Old Team Tuesday: The Buffalo Stampede
Old Team Tuesday is a weekly feature taking a look at former teams that have gone by the wayside. This week’s edition is the first in a two-part series examining the history of professional roller hockey in Buffalo . ********************************************** Looking to capitalize on the inline skating fad that was seemingly ubiquitous in the early 1990s, sports pioneer Dennis Murphy ventured into virtually unchartered territory when he established Roller Hockey International in 1991. Unlike his previous forays with the American Basketball Association or World Hockey Association, there was no established league to contend with in the sport, and unlike his other former project, World Team Tennis, there was no professional organization of any kind related to roller hockey. Roller Hockey International made its debut in the spring of 1993, placing 12 franchises in cities all over North America. After the Anaheim Bullfrogs defeated the Oakland Skates to win the inaugural Mu...