Why play roller hockey?

[kylec 9]

9 hours ago, Stewie said:

Yeah I played a tournament there, very interesting place. Closest year round place to me closed too (Canfield) but there’s a little hope that the summer only rink that is indoor soccer rest of the year may go in-line year round 

Haha, yeah we can leave it at "interesting" -- Wouldn't have been bad if the owner took a little more care of the building itself...

[kylec 9]

On 9/10/2020 at 11:37 PM, JSchultz said:

I almost exclusively play inline these days, mostly for the things noted above; cost and because it's generally a more relaxed atmosphere. I wouldn't mind picking up ice again, but I'm not about that 'games at 11:45PM on a Tuesday' life. Between that and 5:45A games on Saturdays, I felt like beer league got shit time slots, which is just how she goes. At least with inline I can get Sunday afternoon games and 6:30-9 start times on week days. 

Great point, I don't understand why ice beer leagues get such crappy time slots - I guess with other leagues and schools, those time slots are a little more important for earlier slots.... But that's the way she rolls I guess!

Thanks!

[kylec 9]

On 9/11/2020 at 12:28 AM, Miller55 said:

Definitely a valid point. Ice time is retarded and we used to play at 11-12 and then wash up and drive 40 minutes home.

If you're looking to start a inline rink and run house leagues you've got your work cut out for you, but you can definitely succeed. One thing is to make good leagues. Another thing that I've found to be good is to market it as a different sport altogether. It really is strategically very different, even though the end goal of both ice and roller (and basketball, football, soccer and lacrosse) is to put the puck in the net and stop it from going in yours, but the way that it accomplished is totally different. As mentioned, high level roller hockey is a game of possession and control. It requires a ton of patience and discipline. Not that ice doesn't, but there are many differences. Developing court vision is also very different in roller, as is playing both sides of the puck. Many more

When you say market as a different sport altogether, what do you mean?

No doubt I've got my work cut out for me but it helps that I have a little vision of where it could be, the biggest thing would be to develop youth leagues in order to bring more awareness to the sport who may then eventually develop into adult beer leaguers.... It's going to be a journey no doubt and take a little (read: lot) of luck, but I think it would be worth it, not only for myself, but for the sport and community as a whole.

Thanks for sharing!

[kylec 9]

On 9/11/2020 at 11:52 AM, althoma1 said:

Until I was 13, I primarily played pond hockey, street hockey and roller hockey outdoors in parking lots or behind schools (I played one organized season of ice hockey when I was 7). I played a variety of sports as a kid and although I was probably better at some others; hockey was always my favourite. It was expensive though and I knew my parents didn't have a lot of extra money. I started a paper route at 11 and saved up to buy better skates and then managed to save enough to buy a whole kit of used equipment at 13. Then I started playing organized ice hockey at 13 as well as on the pond in the winter, but still only played street and roller outdoors in the summer. Eventually, when I was 16, I joined an organized inline league. 

I always enjoyed pond hockey the most, but roller hockey was a close second. No offsides, no icing, no dump and chase and no one was trying to take your head off. I liked that you had more time and space with the puck and didn't have to worry about stopping at a blue line if a teammate wasn't moving the puck. I like the control and glide of ice skates, but the rules of the inline game. 4 on 4 ice hockey with no offsides or icing would be ideal for me (the ASHL is having 4 on 4 ice with COVID, but you still have offsides and icing - it's just a floating line. Once you gain the blue line then the offensive zone expands to the red line...so closer to roller than regular ice hockey, but still not the same rules). With the standard ice and inline rules, I actually prefer inline to ice (even though I like skating on ice better. The Sprung chassis I use for inline helps, but using actual blades on ice is still a better skating experience). 

The price of inline was definitely appealing when I started. Inline was basically half the price of ice, but over the years I've found the price of the for profit inline leagues has crept up and there really isn't a huge gap in price per game for most leagues in my area anymore (with the exception of one non-profit draft league I play in, but that's not a fair comparison).

Inline is definitely more of a free flowing game, less stoppages and all that, which is part of what makes both ice and inline have unique challenges! Inline reminds me of just going out and having fun with the boys (granted I never played at an elite level in inline), where ice has always been so serious it seems, even in some drop-ins! And I really enjoy lunch time ice drop-ins (different crowd usually). I'm always down for a good tough skate, but some people go overboard. You can find that in inline as well though I guess.

I think if an inline rink is ran correctly there has got to be a way for it to be for profit and still be competitive against ice rinks. From my understanding most ice rinks have municipal funding which makes it very difficult to stay competitive. There are very few private ice rinks that I know of.

Thanks!

[kylec 9]

On 9/11/2020 at 8:17 PM, Westside said:

Love reading all these answers. I grew up playing organized ice hockey in Chicagoland, but would play pond and roller for fun with friends. I got back into pick up roller hockey a few years ago in DC when I had free time and to supplement ice hockey which I was doing 2-3x per week. With Covid and ice time pretty much non existent I’ve spent a lot more time on inlines and would like to play more. Hopefully I can find a league around Los Angeles when things get closer to ‘normal’. 

Having not playing organized roller, with pickup the nice part is it’s free. The price of ice time around LA is ridiculous compared to Chicago or DC. That alone makes me consider joining a roller league for the spring/summer rather than playing ice year-round. All you need to play is a pair of skates and a stick even though I also wear shins/gloves and some other guys wear elbows/helmets. You can practice anywhere for free which is awesome. For me, the downsides are I can’t stop/pivot quickly (compared to ice) and I also find balls bouncy and harder to control than pucks. Everywhere I’ve played outdoor has been on asphalt or a rougher concrete surface. The ‘no offsides’ thing really threw me when I got into playing as I’d be waiting for the puck carrier to move the puck up while everyone else was rushing to the other zone! I definitely agree it’s a different game than ice in how you control the puck and how the overall game flows 

lol @ waiting for the puck carrier for offsides! I can just imagine the guys yelling at you, GO!

I would love to own an inline facility that allowed for year round inline, with sport court and puck use. $$$$$

Inline really is more accessable for many people, but in order to own a rink takes a serious layout of money I'm fnding.

[althoma1 574]

59 minutes ago, kylec said:

When you say market as a different sport altogether, what do you mean?

No doubt I've got my work cut out for me but it helps that I have a little vision of where it could be, the biggest thing would be to develop youth leagues in order to bring more awareness to the sport who may then eventually develop into adult beer leaguers.... It's going to be a journey no doubt and take a little (read: lot) of luck, but I think it would be worth it, not only for myself, but for the sport and community as a whole.

Thanks for sharing!

The Mississauga and Halton leagues have youth divisions and those are two of the leagues in the Greater Toronto Area that have steady enrollment numbers and the highest levels of play. That's despite the fact that they're two of the more expensive leagues. The other league with good numbers is the draft non-profit league due to the price (it's way cheaper than anything else in the area, but it's just run at cost and players volunteer to ref and TK games to keep the cost low). 

Leagues like the BFHL in Thornhill and Toronto Inline have seen declining numbers. They don't have youth leagues and are middle of the pack price wise, but tend to rely on the same group of players returning.

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by althoma1

[althoma1 574]

3 hours ago, kylec said:

Inline is definitely more of a free flowing game, less stoppages and all that, which is part of what makes both ice and inline have unique challenges! Inline reminds me of just going out and having fun with the boys (granted I never played at an elite level in inline), where ice has always been so serious it seems, even in some drop-ins! And I really enjoy lunch time ice drop-ins (different crowd usually). I'm always down for a good tough skate, but some people go overboard. You can find that in inline as well though I guess.

I think if an inline rink is ran correctly there has got to be a way for it to be for profit and still be competitive against ice rinks. From my understanding most ice rinks have municipal funding which makes it very difficult to stay competitive. There are very few private ice rinks that I know of.

Thanks!

Actually, in Toronto, almost all adult ice hockey is run out of private rinks like Canlan and Buckingham Sports. There are smaller leagues run out of community rinks, but the vast majority is run out of private rinks by the companies that own the rinks. The public rinks in the city are used for minor hockey, figure skating, public skating and have some rental times. 

The roller leagues in the area tend to use public rinks. Mississagua, Halton, Ajax and Thornhill use public rinks in the spring/summer when there's no ice. Halton and Mississauga lay down the Sport Court they own in April and pull it out in July. Ajax and Thornhill (BFHL) just play on cement. Toronto Inline usually plays on cement in the spring summer, but for winter seasons there is a year round city owned Sport Court they use. The draft non-profit league uses the year round city owned Sport Court. 

Edited September 14, 2020 by althoma1

[the_game 452]

I used to head up to a Tournament at that Halton rink ages ago when I was in college. I think it was in May or early June perfect time of the year,

1 hour ago, althoma1 said:

Actually, in Toronto, almost all adult ice hockey is run out of private rinks like Canlan and Buckingham Sports. There are smaller leagues run out of public rinks, but the vast majority is run out of private rinks by the companies that own the rinks. The public rinks in the city are used for minor hockey, figure skating, public skating and have some rental times. 

The roller leagues in the area tend to use public rinks. Mississagua, Halton, Ajax and Thornhill use public rinks in the spring/summer when there's no ice. Halton and Mississauga lay down the Sport Court they own in April and pull it out in July. Ajax and Thornhill (BFHL) just play on cement. Toronto Inline usually plays on cement in the spring summer, but for winter seasons there is a year round city owned Sport Court they use. The draft non-profit league uses the year round city owned Sport Court. 

what a great barn to play roller in, awesome competition and a great little town to have some fun nights out with the boys.

[kylec 9]

8 hours ago, althoma1 said:

The Mississauga and Halton leagues have youth divisions and those are two of the leagues in the Greater Toronto Area that have steady enrollment numbers and the highest levels of play. That's despite the fact that they're two of the more expensive leagues. The other league with good numbers is the draft non-profit league due to the price (it's way cheaper than anything else in the area, but it's just run at cost and players volunteer to ref and TK games to keep the cost low). 

Leagues like the BFHL in Thornhill and Toronto Inline have seen declining numbers. They don't have youth leagues and are middle of the pack price wise, but tend to rely on the same group of players returning.

 

AH, gotcha! That makes complete sense. Thanks! It sounds like the BFHL and Toronto inline is what happened around here, gotta have a system to feed, it's really hard/ impossible to rely on people to return, especially if there is no up keep or improvements with the facility.

Thanks!

[kylec 9]

8 hours ago, althoma1 said:

Actually, in Toronto, almost all adult ice hockey is run out of private rinks like Canlan and Buckingham Sports. There are smaller leagues run out of community rinks, but the vast majority is run out of private rinks by the companies that own the rinks. The public rinks in the city are used for minor hockey, figure skating, public skating and have some rental times. 

The roller leagues in the area tend to use public rinks. Mississagua, Halton, Ajax and Thornhill use public rinks in the spring/summer when there's no ice. Halton and Mississauga lay down the Sport Court they own in April and pull it out in July. Ajax and Thornhill (BFHL) just play on cement. Toronto Inline usually plays on cement in the spring summer, but for winter seasons there is a year round city owned Sport Court they use. The draft non-profit league uses the year round city owned Sport Court. 

Interesting, I'll definitely have to do some more research in my area as far as rink ownership goes, at this point it's just a thought, if you will, but it is seeming to pick up more steam recently for me.

[kylec 9]

On 9/11/2020 at 5:44 PM, althoma1 said:

It varies by league:

Mississauga- $2800 for 30+ and Silver divisions or $367.25 for individuals with tax.

$2290 for Platinum/Gold. I believe it's 12 games for Platinum/Gold and 13 for the other divisions. I have only reffed here in the past.

Usually they have a boxing day special where you can save $50 if you register and pay early. It runs from late April till late July or did in the pre-COVID times.

They have 2 certified refs, a TK, real time stats, music between stoppages and play on a nice Sport Court with a puck. The top division has Junior and College players and us probably the best roller hockey in the GTA.

Toronto Inline- Either uses Sport Court or smooth cement depending on the season. Approximately $250 per player for 12-14 games. They don't have real time stats, sometimes have 2 and sometimes have 1 ref and sometimes the owners or league members TK from the bench. They primarily play with a ball, but have had puck divisions in the past. 

It's mixed skill, but doesn't hold a candle to Mississauga.

East End Saints in Ajax- play on smooth cement with a puck. 2 refs and a TK. $230 for 15 games or $430 for 30 games if a player plays in 2 divisions. I played it one year, but the drive is tough for the early evenings. Mixed skill. Solid league.

GTA Inline-  invite only mixed skill draft league on Sport Court with a ball. About $12 a game per player. Volunteer refs and TK. Not for profit. I was playing here before Covid. 

York Inline - RIP. Shut down a few years ago. Played here for years. Was on Sport Court with a puck, 2 refs and a TK, and was approximately $250 per player for around 14 games.

BFHL in Thornhill- On cement with a puck. $355 per player for 18 games. 2 refs and a TK. Mixed skill. The floor is slick, but also slow (have only reffed here, but don't love the surface).

My preference is Sport Court with a puck, but the draft league struck the right balance of location and price and the teams are usually pretty balanced with the draft. Mississauga is a great league, but I don't want to spend an hour driving there for 1 game. I used to occasionally ref 4 or 5 game shifts, but I stopped even doing that due to the traffic and commute time.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for sharing such detailed information about your area! I really appreciate it!

Kyle

[Leif 161]

On 9/10/2020 at 11:56 PM, kylec said:

I even heard a varsity coach tell his team NOT to play inline because it will impact their fundamentals of skating!

I took up inlines last March thanks to lockdown. After many months without ice skating, I returned to ice hockey and skating lessons. My skating coach commented on how well my backwards crossovers had progressed. That was thanks to countless hours on inlines. I’m sure roller hockey can improve improve icecskills including stick handling, game awareness/observation and skating. 

I just wish I could stop properly. A power stop just isn’t the same. Now I love inlines, but I don’t have the control I have on ice. 

I love ice, but playing roller hockey on an outdoor park, surrounded by trees, on a sunny day, and then the sun setting as we finished, that’s magical. You play until you are knackered rather than till the end of the paid slot. 

[Leif 161]

Duplicate post deleted.

Edited February 28, 2021 by Leif

[kylec 9]

1 hour ago, Leif said:

I took up inlines last March thanks to lockdown. After many months without ice skating, I returned to ice hockey and skating lessons. My skating coach commented on how well my backwards crossovers had progressed. That was thanks to countless hours on inlines. I’m sure roller hockey can improve improve icecskills including stick handling, game awareness/observation and skating. 

I just wish I could stop properly. A power stop just isn’t the same. Now I love inlines, but I don’t have the control I have on ice. 

I love ice, but playing roller hockey on an outdoor park, surrounded by trees, on a sunny day, and then the sun setting as we finished, that’s magical. You play until you are knackered rather than till the end of the paid slot. 

That's similar to what I remember as well. A group of us would meet up on weekends and play all afternoon and into the evenings at a schools parking lot. I really enjoyed it because I was the youngest, smallest one there and I think that really helped my game by playing against all bigger kids - I was in 5th or 6th grade and these other kids were either in high school, and some were just out of high school. It was by no means competitive for them, but if offered me quite a challenge!

The bigger picture of the sport is still very similar in both inline and ice, and I think that's a big part of the game. Sure you can work your butt off stick handling, skating, and shooting. But seeing how a play will develop before it happens, or knowing what to do with the puck in certain circumstances can be learned through hours of playing - on ice or off!