From:   ALEX::KMARTH       "KATIE" 22-JUL-1994 08:43:02.75
To:     KMARTH
CC:
Subj:   <%-2>Ex-Gophers have a Blast in new league<%0>
 
Headline: <%-2>Ex-Gophers have a Blast in new league<%0>
Publish Date: 07/22/1994
 
Mark Miller
 
Staff Reporter
 
Hockey legend John Mariucci would turn over in his grave if he saw
what has happened to his game.
 
And he'd be spinning if he knew how three of his fellow University of
Minnesota pucksters were spending their summer.
 
<%-3>Cory Laylin, Randy Skarda and Larry Olimb can now be found
playing roller hockey for the Minnesota Arctic Blast, wheeling around
on a cement floor instead of ice, which is not exactly what Maroosh
had in mind. <%0>
 
For the three ex-Gophers, this you-can't-be-serious version of the
game they love is a chance to fuse the past with the future, and to
actually make money at a game that has roots on the ESPN program log
somewhere around 2 a.m.
 
<%1>Does Australian Rules Football ring a bell?<%0>
 
<%1>Laylin once scoffed at this sport's chances.<%0>
 
<%1>``I thought it would never take off,'' he said. <%0>
 
All three have played professional hockey at some level or another,
and suiting up for the Blast is an opportunity to stay in shape and
have a good time while other ice hockey options unfold.
 
For Olimb, it's a chance to keep his skills sharp for a future tryout
with the IHL's Minnesota Moose.
 
Skarda, the one-time St. Louis Blues defenseman, sees it as an
opportunity to be thankful he owns a cable TV remote. He admits not
knowing the game existed until he scoped it out while channel surfing
past ESPN one night.
 
And Laylin is able to cash in on an activity he was doing before the
Blast was born, because he was wheelin' around campus years ago.
 
<%-2>``I used to roller-blade to class when I was at the
University,'' said Laylin, who plans to continue to play ice hockey
professionally in Austria during the regular season. ``I used to take
a lot of kidding from my friends. They thought I was weird.''<%0>
 
<%-2>Most of the downtown Minneapolis loop is deserted at the
semi-early morning hour on this bright Sunday, except for the usual
collection of residents and strays looking for money, contraband or
conversation.<%0>
 
<%-2>Inside the dimly lit Target Center, where the Blast play home
games, the only noise comes from down on the floor. There is yelling
and laughter, with pucks booming and cracking off the boards.<%0>
 
<%-1>The Blast are coached by former NHL veteran Dennis Maruk, who
looks like he could lace up right now and play.<%0>
 
<%-2>Olimb, Skarda and Laylin are taking turns firing a puck during a
pregame skate that seems to generate more laughter than anything
else. <%0>
 
<%-3>The format of roller hockey is different than regular hockey.
For starters, there are only four players <%-2>on the ice at a time,
instead of the usual five.<%0>
 
A roller hockey puck is lighter than a regulation puck and can barely
be seen by the human eye, much less a goaltender when shot by any of
the three ex-Gophers.
 
<%-3>The blue lines are gone, too. There is just a center red line,
making the transition game much more important.<%0>
 
The movement of the players is also one of the biggest differences.
Where once they were used to stopping on a dime and going the other
direction, that isn't possible in roller hockey. The quick-turn has
replaced the quick-stop.
 
Olimb, who last played with Indianapolis of the International Hockey
League, says that the game is more control-oriented and dumping the
puck is out, quite a change from the NHL.
 
<%-2>Laylin said the adjustment he had to make was the puck and the
surfaces. ``It's hard to get it (the puck) to stay down.'' He said
the surfaces vary from arena to arena, and that the Target Center is
one of the better ones. <%0>
 
There is actually a surface made expressly for roller hockey. It is
called Sport Court, and is made of little plastic squares.
 
And the skates are not left out when thinking of strategy. Laylin
explained how there is a combination of wheels, both hard and soft
rubber, which are used for speed and turning, and he said he is still
looking for the right combination.
 
Skarda said it took him two to three weeks to get used to playing
hockey on the wheels. He said his only experience using in-line
skates was circling area lakes with his girlfriend.
 
<%-2>The money for the players is also a new twist. There are no
contract hassles. Owners of the four-division, 24-team league
contribute $80,000 to a pool that is held by the league. <%0>
 
The players get a minimum draw against the prize money every two
weeks. After the regular season is finished, the top teams in each
division split a portion of the prize money. The rest is used for the
playoffs, where the prize money is increased. Players can earn over
$8,000 just from playoff shares.
 
Not bad for being flown around the country and getting paid for a
sport that kids in New York City started in parking lots.
 
Rollerblade, shmoller blade, eh Maroosh?