Lynbrook roller hockey league starts a new season

As fall begins, roller hockey players are breaking out their skates and sticks, preparing to compete in the Lynbrook Roller Hockey League, which has brought athletes of all ages together for over 25 years.

The league’s games, for players between ages 7 and 18, take place in Greis Park each spring and fall, and kids learn not only about competition, but also about sportsmanship — and how to take a tumble in stride.

League board member Greg Cunningham, who has coached roller hockey for 10 seasons, and his three sons learned important life lessons as well as the finer points of the sport, he said.

“I see another fun season for the young kids,” Cunningham said. “The kids learn the fundamentals of hockey, and they also learn teamwork, commitment to a team, how to make friends and have fun.”

Many participants have gone on to play ice hockey, but often return to the league as volunteer instructors.

“Our new volunteer coaches are very hands-on with teaching (players) the fundamentals of the game, and just trying to create a good experience for the kids all around,” Cunningham said. “A lot of these kids move on to go play ice hockey, and in the spring, the ice hockey kids come back to play.”

Some have even gone pro. Anthony Bitetto skated for more than 10 teams during his 17-year career in the National Hockey League, after playing in Lynbrook. Stephen Alonge, a former member of the Windsor Spitfire in the Ontario Hockey League, also played Lynbrook roller hockey.

Village Police Chief Brian Paladino has been the president of the league since 2022. Under his leadership, the organization, which was founded in 1998, is looking to recruit the next generation of staff and coaches. The league’s original players have grown up and now have kids who play, creating an opportunity to train the next generation.

“We’re starting to get original players from the league coming back to coach and play with their kids, so we’re getting that second generation,” said Paladino, who has two sons and a daughter, all of whom have strapped on skates in one or more of the league’s four age divisions. “I think that’s what’s going to carry on in the league now.”

The organization welcomes players of all skill levels, and even those with no experience. “What I like about it is that it’ll get a family started into the game that’s never played before,” Paladino said.

His own family is an example. Their involvement started with a pair of roller skates.

“I never played hockey,” he said. “My parents, growing up, were afraid of it — it was a lot of money — but I liked watching it growing up. My oldest son got a pair of skates for his birthday, and he liked skating, and then we put him in hockey, and that was it. All three of my kids played after that.”

Beginning classes for young children teach them how to skate and how to fall safely, and build their confidence. Once they start playing in regular games, the league’s coaches prioritize making sure the competition is fair and fun.

“Because of that,” Paladino said, “people keep on coming back.”

The age divisions are 6 to 8, 9 to 11, 12 to 14 and 15 to 18, which evens out the competition. “It keeps the kids interested when any team could beat any other team,” he said.

The league’s story began in 1998. Before he became mayor the village, Alan Beach and his children were involved with a roller hockey team in a league in Valley Stream, and Beach decided to create one in Lynbrook. He and some other interested community members rallied support for a rink to be built in Greis Park that is still in use.

The league welcomes players from across Nassau County. For more information, visit LynbrookHockey.com.