London Racers
The London Racers are an English former ice hockey club based in London. The club was launched as a successor of the Harringay Racers, founded in 1936 2003. Due to a lack of ice plant, the club slid his other hockey activities until further notice.
2003/2004 season
Founded and organized in just a few weeks, the Racers played their home games at the Alexandra Palace. The first season proved it very difficult, so the team remained winless in 40 games, until they finally reached a 3-0 victory over the Cardiff Devils. Another win followed with a 4-0 against Basingstoke Bison by cult player Mojmir Musil scored twice. Captain Erik Zachrisson and goalkeeper Evan Lindsay earned this season excellent reviews. Jason Robinson won at the Racers fans fast hero status, due to its use on the ice and taking over the management of the Swedish coach Peter Ekroth. Towards the end of the season promised club owner Roger Black, that this season was the first of a three -year plan for achieving the EIHL playoffs and ultimately the pursuit of the title.
2004/2005 season
The London Racers moved to the new season in the 1,200 -seat Lee Valley Ice Centre in Leyton, East London. Although the arena was considered by some to be too small for Elite League ice hockey, it became the home of the Racers fans. The management stoked during the pre-season hopes of the fans, it was announced that the British ice hockey icon and former NHL Draft Dennis Maxwell would be a coach. Maxwell and his co- coach Robinson sat in their squad compilation on strong and talented players who could discern the will to victory. Experienced players like Ian MacIntyre and Steve Moria should lead the young British talents Mark Thomas, Adam Dobson, Richard Hargreaves and Jason Hewitt. The resulting hard game, the Racers has been criticized in the league often. For their own fans, the games, however, were often entertaining. Especially the Canadians Jeremy Cornish played over his lack of hockey talent through his hard body game with which he taught many so-called robbery in a league of fear. Thus the young man from Ontario quickly became the darling of the public in London.
With the lockout in the NHL also two players from the best hockey league in the world could be committed. The tough defender Eric Cairns and the nimble Center Scott Nichol completed the team and reinforced the Racers through their experience and talent. After successful preliminary round the Racers could qualify for the play- offs for the first time. However, you already eliminated in the first round against the Cardiff Devils. Nevertheless, this season caused a lot of optimism in the Racers fans for the upcoming season.
2005/2006 season
The steady development of the Racers came on 21 November 2005 to a quick end. On November 5, during a game against the Nottingham Panthers, the Slovenian defender Blaz Emersic moved in with severe facial injuries after he collided with a protruding object from the gang. Eight days later, on November 13, broke off a piece of the plexiglass plate. Although no one was injured, came to security concerns. The same position of the disc broke at the next workout out again. It was then, due to the non- guaranteed security for players and spectators, the Lee Valley Ice Centre closed.
However, was not a new venue to find for their home games, so that the club on November 21, it decided to withdraw the team from the league play for the club.
Whether the club eventually returns to the Elite Ice Hockey League, currently is not fixed yet.