Ice vs Roller

[scorpionhockey55 0]

With regard to college roller hockey, it is becoming more and more popular as the years progress. As of now it is only a club sport and really only Lindenwood gives out scholarships for roller hockey, but the NCRHA (national collegiate roller hockey associations) is looking to become more legitimized and become an NCAA sport eventually. It just takes time and the willingness of its participants. As of now there's about 2100 kids playing college roller hockey and I can only see this number increase as more and more schools have made teams and the fact that these teams have become more popular in recent years. Myself being a player on a college roller hockey team love it and I think you could definitely see it becoming an NCAA sport in the next few years.

And Bethel ;) not club and giving out scholarships.

[MIAPlayer 0]

I think ASU being in the final against Lindenwood this year was a huge step, along with other schools making it deep into the tournament that aren't part of the perennial powerhouse schools year in and out.

Very true. It was a very competitive year that included Lindenwood losing and tieing a game in the round robin which I think gives other teams hope. Also as you said, ASU coming up and upsetting Buffalo to get into the championship was huge and again a huge step.

Scorpion, I still can't believe you guys do that. I mean great for you, but while its not an NCAA sport yet and is still club, I don't really see many schools following in those footsteps just yet.

[scorpionhockey55 0]

Very true. It was a very competitive year that included Lindenwood losing and tieing a game in the round robin which I think gives other teams hope. Also as you said, ASU coming up and upsetting Buffalo to get into the championship was huge and again a huge step.

Scorpion, I still can't believe you guys do that. I mean great for you, but while its not an NCAA sport yet and is still club, I don't really see many schools following in those footsteps just yet.

Me either, and like we discussed earlier, I believe Bethel is just doing this to bring in more students. So while they are paying out money, they will be making money in the long run. I agree, I don't see many schools doing this in the near future.

[Neo5370 132]

Definitely good points guys. Remember though, I'm not against roller hockey, I'm for it. In fact, I played college hockey as well. My team was/is part of NCRHA. I remember playing lindenwood once, and losing to them. Badly. Very, very badly lol.

Also, I don't think it's impossible, I just think it's going to be very arduous.

I know roller is a baby sport, borin in the 1990's out of the womb of Rollerblade Co.

I don't know how long after the invention of ice it took for the NHL to emerge, then the original six, then the Expansion, but I know that took time. Decades. Perhaps modern ways of streaming/broadcasting can help leapfrog that, who knows.

Anyhow I'll try to address your points.

Sdcopp: Re: NHL Gains.

The NHL is a brand. It's product is ice hockey. If the NHL were to pursue expanding fan base it would have to change it's brand recognition. I'm no exec. but I know this is harder to do thant it looks.

People thiknk Les Habitants, Original 6, Bobby Orr, HHOF, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, black and white pictures, icy/snow-ey ass New England/Minnesota, upper middle-class white kids who need a winter sport when LAX is over (no offense meant)........

This is the NHL's hook right now.

If it expands to roller and non trad. markets they RISK (I say risk, it may not happen) violating this fan base that does happen to generate millions in revenue for the NHL RIGHT NOW.

This is sure to violate the hardcore/old school ice-nazi and not even a an uber liberal commish let alone betteman would do it.

The fact that the popularity of the NHL is lacking right now means, no risk taking. Not yet anyhow.

Economically, the NHL isn't rich compared to NBA/MLB/NFL. It needs to stay afloat itself.

Re: NHL Players Willingness to Play.

I'm not saying current NHL'ers aren't familiar or even that they don't like roller. See, P. Stastny, TJ Oshie, Brad Boyes, go back in time and look at Joey Mullen.

I'm saying no player is going to risk getting hurt, losing playing time, a season, i.e. the ice hockey pay check to promote roller unless a burning bush or lots of $$$ tells them to.

Sprungster: Re: The Streetball phenomenon.

The NBA had nothing to do w/ that. And 1 pays the licensing fee as a shoe company, not as a team. Hot Sauce has never played an NBA minute.

It's harder to say Nike, copying And 1, isn't influenced by the NBA. But consider the practical differences.....

Nike is a global marketing giant, not just a products manufacturer. There is no such entity that will back roller like that, except maybe Nike itself. While the NBA was happy to lend its stars to the commercials, who is the NHL going to lend their stars to for such marketing?

Next pracitcal difficulty. Unfortunately, the nature of basketball lends itself to flash and individualsm much more so than either version of hockey. Let's be ultra honest. The slam dunk contest, and streetball dribbling displays are INFINTELY MUCH more appealing to the CASUAL fan than even a Backanded Michigan Between the Legs. Try it. Show a thousand random people an itan vid versus a streetball vid and I gurantee you more people will relate to basketball trickery.

And, the NHL's "creative breakaway" shootout thing? Maybe it's just me, but even as a hockey die-hard, it was like trying to impress a girl with your mom's car. All my non-hockey fan friends were like "wtf, that looks so stupid, they're trying to be basektball"

Last observation on that point......how much did and 1 and the nike streetball ad campaign really affect the NBA?

Did it raise revenue? Maybe. If so, microsopcically. Did it get more non basketball people to like the NBA? Nope. It just inspired thousands of people to learn to be human seals who can't shoot a jumpshot.

And 1 is not a presence anymore, Nike has stopped the ads. And you know what, Pistol Pete did all that crap before Rafer Aslton was born. And as an NBA player, Alston SUCKS!

Impact of a Similar Campaign on the NHL if it's as successful as the NBA/And1/Nike marketing campaign?

Final Evidence this did not benefit the NBA and the NBA will not directly market an alternate style of play.

Yes, you see fancy moves in the NBA once in a while. But you will never, ever see it more than that or marketed directly by the NBA because it doesn't win games. In fact, the reality that other countries give USA a run for the money in int'l comp. is because they play solid team strategy/fundamentals, a la Herb Brooks.

Impact of a Similar Campaign on the NHL if it's as successful as the NBA/And1/Nike marketing campaign?

2-4 years of fancy commercials, and maybe a series on ESPN following the Pama Cyclones around for a couple seasons. Then they all get cancelled.

And maybe sales of white skates goes up.

In a nutshell.

Marketing POV, NHL represents tradition, uppermiddle class, north american/european.

Roller is young, urban, street, rebelious, not profitable.

MIA Player:

College is probaby the best thing for roller right now. The demographic is PERFECT. Young, urban, trendy, rebelious, poor lol. And you know what?

College is THE GATEWAY to the future for roller.

Why? When all the roller rats get older w/ those college degrees, it's a matter of time before die hard roller players enter those positions of power I was talking about. Some will get white collar job, become CEO's, INVESTORS!!!!!! Marketing Execs, MBA's, Lawyers, Doctors, Celebrities., ALUMS W/ MONEY

Most important of all. They're gonna become parents. Roller won't be a punk sport anymore. It'll be your dad, and grandad's sport form undergrad.

The ivey's are gonna field teams, other prestigious schools are gonna field teams. They're gonna wanna win, they'l give out scholly's. PUt money into programs, the NCAA will have to notice.

Eventually, I hope we'll have the dilemma of watching the Frozen Four or the Final Four for the NCAA Div. RH Title. URI beats Lindenwood 6-4 in game 7. :D

[MIAPlayer 0]

MIA Player:

College is probaby the best thing for roller right now. The demographic is PERFECT. Young, urban, trendy, rebelious, poor lol. And you know what?

College is THE GATEWAY to the future for roller.

Why? When all the roller rats get older w/ those college degrees, it's a matter of time before die hard roller players enter those positions of power I was talking about. Some will get white collar job, become CEO's, INVESTORS!!!!!! Marketing Execs, MBA's, Lawyers, Doctors, Celebrities., ALUMS W/ MONEY

Most important of all. They're gonna become parents. Roller won't be a punk sport anymore. It'll be your dad, and grandad's sport form undergrad.

The ivey's are gonna field teams, other prestigious schools are gonna field teams. They're gonna wanna win, they'l give out scholly's. PUt money into programs, the NCAA will have to notice.

Eventually, I hope we'll have the dilemma of watching the Frozen Four or the Final Four for the NCAA Div. RH Title. URI beats Lindenwood 6-4 in game 7. :D

Totally agree with everything you say here, roller hockey really is perfect for college students. One thing I regret is not playing roller hockey at a younger age and so when I am a father I will definitely have my son (if i have one) play roller like you said. Also, I can already see the parent factor in part in that when I go home from school, I play on Long Island, NY in an adult league and these men I play with all have sons who play or have played at that same rink.

Here is the NCRHA promo video for anyone who cares to watch:

University of Miami Roller Hockey

#12

[sdcopp 1]

Sdcopp: Re: NHL Gains.

The NHL is a brand. It's product is ice hockey. If the NHL were to pursue expanding fan base it would have to change it's brand recognition. I'm no exec. but I know this is harder to do than it looks.

People thiknk Les Habitants, Original 6, Bobby Orr, HHOF, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, black and white pictures, icy/snow-ey ass New England/Minnesota, upper middle-class white kids who need a winter sport when LAX is over (no offense meant)........

This is the NHL's hook right now.

If it expands to roller and non trad. markets they RISK (I say risk, it may not happen) violating this fan base that does happen to generate millions in revenue for the NHL RIGHT NOW.

This is sure to violate the hardcore/old school ice-nazi and not even a an uber liberal commish let alone betteman would do it.

The fact that the popularity of the NHL is lacking right now means, no risk taking. Not yet anyhow.

Economically, the NHL isn't rich compared to NBA/MLB/NFL. It needs to stay afloat itself.

Arizona, California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee are what I would define as non-traditional markets. And yet they are home to 1/3 of the NHL teams. I'm not saying to promote roller in Toronto and Montreal, not even to push in Michigan or Detroit. How many of the ten teams from the above 7 states have had financial woes over the last several years?

All those images you bring up are the people that already know the game. New blood has to come from somewhere, to support ticket sales, merchandising, etc. "The Brand" I understand the NHL isn't as wealthy as the other major sports, so why not find easy ins with a less expensive option? And if some old codger in Montreal doesn't like kids on wheels in the southern US region cheering on a regional team, then screw him he's not concerned about the NHL's health and future.

Re: NHL Players Willingness to Play.

I'm not saying current NHL'ers aren't familiar or even that they don't like roller. See, P. Stastny, TJ Oshie, Brad Boyes, go back in time and look at Joey Mullen.

I'm saying no player is going to risk getting hurt, losing playing time, a season, i.e. the ice hockey pay check to promote roller unless a burning bush or lots of $$$ tells them to.

I'm not saying make a major, serious game with these guys. Maybe a Narch alumni all-star type game? Little risk, loads of exposure, a fun summertime event for some of these pros who have been there and want the game to grow? And good PR for the NHL at that?

[Chad Seibel 2]

I think a NARCh alum all star game would be an awesome idea. I think that would really spark a lot for roller hockey.

[Neo5370 132]

I completely agree w/ the NARCH alum game.

Maybe you could catergorize the teams by alums that made it to prof. ice (any level) vs. current Narch Pros. It would give the Narch Pro's a chance to shine, and get some attention!!!!

For the college level, maybe Narch alums that play NCAA ice vs. current college NARCH players.

[jjleip11 0]

MIA player,

Do you play for Lindenwood in St. Louis? How do you guys have money for scholarships?

[MIAPlayer 0]

MIA player,

Do you play for Lindenwood in St. Louis? How do you guys have money for scholarships?

No, I play for the University of Miami, hence the 'MIA' in my name. I just know Lindenwood is the only school that gives out roller hockey scholarships (I know Bethel does Scorpion but you guys are just starting). I have no clue how they have enough money to do that, probably because their hockey teams are the most important to them and these teams generate the most interest. We don't give out scholarships for it but I mean we do get free gear and free transportation which is really nice and I know other players on other teams that do have to pay for stuff like that. That's the benefit of having a school that's sponsored by Nike, we got a bunch or Bauer stuff for free :)

[jjleip11 0]

If it's the Lindenwood in St. Louis, where I live, then I'm surprised. It's by no means a large school, but does have a good roller team. I played for Truman State University (also in Missouri) about 14 years ago (MAN, that sounds old!), and we played Lindenwood quite a bit.

[MIAPlayer 0]

If it's the Lindenwood in St. Louis, where I live, then I'm surprised. It's by no means a large school, but does have a good roller team. I played for Truman State University (also in Missouri) about 14 years ago (MAN, that sounds old!), and we played Lindenwood quite a bit.

It is the Lindenwood in St. Louis. True, they are a small school, but their roller team is one of the elite. They've won the DI national championship 8 out of the last 9 years.

[scorpionhockey55 0]

No, I play for the University of Miami, hence the 'MIA' in my name. I just know Lindenwood is the only school that gives out roller hockey scholarships (I know Bethel does Scorpion but you guys are just starting). I have no clue how they have enough money to do that, probably because their hockey teams are the most important to them and these teams generate the most interest. We don't give out scholarships for it but I mean we do get free gear and free transportation which is really nice and I know other players on other teams that do have to pay for stuff like that. That's the benefit of having a school that's sponsored by Nike, we got a bunch or Bauer stuff for free :)

We have to pay for all of our own gear except for jerseys/pants...etc.

[mug25 2]

To those that think ice players should not play roller. I would say to them that they are closed minded stupid people. From personal experience I can attest to the fact that I was a far better ice player for having played roller when I went back to ice. From a skill point of view that is true, but also, it allowed me to enjoy the game more as well and appreciate the differences between the 2.

Lets all play hockey and get along. We should be happy if people are playing hockey and moving the whole sport forward. Lets crush this mentality and let it die when the "old guys" are out of the game.

I agree with you. I started out playing roller hockey on an outdoor rink. I got away with just buying a cheapo wooden stick, some really ghetto Nike skates, shin pads and gloves. If not for roller I would never have gotten into Ice Hockey.

With that being said, I learned how to play roller first but I know I picked up some bad habits in my skating stride that resulted from roller hockey. It's just not the same, doubt I'll ever go back to it now that I'm playing Ice.

[Rick 0]

Just my 2 cents worth but as a 44 year old guy that still plays roller hockey I think its a big mistake for the pro hockey or any organized hockey group to blow off roller hockey. I live in central Indiana. The closest ice rinks are over an hour away but in the early 90's when roller hockey was really growing and RHI was on TV you could play pick up inline any night of the week in a huge parking lot at our local university. Sometimes we would have 2 games going on at the same time because we had so many people in the area that were playing. The local roller rink even started a league that was pretty popular for several years and everywhere you went you saw kids and adults wearing NHL jerseys. I bet the NHL made a bundle on jersey sales back then and the kids around here that were wearing those jerseys and following the teams for the most part had never laced up a pair of ice skates in their life. We have 2 sporting goods stores in Muncie and both were stocked with all the new roller gear. Times were great for players and fans back then but all of the sudden inline and hockey in general died out in my area almost as fast as the craze struck. Now you can't buy any hockey gear in my area, none of the stores carry NHL jerseys and the parking lots sit empty. I have no idea what happened but when roller was big in my area the people that played roller followed pro ice hockey and spent money on hockey and that had to be good for hockey in general. Back then I believed that hockey was one of the big four pro sports in the US even if it probably came in fourth behind baseball, basketball and football but recently a buddy told me that he believed that hockey probably falls in line behind NASCAR and pro golf. Who knows but if pro hockey would embrace the inline game I believe the interest in ice hockey would soar off the charts.

Rick Henry

[dayroc 0]

Interesting thread, i didnt read the entire 2 page.

I roller for fun with friends and all, but what gets me is sometimes i want to do a full stop and i end up on the ground. ....that's how i fractured my TIB and FIB btw.

anyway the above poster, yea at nights in large parking lots there can be 4-6 games going on. It's pretty amazing, not a walk in the park at all.

[Chad Seibel 2]

Just my 2 cents worth but as a 44 year old guy that still plays roller hockey I think its a big mistake for the pro hockey or any organized hockey group to blow off roller hockey. I live in central Indiana. The closest ice rinks are over an hour away but in the early 90's when roller hockey was really growing and RHI was on TV you could play pick up inline any night of the week in a huge parking lot at our local university. Sometimes we would have 2 games going on at the same time because we had so many people in the area that were playing. The local roller rink even started a league that was pretty popular for several years and everywhere you went you saw kids and adults wearing NHL jerseys. I bet the NHL made a bundle on jersey sales back then and the kids around here that were wearing those jerseys and following the teams for the most part had never laced up a pair of ice skates in their life. We have 2 sporting goods stores in Muncie and both were stocked with all the new roller gear. Times were great for players and fans back then but all of the sudden inline and hockey in general died out in my area almost as fast as the craze struck. Now you can't buy any hockey gear in my area, none of the stores carry NHL jerseys and the parking lots sit empty. I have no idea what happened but when roller was big in my area the people that played roller followed pro ice hockey and spent money on hockey and that had to be good for hockey in general. Back then I believed that hockey was one of the big four pro sports in the US even if it probably came in fourth behind baseball, basketball and football but recently a buddy told me that he believed that hockey probably falls in line behind NASCAR and pro golf. Who knows but if pro hockey would embrace the inline game I believe the interest in ice hockey would soar off the charts.

Rick Henry

Nicely put Rick. I wish more companies saw this the way you see it. I agree, roller players can bring in the dough supporting hockey. If the NHL and all companies saw hockay this way, it would become one of the top 4 sports.

Sorry, I meant hockey

[Rick 0]

Thanks for your reply Chad. I think that I remember watching you when you played RHI. I used to love watching RHI on ESPN 2 and I even drove to Chicago one summer and watched a Cheetah game. The highlight for me came the next summer when my wife got to take a trip to California for work and I took vacation and went with her. We went to arrowhead pond and I ended up buying a Bullfrogs jersey and a Barracudas jersey. I was hooked on RHI and hated to see it go.

Rick

[Chad Seibel 2]

That was a great league and a great time. One of the favorite leagues I ever played in because it was very fun.

[iceburg19 1]

I agree,the RHI was a great league,I thought it was going to be the start of something big.A shame it went down.

[anko 3]

It was mentioned earlier in this thread, but my only beef with inline is how much I sweat in the summer.

I have the a rough time stopping, initially, every time I go back to inline after playing ice, but that's my fault, not inline's fault.

[mr13lcky 4]

Just my 2 cents worth but as a 44 year old guy that still plays roller hockey I think its a big mistake for the pro hockey or any organized hockey group to blow off roller hockey. I live in central Indiana. The closest ice rinks are over an hour away but in the early 90's when roller hockey was really growing and RHI was on TV you could play pick up inline any night of the week in a huge parking lot at our local university. Sometimes we would have 2 games going on at the same time because we had so many people in the area that were playing. The local roller rink even started a league that was pretty popular for several years and everywhere you went you saw kids and adults wearing NHL jerseys. I bet the NHL made a bundle on jersey sales back then and the kids around here that were wearing those jerseys and following the teams for the most part had never laced up a pair of ice skates in their life. We have 2 sporting goods stores in Muncie and both were stocked with all the new roller gear. Times were great for players and fans back then but all of the sudden inline and hockey in general died out in my area almost as fast as the craze struck. Now you can't buy any hockey gear in my area, none of the stores carry NHL jerseys and the parking lots sit empty. I have no idea what happened but when roller was big in my area the people that played roller followed pro ice hockey and spent money on hockey and that had to be good for hockey in general. Back then I believed that hockey was one of the big four pro sports in the US even if it probably came in fourth behind baseball, basketball and football but recently a buddy told me that he believed that hockey probably falls in line behind NASCAR and pro golf. Who knows but if pro hockey would embrace the inline game I believe the interest in ice hockey would soar off the charts.

Rick Henry

Great post, Rick. It reminds me of how I started playing roller hockey. I was working at a restaurant and after the place closed and the parking lot emptied out, all the waiters would put on skates, grab a few beers, the manager would turn on the flood lights and we'd play in the lot. people driving by would stop and join in. It actually increased our business because people would stop by and have a drink at the bar while they waited for the game to start. If it was raining, or we were unable to play for some reason, we'd watch an NHL game on TV. It was these nights that really sparked my interest for ice hockey, and that continues to this day. I love to play roller and I love to watch ice. The NHL would do well to remember that roller hockey is much more accessible to people in some of the "non-traditional" hockey markets, like Florida or SoCal, and they should be capitalizing on anything that makes people interested in the greatest sport on the planet.

[MIAPlayer 0]

Saw this article and thought it covered a lot of what we were talking about:

http://www.coloradoavalanchecares.com/colu...hurt-your-game/

[mr13lcky 4]

Saw this article and thought it covered a lot of what we were talking about:

http://www.coloradoavalanchecares.com/colu...hurt-your-game/

Good article. Thanks for sharing it.

[SouthPaw 0]

That is a good article. Though I'm surprised he didn't touch on stickhandling improvements that can be achieved with inline. More space = more time with the puck.

I find the biggest thing that I need to change for my game when transitioning from wheels to blades, is not giving guys suicide passes or receiving them heads down. If you make a mental change pre game, I dont find that an issue at all. This point brings me to my biggest pet peeve of ice players criticizing inline. The "no contact so it's a pansy game thing". Competitive inline has body contact just no body checking, just like 99% of adult ice. Unless you are in the NHL or working your way up, it's physically very similar.

I personally grew up playing Ice and started Inline about 10 years ago (now 26.) I like playing ice (even played some Junior A in Canada) but I love roller. The more relaxed culture really appeals to me. I also think the two sports need to be developed together for either to reach it's real potential.