My opinion of roller hockey...

[#44wannabe 4]

WOW! I played roller for the first time last night, after spending most of the day trying to figure out how to inline skate, and all i can say now is that i have total appreciation for the sport! It is quick, seriously quick, and incredibly skilful. Damn fun too!

I had such a great time playing and i cant wait to get back out there. I seriously sucked but everyone was really cool about it and gave me lots of pointers on how to skate better etc. The differences are huge, but so are the similarities. The puck was different to stickhandle with, a lot lighter and more 'slippery' but once i got used to it it was great!

I wish some better skates though... i was using supreme 25's which were old and battered and no support but i liked the pitch of them way more than some tour's i was offered. I preferred the tour boot but felt i was too far back and kind of waddled rather than skate lol.

I would like to take back all the negatives i have ever said about roller as it is very different and sooooo mcuh fun. I commend all roller players as it takes some serious skill to play!

[Fletch 219]

Good to hear......I like ice more than roller but roller is really fun for me too.

[Sniper15 0]

Real hockey=Ice hockey

[firestud17 0]

and if you take the intensity of your game in ice and mix it in when playing roller you have a big chance of being good.

[wildebeest 0]

roller hockey is to ice hockey what slamball is to the NBA.

[15yearsofhistory 0]

Real hockey=Ice hockey

I still don't get where people get this mentality from... I've played in plenty of roller leagues and ice leagues. I can honestly say I think the games are the same for the most part except for three things; the puck, the number of players, and the skates.

[Chadd 916]

Real hockey=Ice hockey

I still don't get where people get this mentality from... I've played in plenty of roller leagues and ice leagues. I can honestly say I think the games are the same for the most part except for three things; the puck, the number of players, and the skates.

The games are obviously similar but not the same at all. There is far more time and space with inline hockey, making it a far more "individual" sport than ice hockey at just about every level. Outside of the equipment and the net, just about everything is different, including the puck. While I prefer ice to inline, the whole point should be to have fun and both can provide that. There is no reason for someone to look down their nose at either.

[Fletch 219]

Roller is a great training tool for ice. Anyone who thinks otherwise is nuts.

[_HSB_b345t 0]

WOW! I played roller for the first time last night, after spending most of the day trying to figure out how to inline skate, and all i can say now is that i have total appreciation for the sport! It is quick, seriously quick, and incredibly skilful. Damn fun too!

I had such a great time playing and i cant wait to get back out there. I seriously sucked but everyone was really cool about it and gave me lots of pointers on how to skate better etc. The differences are huge, but so are the similarities. The puck was different to stickhandle with, a lot lighter and more 'slippery' but once i got used to it it was great!

I wish some better skates though... i was using supreme 25's which were old and battered and no support but i liked the pitch of them way more than some tour's i was offered. I preferred the tour boot but felt i was too far back and kind of waddled rather than skate lol.

I would like to take back all the negatives i have ever said about roller as it is very different and sooooo mcuh fun. I commend all roller players as it takes some serious skill to play!

There's very rarely any fighting in inline hockey, #44. You may feel a bit like a fish out of water. :P

[phunky_monkey 6]

Roller is a great training tool for ice. Anyone who thinks otherwise is nuts.

Agreed.

Ice Hockey is my preferred choice, but Inline is a great sport and a great training tool. Most decent players here in Aus graduated from inline hockey, as can be expected due to our climate.

[Fletch 219]

WOW! I played roller for the first time last night, after spending most of the day trying to figure out how to inline skate, and all i can say now is that i have total appreciation for the sport! It is quick, seriously quick, and incredibly skilful. Damn fun too!

I had such a great time playing and i cant wait to get back out there. I seriously sucked but everyone was really cool about it and gave me lots of pointers on how to skate better etc. The differences are huge, but so are the similarities. The puck was different to stickhandle with, a lot lighter and more 'slippery' but once i got used to it it was great!

I wish some better skates though... i was using supreme 25's which were old and battered and no support but i liked the pitch of them way more than some tour's i was offered. I preferred the tour boot but felt i was too far back and kind of waddled rather than skate lol.

I would like to take back all the negatives i have ever said about roller as it is very different and sooooo mcuh fun. I commend all roller players as it takes some serious skill to play!

There's very rarely any fighting in inline hockey, #44. You may feel a bit like a fish out of water. :P

Maybe this will make him approve even more of the sport ;)

[raygunpk 0]

Here's a big pointer, be VERY careful when drinking from the water bottle. I remember I played ice for a while then went back to roller for a game with friends, splashed water carelessly all over the place and everyone had wet wheels.

[#44wannabe 4]

Haha, i kept having to restrain from spitting on the floor. Yeah i kept an eye on that. I didnt want to be the plug couldn't skate AND the plug that made everyone's wheels wet. I looked stupid enough wearing hockey pants and socks lol.

EDIT: What is 'IHA'? Is that a full contact league?

[FatAndSlow 0]

IHA was a full contact Pro inline league in Southern California. Went to a few of the games. Was really good roller hockey but has since shut down.

[mrusse01 0]

At least where I played, it was 4 on 4, no off-sides, no icing.

Makes for an incredibly different game. Strategically it's almost like basketball, you have a point guard type player who skates the puck up ice, almost always is the last man back and the other players spread out in the zone.

I never could dangle with the inline puck like I can on ice, but I sure could shoot that thing. As well, almost every goalie I played against was totally vulnerable to low shots because they can't slide on the floor like they do on ice.

The team I was on was almost totally ice hockey players, it took us a few years, but we finally won the league championship playing just a dirty defensive brand of inline hockey; we won our deciding semi-final game that year 1-0.

It's fun though, I still prefer ice by a whole lot, but I've got nothing against inline players at all.

[roller to ice 0]

i graduated from inline recently and the 2 are very very similar if you like one i dont see why you wouldnt like the other the only diff in my league was the offsides was the redline

[Johnny Law 0]

roller hockey is to ice hockey what slamball is to the NBA.

As a person who plays both I find that mentality to be short sighted, both sports need the other if they wish to have a bright future.

I'm sure you would agree that ultimately I will continue to play hockey if its just me and a puck on a lake somewhere, but I do like successful leagues wither they be professional or not.

Inline is a great vehicle for getting people interested in hockey in non-traditional markets, the fundamentals are similar and its far cheaper than ice. The NHL for one has failed miserably at promoting inline hockey in their under performing/nontraditional markets. I would imagine its very difficult for middle class parents in Miami, Florida to afford significant ice time and all the equipment associated with ice hockey. Let alone dole out that kinda of money for a six year old who may or may not be interested in hockey a year down the line, each time one of these kids decides to play soccer or join the band its one less potential fan of the sport. There is a reason baseball is "America's game", nearly everyone played little league at some time or at least played catch in the back yard with friends.

As a life long skier this is very similar to where skiing was in the early 90's, low growth rates, stagnant popularity of the professional element and high entry costs. Skiing and snow sports in general evolved and for the most part embraced snowboarding and the youth movement it brought with it, the sport is infinitely better off because of it.

[Law Goalie 147]

I always feel about four seconds away from a broken ankle playing inline - and I skate on an incredibly long profile (30') and a stupidly deep hollow (3/8") even when out of net.

[Rustpot 1]

I tried playing just on a concrete slab during the summer, I kept trying to pivot in place or make cuts with my skates. Like if I wanted to go to the right while gliding I'd push with the left and try a tight cut/pivot on the right skate to transition it for the next stride, it didn't work out so well. I ate the pavement a few times and don't think I'll try it again until I run out of ice choices.

[JJ Thompson94 0]

The difference between Ice and roller hockey is like the difference between football and arena football. One is real and the other is boring.

[Fletch 219]

I disagree.

[_HSB_b345t 0]

It's amazing how committed people are to their negative perception of certain things having never experienced it.

I would be willing to bet good money that everyone who has posted something along the lines of "Inline is boring" or "Roller hockey isn't real hockey" has never played inline. Not once and not one of them.

[TomMc#4 0]

I tried playing just on a concrete slab during the summer, I kept trying to pivot in place or make cuts with my skates. Like if I wanted to go to the right while gliding I'd push with the left and try a tight cut/pivot on the right skate to transition it for the next stride, it didn't work out so well. I ate the pavement a few times and don't think I'll try it again until I run out of ice choices.

i did the same, decided inlining home from work would be good training for muscle groups used for ice etc. but wiped out ALOT. i have nothing against inline though, a few of the best players i've played with started as roller players.

[Nightcast 0]

I go from playing roller in a league to playing drop in Ice hockey. When I first did it there was a huge learning curve(skating for me) but Now that I have played more I tend to like ice a lot more even if it is drop in. I kinda feel roller is too slow. Also before you think im being negative I've play roller sense I was 5(19 now) I will still always play roller but each time i get out on the ice I feel as if I have a lot more control and balance then in roller. I can't wait to play in a league to see the real difference.

[JJ Thompson94 0]

I've played roller hockey, never in a league, but I used to play in a park like twice a week with a bunch of guys. I would play roller as a kid all the time.

The reason roller hockey is not real hockey because:

1) People grow up watching the NHL and strive to be an NHL player. An Ice hockey player.

2) Ice Hockey came first out of canada. Roller hockey was created as a substitute for ice in warm weather climates. I grew up in NYC and even though it can get cold in the winter, and I have managed to make ice a few times in my parents backyard it's not as consistant as it is further up north. If I had a frozen lake every winter, I would never play roller hockey.

Roller can be good to promote hockey in Florida and down south, like the NHL did in the mid 90's and in my opinion should continue to promote roller now. Playing any type of hockey makes you a fan BUT... It's not real hockey.