A belgian inventor named Joseph Merlin introduced the first recorded roller skate in 1760. And, what an introduction he made! He wore his new skates to a party in London, where he crashed into an expensive mirror (the first recorded check!). Other inventors produced some roller skate models, most with in-line wheels to imitate an ice skating blade.

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.

In 1863, 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 turn. This quad skate would become the industry standard and send the in-line version into obscurity for nearly 130 years.

By 1883, roller skating had become a popular pastime for men and women. Wealthy men in Newport, RI played roller polo, a hockey game.

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.

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.

In 1986, 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 mobil 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.

In 1994, NARCH (North American Roller Hockey Championships) and in 1996, AIRHS (American Inline Roller Hockey Series) were formed as official national championship tournaments. 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.

By 1998, the traveling ball street hockey tournaments began to give way to the emerging high end, high expense and high profit of the indoor puck game. 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 was a boom year 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.

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. The tournament has drawn teams from Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Polk and Manatee counties.

Elite roller hockey teams compete on the National Qualifying Tournament Circuit with the ultimate goal of winning a national championship. Once playing at this level, the costs go up. Travel is a must and you could find yourself spending many weekends in hotels out of town.

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.

Currently there is a major decline in the number of travel teams competing in the Tampa Bay region. Over the last two years the area lost major travel organizations like The Astro Firebirds, Palm Harbor Lightning and the Bradenton Blades.

In some countries, most notably Spain, Portugal, Italy and throughout South America, roller hockey is second in popularity only to soccer. Roller hockey was played as a demonstration sport at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain and is included in the Pan American Games.

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 has a 2001 season. 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 met with some success.

Whether you are playing for the national championship or bragging rights in your neighborhood, roller hockey is a game of high energy and excitement.

Well, there you have it, roller hockey in a nut shell. So, if you haven’t tried it yet, pick up a stick, grab a ball or puck and head for the street.