The London Racers was a British
ice hockey club based in
London,
England formerly members of the
Elite Ice Hockey League. Although founded in 2003,[1] it claimed to be a successor of the
Harringay Racers club established in 1936. Due to a lack of suitable ice facility the club suspended its team operations part way through the 2005–06 season. It was the last professional ice hockey club to play in London.
2003–04 season
Formed and organized in only a few weeks, the Racers played their home games at
Alexandra Palace.
Erik Zachrisson captained the team. Their first season was a difficult one, as the team failed to win for some 40 games. Finally, a win arrived with a 3–0 victory over the
Cardiff Devils. Another win followed as the team beat the
Basingstoke Bison 4–0, but the team finished with a ghastly 3–49–2–2 record, still (as of 2010) the worst in league history.
2004–05 season
The team moved to the 1,200 capacity
Lee Valley Ice Centre in
Leyton, east London, although the arena was considered small for Elite League hockey. The offseason saw the hiring of former
American Hockey League player Dennis Maxwell as Coach, who assembled a much stronger team, including perennial British all-star
Steve Moria, and, with the
2004–05 NHL lockout, defenceman
Eric Cairns and centre
Scott Nichol from the
National Hockey League. They made the playoffs in the sixth slot (out of seven teams) with a 19–19–9–3 record, but were eliminated by the
Cardiff Devils.
2005–06 season
On 5 November, during a game against the
Nottingham Panthers, defenseman
Blaž Emeršič sustained serious facial injuries after colliding with a protruding object in the rink boardings. Days later on 13 November a piece of plexiglass was smashed. When the same section of glass smashed again at a training session the following Tuesday, serious questions regarding the safety of players and spectators were raised. Unable to find a new venue or secure agreement on improving safety at Lee Valley, the Racers withdrew their team from competitions on 21 November and subsequently folded.
Head-to-head results
This only counts competitive games. Losses include OT losses.
Seasons: 3 (2003-04-2005-06)
Record (W-L-T): N/A-N/A-N/A