The Manhattan Roller Hockey League was established as a not-for-profit corporation so the adult roller hockey league program shut down at Chelsea Piers in August 2006 could be revived at a new venue. We hold Spring and Fall seasons at the Paul McDermott rink in Stanley Isaacs Park at 96th Street and First Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Games will be held on Saturday mornings and on Sunday mornings and afternoons and sometimes during the Spring season on weeknight evenings at 6:30 if the Sunday schedule of games gets rained out and occasionally to work around weekend holidays.
See our ‘Schedule /Contact‘ page for a list of upcoming contests and the scores from games played in past seasons. There is plenty of spectator seating behind a protective fence if you would like to come and watch our games. See our ‘Venue‘ page for photographs of the rink and spectator seating area.
Our league is open to players of intermediate and above playing levels. We welcome recreational players 18 years of age and older who want to play a hard but clean game and then graciously shake hands afterwards no matter what the outcome. The MRHL strictly enforces a zero-tolerance fighting policy and strongly encourages its players to practice good sportsmanship and show respect for the officiating staff and their opponents. We want to hold exciting games that are fun to play and watch and we want everyone to get home in one piece. Please read the MRHL Playing Rules for a full list of the USA Roller Sports and MRHL rules we use to officiate our games.
The size of our rink is only suitable for teams of four skaters and a goalie. The minimum required amount of equipment is a puck-rated helmet with a full cage or full shield face mask, hockey gloves, shin guards and a cup for men. We strongly recommend the use of shoulder and elbow pads as well.
The MRHL is using a ProPuck for its games now that a StreetIce coat of paint has been applied to our rink’s formerly rough asphalt surface.
The MRHL’s games are officiated, with some modification, by the USA Roller Sports 2010-2012 Official Rules Of Inline Hockey.
The MRHL Board will apply for sanctioning by the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and will require all players to register with this organization and be covered by the AAU Insurance Program.
To lend our league financial and roster stability we prefer that our teams to be sponsored by large Manhattan professional firms rather than groups of individual players. As of the Spring 2012 season the league will have eighteen teams and consider expanding to twenty teams. If you are with a team interested in joining the MRHL in a future season please see our Entering A Team page and email the requested information to MRHL Chairman Tom Smith at tom.smith.mrhl@gmail.com .
