1995 Roller Hockey International Media Guide

Roller Hockey International (1993-1999)

Tombstone

Formed: November 1991
Disbanded: 1999

First Game: July 1, 1993
Last Game: August 22, 1999

Seasons: 6
States & Provinces: 23
(Alberta, AZ, British Columbia, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, ME, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NV, NY, OK, Ontario, OR, PA, Quebec, TX, UT)

Leadership

Trophy Case

 

Editor's Pick

Wheelers, Dealers, Pucks & Bucks

A Rocking History of Roller Hockey International
By Richard Neil Graham
 

Who won the first professional sports championship for the city of Anaheim? Which Roller Hockey International team owner posed for Playboy? Which RHI team’s logo did Sports Illustrated describe as looking like “a malevolent vacuum-cleaner attachment?” Which coach won two championships for two different teams in RHI’s first two seasons? Why were fans nearly ejected from the Oakland Skates’ arena for celebrating a hat trick?

Author Richard Graham takes you behind the scenes to show how Dennis Murphy created Roller Hockey International, and why Murphy might be the most unlikely, least known and most influential visionary in North American professional sports history.

 
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

 

Background

Roller Hockey International (RHI) was an attempt to form a professional league out of the 1990′s craze for recreational in-line skating.  The league managed to attract several deep-pocketed NBA and NHL owners who were looking for summer time tenants for their arenas, including the Buss family in Los Angeles and Howard Baldwin in Pittsburgh.  But many of the other RHI clubs were mom-and-pop efforts who could not sustain the expenses of renting major arenas and subsidizing cross-country air travel.  The lack of an organic fan base for the sport of roller hockey was a problem in many cities.  Anaheim, California was an exception where the Anaheim Bullfrogs frequently packed big crowds (10,000+) into the Arrowhead Pond.

Demise

The league played five seasons from 1993 to 1997 and then took a year off to re-organize financially in 1998.

RHI re-organized for one final season of play in the summer of 1999. The 1999 playoffs were played entirely at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, home of the two-time champion Anaheim Bullfrogs and the league’s strongest market throughout its history. On August 22, 1999 the St. Louis Vipers defeated the Bullfrogs 8-6 before 6,143 at the Pond to claim the league’s final championship. The league folded for good after the 1999 season.

 

Roller Hockey International Franchise List

Franchise Years Active Murphy Cup Champions
Anaheim Bullfrogs 1993-1997 & 1999 1993-1997
Atlanta Fire Ants 1994 None
Buffalo Stampede 1994-1995 1994
Buffalo Wings 1997 & 1999 None
Calgary Rad'z 1993-1994 None
Chicago Bluesmen 1999 None
Chicago Cheetahs 1994-1995 None
Connecticut Coasters 1993 None
Dallas Stallions 1999 None
Denver Daredevils 1996 None
Detroit Motor City Mustangs 1995 None
Edmonton Sled Dogs 1994 None
Empire State Cobras 1996 None
Florida Hammerheads 1993-1994 None
Las Vegas Coyotes 1999 None
Las Vegas Flash 1994 None
Long Island Jawz 1996 None
Los Angeles Blades 1993-1997 & 1999 None
Minnesota Arctic Blast 1994 & 1996 None
Minnesota Blue Ox 1995 & 1999 None
Montreal Roadrunners 1994-1997 None
New England Stingers 1994 None
New Jersey Rockin' Rollers 1994-1997 None
Oakland Skates 1993-1996 & 1999 None
Oklahoma Coyotes 1995-1996 None
Orlando Jackals 1996-1997 1996
Orlando Rollergators 1995 None
Ottawa Loggers 1995-1997 None
Ottawa Wheels 1997 None
Philadelphia Bulldogs 1994-1996 None
Phoenix Cobras 1994-1995 None
Pittsburgh Phantoms 1994 None
Portland Rage 1993-1994 None
Sacramento River Rats 1994-1997 None
San Diego Barracudas 1993-1996 None
San Jose Rhinos 1994-1997 & 1999 1995
St. Louis Vipers 1993-1997 & 1999 1999
Tampa Bay Tritons 1994 None
Toronto Planets 1993 None
Utah Rollerbees 1993 None
Vancouver Voodoo 1993-1996 None

 

Roller Hockey International Shop

 

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Comments

One Response

  1. Good news, I found the Anaheim Bullfrogs 1994 regular season schedule courtesy of the L.A. Times:

    June 4th–Los Angeles.
    June 12th–at Las Vegas.
    June 17th–Sacramento.
    June 19th–Oakland.
    June 23rd–San Jose.
    June 25th–at San Diego.
    June 26th–at Los Angeles.
    June 29th–Portland.

    July 2nd–at San Diego.
    July 3rd–Oakland.

    July 9th–All-Star game, at Vancouver.

    July 10th–San Jose.
    July 14th–at Las Vegas.
    July 15th–at San Jose.
    July 17th–San Diego.
    July 23rd–Los Angeles.
    July 29th–Las Vegas.
    July 30th–at Oakland.

    August 2nd–Vancouver.
    August 4th–at Los Angeles.
    August 6th–at Phoenix.
    August 12th–at Calgary.
    August 14th–at Edmonton.

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