Printable View
I agree on all counts. It sucks that in round 2 of playing hockey for me (until a few years ago, I hadn't played any sort of hockey since maybe 1992) I got used to the roller puck first. I mainly focused on roller hockey this time because parks don't close, and ice time is expensive and poorly timed for a 9-5'er. Now that I'm in an ice league though, I almost wish I'd just focused on ice and never got inline skates this time around.Quote:
Originally Posted by beedee
I agree the roller puck is way too light. When I was growing up playing quad roller on the mean streets of the Upper East Side of NYC we used a tape puck.
Hahahah nah man just had puck luck and I have a hell of a team that gets me the puck when I'm open!Quote:
Originally Posted by beedee
Plus the God that is eddieshack letting me sit with him saturday helped! Maybe I should drive 8 hours straight before every game?!
My first puck I learned to play with was an orange sand filled plastic puck with metal bolt in the middle that held it together.
The puck was awesome.
1) When the plastic finally wore down and broke open you would see a spiral of sand flying out as it flew through the air.
2) Or, when you got a beauty of a slapper off or hit the post and the bolt flew out it was a short burst of joy and then a bummer because your puck is soon to be done.
3) Street wise, It worked pretty well with a few bounces but it helped our hands improve..
I hated the ball just never could get use to it. The curving of the ball on the shot sucked. I did use golf balls to learn to stick handle. I recommend those the best.
Once I moved to indoor roller and club team we were using the orange jofa pucks or mach 1s.
Best surface to play roller on is wood. Whittier Skateland had one of the best wood surfaces when it was kept up and the Jofa/Mach1s would fly like ice.
Going to ice was a little different due to puck weight but overall pretty good.
You're too kind my friend. Congrats on the hatty!Quote:
Originally Posted by P. Diddy
Well I guess I'm the lone voice of reason here (just kidding...). I almost exclusively play roller WITH a puck on sport court. I've found that I like the game play and for the most part the guys I play with and against. Also, it is much much less expensive. So from an economic perspective roller > ice. I'm sure that I'll be given a ration of poo-poo for ^^^ this, but in my mind hockey is hockey.Quote:
Originally Posted by beedee
As most know I broke my leg on the first game of the season (I'm healing nicely by the way, see the Deadpool image above), and I got to "coach" both of my teams that I played on in the finals. We lost both, but I really gained a respect for my teammates and for how I play defense. So to say that roller sucks because the puck is too light, well... you're just not playing with/against/for the same guys I am.
In the end, talent wins out.
I don't think we were saying roller sucks because the puck is too light. At least for me, all I was saying is that the pucks suck. I would rather use something that moves more like an ice puck. I still enjoy roller, but my main goal is to play ice. Familiarity with roller pucks has impeded my progress on ice.Quote:
Originally Posted by daxx
Our roller season came to an end last night. We did alright considering they bumped us up to the "Upper 40+" division. Two of the teams there should be in an advanced league imho, even tho they are 40+, these guys are ringers and play excellent hockey together, exemplifying teamwork.
I think we played for the "lower" of the "upper" 3rd place position last night? I don't know, it was confusing. I think the final score was 9-4? We were being shutout until the third period. @eddieschack23 had a nice shot where he was trying to snipe a top corner, it hit off the goalies shoulder and then literally plopped down flat and stopped like half a puck length from the goal line!!! I was too far away to tap it in, those are the worst! I ended up netting our first goal of the night with a Top Titty type of wrester from a steep angle off to the goalies left, from inside the face-off circle, between the dot and goal line. Our d'man was coming down the middle, crossed center and hit me down low with a nice pass. I scooped it, cupped it, and weighted my bottom hand as I let it fly...zoooom, over the goalies shoulder and into the back of the net! :) After that we gave up a flurry of goals in a matter of minutes, but then we scored 3 more back in another matter of minutes. The team we played is half full of stick-work hacks and guys that think they are NHL defensemen with chops to your lower back followed up by punches to your upper body. Last night wasn't too bad overall though, although I feel like I got slashed a couple times (a la shin pad echoing throughout the rink) but no calls were made. No biggie, it didn't hurt my leg.
Just curious, have you ever played ice hockey? The entire fluidity of the game trumps roller in every aspect. That is what I was getting at. Roller is fun but imho ice is so much more fun.Quote:
Originally Posted by daxx
I agree with you completely regarding the cost of the two, roller is much easier on the pocket book. That alone is what has kept me from getting back on my Sunday night ice team, the value just isn't there (for me). As a winger, we always get screwed when it comes to ice time, we always skate 4 D, 2, C and then rotate wingers through. When we have a full bench (of 13 or more) sometimes we only get 3 shifts a period, that is ridiculous and not worth the money at all.
Like @RoyalSubject said, the puck and sportcourt itself does make it less fluid, you have to really push/babysit it along the floor, where as on ice, the puck moves with you, less friction. Last night I proved my point by trying to clap one around the boards from behind our own net. I got a lot of stick on it, just over the dashers and into the glass and on ice that thing would have flung out of the zone in a hurry....last night the roller puck pretty much died when it hit the glass and it barely made it out to the top of the face-off circle. I don't have an answer as to how to make a better puck, but in the end hockey is hockey, perhaps. I suppose that debate could be like wave-riding is wave-riding (surfers v.s boogies), in the end, it is still wave riding. So yes, I do agree there too. If ice leagues pricing came down and were next to the the same as roller leagues I'd be playing ice over roller hands down.
I'm not too sure what you meant by "your'e just not playing with/against/for the same guys I am" means. I have played on too many beer league teams to count (more ice than roller), and grew up playing ice hockey (bantams through juniors). I have played with some great guys, both skill wise and personality wise. My current roller team is full of great guys, guys that don't take it too serious which at this stage of life is perfect. To clear up any confusion for you, I do have fun playing hockey, whether it is ice or roller.
Hopefully I didn't come off as a meanie-head, I know stuff gets misconstrued on forums. @eddieshack23 and @pdiddy know me and can probably hear my tone as they read this, its a happy tone. :)
Our winter seasons finally closed out. Due to the split divisions I play in I'm not eligible to play for both my teams in the playoffs. I went for the higher level team even though it was last place and playing the first place team. First place team all the sudden had a bench of 15 guys when normally they roll 10 every game, it showed. Their talent was way more spread out and we hung tough. Was a winnable game but we went down 3-1. Turns out the first place team was not as good as their record, they went down in the next round to a team that has some seriously good guys when they show up.
I did cheer on my lower level team and they took home the championship. Good for those guys even though it sucked not being out there with them I respect the rule that helps keep the guys in the right divisions when the games "count".
Summer league starts for us next week, will be interesting to see which teams I end up on.