© Stan Fischler

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as “The Hockey Maven,” shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday. This week goes back seven decades when Brooklynites who couldn’t find ice rinks did the next best thing and played roller hockey on quad skates. Call it “Beer League on Wheels.”

In 1950 Brooklyn had no artificial ice so local stickhandlers played roller hockey. We wore quads and used black tape for a puck. There were no refs, no masks, nor helmets, just shinpads. We carried portable nets on the roof of a 1938 sedan to our macadam-surfaced schoolyard.

Bob Schanz (left) hit the hardest, while Fred Meier (engineer’s cap) smoked on defense and goalie Harry Schanz wore old Kenesky pads. My jeans had knee holes from falling to the ground to block shots. Our mothers were not amused, but we loved it!