Arenas

[rt12]

Any chance of MLRH's teams moving into arenas with 1000 seats or maybe a new expansion team building a new rink? They have these new monolithic domes out. The WHA may be using them.

[wathockey00]

That would be pretty sick if a league could become a better organized version of the RHI. What the leagues are doing right now is appealing to inline hockey fans only. To go to a MLRH or PIHA game you got to know the teams and where they play, and only people who play or follow the sport closely know this information. As soon as one of these leagues can appeal to non hockey fans as well is when you are going to see inline hockey back in the big arenas. I know I have a IYF hockey magazine from 1998, and most of the adds are for roller hockey companies like Kryptonics, Parabolics, Kuzak, and there is even a small add for Black Biscuit. There is a small section dedicated to roller hockey and it shows a picture of a pretty packed arena watching the St. Louis Vipers play and a quote that says RHI promises there best season in 1999 after a 1 year hiatus because of lawsuits and "subpar talent". MLRH is also quoted saying that the future of the sport lies in grass-root programs. The advancement of talent in tournaments like Narch and Tohrs proves that the new generation of players is ready, the question is ... is the world ready for another "professional" roller hockey league. The answer is yes, as long as the league appeals to everyone, then teams like the Aneheim Bullfrogs will appear and inline hockey will be back at the top of it's game.

Wayne Gretzky
You'll miss 100% of the shots you never take.

[89jettawolfs]

i would love to see a real pro league start up again. But not many people will build a large arena without being sure they can fill seats. Right now it's a gamble that not many people will take. But every year roller hockey grows, so hopefully soon it will become more mainstream and larger arenas will pop up.

[GROWL]

I wasn't aware inline hockey is growing. It's certainly not around here. The only significant growth our sport has seen in the past 3 years is the college leagues. If you want my opinion the sport isn't going to grow until we decide to adopt a general idea of what the game we are playing really is. I'm so tired of these crazed ideas to generate interest. Outdoor beach games, ramps, square rinks with rubber bumpers, and hitting may be appealing for a little while and even capture the interest of espn for a year or two, but everytime we sellout the sport like this we lose more and more credibility. We should be using one very simple rule. What every we do on a pro level, we should expect on all levels of our game from mite to seniors to college. Will the days of the RHI ever return, I doubt it, the sport is being driven in a dozen different directions, but to the same destination "an early grave".

[-venom-]

I agree with everything said above..... except Flynn where you point out 'hitting' as a contributor to a loss of credibility.

RHI was full-contact, correct?

NARCh PRO and TORHS PRO are pretty damn close to full contact....

I really don't get the whole outcry to eliminate hitting from roller hockey. Fans want to see an occassional fight, fans want to see big hits, as much as they want to see goals scored.

anywho, thats my take on it.

btw flynn, when you gonna be @ the sportsplex next, i wanna pick up my gear finally

[wathockey00]

The ideas like PBH and Speedhockey tend to make people take roller hockey less seriously. If a roller hockey league ever wants to get back to the level it was in the RHI, a league with normal rules and full size court needs to be used. I know I get crap almost every week when I have to leave ice hockey practice early for a roller hockey game. If respect of the game can be brought back through pro leagues then more people will play and the sport will grow. Right now areas like PA, NJ and CA seem to have grown to the max and if we want that respect to happen leagues like MLRH and PIHA need to bring more teams to states in New England and the middle part of the country where the sport is starting and or continuing to grow at a constant rate.

Wayne Gretzky
You'll miss 100% of the shots you never take.

[calihockey]

PBR and Speedhockey are money making schemes and thats it. We need a true pro league with loyal owners. Remember just like most business ventures, you may not turn profit right away. A lot of the RHI owners were looking for a quick buck and once that didnt happen, the league fell.

[ax319]

I agree with those who have posted on this thread, these gimmicks such as PBH and Speed Hockey will not be taken seriosuly even by most die-hard fans and players of inline hockey. though these versions might be some what entertaining along the lines of WWF and Slamball they arnt a good representation of the sport. we need a pro league that is run professionally and puts a good product on the floor. it also needs to play the same game everyone else is playing from MLRH, Narch, and USA hockey inline. all of these organizations play generally the same game, with small diffrences such as hitting.
what i would like to see goes along the lines of what the River Rats of RHI did in 98, build a outdoor arena, something cost effective where they can control revenue and host other events such as tournaments small concerts and such. while at the same time gives the team a landmark to be seen and a permenant home. these arenas could be built with an additional indoor practice rink and a couple of outdoor ones for youth teams and tournaments as well as training facilities and and amenities for fans attending games. this should be the way to go because it could be done cheaper then building a indoor arena, fans could be outdoors in the summer and you can aviod the high cost of large arena rentals the RHI had to deal with.

[-venom-]

problem with that is, high level hockey is meant to be played on sport court, where $150 sticks and $100 wheels won't get thrashed.


last time i checked, sport court outdoors isnt a great idea...

[ax319]

While i have never played on sport court outdoors, it has been done for example Sacramento, PBH, and a few tournaments. from the sport court website it seems they make a court which is meant for outdoor use. does anyone have any experience with sport court outdoors?

[fromonkey]

the constant heating/cooling/moisture on sport court has a tendency to warp the tiles. At least it did at my hockey rink... they threw it on without thinking about that and halfway through the season it was impossible to play on it. Every shot and pass looked like you were on a pinball table.

[SoCal78910]

Do you remember what happened the first game the River Rats had outdoors? They were bombarded with bugs!!! (If I remember correctly, they had to stop the game to sweep them off the court). Besides, who would want to play outdoors in a place like Sacramento where it can get over 95 degrees?!

[NLane]

Talk to ANY major league sport team owner and see if they make money. The exception is probably the Redskins and I can't tell you why, only that's what I've heard.

[NLane]

I don't think inline hockey will get any respect until the players themselves act/train/play like pro athletes. Drink after the game, but before or during? Where else would that happen? And if the players don't respect themselves or the game why should anyone else? Arenas should be the least of the worries. Can't fill seats until we have a product.

[GROWL]

Well exactly why PIHA has reached out to Buffalo and Chicago this season. THese are target areas for the league. We are extremely excited about the midwest region right now. With the addition of the two chicago teams, we have already had two additional teams in the midwest contact us about next season. Likewise, we are certain that a push into virginia and south is certain for next year, but our goal is to continue growth in our northern areas, Long Island and New York State are big targets for next season.