Shelby
Township, Mich. — March 1st, 2009 —
Joe
Dumars Fieldhouse (www.joedumarsfieldhouse.com) and
Little
Caesars Pizza (www.littlecaesars.com), home to the country’s
most recognized roller hockey and ice hockey programs, respectively,
announced a partnership that will promote both sports.
Effective immediately, the roller hockey program at Joe Dumars
Fieldhouse will be known as the Little Caesars Roller Hockey League
at Joe Dumars’ Fieldhouse. Currently, the roller hockey leagues at
the Fieldhouse are the largest in the country with more than 800
teams competing annually. Similarly, the Little Caesars Amateur
Hockey League (LCAHL) is one of the most recognized and respected
organizations in ice hockey with more than 750 teams participating
in its youth programs each year.
The LCAHL, along with the Little Caesars AAA Elite Ice Hockey
program, has been proudly sponsored for more than 30 years by Mike
and Marian Ilitch, owners of the Little Caesars Pizza chain and the
Detroit Red Wings. The leagues, which have attracted tens of
thousands of participants over the years, have produced 27 current
or former National Hockey League players and literally hundreds who
have gone on to play at the collegiate level.
Organized roller hockey grew out of the inline skating craze of the
early 1990’s. Every child who purchased rollerblades could all of
sudden play the game of hockey on the driveway. Many who were
introduced to the game this way went on to play organized roller
hockey and ice hockey. The reverse was also true with many ice
hockey players, particularly older players, turning to roller hockey
as they found it to be easier on their bodies as well as their
pocketbooks.
“The reality is that our sports complement each other and the
merging of these premier programs is going to advance both roller
hockey and ice hockey in our area,” noted Matt Koleski, the director
of hockey operations for the newly-formed Little Caesars Roller
Hockey program at the Fieldhouse.
Joe Dumars’ Fieldhouse has been and remains the heart center of
roller hockey in the United States, boasting over 1.5 million player
visits since opening in 1994. The Fieldhouse has played host to
every national roller hockey tournament and consistently sends more
qualifying teams to compete across the country than any other
facility of its kind.
For more information or register to play this season in the Little
Caesars Roller Hockey at Joe Dumars’ Fieldhouse call 586-731-3080 or
visit www.lcrh.info.
LCRH
at the
Fieldhouse is
home to the
following
roller hockey
organizations
