Isn't it funny that...

[PatriotsHockey]

...professional leagues like MLRH (including AAA) and RHI, that are run by so called "professionals" are less organized and inferior to the CRHL, which is run by full time college students in their spare time???? These pro roller hockey leagues fold every few years, only to pop back up, lose more money, and fold again. Or in some cases, an MLRH-AAA team this season (Carolina Crushers) folds, so the brilliant Mr. Bill Raue decides to form a team of random ball hockey players from Alexandria, VA (which is 5 hours away from the Carolina border) and decides that they will be the Carolina Crushers. Will they even have players for their home games in North Carolina???? Or when a player beats up two refs this past weekend in the Williamsburg/Fredericksburg game (I have reffed with them both, they are sucky refs) and they call in the police. Maybe they can learn from us college kids.

Proud member of the CRHL Mid-Atlantic Region

[mello1388]

How can you speak for the whole league and all the teams in the MLRH AAA. I know from my experiances so far and from the players ive met that this league is heading in the right direction. I cant speak for all the teams but my team has plenty of talent and dedicated players. We dont get paid, so what, to me its still worth it, i meet new people all the time, players who have played RHI,PBH,MLRH,IHL,UHL,IVE even had the opportunity to meet that girl who played net for the Tampa Bay Lightning. This is all in a 6 month period since ive played with players from the DC Voltage(MLRHAAA)now i play on that team and im proud of it. We get to travel as a team and do all the other things that teams get to do. My question is why dont you show support for the league? Its a stepping stone in the right direction, this and that Michigan league have both finished a full season. Now the AAA has started its 2nd season, which is good ,we should pay attention so it lasts longer and gets bigger, and more kids will watch, and obviosly its not easy to keep these leagues afloat. But what else is there and i feel college players would feel very strongly about keeping and growing the AAA because you could only play for your school for 4 years. Dont you want a league you could step into and play when your done with school? Later...Joey Consiglio...#72 DC Voltage

[ChloroFiend]

You do bring up an interesting point. However, I think I have the solution. In the past, RHI, MRLH, etc have been created for one purpose...to make money. They didnt do that. They failed. CRHL and its member leagues were created for the love of the game, so that athletes from colleges all over the country could get together and play the game they love. Its still around...stronger than ever, and going to stay that way for a long time.

I cant really speak to MLRH-AAA its an amateur league, and not supposed to be making money. If the direction the league goes switches from love to profit, then heck, its gonna die too.

To all you college players out there, ill see you at Nationals....ill be #16 in an ISU Cyclones jersey.

-Jon "ChloroFiend" Gucinski
-Iowa State Roller Hockey

[deniro]

Well, Bill Raue isn't the most organized person. I think he has the wrong things in mind in running the league. As far as the Williamsburg/Fredericksburg game, it was one of the refs beating up on and choking of the WBurg players (which caused him to get knocked out). I played in the game and the WBurg player tried to pick a fight with an FBurg player.
I didn't know the Carolina team was not really them, but after seeing them play last weekend I'm not surprised. Very different from the 'old' Crushers'. The guys who runs Slapshotz in Fredericksburg was surprised to find out that the 'Carolina' team was going to play their reamining home games out of Slapshotz.

[Rebecca]

Hello Joe!! Glad to see you (and Roger) playing MLRH.I am sure that Rabatin and I will run into you guys soon.

I feel I am at an advantage to make a comment in this post, as I am involved in both the CRHL and MLRH. I, for one, will promote the MLRH this season, as my experiences thus far have been nothing but positive. (However, I did hear all about the incident in Fredericksburg, from a number of reliable sources.)

I just finished a project of clarifying "reimbursement money" v. profit from the MLRH to assure that our ECRHA players (Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association) would retain CRHL eligibility, as we have a number of players who will play on MLRH-AAA teams this season (as well as many who tried out but didn't get called).

I know that some people do not believe in Bill Raue. However, he is still trying, and I think that after all that he has done or been involved with so far, it is commendable to see that he has not given up. What else is there right now?

The CRHL is an AWESOME League, however, it is only for college students. The MLRH will give our college participants another avenue of competition, especially during the summer when the CRHL breaks, or after they have graduated.

I don't understand why people are knocking the MLRH or Bill Raue (in general-as I am sure a few people have specific reasons). We are trying to unify this sport somewhat, and for now, as long as CRHL players are going onto MLRH-AAA Teams, there is a sense of a cross over in a positive direction and how can you knock that?

You go mello1388!
IMHO

Rebecca Breitel
ECRHA, Director of Special Projects
ECRHA, Referee In Chief
http://www.ecrha.net/

Rebecca

[PatriotsHockey]

I did not mean to come across as totally blasting MLRH. I support the league and half my GMU team plays MLRH. I am just questioning some of the strange decisions the league has made.

[John_S_Osborne]

I've had a series of debates concerning the MLRH-AAA with our goaltender and club president, Bert Archer, who is playing on the Philadelphia Firebirds.

First, let me preface my comments by saying that I totally support the goals and purpose of the MLRH-AAA. Any league that has the drive to get out there and try to create something where there is nothing gains my immediate respect.

My debate with Bert started after I went to the game between the Philadelphia Firebirds and the NJ Riot. The game wasn't THAT bad, as compared to recent accounts of brawls up and down the East Coast at these games. However, I still left at halftime, after contributing my $5 to the cause for a ticket.

The first half was really bad display of hockey, I hope not representative of the league's competition as a whole, because I am trying REALLY hard not to jump to conclusions and label this league. I was frustrated just watching this, because I knew that there was a ton of talent out there on the floor; guys I have played against and with before and respect and know, guys who I've seen, some really good roller hockey players. There was stick fouls, injuries, and all sorts of ugliness. Players were just running into each other all over the floor, attempting to lay body checks, and this lead to a very, very chippy half.

I wonder what it was like to the Mayor of Washington Township, who dropped the puck for the first NJ Riot game in her town, to see a 20-21 year old player laying on the floor in a large puddle of blood after taking a rather viscious high stick; this wasn't one of those unintentional numbers either. I wonder if she was around to see the end of the game and the brawl.

To top all this off, Drexel's MAR team captain, Bill Sherwood, suffered a broken arm in his first game with the Firebirds yesterday in Rahway. I can't say how this happened, I wasn't there, but Bill's been playing in the CRHL-MAR for two years, that's probably over 60-70 games. One MLRH-AAA game, and he's hurt.

Seriously, I am asking straight out. No disrespect meant to anyone... Are we trying to be ice hockey on wheels? Or, are we trying to be the same roller hockey that's being played at various tournaments, at high schools and colleges, and THAT'S BEING TAUGHT TO YOUTH ALL OVER THE NATION?

And, to add to the what the player from JMU had said, yes, I agree. I thought the ECHRA/CRHL-MAR was much more entertaining, especially at Regionals.



---
John S. Osborne
Drexel University Roller Hockey Club

[SpeedDemon]

I have been on hiatus but I figured I'd chime in on this one!

Right on man! I was at the Riot game too, and although it was a better played game than some of the fiasco's I've been to and read about, I still could do without the unnecessary lack of discipline scattered a times throughout the game. Other than that though, (so far) I think it's moving in the right direction.

In regards to the checking and chippiness, that's hockey though! Since the MLRH wants players to check, they have to expect tempers to flare. However at the same time the players need to grab their gonads and suck up the fact they are going to get hit and stop retaliating like little babies. And also, learn how to check someone without falling into the boards face first. This applies only to a select few to whom checking looked like a foreign term. The "brawl" wasn't a brawl really, it was a gathering at a moment in the 4th that instigated only one fight which saw both combatants separate with a mutual acknowledgment of eachother, a custom when two guys go at it just to provide some excitement for the fans.

Keep in mind some of these teams have only been playing together for a few weeks on a limited practice schedule. I think if things get rolling and players stay on teams for a few seasons, you'll see a better quality level of play that comes with experience together.

Other than that......Osbourne is the man!!

SD

[John_S_Osborne]

Yes, I agree with you on the point you made about the checking and chippiness. It seemed to me that there wasn't alot of experience in hitting out there, so you didn't see many good ones that did the right thing: seperating the puckcarrier from the puck. It just seemed as though people were moshing in the corners

Your last point is also valid. It's early in the season, so we can expect some imrpovement in the teams and the competition before the season is done and hopefully next season.

Another thing which I did not mention in my previous post is that I really feel bad for these refs who are working the MLRH-AAA. I ref alot, and have worked with a few of the guys who are reffing the league, and I can't imagine having to jump back and forth between leagues where the difference in playing rules is like night and day. How can you expect the refs to be consistent if the playing rules themselves aren't even consistent? All in all, I think they worked a decent game.

Maybe my last point is more creedence to the fact that roller hockey really needs a solid national governing body and set of rules, if not for anything, just because we feel bad for the refs

---
John S. Osborne
Drexel University Roller Hockey Club

[Rebecca]

oooohh John Osborne, what a sweetie you can be

Now my opinion....
I have attended a number of MLRH games so far this season. Being of neutral position, I hear so much from friends and players. A few of the teams are very finessed and skilled, as they have been playing together as friends in many other leagues for a long time. Other teams are new, or have new and unknown talent. Both types of teams also have a few "punks". This is like synergy when the game is played. Every one wants to prove themselves. What the heck for? I don't know...it's not as if they're getting paid. We all have to get up and go to work in the morning. Who the heck wants to be the one to get hurt??? And as for the refs....they certainly shouldn't be putting themselves in danger for a measly $50.

What comes to bother me the most is not the physicalness of the game, but the mentality of those who chose to be over physical. An example of this is a comment made to me by a skilled and respected player after a game (no need to mention names). What he said was..."Our games have been so boring, I just really was itching for a fight. Did you see the check I gave to #...?" Makes you wonder what his true intentions were...and this was from a friend who's an incredible player.

Needless to say, there was only one melee in any of the games that I have attended so far but there was a terrible injury. Even though I want to thank the Officials for keeping the players in line and for reffing good games, sometimes, there is not much a ref can do. Injuries can and do occur, whether accidentally or from deliberate contact. And someone looking for a fight, will find one unless you "get him out" of the game early. But you can't just go penalizing players simply on a "huntch" that they are looking for trouble. The injury that I saw (BAD broken arm and elbow) was the result of a "clean check" which is accepted in this league along the boards.

Unfortunately, for some people, the thrill of the game is still the physicalness of it, this includes the spectators that come to watch. This is an issue, because this is NOT ice hockey. Roller hockey might be "modeled" after ice hockey, but it is not the same game and unfortunately, people expect it to be "ice hockey on wheels". Until that mentality is crushed, roller hockey will not draw the crowds that ice does and will condone little respect as the game it is.

Well, JMHO. My condolences to Bill Sherwood and the other injured players. Nobody should ever want to see these guys get hurt.

Rebecca Breitel
ECRHA, Projects Director
ECRHA, Referee In Chief
http://ecrha.net/

Rebecca