It has been officially announced today that the London Racers will cease playing operations for 2005/2006 season immediately.
In a press release the club have said “Whilst in some respects the decision we have taken is a very difficult one, ultimately it was the only decision available to us. It has become clear that the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority through the Lee Valley Ice Centre are unable to provide a suitably safe venue for ‘elite’ level ice hockey. The Club, its investors and sponsors are simply unwilling to put commercial interests before that of the safety of players and fans. The decision taken at the Racers board meeting this afternoon was therefore an inevitable one.”
The safety problems with Lee Valley have been highlighted by two incidents in as many weeks, with Nottingham player, Blaze Emersic, receiving a facial injury from an object protruding from the boards and the plexi glass breaking behind the goal during a game against the Sheffield Steelers, causing the match to be abandoned.
Read the entire press release here.
| P | TEAM | GP | W(OT) | L(OT) | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giants | 54 | 46(0) | 5(3) | 95 |
| 2 | Steelers | 54 | 41(0) | 11(2) | 84 |
| 3 | Panthers | 54 | 38(0) | 12(4) | 80 |
| 4 | Devils | 54 | 32(0) | 12(10) | 74 |
| 5 | Blaze | 54 | 32(0) | 20(2) | 66 |
| 6 | Clan | 54 | 31(0) | 19(4) | 66 |
| 7 | Stingrays | 54 | 16(0) | 34(4) | 36 |
| 8 | Stars | 54 | 13(0) | 35(6) | 32 |
| 9 | Capitals | 54 | 13(0) | 37(4) | 30 |
| 10 | Flyers | 54 | 8(0) | 40(6) | 22 |
| Points | Robert Dowd | 78 |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Robert Dowd | 40 |
| Assists | Craig Peacock | 49 |
| PIM | Adam Keefe | 247 |