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)
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Trophy Case
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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
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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One Response
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.