publicize a pathetic and disgusting punch-out between 2 women (what, as some kind of GOOD "gal-goon" thing to build the sport and little girl participation upon?) absolutely doesn't get nor deserve any leeway or "chance" with me (and most probably not with any sponsor/advertisers either), as he already blew it with that female-fisticuff-fiasco.:(

[hockeymum]

Listen, anyone who would actually be stupid and/or perverse enough to proudly publicize a pathetic and disgusting punch-out between 2 women (what, as some kind of GOOD "gal-goon" thing to build the sport and little girl participation upon?) absolutely doesn't get nor deserve any leeway or "chance" with me (and most probably not with any sponsor/advertisers either), as he already blew it with that female-fisticuff-fiasco.:(

While I almost hate to admit it:), I have to agree with ACCCT2 on the SLAMM hockey thing. Mr. Raue can do whatever he wants to do on his own dime,though its tough for me to believe that this type of product will ever attract industry sponsors. When I went to the MLRH website to verify the broadcast info, the first thing that struck me was the visible lack of any sponsors AT ALL, much less industry sponsors- thats a fact that is tough to ignore. I don't see that there will be much current/future value in this "brand" if you can't get anyone in the industry on board. Don't you think that any additional prospective sponsors from outside the industry would notice that stuff...they sure do. Although, I guess the success of things like the WWF may prove that there is a market for the SLAMM type of product...
Our family is however, looking forward to the MLRH portion of the broadcast, to that, I say let 'er rip. While the format of this broadcast is less than perfect, it is at least something. Also, the Buffalo Wings is a very good, well respected organization, so I am guessing they must see some value in it that I don't, so I guess I am skeptical but willing to keep an open mind.

[STEMM]

I'm very excited about the upcoming Roller Hockey game being put on national TV by the MLRH crew. (as I'm sure everyone who cares about our sport is) I'd like to Thank Everyone involved with MLRH for all of the hard work and dedication to the sport of Roller Hockey that they have put in to make this event happen !

I was also wondering if there was an updated flier that I could print out that has the date and time listed for the game on Verses. The flier that is currently in this thread does not say when this event will take place. The people I've talked to about the flier posted at the rink are unaware that the MLRH game is currenty booked for a one time showing and I know we all would hate for them to miss it.

[BourneRoller]

Hopefully it will be on myp2p.eu for those of us out of north america!

[Sinister Soup]

i don't understand why two girls fighting each other in a slam hockey game is immoral. You’ll see two guys slug it out in an NHL game and there is also people interested in female boxing and ultimate fighting. is it not sexist to discriminate against female fighting?

[ACCCT2]

i don't understand why two girls fighting each other in a slam hockey game is immoral. You’ll see two guys slug it out in an NHL game and there is also people interested in female boxing and ultimate fighting. is it not sexist to discriminate against female fighting?

GEEZ...need I say anything more about the long-term prospects of our sport with the likes of this to cater to (our nation is truly in decline)...!?!:eek:

[tommy]

Alex... the game was played with the pass-over offsides and icing rules.

Before I write this, I do not wish to be called "the most negative person in the world," but if there is offsides, icing, full-out-checking, and fighting, what is the difference between this game and ice hockey. From Versus' standpoint, it makes no sense to show something with all the same exact rules as the NHL, but with a much lower overall level of play. I think that we can all agree that the level of play between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins is much, much higher than the level of play between the Buffalo Wings and the Florida Fusion.

Am I missing something??

[quick_dry]

i don't understand why two girls fighting each other in a slam hockey game is immoral. You’ll see two guys slug it out in an NHL game and there is also people interested in female boxing and ultimate fighting. is it not sexist to discriminate against female fighting?
If we leave our thoughts on promoting fighting in hockey out of it, I get the feeling that the girl-fights aren't promoted with the 'dignity' the men get - the men are 2 modern day gladiators, the girls... well, I imagine its a bit more salacious - break out the jello, get that hair whipping about and maybe we'll see some T&A.

I didn't like the way the girls got mentioned as something you'd hear the guys making fun of (yes, we all might think those things - but it seems a bit degrading, and I'd rather watch good hockey, not comic relief).


Before I write this, I do not wish to be called "the most negative person in the world," but if there is offsides, icing, full-out-checking, and fighting, what is the difference between this game and ice hockey.
playing IIHF style rules plus checking is still verrrrry different to ice hockey. I think the IIHF (inline) and FIRS games are much closer together than ice hockey is to either one.

[Sinister Soup]

[QUOTE=quick_dry;61068]If we leave our thoughts on promoting fighting in hockey out of it, I get the feeling that the girl-fights aren't promoted with the 'dignity' the men get - the men are 2 modern day gladiators, the girls... well, I imagine its a bit more salacious - break out the jello, get that hair whipping about and maybe we'll see some T&A.

I didn't like the way the girls got mentioned as something you'd hear the guys making fun of (yes, we all might think those things - but it seems a bit degrading, and I'd rather watch good hockey, not comic relief).


i'm going to have to disagree because it's not like the girls are out there in pink booty shorts and halter tops in a kiddy pool full of jello ( which would be a difficult situation to play hockey in :D). the girls are wearing the same gear and uniforms as the guys. Plus there not fighting because a group of guys are egging them on or throwing cash on the rink. they're just a group of girls who are playing hockey and sometimes when you play hockey you get pissed off because someone gave you a nasty slash on the back of the leg, so you punch there lights out. where is the degrading part?

[kevinsmithAZ]

playing IIHF style rules plus checking is still verrrrry different to ice hockey. I think the IIHF (inline) and FIRS games are much closer together than ice hockey is to either one.

I'm not sure if it is. Yeah, they're wearing inline skates and playing on sport court with a plastic puck, but the differences end there. Tommy hit the nail on the head.. some people may watch this at first because they haven't seen it before or are ice hockey fans intrigued a little by the game but if it's ice hockey on sport court, it's gonna be garbage.

[Fusion9]

vimeo.com .....search MLRH, rough copy of the Finals w/ announcers

[jawz&chum]

the announcers did a good job.

why do the teams have mix matching helmets, gloves and pants?

[ACCCT2]

why do the teams have mix matching helmets, gloves and pants?

Hmmm, could it maybe have something to do with the on-court product and presentation being SO incredibly 'rec-league-amateur-ish' and NOT being of an expected "pro" quality in ANY way...??? Honestly, the so-called entertaining "full contact" was down right wimpy and clumsy at best, and as "tommy" mentioned earlier "... it makes no sense to show something with all the same exact rules as the NHL, but with a much lower overall level of play..." -- and after watching the video I have to also agree with "tommy" in seconding his "Am I missing something??" quandry -- this "product" has NO LEGS whatsoever in terms of BIG-time (heck, even little-time) network broadcast coverage or sponsorship support (that is, unless Bill is willing to keep paying for and personally sponsoring such 'vanity' ummm, 'broadcasts').:(

[BourneRoller]

That video can't be the game that will be played on vs. The score is wrong. That is an old one from DC I think.

Pretty entertaining but it does worry me a bit for the vs game. As someone mentioned, the mismatched uniforms. The play by play commentator was pretty good but the color guy knew nothing about the game. There was 2 #22s on one team! wtf. Need to get that shorted. But my biggest concern is the lack of crowd. Hopefully that stuff is sorted out and it would be pretty decent. That slam hockey sh1t needs to go though. That is bad.

[jawz&chum]

That video can't be the game that will be played on vs. The score is wrong. That is an old one from DC I think.

The announcers start out by saying championship game in Amhert, NY though? :confused:

[Fusion9]

They removed the championship game from the vimeo page after it was up for just a few hours, it wasn't supposed to be up for the public. The game that you're referring is an old one as you'll see it was uploaded 3 months ago.

[STEMM]

They removed the championship game from the vimeo page after it was up for just a few hours, it wasn't supposed to be up for the public. The game that you're referring is an old one as you'll see it was uploaded 3 months ago.

Ok, fine. Maybe the players did not match for that game, but
will everybody be in matching uniforms for the Versus Game ?

[growl89]

Ok, fine. Maybe the players did not match for that game, but
will everybody be in matching uniforms for the Versus Game ?

I hope so for the sake of this sport ever going anywhere

[Fusion9]

well, I looked today and the Versus website now has MLRH on their schedule for the 29th @ 3pm.

[skooled]

well at least thats a start. I would love to get a hold of the coverage for the guys here in australia, and i'll see if I can get a copy of our national finals game that was broadcast at the start of this year for you guys... QD can you help with that?

[DCbullets14]

I watched the finals game the other day and I thought it was a pretty good broadcast.

I didnt like that the announcer continiously referred to the rink as a "field"... but it could be worse.
I think that non matching pants and equipment doesnt help the leagues image.
Camera work was good different agnles made for some pretty great views.

In total I thought it was alot better than the MLRH Euro Cup but I dont see how it is ready for TV especially on a major network that also broadcasts the NHL. Then again when I was in canada they had floor hockey on tv and that was brutal to watch so I guess you never know

[Seven]

I hope so for the sake of this sport ever going anywhere
Pro Beach Hockey had matching equipment, equipment that was wholly paid for by a huge corporate sponsor (Franklin), paid players, and got a regular, unpaid-for time slot on ESPN2 (albeit at 1am), and we see how that went. Roller hockey will never make it as a mainstream sport, guys.

[hockeymum]

Pro Beach Hockey had matching equipment, equipment that was wholly paid for by a huge corporate sponsor (Franklin), paid players, and got a regular, unpaid-for time slot on ESPN2 (albeit at 1am), and we see how that went. Roller hockey will never make it as a mainstream sport, guys.

I don't know that at this point I am thinking that roller hockey will become a main stream sport any time real soon. But there are plenty of sports which are not mainstream, but which still get occassional tv coverage for big and/or championship events. Plenty of events that are not MLB, NFL, NASCAR and the like, get broadcast. I remember the days when NHL hockey didn't get broadcast in our area for regular games, only the Stanley Cup Finals and maybe playoffs- ice hockey was certainly not considered a mainstream sport back then. I think it is realistic to hope for an occassional game, mainstream or not.

I would really like to see it focus on the unique attributes that I think roller hockey brings to the table however. At the higheset levels(I'm specifically thinking of the major national tournaments here...NARCH, TORHS, etc), its not at all ice hockey on wheels, its a different game. I love the no offsides, no icing game which makes using the whole rink and controlling the puck essential. It takes skill, smarts and speed, and I personally think its an awful lot of fun to watch. I think a professionally produced and marketed version of that product could very well attract enough attention to pay for broadcast time, mainstream or not. I dont know that type of product currently exists, but it doesnt seem unrealistic to me that it could in the not so distant future.

[quick_dry]

well at least thats a start. I would love to get a hold of the coverage for the guys here in australia, and i'll see if I can get a copy of our national finals game that was broadcast at the start of this year for you guys... QD can you help with that?
I don't know who'd have a copy of that - you might be better off talking to David on Monday night. I don't have cable and wasn't in the country when it was shown (and after the way my team choked in the playoff to go into taht game, I wasn't in the mood to watch it :o )

Now if anyone can get hold of footage from the FIRS Worlds gold medal game this year they'd be onto something, from what I could see on their monitors the camera crew + production staff were doing a great job - multiple cameras, slow motion, goal cams, etc.

[Narch321]

thats cool. i think some of the narch mens and pro divisions would be great to see though.

[nummer55]

Hey quick_dry, the video is at http://www3.rollersports.tv/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=927&Itemid=10

[hockeymum]

Is the image posted in the Top Stories section an updated flyer? It seems to have the confirmed date/time info which I dont think the last version did. If it could be posted and made available, that would be great. I think some people would be willing to hang them up.

[RichardGraham]

Hi Folks,

I'll put it up here. Let me know if that works. I don't have the e-mail address for the person who requested it of me.

[hockeymum]

thanks for posting the image, I was able to copy it off without any problem

[lufria55]

Hello everyone.

I know i'm not well known around here - but i just recieved an email that has disappointing news the MLRH will NOT air on tv. A blanket email was sent out regarding this to members of MLRH.

It's a real shame that this happened - it would have been exposure to the sport that regardless of how you view it, would have been great to have on tv.

It does however put the future of MLRH at great risk for longterm solutions.

Thoughts?

[RichardGraham]

Hi Mike,

Scooped again!

Yes, it's true. The planned Versus coverage of the Major League Roller Hockey event will not take place. A letter of explanation from MLRH's Bill Raue is now on the IHC Home Page.

I would advise all people who post about this from here on out remember that hockey players, as a rule, don't kick a man when he's down. Be fair, or just don't post. Thanks.

[ACCCT2]

I would advise all people who post about this from here on out remember that hockey players, as a rule, don't kick a man when he's down. Be fair, or just don't post. Thanks.

What did I tell you -- virtually EVERYTHING that I mentioned earlier in this very thread-post turns out to be...well, absolutely TRUE. Seems calling "a spade, a spade" turned out to be rather ummm, right-on-the-badly-spent-money, eh..!?! Anyone with even the most minimal of broadcast/entertainment production/packaging experience could tell that this was always going to be the outcome. My Gosh, what an unmitigated disaster, what a fruitcaked-flatball-fiasco -- GEEZ, they couldn't even reach the incredible LOW broadcast packaging standards that Versus sports (that allows just about ANYTHING half-way decently third-rate make it to air):eek:...

Eh...what is it you Franche Canadaenes say, Bon Richarde -- "C'est la vie...eh"...!?!;)

[kevinsmithAZ]

Watching the game, you can see possible reasons why Versus may have decided to not air the game(s). The in-studio time was mediocre.. I liked that they had a girl in the studio but it would've been a lot better if these were knowledgeable (and somewhat well known) roller hockey guys.

Their were some basic production errors-- During the Slamm game, the Mistral team name read as "Quebec Mistrals" and for the Pro Championship, the Intro read "Major League Inline Hockey Championships" (inline instead of roller) and it said it was at the "Buffalo Center" (instead of Pepsi Center). Also, play-by-play was pretty good, only complaint is the court was called a field.

I don't know if this is what turned Versus off, but these are pretty basic mistakes that could've been fixed.

[iceburg]

OK ,so it looks like there are some lessons learned here.hopefully some one will get it together and put on a good show.I for one did not see the tape of the game,but from what im reading about no matching uniforms,no matching helmets,and different colored gloves.Im glad it wasnt on t.v...I mean come on,show case the sport the right way,at least make the players look like a uniformed team.exposure for the sport is very important,but so is first impression.

[SWAMPDONKEYS29]

OK ,so it looks like there are some lessons learned here.hopefully some one will get it together and put on a good show.I for one did not see the tape of the game,but from what im reading about no matching uniforms,no matching helmets,and different colored gloves.Im glad it wasnt on t.v...I mean come on,show case the sport the right way,at least make the players look like a uniformed team.exposure for the sport is very important,but so is first impression.

Every so often there is a post that ends up on here that is straight to the point and simply tells it the way it is without slinging any mud. Great post iceburg!

[Berry_Bramble]

Browsing threw some of the Slam games. Did the announcer just say icing?

[STEMM]

:confused: WHAT ??? :confused: no game :confused: WHAT ??? :confused:

[lufria55]

Everyone,

the full broadcast can be viewed here:

on vimeos main website, click on the top right of the page. then type in MLRH. the championship game will be the first one titled.

[sbutler]

It's a shame, but i'd rather it was done properly, and if it didn't pass the quality benchmark due to any of the factors previously outlined, i'm glad it didn't air in primetime.

Hopefully those lessons learned can be applied to any potential future ventures.

[Inline_Burl]

My favorite part is in the Championship game when at the end the announcer calls the Buffalo Wings the Buffalo Bandits, I think he mixed up the lacrosse team and the Inline team...

[growl89]

The narch or torhs pro final should be what we want to be aired on TV. Everyone that plays Narch/Torhs Pro has matching everything and it's a high level of play for the most part. Would be awesome to that on TV. If the non matching helmets, pants, gloves etc was indeed true, then this was a godsend that it did not air.

back to the drawing board...

[BourneRoller]

I agree, NARCh Pro is what we need to develop.

[iceburg]

are we looking to build the inline game on t.v? or build up a single tournament?If you can get one game on t.v to represent the game it should be in the interest of the sport.My thoughts were... east vs west and then maybe a south vs north game,we all know who the players would be ,most of us would agree on that.suit them all up in matching uniforms,the sponsers I would think should be:mission,tour,rbk,ccm,bauer,etc,etc.maybe even pepsi or coke,the announcers(for one) should know the inline game.get the big tournaments guys involved,not for their own tourny but for the sport.this could be done,heck you could even go USA vs Finland.if your going to put on a show,then put on the right show.with all do respect I have to say thank you for the MLRH guys for giving it a shot.if you want the sport to be grow you have to think big.and yes most of us know its all about the money.any takers ?

[hockeymum]

great thoughts iceburg...but I think finding some one/group without the appearance of self interest, would be difficult. We had 3 Team USAs, we have 3 pro/elite leagues, battles for the sanctioning control of youth hockey, etc. I dont know if there is some one/group who would be considered "above reproach" by all major RH interests, who could really put something together which was truly in the best interests of the sport. Not that any of these folks aren't capable, but I think that they may look suspiciously at each other. Who could bring all these folks together? I don't know, but I think the positive implications of someone being able to do that would be much farther reaching than getting RH on tv.

[GoRangrHky]

In all honesty, it's now obvious that the people that are at the top are a. unknowledgeable regarding what it takes to produce something of this magnitude, and b. reaching far above their means. Working for several (three now) low-mid level professional leagues- National Pro Fastpitch, Women's Professional Soccer, and Major League Lacrosse- the executives there are people who know and understand the realm of professional sports and how to execute at that level. What I have come to find here are people that really care about the sport and want it to succeed more than anything, but really do not know how to properly execute events and manage teams at that level. In the case of the aforementioned leagues, many executives come from other sports and bring with them ideas from the other places they have been that allow them to develop. I see more of a 'this is what I see on TV, so it must work' attitude and approach, which obviously will not be effective- the most evident of which is this latest fiasco.

There are more and more people who simply have a passion for the game and not the experience that you find in other places that are going into management positions in these leagues and for these teams, and I unfortunately think that it is effecting the product that we see and slowing the growth. While the time and financial investment of these people is great, and I by no means am asking them to step aside, it really is at the point where if we are looking to grow as a community, we need more people who understand what it is we have to do to get there in positions of responsibility.

[missionhockey19]

If we want roller hockey to have a chance it needs to be the best roller hockey we can find, no offense to the MLRH fans, but this video looks terrible, goaltenders falling in their net on breakaways, jerseys that look like they were thrown together last minute, empty bleachers... to me we need to go straight to the NARCh or TORHS pro final game. Take a team like the mission syndicate and tour mudcats (both high caliber teams with big named ice hockey players in the mix), all players have matching equipment, just throw in another couple thousand fans and do it big. Record the game and have commentators come in after the games been taped to record everything, im pretty sure the world series of poker does this and it works well...plus this way none of the names are misspelled, proper roller hockey terms are used, etc. Anyways to be kind of honest im glad this game wasnt shown...

[hockeymum]

In all honesty, it's now obvious that the people that are at the top are a. unknowledgeable regarding what it takes to produce something of this magnitude, and b. reaching far above their means. Working for several (three now) low-mid level professional leagues- National Pro Fastpitch, Women's Professional Soccer, and Major League Lacrosse- the executives there are people who know and understand the realm of professional sports and how to execute at that level. What I have come to find here are people that really care about the sport and want it to succeed more than anything, but really do not know how to properly execute events and manage teams at that level. In the case of the aforementioned leagues, many executives come from other sports and bring with them ideas from the other places they have been that allow them to develop. I see more of a 'this is what I see on TV, so it must work' attitude and approach, which obviously will not be effective- the most evident of which is this latest fiasco.

There are more and more people who simply have a passion for the game and not the experience that you find in other places that are going into management positions in these leagues and for these teams, and I unfortunately think that it is effecting the product that we see and slowing the growth. While the time and financial investment of these people is great, and I by no means am asking them to step aside, it really is at the point where if we are looking to grow as a community, we need more people who understand what it is we have to do to get there in positions of responsibility.

Great thoughts from an pro-league "insider". It is interesting to consider how leagues like the ones mentioned by GoRangrHky have affected growth/decline as mentioned in the other thread about the decline of roller hockey. In the past 8 years the chart has shown lacrose growing over 100%- I am sure that GoRangrHky could tell us how those #s correlate to the success of Major League Lacrosse over the last 8 years. Other big increases were seen in Cheerleading and Paintball. It would be interesting to know if these activities also had something similar in their respective sports fostering growth, whether it was quality national coverage, a strong professional NGB, etc. While sports like football and basketball did not have those big increases, I believe they were still on the + side, possibly buoyed by the existence strong, top level professional leagues and coverage? RH has none of the afore mentioned benefits. While I am tempted to say, "who cares about tv, NGBs and pro leagues, lets just grow it at the grass roots level", it does not seem realistic to think that the two don't go hand in hand. Food for thought.

[indiangoalie33]

I have never liked MLRH, I like PIHA or NARCH or even State Wars. It's sad to see roller hockey still cannot get on TV but im happy that it probably wont be the MLRH.

[Sinister Soup]

the ncrha D1 national championship has two talented teams with matching everything and people in the stands. the ncrha is probably the best roller hockey league out there. it would be cool to see that championship on tv

[Doug Jones]

Versus is being dropped by Direct TV...no explanation, just a notice it will no longer be available in September

[zipyaj]

Versus is being dropped by Direct TV...no explanation, just a notice it will no longer be available in September

DirecTV and sports network Versus are in a carriage dispute, and the two have until Aug. 31 to work out a deal before DirecTV subscribers no longer can view the network.

The deal isn’t just about a network but about the National Hockey League. Versus is the official carrier for the NHL.

more at: http://losangeles.bizjournals.com/losangeles/stories/2009/08/17/daily52.html

[iceburg]

think about it though,a hockey fan puts the t.v. on and see"s roller hockey the first thing he might say is,who are these two teams?we know who the mudcats are and pama etc,but the hockey fan and new comer has to recognize what he is looking at.an east west allstar, or team USA vs Canada would be a classic hockey game.just my opinion.keep it coming. real good topic.

[TULaw]

I have an idea for a televised event that might work well to promote the sport. I remember a while back on these boards someone came up with a list of current NHL players (both on NHL teams and those signed by NHL clubs and playing in the minor league system) with Inline Hockey backgrounds. WHy not bring as many of these guys together as you can and put together a couple of All-Star teams to play an exhibition game sometime in the summer either in an NHL arena or in an outdoor stadium set up for the game. Not only would more people be exposed to the sport but it will show fans and kids that playing Inline can improve your Ice game and maybe lead to a future NHL career. The game could be sponsored by the NHL and or NARCH.

[hockeymum]

kinda a summer version of the winter classic, huh? I'd like to see it use a more RH format though, no icing or offsides and no checking- this would differentiate it from the ice game. With the recent involvement of a few of the NHL teams in some RH endeavors as noted on this website- Ducks, Avalanche, Kings- who knows. It sure would be fun to watch!

[skooled]

I think the "Summer Classic"would be a great idea. A more "fun" version would be a great deal. Maybe an NHL coach for both teams, and a mix of NHL names and RH names, imagine Crosby vs Chavara??? that would be a sight to see!!!This would really be an avenue worth persuing. Using the NHL to our advantage this time instead of the other way around like the breakout tournaments of the 90's. Keep similar sponsors if posible to the winter classic, and it MUST be played outdoors like the WC, that was one of the best things about RHI, the few outdoor games that were played.....

[iceburg]

I for one would like to see the 4 on 4 play,no off sides .for sure.

[hockeymum]

you would definitely have to pick players, coaches and commentators with an understanding of the unique attributes of the roller game. Remember when Chavara lifted the puck in a preseason shootout in the minors? Stuff like that really seems to tick off alot of ice "purists", comments about disrespecting the game, etc. But, roller is a different game and it would have to be presented, coached and explained like a roller game. Sound fundamental hockey still wins hockey games, but there is a level of creativity that the RH game lends itselfs to that I would not want to see trashed as showboating, lack of sportmanship, etc

[Hystyk28]

ACCT2 may ruffle feathers around here, but I have to agree with him. Actually, I have been saying since the demise of RHI, there is zero commercial appeal to this product. Without that appeal and subsequently those dollars, I am afraid that the current level of the sport may be at its plateau. You know, where the tourney directors make all the $$$ and where volunteers do way too much work for free.(PIHA/AIHL) All of which is fine and dandy, but to make the leap from the current situation to "real" pro leagues, corporate sponsors, and TV deals, well, is rediculous.

As far as this specific production it's kind of like seeing a friend's band. It's tolerable and you smile and try to say nice things about it, but truth be told, you'd rather be at a Hanson concert hearing Umm Bop for the third time. Ok, maybe that is only Troho, but this just isn't something most people would keep on the TV for more than 3 seconds. You can nitpick(rightfully so) all the minor things, i.e. matching jerseys, etc, but the bottom line comes down to entertianment. Is it enteraining???

I think Versus gave their opinion.

[Troho9]

...doesn't make me a bad person...

[TULaw]

you would definitely have to pick players, coaches and commentators with an understanding of the unique attributes of the roller game. Remember when Chavara lifted the puck in a preseason shootout in the minors? Stuff like that really seems to tick off alot of ice "purists", comments about disrespecting the game, etc. But, roller is a different game and it would have to be presented, coached and explained like a roller game. Sound fundamental hockey still wins hockey games, but there is a level of creativity that the RH game lends itselfs to that I would not want to see trashed as showboating, lack of sportmanship, etc

Thats exactly what I had in mind. basically it would be a game to showcase the Inline Hockey backgrounds of many NHL players. The game would be 4 on 4 no icing and no offsides and no-checking, since no NHL coach wants their players getting injured from a hit during an exhibition Inline Hockey game anyway. It would be a fun exhibition game where basically the Inline Hockey players who have reached the highest level of the Ice game could show off their creativity and introduce traditional hockey and sports fans to the game of Inline. It could be called something like the NHL Inline Hockey Showcase.

[BourneRoller]

I think that is a fantastic idea! I really think, done properly, that would be very entertaining. And not just for RH fans but ice as well. I also think they should attach it to the NARCh Pro finals somehow. I've been saying this for a while; if you build on that festival/ tourney atmosphere, that would really seperate RH from ice in a positive way. Build your own niche.

[growl89]

I've been saying this for a while; if you build on that festival/ tourney atmosphere, that would really seperate RH from ice in a positive way. Build your own niche.

I agree with this...

I think for this sport to have a fighting chance, it needs a festival atmosphere. It was brought up last season too, but has anyone ever been to a MLL game? They are one of the most fun events you can go to for a decent price. Dance teams, Games, beers tents etc.

Now, follow this structure, but use the festivals to get more teams there. more people in the building, more fans in the seats.

Also, when it comes to time slots. This season is rumored to be starting in october I heard? So now we are competing directly with the NHL on saturday nights. he average person is going to sit home and watch the NHL game versus going out to a roller hockey game. We should be doing games at 2 and 3 in the afternoon on a saturday. Make it a family atmosphere.

Yes, it is great that more teams keep joinging the league, I guess it means there is interest from the players. But at what point does it get absurd driving all over to play in front on 30 people?

I know the LI jamboree last year was a great event and I for one, would love to see the league go to a system like that.

[Mlrhnorthfan]

I thought that the jamboree was fun but there were less fans there than a normal 495er's home game.

90% of the people in the stands were players from the other teams. It looks like there were fans there but there werent.

No one is going to go to a festival as we think of it.
What fans are going to go to a roller rink sunday at 8am? What quality of hockey are you going to see Sunday morning at 8am?


Festivals are great but format needs to be adjusted....less teams and games and more atmosphere.

[hockeymum]

ya know... it is correct that currently there is little in RH that has big commercial appeal. Everythings gotta start somewhere. I dont know how old many of you are, but I remember the days when ice hockey had little to no commercial appeal. When I was younger, you might see Olympic games televised, the occassional "novelty" game, or maybe finals. Enter cable television...but those games, the level of play, and the NHL certainly werent the polished businesses they are today. But, what coverage it did get, got people interested and that continued to evolve with the league. My husband and his cousins are all first generation hockey fans/players because of that early occassional exposure. All of their kids are now 2nd generation fans/players- mixed ice and roller. All just steps that are part of the process. If the NHL could see potential in a Summer Classic, or similar type events, to just create interest in ANY type of hockey it would be awesome. I think RH in an outdoor setting is a very relate-able format; who didnt/doesnt play street hockey as a kid? I think there is value in that for the NHL. More hockey fans= more NHL fans= more money.

[TULaw]

I thought that the jamboree was fun but there were less fans there than a normal 495er's home game.

90% of the people in the stands were players from the other teams. It looks like there were fans there but there werent.

No one is going to go to a festival as we think of it.
What fans are going to go to a roller rink sunday at 8am? What quality of hockey are you going to see Sunday morning at 8am?


Festivals are great but format needs to be adjusted....less teams and games and more atmosphere.

The major tournaments while successful are not an indicator for how well Inline would do as a spectator sport. NARCH and these other tournaments make no money by selling tickets, merchandise etc. These tournaments make their money off of players and teams who sign up to play and those in attendance are primarily players from other teams at the tournament and the families of those players. while this is a business model that has worked great for the tournaments it wouldn't necessarily work as a spectator event. tournaments cater to the player and what they want to spend their money on. for Inline Hockey to work as a spectator sport you have to cater to the fan. Fans seeking entertainment value for their dollar expect and want different things.
A fan isnt going to watch countless teams play in multiple games all day from 8 am, they want to spend a couple hours being entertained and go home.

[growl89]

I thought that the jamboree was fun but there were less fans there than a normal 495er's home game.

90% of the people in the stands were players from the other teams. It looks like there were fans there but there werent.

No one is going to go to a festival as we think of it.
What fans are going to go to a roller rink sunday at 8am? What quality of hockey are you going to see Sunday morning at 8am?


Festivals are great but format needs to be adjusted....less teams and games and more atmosphere.

Zuba,
Agreed, format should change.... Let's say though 2 ct teams and 2 boston teams at z rink for a jamboree.... Marketted correctly, that could be a huge hit. The same goes for the nj area teams.

No elite games at 8 am.... Have them in the afternoon/early evening. More atmosphere is the key. Most games are played in buildings with less atmosphere then a rec league game. Aihl teams should look into twitter as well. I know the popularity of the college team I coach sky rocketted once we started on there. Even picked up a sponsor off of it.

[Jkahn09]

NHL players wouldn't risk their lucrative contracts. Even without hitting a hockey player could twist his knee or break a wrist or many minor injuries that could jeopardize his entire contract. That idea seems a little ridiculous. I think that taking the Narch Pro Finals or State Wars Finals or even the NCRHA Finals would justify a great televised game because these are the two best teams of each elite league. I think that the Pro leagues are highly overrated where some teams have easier games throughout the season that boosts their position in the playoffs. Again mixing the talent level between NHL players and roller hockey elite players would not work because NHL players are 5 steps ahead of any roller hockey player in the nation. Even Ernie Heartlieb, Itan Chaveira, and many others are great roller hockey players, but they don't compare to most NHL players, and if they did, they would be in the NHL playing amongst them. Anyways Roller Hockey will most likely not be televised because in a recession people aren't willing to invest high sums of money, and my final point is why would they put roller hockey on when they barely televise NHL games.

[Mlrhnorthfan]

There will be a balanced schedule in the East for the AIHL this season. The better teams and divisions will rise to the top.

[TULaw]

NHL players wouldn't risk their lucrative contracts. Even without hitting a hockey player could twist his knee or break a wrist or many minor injuries that could jeopardize his entire contract. That idea seems a little ridiculous. I think that taking the Narch Pro Finals or State Wars Finals or even the NCRHA Finals would justify a great televised game because these are the two best teams of each elite league. I think that the Pro leagues are highly overrated where some teams have easier games throughout the season that boosts their position in the playoffs. Again mixing the talent level between NHL players and roller hockey elite players would not work because NHL players are 5 steps ahead of any roller hockey player in the nation. Even Ernie Heartlieb, Itan Chaveira, and many others are great roller hockey players, but they don't compare to most NHL players, and if they did, they would be in the NHL playing amongst them. Anyways Roller Hockey will most likely not be televised because in a recession people aren't willing to invest high sums of money, and my final point is why would they put roller hockey on when they barely televise NHL games.

Actually its not so far off, a few NHL players already play in the Inline Hockey world championships. they also regularly play in Ice Hockey world championships etc.

[alex]

Hockey is not a mathematical formula, people like to say about roller and ice that "hockey is hockey" but roller hockey = ice hockey is not true. You can't say because, for example, Hartleib and Chavira are great roller players but didn't reach the top of the ice game that the best roller players are vastly inferior to ice players. If you put an NHL player on inlines, will he be better than your average pro roller player? Yes, because that ice player is paid millions of dollars to play, trains daily, plays other world class players his whole life while the roller player has a full time job and plays on the weekends. But, still, you see that top level roller players are not vastly inferior but rather a notch below due to less training/practice/focus on the sport. Team USA roller goes toe to toe with European teams made up almost entirely of European pro ice players, no problem. People make it sound like you put NHL players on an inline rink against the top 12 roller players in the world and it'd be a 8-0 mercy in 5 minutes. Wrong. It's not ****ing ice hockey on wheels! Can you even skate on inline? Can you play puck possession? Can you play defense without the ability to knock someone's head off or crush him into the boards? It's like its blasphemy to not worship NHL talents, if you put Crosby out there, he's not taking the puck down untouched and scoring 8 unanswered goals for a mercy just cause he plays in the NHL!

[FrankFrank]

Yeah, what he said!

[BourneRoller]

Finally watched the MLRH video on Vimeo. MRLH is not my favorite league as it doesn't usually represent what I feel is the pulse of inline, but for an online game it was great to watch. Though I am very relieved that Vs didn't air that for the following reasons:
- While the Pro game was great to watch, Slamm hockey is just trash. If I wasn't an inline fan already I would have changed the channel and formed a negative opinion of the sport.
- The intro announcers (Brock and Laura) were embarrassing. So unnatural and forced. Just awful.
- The commentators had no idea about inline. The play by play guy was senile and made many mistakes already mentioned on this thread.
- NO CROWD!
- No pre or post game to speak of were you get to know what the sport and it's players are about.
- They didn't show the whole game. You'd go to commercial and come back 30sec later and the period would be 2 min further.

However, as I said I think the Pro game was pretty cool to watch online.
How to make this better (for NARCh Pro or this summer classic idea or whatever) for TV or a really good online product:
- As i've said before, Festival. Have the pre-game show in the thick of it all. Interviews, intro the teams and a few players, latest gear. Maybe clips of live music and stuff at the event too.
- One big improvement would be the tv personalities. They don't need to be wearing a suit and tie and making bad jokes. There has got to be people in this sport that have the type of personality that would bring out the best of the sport and the people they talk to. They need to be inline people who know what it is all about. It could look a bit more like that mission tv stuff on Youtube. Guys/girls wearing inline company threads just getting the viewer up on the latest and making them feel connected.
- Get a crowd. I don't care how you do it. They need to be there and they need to be into it. Give away free tickets to all the teams at Narch and give em extra for their friends and family. Get red bull there giving out free drinks and make it fun and interactive. It is better to have a small rink packed and pumping than MSG half full. Atmosphere is key.
-NARCh Pro is the place to start I tell ya. It's already there! The teams are good and they look good. There are lots of people at the finals even if it is to play there own games as well. All the inline companies are already putting there best foot forward. You just need to make sure there is a crowd and film it well.

I really don't think that a game/series on TV is the end all be all. I think it is more important to get an event like to be done right online first then build on it. Make it accessible. The internet is more powerful than TV now in my opinion. It can be done!