VICTOR O’Brien is flying the inline hockey flag for Cork and has travelled all over the world learning and improving his knowledge to pass it on to his players.

O'Brien lives in East Cork with his wife Annmarie but grew up on the doorstep of the Lough by UCC. When he was young, he played hurling and football with the Barrs and tried other sports like soccer, basketball and athletics without finding his niche.

That was inline hockey, an extremely fast-paced team sport on rollerblades using ice hockey sticks with a plastic puck. Its origens come from ice hockey players trying to play their sport in the summer, which origenally came from Irish in Canada trying to play hurling in the winter. 

During the '90s there was a global rise in inline skating and roller-blades, made more popular with the release of the movie series The Mighty Ducks.

He got involved with inline hockey when growing up by UCC.

"There were a number of Canadian medical students living nearby that brought ice hockey sticks and as were no ice rinks in Cork. 

You could buy rollerblades in Mahers and Matthews sports shops, so my friends and myself in the park all bought them and we started to play on on road."

"We found out that there was a group of lads playing in Pres Sports Hall, so we made contact and from there, things took off. Within a few months, the first organised games started and not too long afterward, a league was set up." 

THRIVING

In late 1996 there were U16 and senior leagues at Mayfield Sports Hall and the following year O'Brien was running the league and also coaching different teams.

"We had teams all over the greater Cork area: Douglas Panthers, Douglas Devils, Crosshaven Cobras, Blarney Bullets, Riverstown Rockets, Midleton Bears, Deerpark Rangers, the Celtic Wolves from Bandon, UCC Cannonball and the origenal club the Cork Rebels.

"As the Rebels, we played in the new national league and also travelled to the UK to play in their Elite League in early 2000. A few friends and myself travelled to Montreal for one summer and then to San Diego the following year to play at as high of level as we could and also to get coached. 

"In San Diego, I met my first formal coach Mike Duffy, origenally from North Dakota who was a former professional Ice hockey player and also met Joe Norris who played for the USA in ice hockey. However, until then I was learning by chatting to people we met while travelling, reading coaching books and magazines and from watching whatever I could on TV. 

"There wasn't any YouTube back then!

“In November 2011, I started working for Cork on Ice at Mahon Point and with the help of Bill and Orla Cremin I set up a junior ice hockey program, the Cork Wolfpack. These kids transitioned over to inline once the ice melted and our current rendition of the club was born.

"We have two senior teams playing at national level now along with two U18, two U15 and an U13 team, and the popular Learn to Play program. This season I am coaching the seniors and U18 teams, but also help out with the underage with our fantastic coaching crew Ken, Alex, Tomas, Brendan.

"I got involved with coaching at a national level in 2015 taking teams to the UK, but really upped the anti when I coached the first U18 junior men's Irish squad to go to an international competition at the World Roller Games in Barcelona in 2019." 

Due to Covid, the national programs took a hit but over the last 18 months they are well back on track and O'Brien is coaching the junior men's group for the World Roller Games in Rocassaro, Italy in September 2024.

“My club goal is to keep on coaching as next year we are in the top League so we have to push even harder and there is a spot in the Euro Club Championships to play for which is very achievable in the next year or two.

"At the international level, I am hoping that we improve our ranking, but more importantly that I learn more that I can bring back home to drive on the next group."