- Manhattan Roller Hockey League
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The Manhattan Roller Hockey League[1] was established in 2007 to revive the adult roller hockey program that was run by Chelsea Piers in New York City. The Chelsea Piers Roller Rinks was a facility that operated from 1995 until August 2006 when the City of New York took back the lease on the rinks and a skate park so the Chelsea Waterside Park segment of the Hudson River Park could be built. There are currently 18 teams in six divisions mainly sponsored by New York City professional organizations. A ten game regular season, plus a four round playoffs, is played during the Spring (March through late June) and Fall (late August through late December) seasons.League History
When the Chelsea Piers adult roller hockey program was shut down in August 2006 and the rinks and skate park at Pier 62 on the Hudson River were demolished there was no longer a venue to play competitive, regularly scheduled games in Manhattan. The original formation of the league was sponsored by numerous New York City professional firms starting with 12 teams during the inaugural Summer 2007 season, expanding to 14 teams for the Spring 2008 season, 16 teams participating in the Spring 2009 season and 18 teams enrolled as of the Spring 2011 season.
Unlike Chelsea Piers, which had lights and could hold games at night, the Stanley Isaacs Park (more below) does not and the games are mostly played on Saturday and Sunday during the Spring and Fall seasons.
To lend the league financial and roster stability the teams are mainly sponsored by large Manhattan professional firms rather than groups of individual players. However, individual players can submit their name to the league's "free agent list" and are invited to join teams as space allows and/or individual team needs dictate.
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