Vic Valbuena Bareng/VIEWEmon Mahban, middle, of Coronado High School, struggles against Palo Verde High School players Corey Ewing, left, and Holden Welch, during their match March 15 at Las Vegas Roller Hockey Center at 800 Karen Ave.
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Roller hockey isn't the first sport that comes to mind when you're talking about something being less hard on the body, but that's precisely the reason that Daniel Corsatea got into it.
"I played a lot of sports all my life, and unfortunately got some bad knees from that," said Corsatea, owner of the Las Vegas Roller Hockey Center, 800 Karen Ave. "Roller hockey was better for me because there are fewer players, and there's no off sides, and there's no icing, so you don't have to stop as much; you can just skate and then turn, which is a lot easier on the knees."
Corsatea has been involved in roller hockey for nine years, almost as long as he's been in the valley. He has owned the Las Vegas Roller Hockey Center for about three years. He's also the chief cook and bottle washer there, running the score clock, coaching, officiating, organizing and overseeing tournaments and keeping online statistics during games.
"People can log in from home and watch the stats for current games (that) change as the game plays," he said.
Corsatea's job is, to say the least, a full-time position. "When people ask what else I do, I say, 'well, I try to sleep and eat. After that, I'm here.' "
The league was based out of the Crystal Palace on Flamingo Road near Fort Apache Road until that facility switched over to ice, and it had to relocate to the current location, inside Commercial Center.
"The address is crazy," Corsatea said. "Technically, we're at 800 Karen (Avenue), but really we're in Commercial Center, but all the stores in here have the same address, 953 Sahara (Ave.)."
The rink is located in the southwest corner of Commercial Center, nestled among a cluster of storefront churches and other eclectic businesses. The rent is more reasonable than in other parts of the valley, which works out well for Corsatea, as running a hockey league isn't exactly a get-rich-quick scheme.
Corsatea seems to find the work compensation enough. He particularly enjoys the coaching, teaching the finer points of the sport to people from Southern climates who didn't grow up with hockey. Corsatea moved here from Canada when he was transferred by his employer at the time, Xerox.
"I came from Montreal, which is sort of the mecca of hockey," he said. Corsatea went right to work, finding an ice skating rink in the desert, and found himself in the very facility he now runs.
"It was an ice skating rink then," he said. "It was built as one in 1970, and then it was converted to a roller rink, back to an ice rink, then it was a skate park, and now it's a roller rink again. They used to play rock concerts here, the first time this was a roller skating rink. Led Zeppelin played here."
The center hosts a number of leagues. There are over 60 adult and youth teams, including youth hockey for kids ages 6 to 12, varsity and junior varsity. The center is open seven days a week, and there are several games a night. Admission for spectators is free.
"When we have tournaments, it really catches up to us," Corsatea said. "We're here 20 hours a day, 6 a.m. to 2 in the morning."
The center only has four or five of those tournaments a year. It also hosts a ball hockey tournament that goes over two weekends.
"They use a ball instead of a puck, and they run instead of skate," Corsatea explained. "We don't normally play that there, but we host a tournament where people come from all over the country."
Corsatea feels that roller hockey is not only fun, but also good for you. "It's great cardio," he said. "Some guys play three or four times a week, and they're in great shape. You're skating all the time. If you're doing this, you could run a marathon."
Mike Guido, who teaches study skills at Centennial High School in the northwest and coaches football said he enjoys that roller hockey is a faster game with less contact than ice hockey, which he played for a few years before taking up roller hockey three years ago.
"Nobody's out trying to kill each other," he said. Guido plays on several teams, including the Sabres, about half of whom are, like him, originally from Buffalo, N.Y.
"This is fun; we have a good time," he said. "We're just a bunch of old men exercising and having fun." He points out another advantage of the sport. "The ice leagues get real expensive. The games here are just $160 for a 10-game season. The equipment costs about $500, but it lasts."
"(March 5), a Hollywood producer couldn't have scripted this thing better," Corsatea said of the playoffs that included five games. Four of the games went into overtime, and the remaining game went into triple overtime. "It was one of those nights when you go," Corsatea said, throwing his hands up demonstratively. "It was the most exciting, incredible thing. Everyone was screaming and yelling; it was unbelievable. It was over a week ago, and we're still talking about it."
For Corsatea, that's the magic of the game. "That's why people keep playing," he said. "All they need is one moment, one goal. You can lift weights, and you can run a treadmill, but if you score a goal, I don't care how many you've scored, every time you do that, it's such a thrill, such a high."
The center will start a 10-week roller hockey season for kids ages 5 to 16 on Saturday. The cost is $135 per child. All games are played on Saturday afternoons, and the package includes an hour and a half of practice per week, jerseys and trophies.
For more information about the Las Vegas Roller Hockey Center, visit www.lasvegasrollerhockey.com or call 349-6526.
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