Roller Hockey - Overview
Roller hockey is a fast paced hockey sport mostly derived from ice hockey and is played on harder surfaces. It is played between two teams as an indoor as well as an outdoor game. There are two different categories in this game which are Quad Hockey and Inline Hockey.
In this game, players need to drive the ball to the opponent’s goal post using their hockey stick. The goalies of the respective teams prevent the opponent players to hit a goal by protecting the goal post. After the fixed duration, the team that has scored more goals wins the game.
History of Roller Hockey
The first set of roller hockey was invented by John Joseph Merlin in 1760 at London. People were so addicted to Ice Hockey that they wanted to play it even when the ponds were melted after the winter. So they laced up roller skates and started playing on dry lands. The first hardball roller hockey game or quad hockey was played in England in 1878.
The first world championship of roller hockey was organized in 1936 in Stuttgart, Germany whereas the first sanctioning body of roller hockey, The International Roller Sports Federation (IRSF), was founded in 1924. Even if quad hockey was a substitute to ice hockey, it was very much slower than ice hockey which was a major drawback for roller hockey.
In 1940, Roller Skating Rink Operators Association (RSROA) published a revised set of rules for roller hockey in order to again revive the interest of people which was then named as Puck Roller Hockey. In 1960s, the Olsen brothers Scott and Brennan Olsen redefined the inline skating shoes. In 2005, it was introduced to World Games.
Participating Countries
Even though, having a lot of similarity with ice hockey, roller hockey still enjoys popularity all over the world. The not-so-complex rules as well as the high level excitement throughout the game helps it gaining rapid popularity. In some countries like Spain, Portugal and South American countries, it is hugely popular besides soccer and basketball.
Some of the countries where roller hockey is quite popular include Portugal, Chile, Italy, Argentina, South Africa, USA, England, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, France, and Egypt.
