Collins dynasty rules area roller hockey




SOPHIA FISCHER/Acorn Newspapers FAMILY TIES- The Collins family is synonymous with local roller hockey. Brothers Rick, left, and Ned, right, along with Walt (not pictured) coach, referee, play and run hockey equipment shops. Rick's son Casey, left, and Ned's sons Zach and Blake, right, play together in the Tri-Valley Roller Hockey League, which Ned runs.

SOPHIA FISCHER/Acorn Newspapers FAMILY TIES- The Collins family is synonymous with local roller hockey. Brothers Rick, left, and Ned, right, along with Walt (not pictured) coach, referee, play and run hockey equipment shops. Rick’s son Casey, left, and Ned’s sons Zach and Blake, right, play together in the Tri-Valley Roller Hockey League, which Ned runs.


The Collins family is a fast crowd.

Brothers Ned of Simi Valley, Rick of Agoura Hills and Walt of Moorpark love the fast pace of roller hockey. They’ve played the sport together since childhood and, as adults, run local leagues and hockey businesses. Now their children play together as well, carrying on the family tradition.

“The sport is very addictive because it’s so action-packed,” said Ned, who has run the TriValley Roller Hockey League out of DeAnza Park in Calabasas for 10 years.

The Collins men are responsible for the endurance of local roller hockey since the 1980s. On any given day passersby might see a hockey game going on in the rink that doubles as a basketball court at DeAnza Park. Ned often is on rollerblades in a blackandwhite striped shirt serving as referee, encouraging and advising players. Rick might be coaching or cheering on a team that includes his son and Ned’s boys. Off the rink he runs Encore Sports in Woodland Hills. Walt until recently ran the hockey shop at Roller Dome in Thousand Oaks.

As director of the Tri-Valley League, Ned oversees a kids’ program, an adult league and weekly clinics. About 350 players sign up for the spring and fall programs and about 200 in the summer.

The brothers still play hockey together on the same team twice a week in Calabasas. When not playing, they coach, referee or watch their children play. Ned has two boys, Zach, 14, and Blake, 11; Rick has one son, Casey, 12. The three cousins play on the same team. Rick’s daughters Kristina, 14, played until she was 12 and Courtney, 4, will probably begin when she turns 6.

The brothers found that parents often want to join in when they come out to watch their children play.

“I enjoy not just the sport but the people as well,” Rick said. “They’re very supportive.”

Walt credits their individual characteristics with the brothers’ success. He calls himself the promoter, Rick the businessman and Ned the teacher.

“Our personalities combined to work out perfectly to build the sport and the stores,” Walt said.

The brothers’ close relationship is related to their upbringing in a tight-knit family, according to Walt. Originally from Pasadena, the brothers got started playing hockey as kids when their family moved to Tennessee. All athletic, the boys wanted a winter sport. They had watched hockey games on television and joined a local league.

“It was something we could all do together,” Walt said. “It’s got fast-paced action. It’s a good, fun team sport.”

Two and a half years later, the family returned to California, settling in Calabasas. Topanga mall had an indoor ice rink where Walt and Rick continued to play hockey. Ned, busy with high school, temporarily phased out of the sport.

As adults the Collins brothers got their entrepreneurial start selling used sporting goods out of their van at the corner of Topanga and Mulholland, which Rick describes as being “a blast.” They eventually opened a store in Calabasas in 1982, moving two years later to Woodland Hills. “Working with my brothers is great. I can trust them; you kind of know the ins and outs of each other,” Rick said.

“Maybe it’s the flow, the speed, the agility, the competition,” Walt said.

When rollerblades became popular in the 1980s, hockey enjoyed a resurgence. Rick formed a league in Woodland Hills. Walt started a program at Agoura High School while Ned organized a league in Simi Valley. The three leagues in the San Fernando, Conejo and Simi Valleys resulted in the Tri-Valley League name. All three brothers also had hockey equipment stores.

“We had huge pickup games. People would show up after work. We had adults and kids. Our stores were booming,” Walt said.

When Roller Dome opened in 1995 Walt’s bid to run an on-site hockey shop was accepted. Walt’s Agoura league ended with the players following him to Roller Dome. In 1998 Walt formed a hockey league in Moorpark where he lives.

“We were always leaders at the forefront of hockey,” Walt said. “People would see us out in the neighborhood skating together, making it look easy and fun. It was a very positive atmosphere.”

Over the years the brothers encountered challenges, including a decline in hockey players as new sports such as skateboarding and lacrosse became popular. The high cost of local real estate has made it expensive to build rinks here, according to Rick. Ned has tried to get the California Interscholastic Federation to approve the sport but has been turned down due to the high rink construction costs. Walt closed his shop earlier this year to join the Los Angeles Police Department. He always wanted to be a police officer and spoke to cops who visited the hockey shop.

“I like the uniform, the respect you get and the fact that it’s a people job,” Walt said.

The brothers work hard to promote the positive aspects of the sport. Hockey is not the “aggressive blood sport” some people think it is, Rick said. TriValley is a non-checking league.

“There are less injuries than in other sports. Kids are well padded and protected,” Rick said.

Unlike other sports, everyone plays an equal amount of time. As long as they can skate anyone can play regardless of athletic ability.

“It’s not about winning. It’s about participating,” Ned said. “It’s a great sport, a great workout and a great way to work together as a team.”

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