RVC resident named coach for Inline Hockey Championship

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After years of local success in the roller hockey world, Rockville Centre resident Tim McManus seeks to help lead Team USA to a title at this summer’s International Ice Hockey Federation Inline Hockey World Championship.

The competition, to be held in Bratislava, Slovakia from June 25 to July 1, features this year’s best eight countries. Founded in 1996, the last installment of the now-biennial championship was held in 2015, during which the Canadians won gold in Tampere, Finland.

McManus, 44, who grew up in Valley Stream and will serve as Team USA’s assistant coach this year, fell in love with roller hockey at a young age. “I grew up close to a rink, and it was just so popular,” he recalled. “Everyone was playing and it was just an awesome time to be on Long Island for roller hockey.”

McManus began volunteering as a coach by the time he was 16. By 1996, he had gained national attention for his coaching acumen and built his own travel team based in Valley Stream. McManus went on to win 15 national titles with various L.I. teams, and has coached players that have gone on to play in the NHL, as well as at the collegiate level.

Funded by USA hockey, the governing body for organized amateur Ice hockey in the United States, the American team is set to host a three-day tryout camp for the top players inline hockey players in the country. These players hail from all across the country, including some who are playing in professional ice hockey leagues domestically and abroad.

Twenty-five players were selected to fly to Chicago, McManus said, to be evaluated by he and head coach Joe Cook. Those chosen will practice together for three days there, and will then fly to Slovakia to compete in the sport’s premier event.

Most of the players are ice hockey players in college or professional leagues, but there are a few “pure roller hockey guys,” according to McManus. Among those invited to the camp this year are four Long Island players that he has formerly coached.

Dan Brennan, director of the sled and inline national teams at USA Hockey, praised McManus’ knowledge of the sport. “Adding McManus to the coaching staff this year is a huge plus,” he said.

McManus is the president of the Rockville Centre-based State Wars Hockey, one of the largest youth sporting events held annually, and the largest inline hockey event in the world, during which players from across the nation compete for their own state or province. McManus compared the annual competition to the Little League World Series of roller hockey, with teams competing from six different countries and more than half of the 50 states.

McManus has been offered Team USA’s assistant coaching position at the Inline Hockey World Championship in recent years, but has turned it down due to his obligations to State Wars. This year, because the two tournaments do not conflict, McManus will be on board for both.

In the next few years, McManus said he hopes to become the head coach, as the team attempts to end a dry spell it has experienced in recent years. The squad claimed the title in 2010 — led by left wing Patrick Maroon, who now plays for the Edmonton Oilers — and again in 2013, but now looks for another.

The tournament is no stranger to NHL talent. Henrik Lundqvist, veteran goaltender for the New York Rangers, led his native Sweden during their 2002 gold medal run.

“We expect to do well this year,” McManus said. “We’re the fifth seed going into this year, and the U.S. is always one of the favorites. We used to dominate but have hit some rough spots in the last few tournaments. Hopefully I’ll be able to change things up a bit.”

As the father of three daughters, McManus is also very active in Rockville Centre soccer, and is the commissioner of the girls’ second grade soccer league.

The World Championship will be streamed live online at www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/championships/inline/.