Inline Hockey: Resources, News, Events, Tourneys

Information and news about inline and roller hockey.

New Inline Hockey League Rolls Modestly into Second Year - Is the United States ready for professional inline hockey again? Jeff Buma hopes so. He started the Inline Hockey Association last year in Orange County, Calif. This year's roster consists of six teams with a 15-game schedule. Attendance is running just under 1000 per night. "We feel like we're the George Halas of roller hockey because we're really trying to start it up again," Buma says. "We're going to try to take it as long as we can ... until we realize that either we have potential or maybe this isn't the best thing to do." (Here's the Orange County Register's story, reg. required.) (Sept. 9, 2005)

Inline Hockey Growing Among Kids at 'Phenomenal' Rate - The inline hockey contingent at the Amateur Athletic Union's annual Junior Olympic Games keeps growing. When inline hockey was added to the event in 1996, only 20 teams competed. But this year, nearly 270 teams are skating in the Games, which end this week in New Orleans. "It's phenomenal," AAU inline hockey chairman Keith Noll told the Times-Picayune. "The growth has been unreal." ... However, that growth isn't reflected in the latest industry figures. According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association, U.S. participation in inline hockey dropped by 53.9 percent during the last six years. (Here's the Times-Picayune story.) (Aug. 3, 2005)

Beijing to Host First China National Inline Hockey Championships - The first-ever China National Inline Hockey Championships will be held from July 13th to 17th in Beijing. Seven teams from four cities will compete in the event, which appears to be another sign of the growing popularity of inline skating in Asia. (Here's a China View news brief about the event.) (July 12, 2005)

New Hockey Stop Ice Wheels Hit the Market - Sky Skate Products has formally launched its new Hockey Stop Ice Wheels. The company says the wheels allow inline skaters to perform quick hockey stops on pavement and indoor surfaces. The wheels come in two sizes: 72 mm ($10 apiece) and 80 mm ($11). In a testimonial on the Ice Wheels web site, inline hockey player Rick Harmon says he stopped so fast using the Ice Wheels that he nearly suffered whiplash. Artistic skater Samantha Bennis also praises the new wheels. (Here's the Ice Wheels web site.) (March 30, 2005)

Just a Pick-up Roller Hockey Game ... Or Is It a Fountain of Youth? - There are a lot of good skaters at this game in Redwood City, Calif. Most are middle-aged professionals; some are in their fifties and at least one is in his sixties. But they all love the game enough to roll onto the rink most Saturday mornings. And they also apparently love to skate. To make sure everyone gets enough of it, they've dispensed with goalies. And to make up for the lack of goalies, they use tiny goals. ... And do they have fun? ... Here's what the author of this piece in the Marin Independent Journal says: "These pick-up hockey games are like a fountain of youth, turning grown men into rambunctious roller boys." ... Anybody out there feeling old these days? ... (January 20, 2005)

Inline Hockey Central: Everything Roller Hockey ... You'll find every kind of roller hockey resource here: Amateur, pro, college, news, message boards, tourney schedules. ... You name it!

Looking for a Pickup Game? ... You'll find pickup inline (and ice) hockey games all over the country here. ... And if you know of a game that's not here, add it!

Roller Hockey Basics ... Here's a primer on inline hockey, including all the basic rules and techniques.

Women's Roller Hockey ... Women play, too!