what does anyone think of NHL breakout

[morrisville75]

i think it seems nice but could use some work

[xport_urself]

what exactly is the NHL Breakout?

[spiderman]

My team played in the NHL Breakout this year but we dropped out because it was the biggest waist of time. First of all its played on blacktop and they use a ball. After you have played so many years with a puck it is just so hard to get use to the feel of a ball. They also need to organize it alot better then they do!

[RichardGraham]

Hi Spiderman,

I think it all depends on what you're looking for. If you're a die-hard indoor player, you're probably not going to like Breakout as much as someone who plays a lot of pickup outdoors.

I love Breakout. It's a blast. Bouncing off those inflatable boards certainly adds an element of NEW strategy to a game! LOL. Playing outdoors in the sun, getting a tan and, at least in Santa Monica, having beach babes in bikinis watching you play... well, it doesn't get a lot better than that.

And beating Roller Hockey Magazine during my days at InLine Hockey News, circa 1995, was fun too... lol

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

http://www.inlinehockeycentral.com/i...editphoto2.jpg

[RichardGraham]

Hi Xport,

NHL Breakout is an outdoor inline hockey festival produced by the National Hockey League and played with a ball in inflatable rinks. Check out the NHL Breakout story on the IHC Home Page for more information.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

http://www.inlinehockeycentral.com/i...editphoto2.jpg

[JohnHopkins]

I have had a lot of fun working as a referee at NHL Breakout.

We had it in Buffalo for 3 years, 97-99 but it will not be back for the second straight year. That's probably because the tournament has always been held in Buffalo in mid-September...a dicey time...usually battling nasty rain forecasts.

I like the street hockey format with the ball...it brings back the feel of the neighborhood street game. It's not supposed to be about how badly you can beat your opponent.

NHL Breakout has been nothing but a positive experience for me. I miss it. I would LOVE to see it come back to Buffalo in late July or August...a dead time for popular city festivals and such. (they're top-loaded in June and early July, for some reason)

Sincerely,

John Hopkins

Sincerely,

John Hopkins
Buffalo Wings

[showstoppr67]

I tried to get a team together once for it but no one wanted to do the blacktop/ball format. Personally, I'm very happy to have a lot of indoor/sportcourt rinks near me and I haven't played outdoors in about 6 years. But if I could get a team into it, I probably would just for fun. Of course I wouldn't be wearing my normal attire. Blacktop= equipment tears= money

[Rollerhockyman]

Breakout is cool cause you get to test the speed of your shot for free, but the drawbacks are the horrible refs and unlevel surfaces you play on. When i went there 2 years ago the other team not one player had a mouth guard, all the other team did was spear our players and the ref didn't call one thing and then when you would yell at him he would say "What do you think you can do a better job then me." So i wouldn't recommend going to breakout.

[reaper_rider]

Hell, I dont care if it's with a nice gliding puck, ball or people who are playing are not "good". I would just be glad to be playing hockey (because its all the same thing you know? HOCKEY) hang out and make some friends. Oh yeah, and SUPPORT a HOCKEY event like this...since you know, we don't have a whole lot of them.

Don't complain and play!

[ChloroFiend]

Ive never played in it, but i DO think it would be fun. Lots of the teams playing do take it very seriously...ClarkAddison from this board and his team practiced with balls at my league's rink for several weeks before the Chicago event this year. I would have liked to play, but unfortunately never found a team to compete with...the appeal of playing competitive pick-up style hockey is definitley there...brings me back a few years all right! Too bad there's no Chicago event this year...thats definitely too bad.


-Jon Gucinski #16
-<A HREF="http://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/rollerhockey" target="_new">Iowa State Roller Hockey</A>

[morrisville75]

wow i got a lot of replies to my post

[SpeedDemon]

Exactly. Anyone who doesn't enter a kids team in BreakOut strictly on the fact that it's a "waste of time" or its not true hockey, needs to deflate the ego.

Play hockey because it's fun, not because you're trying to relive your youth through your kid or something. I've seen too many parents go to events like NHL Breakout and if they don't win, refuse to come back because of all the excuses in the book.

Plus, frankly, if you can't win or come close to winning at NHL Breakout and you think your team is awesome, you probably suck really bad

[morrisville75]

SpeedDemon you are right about that.

i think breakout is nice to the youth hockey players but when you get older i think it may be a little easy for the really skilled hockey players out there

[xport_urself]

ok thanks, just one more question. Are there any NHL players or coachs etc... at the NHL Breakout??

[RichardGraham]

Hi Xport,

Some of the younger teams have coaches, but most don't. There are usually players from the local NHL team at every Breakout event. I know that I saw Rob Blake and Steve McKenna at NHL Breakout Los Angeles when they played for the Kings, and Luc Robitaille, a current L.A. Kings player, often plays pickup at the beach in Santa Monica during the summer. Once he sent me on a breakaway and I missed the trash can that serves as a goal.

He said, "You gotta make those, eh?" LOL.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

http://www.inlinehockeycentral.com/i...editphoto2.jpg