Hockey lovers will have another indoor sport to turn to this summer. A minor roller hockey league is starting up this May called GP Wheel House, and President Nick Darke says he’s already been overwhelmed by the interest.
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“I’ve been getting emails like crazy about just individual youth players that want to sign up because their parents are reaching out to me; I’ve had tons of interest from other teams, whether it’s in their industrial hockey league or a ball hockey team from a previous year.”
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Roller hockey is played 4 on 4 on rollerblades, without icing or offside. The league will likely be open to players aged five to 18, along with men’s and women’s teams, with the season running May to August. Darke points out that it compliments ice and ball hockey seasons, and can be a good way to keep conditioned.
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“When I was playing in my minor hockey days, it would have been amazing to have the opportunity to play an entire winter with your hockey team, and then when the wintertime is over and the ice is coming out, you could actually still play with your team and play roller hockey for the rest of the summer.”
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Roller hockey is also an Alberta Summer Games sport, and GP has put in a bid to host the event in 2018.
Registration will start in February, but parents can get in contact to learn more through www.gpwheelhouse.com. Games will be played at the Sexsmith Arena.