Montreal Roadrunners

Roller Hockey International (1994-1997)

Tombstone

Born: 1993 – RHI expansion franchise
Folded: Postseason 1997

First Game: June 8, 1994 (L 10-5 Minnesota Arctic Blast)
Last Game: August 18, 1997 (L 5-4 @ New Jersey Rockin’ Rollers)

Murphy Cup Championships: None

Arenas

1994-1995: Montreal Forum (17,559)¹
Opened: 1924
Closed: 1996

1996-1997: Molson Centre
Opened: 1996

Marketing

Team Colors: Red, Grey, Black & White²

Ownership

Owners:

1994-1995: Bob Sirois, Marcel Raymond, et al.
1995-1996: Alan Labrosse, Dan Elituv, France Corbeil & Annette Dupuis
1997: Alan Labrosse, Norton Herrick, et al.

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.

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Background

The Montreal Roadrunners were a summertime pro roller hockey promotion that drummed up a modest following during the mid-1990’s. The Roadrunners borrowed their nickname from Montreal Canadiens Hall-of-Famer Yvan Cournoyer, who served as the club’s head coach & general manager for their first two seasons.

1995 Playoff Run

Cournoyer led the ‘Runners to the 1995 Murphy Cup finals to contend for the championship of Roller Hockey International. After dropping the first game of the two-game championship series on the road in San Jose, the Roadrunners returned for the decisive Game 2 in the Forum on September 1, 1995. Montreal would need to win Game 2 to tie the series, and then prevail in a 12-minute tie-breaking mini-game to claim the title.

A franchise record crowd of 11,412 turned out for the event and were treated to a thrilling showcase of the in-line game. Trailing 6-4 with four minutes remaining in Game, the Roadrunners managed to pull even. Then Alain Savage Jr. scored the winner in sudden death overtime. The teams immediately proceeded to the 12-minute mini-game. Montreal drew first blood, but San Jose equalized at 1-1 and the mini-game itself proceeded to sudden death overtime. At 1:51 of sudden death, San Jose’s Ken Blum beat Roadrunners goaltender Corrado Micalef, a former NHL netminder with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1980’s, with the series winner for the Rhinos.

Demise

The Roadrunners were beset by financial woes and ownership changes throughout their four-year existence. The team declared bankruptcy in November 1996, but managed to re-organize in time for the 1997 season. At the end of the 1997 season, Roller Hockey International suspended operations and the Roadrunners went out of business. After a year off, RHI returned to play one final season in 1999 but Montreal was not among the teams included in the re-formed league.

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