History of Hockey

History of Roller Hockey

Roller Hockey is not a flash in the pan...

1819 First Roller Skate Patent

The first patent ever taken out on a roller skate was for an in-line skate in 1819. The patent went to Monsieur Petitbled , who claimed that people using his skates could do the same tricks as ice skaters. However, skating turns and curves with Petitbled's skate proved to be a major difficulty, if not impossible.

1863 Quad Skate Surpasses its Inline Cousin

James Plimpton, a businessman from Massachusetts, invented a roller skate that could turn. It was called a rocking skate and it was the first one that really let people skate curves and turns. This quad skate would become the industry standard and send the in-line version into obscurity for nearly 130 years. Roller skating had become a popular pastime for men and women. Wealthy men in Newport, RI played roller polo, a hockey game.

1883 Roller Polo

1901 European Roller Hockey

Organized roller skating sports developed as the popularity of roller skates increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Roller hockey teams were playing throughout Europe as early as 1901.

1924 - Beginning of FIRS

The International Roller Sports Federation (FIRS) founded in 1924 in Montreux, Switzerland.

1925 - Quad Roller Hockey Euro Championship

FIRS established the first European Championship for roller hockey on quad skates in 1925

1936 Quad Roller Hockey World Championships

Although the sport was disrupted during World War I, it quickly regained its momentum and the first World Championships in roller hockey were held in 1936 in Stuttgart, Germany.

1986 mid 1990's Inline is resurrected

Manufacturers began offering in-line skates to fitness enthusiasts. When manufacturers began marketing in-line skates to the public in the 90's, recreational street hockey began gaining momentum. By the mid-90's, in-line hockey had become one of the most popular sports in America.

As the sport developed, recreational leagues were formed and fragmented tournaments began to pop up. Most of these tournaments were played outside in mobile rinks that were set up and broken down and then transported to the next city, much like a traveling circus. One of the most enduring was Triple Crown Sports and the crown jewel of street hockey, the NHL Breakout.

1992 - Roller Hockey at the Olympic Games

Roller hockey, under FIRS, was a Demonstration Sport in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

1994 NARCH is formed

NARCH (North American Roller Hockey Championships) is formed as an official national championship tournament. The game moved indoors into large fixed arenas with a smooth ice-like surface known as sport court and the game was played, not with a ball, but with a puck; a puck specially designed for the game of in-line hockey.

1996 - AIRHS is formed

AIRHS (American Inline Roller Hockey Series) is formed as an official national championship tournament.

1998 Inline Hockey Welcomes the High End Manufacturers

No longer were kids buying low end hockey equipment at Toys R Us. Big bucks were being spent and Toys R Us was replaced by Nike, CCM, Mission and Easton. Travel leagues began to sprout with area competitive teams competing in league play.

1999 Boom of Popularity

For the tournament circuit. Triple Crown sold their trucks and moved indoors to a fixed site format like NARCH and AIRHS, with national qualifiers and TORHS (Tournament of Roller Hockey Series) entered the national championship arena with a blast. From the opening ceremonies to the kid-popular Player of the Game awards and the ALL-TORHS team selection, TORHS brought drama and showmanship to the normally generic tournament atmosphere. Both TORHS and Triple Crown held two national championships in 1999. Roller hockey in college is not a sanctioned sport, but is still played at the intra-mural level. In 1999, the Collegiate Roller Hockey League (CRHL) was formed to unify existing collegiate roller hockey leagues into seven regions and held their first national championships.

2000 - All-Star Rec Roller Hockey

The All-Star Rec Roller Hockey Tournament Series was born in 2000 and holds six tournaments a year. This tournament series is unique from the rest because it allows only recreational players to compete. All tournament and travel players are prohibited from playing. This series has bridged the gap between rec hockey and travel hockey.

2001 Losing AIRHS

In 2001 we saw a major player on the national circuit, AIRHS, cancel their national championships and close their doors for good. Their departure leaves just NARCH and TORHS as national championship series. Although flourishing in the amateur arena, professional roller hockey has met with little success. The RHI ran for a few years, then shutdown in 1999. Major League Roller Hockey experienced minimal success in their 2001 inaugural season and continues in a small fashion but is not widely established Pro Beach Hockey, in the style of the extreme games, is played with a ball in a rink on the beach with ramps behind the net. It has also met with some success.

2002 PIHA is born

In 2002 the Professional Inline Hockey Association was born – as has steadily grown.

What is PIHA?

PIHA The beginnings

In the years leading up to 2002, Charley Yoder and his sons CJ and Jami believed that inline hockey

And in just 5 years

The Professional Inline Hockey Association, now in its fifth season of family oriented entertainment, continues to experience increasing fan support and organizational growth. The association can boast the development of 12 Pro teams and 15 Minor league teams in two conferences. The explosive growth of this grass roots - family style community centric inline hockey phenomenon is as exciting as it is fulfilling for everyone involved. Expansion from 13 teams in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the inaugural year to 27 teams spanning New Jersey to Colorado this year is a testament to the growing interest in professional inline hockey and the support of our great PIHA fans and community.

PIHA simply could not contain their success with plans to launch the Pacific Division in 2007.

There is continued interest to spark new conferences and divisions in other parts of the country in the years to come.

PIHA Talent

Some of the best inline hockey players in the world have played in the PIHA. Names like Ron Tracy, Jami Yoder, Jay Mazer and CJ Yoder all list PIHA on their impressive resumes. All of whom have made undeniable contributions during their tenure with Team USA and have several world championships to prove it.

In fact, for many hockey players they fast approach an upper "limit" - where their speed, skills, and ambition are at their peak only to find that there is no arena in which to compete. PIHA has provided this arena seeking out the best talent and the right mix of partners to build teams that showcase these young men. PIHA is where the best come to play, compete, entertain and give back could support a minor league professional hockey organization. Together with the cooperation of rink operators in their area and inline hockey manufacturers like Tour and Mission Hockey they realized their dream. The Professional Inline Hockey Association (PIHA) became a reality.