Roller Hockey International (1993)
Tombstone
Born: December 16, 1993 – RHI expansion franchise
Moved: April 1995 (Orlando Rollergators)
Murphy Cup Championships: None
Arenas
Branding
Team Colors: White, Black, Silver & Teal
Ownership
Background
The Edmonton Sled Dogs entered Roller Hockey International in the spring of 1994 as part of an orgy of expansion for the second-year in-line skating promotion. The 1994 season saw RHI expand from 12 to 24 teams, with new franchises parcelled all across North America. Of the 15 new cities that joined the league in 1994 via expansion or relocation, 11 were gone by the start of the 1997 season.
Edmonton was among the weakest of the bunch.
The Sled Dogs got off to an inauspicious start in June 1994 on the day of the team’s season-opening news conference. General Manager Alan Howat strapped on his roller blades, put his pet Husky on a leash and set out for a skate. The dog, who doubled as the Sled Dog’s mascot, yanked Howat off his balance in pursuit of another pooch, landing the team exec in the hospital with broken ribs and a possibly ruptured spleen.
The Sled Dogs roster was made up of minor league ice hockey players on summer vacation and ex-junior players. Players earned $180 per game plus postseason bonuses for a June-August season. After a hot start, the Dogs slumped late in the season to finish 9-10-3 and miss the playoffs.
Doug McCarthy led the Sled Dogs in scoring with 25 goals and 34 assists in 21 games.
Demise
The Sled Dogs fared miserably at the box office, playing in Edmonton’s giant NHL arena. Original owner Wayne Barry, a local accountant, swiftly realized he couldn’t sustain the team’s mounting losses. He unloaded the Sled Dogs one month into the season to Richard Commentucci, the team doctor of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and Devils’ star Slava Fetisov.
Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington evicted the Sled Dogs with three home dates remaining in the regular season to make renovations at Northland Coliseum. The Sled Dogs hastily moved their remaining games to Saskatoon to finis out the final few weeks of the season.
The following spring, new owner Richard Commentucci moved the franchise to Orlando, Florida where it lasted one season before going out of business.
Roller Hockey International shut down after five seasons in late 1997. A re-organized version of the league returned for one final season in 1999 and then faded into dust once and for all.
Sled Dogs winger Scott Daniels went on to spend parts of the next five seasons in the National Hockey League with the Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils.
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Edmonton Sled Dogs
Roller Hockey International (1993)
Tombstone
Born: December 16, 1993 – RHI expansion franchise
Moved: April 1995 (Orlando Rollergators)
Murphy Cup Championships: None
Arenas
1994: Northlands Coliseum
1994: Saskatchewan Place
Branding
Team Colors: White, Black, Silver & Teal
Ownership
Owners:
Editor's Pick
Wheelers, Dealers, Pucks & Bucks
A Rocking History of Roller Hockey International
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
The Edmonton Sled Dogs entered Roller Hockey International in the spring of 1994 as part of an orgy of expansion for the second-year in-line skating promotion. The 1994 season saw RHI expand from 12 to 24 teams, with new franchises parcelled all across North America. Of the 15 new cities that joined the league in 1994 via expansion or relocation, 11 were gone by the start of the 1997 season.
Edmonton was among the weakest of the bunch.
The Sled Dogs got off to an inauspicious start in June 1994 on the day of the team’s season-opening news conference. General Manager Alan Howat strapped on his roller blades, put his pet Husky on a leash and set out for a skate. The dog, who doubled as the Sled Dog’s mascot, yanked Howat off his balance in pursuit of another pooch, landing the team exec in the hospital with broken ribs and a possibly ruptured spleen.
The Sled Dogs roster was made up of minor league ice hockey players on summer vacation and ex-junior players. Players earned $180 per game plus postseason bonuses for a June-August season. After a hot start, the Dogs slumped late in the season to finish 9-10-3 and miss the playoffs.
Doug McCarthy led the Sled Dogs in scoring with 25 goals and 34 assists in 21 games.
Demise
The Sled Dogs fared miserably at the box office, playing in Edmonton’s giant NHL arena. Original owner Wayne Barry, a local accountant, swiftly realized he couldn’t sustain the team’s mounting losses. He unloaded the Sled Dogs one month into the season to Richard Commentucci, the team doctor of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and Devils’ star Slava Fetisov.
Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington evicted the Sled Dogs with three home dates remaining in the regular season to make renovations at Northland Coliseum. The Sled Dogs hastily moved their remaining games to Saskatoon to finis out the final few weeks of the season.
The following spring, new owner Richard Commentucci moved the franchise to Orlando, Florida where it lasted one season before going out of business.
Roller Hockey International shut down after five seasons in late 1997. A re-organized version of the league returned for one final season in 1999 and then faded into dust once and for all.
Sled Dogs winger Scott Daniels went on to spend parts of the next five seasons in the National Hockey League with the Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils.
Roller Hockey International Shop
Links
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