Roll Playing

This is hockey, California style.

Instead of ice skates, these men and women strap on in-line blades. In place of a frosty ice arena, three smooth-surfaced outdoor rinks in Garden Grove let them shoot a few goals on sunny weekend days and go home with a bit of a tan--or a trace of a sunburn.

Adult roller hockey leagues keep popping up like mushrooms around Southern California, but the California Street Hockey Assn. was the first to introduce roller hockey leagues to Orange County back in 1993.

With 90 teams and more than 1,000 players in novice, intermediate and advanced divisions, it remains the only outdoor roller hockey league in the county. But the biggest advantage, said president Gil Morrison, is seen by the player’s wallets.

“Since our rinks are outdoors, it costs us less to run them, which allows us to charge players less,” he said.

Games are held on weeknights and all day on weekends, and games are canceled and rescheduled in case of rain.

“That’s probably the only disadvantage to playing outdoors, especially with the rough winter and spring we just had,” Morrison said.

For those who prefer not to gamble against the whims of weather, there are covered rinks.

Wayne Gretzky’s Roller Hockey Center in Irvine opened in March, 1997, luring would-be athletes with three outdoor rinks, two of which are covered, along with a retail store, locker room and restaurant.

To date, the state-of-the-art facility is home to 128 adult teams and close to 1,300 players, said Shael Wilder, president of Worldwide Roller Hockey Facilities LLC, which plans to open five more centers in California, Arizona and Nevada.

Roller hockey has been the fastest growing sport in the United States since 1993, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Assn. It has been especially popular in Southern California, where until recently, ice skating rinks were a rarity. And Orange County, Wilder said, is likely the most densely populated roller hockey facility market in the country.

“What really changed everything was the introduction of in-line skates,” Wilder said. “That’s when roller hockey exploded.”

The Mighty Ducks didn’t hurt, either.

The sport attracts all sorts of players, from college students to laborers to high-paid executives.

Gretzky’s center, for example, is home to corporate teams that play pickup games at lunch, then shower and head back to the office.

Other players include transplants from the Midwest, Northeast and Canada who are looking for a little (albeit different) taste of home.

“I grew up playing ice hockey in Minnesota, and I missed it,” said Dave Bray, who now lives in Tustin and plays roller hockey at the Gretzky center. “It costs way too much money to join an ice hockey league, so this is the next best thing.”

Roller hockey provides the same speed, challenge and competitive thrill as zooming around an ice arena, Bray said--with one tiny exception.

“It’s harder to stop on rollerblades,” Bray said, laughing. “I go home with a lot more bruises.”

Still others are completely new to the sport and are simply looking for a novel, fun way to keep or get back in shape.

“Three months ago, I put on a pair of rollerblades for the first time,” said UC Irvine junior Steven Hirsch, whose skates were a birthday gift from his girlfriend. “She wanted me to get up off the couch and start exercising with her. The minute I put them on, I was hooked. I instantly understood why my kid sister seemed to spend half of her childhood in her roller skates.”

Hirsch is learning the ropes in a rookie league and looking to move up to the intermediate and, eventually, advanced level.

“It’s truly an addictive sport. Hockey is like a complex, balletic dance,” he said. “Of course, there’s a lot more blood.”

To prevent bloodshed, both the California Street Hockey Assn. and the Gretzky center require full protective gear, including helmets with face shields, elbow pads, shin guards and gloves.

Still, players take their chances when they roll out onto the rink and go head-to-head with other weekend warriors.

“What these guys get is a combination of rivalry and camaraderie,” said California Street Hockey Assn. president Bryan Garland. “It’s a chance to have a little fun, be a kid again.”

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Getting Started

A look at the necessities, from bargains to deluxe models:

* Skates: $69-$400

* Helmet: $60-$80

* Face shield or

cage: $20-$35

* Stick: from $15-$30

* Shin guards: $20-$85

* Elbow pads: $10-$50

* Gloves: $15-$150

* Jersey: $10-$150

* Pants: $20-$60

WHERE TO PLAY

* California Street Hockey Assn.

Gil Morrison (714) 738-8329

Bryan Garland (909) 337-7803

Cost: averages $60-65 per 10-week season (9 games plus play-off games)

* Wayne Gretzky’s Roller Hockey Center

3150 Barranca Parkway, Irvine

(949) 653-0900

Cost: $129.99 per 10-week season (10 games plus play-off games)