Thoughts on Speed Hockey

[Benny_Gulakiw]

I have spoken to some of the principals involved with Speed Hockey in the past. I have not shared the details of what I was told because I was asked not to. My impressions of the sport and how it's being developed is that I don't think they're looking to take over traditional roller hockey. I think Speed Hockey will be a compliment to traditional roller hockey; something different enough where some people will want to play both and has been mentioned, the rink set-up is such that a full-size rink can be easily converted to host two Speed Hockey rinks side-by-side. They have some heavy hitters involved so I'm sure their chances for success are pretty good.

Benny Gulakiw
President
Inline Hockey America

[RichardGraham]

Hi Benny,

I think you are correct. There is room for more than one vision of a professional league, and I think Speed Hockey will complement your league, PIHA, MLRH, etc. Seems to me like the sport is heating up again, and that's great news for all of us.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[Superstar9]

I agree, there's room for more than one. I also believe that there will be various leagues like this until one of them finally gets that elusive TV deal and then players from all of the other leagues will probably jump ship to play in the league that will be considered "bigger and better" because it got a deal. Until that happens, hopefully all of the leagues will continue to grow the popularity of the sport.

[mlrhfan0001]

We can't stop until Inline Hockey is a Summer Olympic sport...haha...who knows it may happen sooner then expected.

[ggriffaw]

I'm a little concerned with the recessed goals. Sounds like a good way for the goalie to jam their leg into the boards. This will probably take a little while for the goalies and skaters to adjust to.

I wonder what the reason is for having recessed goals. Is it just to be different?

[MDE3]

I think it's to prevent the practice of teams retreating behind the net to "slow things down" a la Narch Pro - also see the discussion in collegiate hockey in this forum from earlier this spring about the Premier League Championship game between Lindewood and Michigan.

I believe they want to bill the sport of "speed hockey" as the fastest team sport in the world, so anything that would lead to strategies that slow the game down are being removed or modified.

[missionhockey21]

Hopefully it can happen within the next 15 years... at least. ^_^

[missionhockey21]

It does sound like it could be a problem. but if it is, I am sure they will modify it before it really gets going.

[missionhockey21]

Oh, ok that makes sense now. It would take away from the slowing down techniques, which I am sure all of us have down in a game from time to time. lol

[rlrhky13]

Benny,
Not sure if you receive the trade paper Hockey Business News or not but this months has a great article on Speed Hockey and its future plans... I am going to try and scan it onto the computer I can e-mail it to you if you don't have the magazine and you can read it...

[bottom_line]

What is the name of the magazine, The manufactures hockey news?

[NLane]

It's Hockey Business News. They did a big spread on MLRH last season.

[RichardGraham]

Hi NLane,

Right. The publication was created by Mark Brown, the founder of Roller Hockey Magazine, when I was the editor of RHM. It's nice to know something created for our sport back then is still alive!

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[rlrhky13]

The Publication is called Hockey Business News... Its owned by the Hockey News... Not sure if you can get it on the news stand or not... Its free to those who work in sports management i believe... That's how I get it...

[missionhockey21]

rlrhky13, can you email me the scan of the article too? Thanks

[rlrhky13]

Absolutely, I am going to try and scan it now but I think I am going to have to do it in sections cause its not a normal size publication and its bigger than my scanner...

I am going to take it to the rink with me tonight and shrink it on the photo copier and rescan it... I can't get it to fit on the scanner... Its bigger than 8.5 x 11...<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by rlrhky13 on 06/10/03 12:44 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

[missionhockey21]

Thanks ^_^

[Slipknot61]

I think they are looking at indoor soccer. it's the same set-up as this speed hockey. if you look at it this way...any puck shot around the glass/boards will automatically end up going to the crease/goalie and create a lot of action in front of the goal.
Are the goals going to be the standard 6'x4'?

[Steelheads91]

What a joke..Speed Hockey. Thats worse than area football.
I'm sure that will be around as long as the rest of the Inline Leagues...Not very long!!

[missionhockey21]

Optimistic are we Steelheads91? lol

[-venom-]

Is it me or does this seem somewhat like the XFL of ROller Hockey......?

[RichardGraham]

Hi WRX,

You haven't seen anything yet. My understanding is that there is yet another pro league in the works... and some of its ideas make Speed Hockey's founders look like traditionalists. /wtimages/icons/shocked.gif /wtimages/icons/wink.gif

More on that later. Don't want to freak everyone out too soon. LOL.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[missionhockey21]

Maybe a little a bit.

[missionhockey21]

Another league in the works? Damn this will get confusing. But how soon are we talking Rich from what you know? Thanks

[RichardGraham]

Hi Mission,

It will be a while, I think. The league's in the planning stages. I had an hour-long discussion with one of the founding partners yesterday. Now, if I can just figure out a way to charge for my great advice... lol.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[missionhockey21]

"Richard Graham, hockey advisor, willing to work for large sums of money."

Put that in the paper. ;-) lol

[-venom-]

Honestly? I think having too many "pro" or "so-called pro" leagues is bad for the sport. I mean, when you hear "Pro Roller Hockey', you think 'premier level roller hocky players', right?

ok, so that would only make sense for one or MAYBE 2 leagues to really adopt that "Pro" appearance.

I mena, we already have the MLRH, PIHA, now Speed Hockey, and USAIHL-Elite or whatever.......

A little rediculous if you ask me.... I think there needs to be one check, and one non-check pro league, period...... that way, the guys who can't hack it at the 'pro' level wont be playing on 'pro' teams.

[missionhockey21]

I tend to agree. I mean if roller hockey really wants to get it self known to America, I think its only logical they would only show the top notch players in the game.

[ggriffaw]

Many people question if the current "pro" leagues should really be called pro at all. They sound like they are just slightly above high level amateur. There hasn't been anything that resembles pro leagues in the other sports since RHI.

[-venom-]

...and it would only showcase ONE league for itself to be known as 'PRO', not 10 different leagues that all claim to be at the top level of the port, because.. well who do they think they are kidding? We all know there's ALOT of guys in the "pro" leagues that couldn't even compete @ a NARCh-Gold level........ and thats nothing to go home and brag about honestly...

[-venom-]

I agree 0

[missionhockey21]

I could see three leagues at the most. But this is getting to be a little too much. Its not fair to any of the leagues with promising ideas, because the talent is so spread out, so they have to settle for lesser players.

[missionhockey21]

WRXRioT, I totally agree. Hey I turn 18 next year, any pro league looking for a new foward? lol

[ggriffaw]

I would say XFL was closer to the NFL as far as rules than Speed Hockey is to traditional roller hockey. XFL was strange mostly because of the marketing and ties to pro wrestling. We don't really know how Speed Hockey will be marketed.

I would say a better comparison is arena football to traditional football or beach volleyball to traditional volleyball. The rules of the games in each of those are very different than the traditional counterpart.

Speed Hockey will certainly be different. I have no idea if it will be good or bad. We will need to wait to see how it is when they start playing some games.

[missionhockey21]

I think Speed Hockey will be interesting to say the least.

[ggriffaw]

If there is ever a true pro level league, I would think the salaries would be so much above these other leagues that they would not have any problems getting the best players. The current leagues pay very little from what I understand.

[missionhockey21]

I know. We need another RHI. You would think that the people who run the various leagues realizes that no one will truly succeed unless they formed one league of the topnotch players.

[rlrhky13]

I agree WRX... I think there are to many "new" leagues forming and the whole Roller market is going to get swamped with to many leagues...

[RichardGraham]

Hi Seminole,

I'm with you.

Since RHI's demise, there hasn't been a pro league that has captured the industry's imagination. Pro Beach Hockey tried and failed, MLRH has gone semipro, and the PIHA is trying hard to make its version of the sport work. Now Benny Gulakiw has his plans for a pro league, and Speed Hockey has arrived on the scene. Eventually, something positive is going to come from all of these efforts, and I salute the people who are working so hard to make their visions become reality.

It's a lot easier to be a naysayer than to go out and do something, that's for sure.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[rlrhky13]

Its just unfortunate that everyone can't get together with all these ideas and make 1 great league...

[RichardGraham]

Hey rlrhky13,

May happen... one day :)

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[missionhockey21]

Its already swamped with too many leagues imo.

[missionhockey21]

SEMINOLE, I support anything pro roller hockey related. But the approach is all wrong. If there was maybe a total of 3 hockey leagues, that would be ok. But you know all these extra leagues arent really needed, many are the same ensentially except they have different names. True, we can support it, but we need to get non roller hockey people to support it. RHI was the most successful roller hockey league and I am pretty sure that was when there was less competetion. You wish there were more leagues? Ha, we dont need it, like it has been pointed out the talent line to be considered a pro roller hockey player is getting pretty low. Instead we need to have the top players playing in a league that is well adveritised, maybe then we can break somewhat out into the mainstream. Thats just my 2 cents though.

[missionhockey21]

I like Benny's ideas and the concept of Speed Hockey. And I truly hope that at least one will get off the ground so to say. And again I do not want to be portrayed as a naysayer, I just want roller hockey to find the mainstream soon. And not to name names, but I think there are at least a couple of leagues we really wouldnt miss too much.

[missionhockey21]

rlrhky13 I agree with you.

[missionhockey21]

We can all hope Rich :-)

[yokes]

This many leagues is not dilluting the talent at all. You take MLRH and it plays through the winter on mainly till this season on the east coast. Now after its season ends PIHA starts in the same region but smaller and in a different time frame. IHA seems to be more eastern central related right now which isnt interefeing to much with these other two and speed hockey is out on the West coast and not interfering with anyone else. What the heck the more they spread out the better because when a league folds one of the remaining can pick up established teams in that region till they are one big league or a big league with a minors.

Its just not fun unless you stand in front of it!

[sactosaxons]

Can you believe this?!? Look at all the talk about TOO MANY pro leagues! Could that mean there's actually a whole lot of interest in roller hockey??? Seems to me that interest = support = increased exposure = increased everything. True, most the leagues will not survive. More likely they will evolve/merge/whatever with the stronger ones. Still a win-win for roller hockey. This sure beats a thread about the lack of leagues for roller. And yea, I'm a "half-full" kind of person!

[missionhockey21]

I guess thats true, but there has been so many new start ups or rumoured new leagues. I would just rather have a national league, or at least one east coast and one west coast. Again thats just my opinion.

[missionhockey21]

&gt;&gt;Seems to me that interest = support = increased exposure = increased everything

Increased exposure? Eventually this will become a joke if they keep expanding like this. I live in a dream world I guess, but I dont see why the owners of these leagues join forces. And I honestly bet that most people who play roller hockey know all the various leagues, let alone the common person in America.

[RichardGraham]

Hi Mission,

I understand what you mean. You get your hopes up, and then the thing falls through.

On the other hand, without all these inline hockey fanatics working hard to figure out SOMETHING that will work professionally, we'll all be sitting here in 10 years wishing there was a professional league. (We may be anyway, but that's not the point I'm trying to make. lol.)

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[missionhockey21]

I guess thats it more than anything. I support anything roller hockey and hopefully one day one of these leagues will succeed. Having a bunch of pro leagues is better than having no pro leagues.

[ggriffaw]

The current leagues are semi-pro at best. The players make very little. I would say we don't really have a pro league at this time. Some of these current leagues such as IHA are trying to build up to a pro league in time, but they are not their yet.

There is much more talk about leagues starting than actual leagues. Some of the ones that actually start will make it, some won't. It will all sort itself out in time.

[missionhockey21]

Thats all we can hope for is that it will all sort itself out eventually, I just wish it will happen soon. lol

[rlrhky13]

Sacto, I agree with you but the unfortunate part where I am from is roller is considered a joke and with all the new leagues coming and going its not helping the cause here.. People are afraid to take it seriously here because ice is so strong here... Thats where I make the point of 1 great league that gets lots of exposure instead of all these smaller leagues that get no real exposure and then fall apart anyways... being a roller player living in the northeast is hard especially since my background is ice and having an ice rink within 15 minutes of my house no matter which direction I go and only having 3 roller rinks in the whole state makes it even harder... 1 of which is an ice rink that is closed in the summer so they put Matteflex down for the summer months... All winter we have 2 facilities to play in the whole state...

[njbullets]

Last I checked there was the NHL. The old WHA folded and merged with the NHL. This year there is an announcement of a new WHA. Oh yeah, there is also the AHL, CHL, ECHL, IHL, UHL, WCHL, WPHL (did I miss any). How many of you can actually claim to have been to a professional minor league hockey game? Yet, despite leagues folding, merging, reforming, there are plenty of ice leagues around. Right now there are only 4 roller hockey leagues around and 2 have yet to play a game. Let's hope the hard work of all these leagues will evolve (sooner rather than later) into a full blown professional league.

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http://www.laughinghyena.net/LogoServer/rollerhockey/NewJerseyBullets02.GIF

[missionhockey21]

&gt;Let's hope the hard work of all these leagues will evolve (sooner rather than later) into a full blown professional league.

I hope so too. btw a little heavy on expressions are we? lol ;-)

[sactosaxons]

Guess we're a bit more used to the comings and goings of leagues and variations out here in California. And I do see your point regarding where you are. Hopefully the end result of all this will be a stronger, more accepted sport that's viable nationwide.

[rlrhky13]

you didn't miss any but the IHL combined with the AHL so it doesn't exist anymore... And for the record I go to alot of Minor games...

[missionhockey21]

A strong national league will come one day, but I jus wish that day will be soon. ^_^

[missionhockey21]

I also go to a good deal of minor league ice, hey hockey is hockey in my book.