Inline hockey contact (hitting)

**Narch321** · 10-01-2009, 10:17 PM

Mlrh,piha,and aihl. Besides mlrh which one allows the most contact. I read in the aihl rulebook that you can hit only if you play the puck. Is this true? And what does it mean to play the puck? Basically how can you lay someone out and get away with it?

**knights11** · 10-02-2009, 08:28 AM

Thats tough to say cause it really depends on how tight the refs are calling the games. I've played in both the elite and minor levels of AIHL and its also different by level. So really besides MLRH theres no league that you clan completely level your opponent.

**Mlrhnorthfan** · 10-02-2009, 10:49 AM

This was a really hot issue of debate in the AIHL early last season as regionally, the referees called the games differently.

Early games in LI and Suffolk were very physical while games up in NE were not.

by mid-season the 'standard of play' was enforced for hitting and other infractions by the officials who did a great job. the rules should be on the league website for viewing.

'Rules' aside, basically there is no open-ice hitting. Contact on the boards is a judgement call by the officials.

you cannot really lay someone out and get away with it.

the checking issue in inline has been debated alot here over the years. You will find that most guys over 25 that play in PIHA/AIHL now played in the MLRH(myself included- i love full-check) in the past and do not anymore. Read into that what you want.

**knights11** · 10-02-2009, 10:57 AM

The main thing i see wrong with full check in roller is that from what i saw in MLRH a few years ago, granted i was a spectator not a player due to being comitted to ice, alot of guys were hitting for the wrong reason or when they got hit turned into the big tough guy who thought that ment the other person wanted to drop gloves. This brought alot of players to MLRH for the wrong reason. The point of hitting is to knock a player carrying the puck off the puck, too many guys were hitting to injure players or provoke fights. Which has also given the league the label of being a goon league and driven alot of skilled players away from the league.

**minutemen** · 10-02-2009, 11:01 AM

well said Knights11. Your absolutely correct. Also hitting is a lot more dangerous in Inline because your foot can get caught because of the wheels. So a lot more knee injures. Also a lot of people who did not grow up playing ice like we did, were never taught the proper way to hit. I know when I first became a Pee Wee back in the early 90's, we took clinics and classes on how to hit.

**Doug Jones** · 10-02-2009, 01:04 PM

Hitting is to cause turnovers and to prohibit puck movement. It also can stir a great reaction from the crowd when someone lands a big hit to change the momentum of the game.

We're excited in Greenville to be a big part of MLRH 2 and the full hit league. With players like Genest, the Anderson brothers, former Devil and Blues pick Mike Posma and former Greenville ECHL Growl players Pierce, Whitaker, Werner and Bailey, we have some great depth with team members who know "how" to hit for the good of the game and our team.

I do agree on one thing, "hitting" with the intention to injure or hurt someone doesn't belong in the game...period.

**knights11** · 10-02-2009, 01:06 PM

I think the AIHL is doing a good job allowing the physical play along the boards to go for the most part except when its blatenly obvious your throwing a hit for the wrong reason.

**DMezz28** · 10-02-2009, 02:30 PM

Some of you guys made some great points... but lets not get confused between hitting and contact. Body contact will happen when players play the puck and bump shoulder to shoulder fighting for it. Hitting is strictly to play the body first and the puck is an after thought.

I used to want hitting, but now I see it is impossible to do. The age / size differences alone would serious injuries. We have a couple of small 16-17 kids that are 5'5 140lbs on our team... I have 100 lbs on them, I am 6'1 240+ and I am not the biggest in the league... There are plenty of guys 6'3 that can fly and could hurt someone...

I dont want refs calling it to tight... Let us play the puck, bump... but I would hate to see this turn into a basketball game of fouling out. Overall I thought last year was called fair and good.

**knights11** · 10-02-2009, 02:47 PM

DMezz28
you should have some of your young guys watch footage of theo fleury when he was younger and not getting cut from the flames

**hockeymum** · 10-02-2009, 03:02 PM

recently when the AIHL lowered the minimum age for the elite levels to 16 it was so that there would be consistency FIRS I believe. I have never attended any of the European tournaments and am curious as to the level of physicality that is typical for the European teams. I know that with ice hockey, the US/North American teams tend to play a more physical style than their European counterparts. I am wondering if that tendency also is typical in international inline. How do they call the games in international competition? If it is typical for the international teams to have younger players I am sure the issue has come up, how do they handle it there? Just curious

**Narch321** · 10-02-2009, 08:34 PM

The mlrh is an awesome league. Not bashing on the piha or aihl but I just like the idea of full contact

**iceburg** · 10-03-2009, 03:00 PM

my opinion,I dont care for full contact in inline.thats why we have ice hockey.inline is the speed skill game,4on4 no off sides alittle body along the boards for sure.,the fast pace game,no holding, clutching,no open ice type checks.that was the game.smaller kids didnt want to play ice because of the checking,so inline was the alternitive.I love the ice game ,but inline is a blast just the way it is.just my opinion.