USA Wins IIHF World Inline Championships

[MDE3 0]

Team USA IIHF(inline) version also won the Gold medal at the World Cup this year.

For those of you not familiar, there are two versions of "the World's" in inline hockey....one with FIRS... the World Championships hosted by the "Official" organization which guards the gate to the Olympics for roller hockey....meaning that only through them will the sport of inline hockey pass if it can ever be accepted as an Olympic Sport. The other version (The World Cup) competes under the aegis of the International Ice Hockey Federation ....Inline division....

This year for the first time in quite a while, Team USA (not an identical team for each event but sharing some of the major stars this year) won both the World Championships (FIRS) as well as the "World Cup" IIHF(inline).

The IIHF event fields teams from the traditional ice hockey powers, while the FIRS event has many other non ice hockey countries participating. The IIHF event has countries well endowed with World Class pro ice hockey talent, so winning gold at this event is no small task. Interestingly some of the strongest players for Team USA came from the dedicated inline hockey side of things rather than recently converted ice players....as had been the case in years past(and where they did not place too well in some cases).

Congratualtions to both teams USA!!!!!!

[iwontpass 0]

Great for the game of Roller Hockey. Team USA (IIHF) has been struggling for the last three years to get back to the dominant force in Roller Hockey. Team Finland uses level 1 pro players for their team and train for at least two months prior to the event by playing and practicing together in a Pro League in Finland. Congratulations to the coaching staff and players for redeaming our stature in the International Roller Hockey Community...

[#56 0]

I was there because I was playing for team Belgium (allright we finished 15th... <_< )

The final between Team USA and Team Finland was a real beauty.

USA deserved gold. They had everything: Speed, power, accuracy, ...

My favorite player of team USA : Walter Sweatt The guy really flies.

Fastest kid I ever saw playing roller hockey+friendly guy outside the court too.

[MDE3 0]

Interestingly some of the strongest players for Team USA came from the dedicated inline hockey side of things rather than recently converted ice players....as had been the case in years past(and where they did not place too well in some cases).

I hate to go back and quote myself here, but I may have erred a bit simply knowing that CJ Yoder and one or two other well known players had been added to this years USA Inline world Cup team....when I went and looked at the roster...there were 9 minor league professional ice hockey players on this Team USA: two college ice hockey players(at least one of whom has played a lot of inline.."Lee Sweatt"), as well as those 5 more dedicated "pure" inline players.