Best Pro Player

[LetsRoll]

Hi,

Who do you think was the best player in RHI, MLRH or any of the other pro leagues that have come and mostly gone?

[premierhockey]

TONY SZABO!!!!!!

By far the legend that C.J. and the boys have to live up to

Premier Hockey

[RichardGraham]

Hi LetsRoll,

There were so many.

Most of the games I saw were here in California, but I did see a lot of different teams play, including the San Diego Barracudas, Anaheim Bullfrogs, Los Angeles Blades, Sacramento River Rats, Oakland Skates and Vancouver VooDoo, as well as the teams that traveled to play those teams.

I saw the Utah Rollerbees (who looked like skating bananas in their yellow duds), the Connecticut Coasters (was that really their name, or am I just wondering what to put my beer on?), the Detroit Mustangs, Las Vegas Flash, St. Louis Vipers, Buffalo Stampede, San Jose Rhinos, Montreal Roadrunners, Orlando Jackals, Minnesota Arctic Blast and Blue Ox, Oklahoma Coyotes, Phoenix Cobras, Portland Rage, etc.

Then there were the teams I don't think I got a chance to see. The Chicago Cheetahs and Bluesmen, the New Jersey Rockin Rollers, Philadelphia Bulldogs, Denver Daredevils, Ottawa Loggers, Empire State Cobras, Long Island Jawz, Orlando Rollergators, etc.

Names that come to mind are San Jose's Mark Woolf and Jon Gustafson; Anaheim's Victor Gervais and money goalie Rob Laurie; Steve Wilson, Mike Doers, Steve Bogoyevac, Brett Kurtz, Mike Callahan and Chris Nelson of the Los Angeles Blades; Detroit's Tony Szabo, a pure goal scorer who had 30 more shots than the next highest shooter in 1995 (217), scoring 50 goals; the John Hanson and John Young tandem in Minnesota; Chris Valicevic; Gerry St. Cyr; Buffalo's Jay Neal and John Vecchiarelli, who almost singlehandedly destroyed the Portland Rage in the 1994 RHI Finals; Doug Lawrence, whose 91 points and aggravating play led the league in 1995... I could go on and on.

Anyone else?

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[jahwarrior91]

Did you just say John Vecchiarelli? the John Vecchiarelli? I used to watch him way back in the day when he played in the Colonial Hockey League in the Saginaw area. of course that was ice but i had no idea he played roller. John Vecchiarelli you are my idol again, right behind Fedorov, but its close. wings in seven, later

[Benny_Gulakiw]

Alot of the guys already mentioned definitely deserve to be on the list, but as you know, I'm a Buffalo guy and I have to add a few players. Vecchiarelli, course, but Ken Blum should be there. He sccored the Cup winning goal for San Jose in 1996. His almost 3 full seasons with the Wings put him in the elite group. Then there is Mark Major. He started his roller career fighting and ended his roller career scoring goals (Major, Blum and Vecchiarelli were all named co-players of the week in RHI in 1999). At one point about mid-way through the 1999 season, Major actually led the league in scoring and penalty minutes. In goal, Nick Vitucci has to be considered one of the best roller hockey goalie of all time.

Non-Buffalo player not mentioned, Gerry St. Cyr. A great player (with a great wife).

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey