London Racers The London Racers were a British ice hockey club based in London , England that were former members of the Elite Ice Hockey League . The club were formed in 2003 , but claimed to be a successor of the Harringay Racers club established in the 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 . 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 with cult figure Mojmir Musil scoring twice . Erik Zachrisson captained the team and Evan Lindsay earned rave reviews in net . Jason Robinson quickly became a hero amongst the fans due in part to his committed play on the ice , but also in taking over the managerial reigns from Swedish coach Peter Ekroth . At the end of the season , team owner Roger Black promised the best was yet to come , and that the season was the first of a three year plan to reach the EIHL playoffs and ultimately challenge for the title . 2004 - 05 season . The team moved to the 1200 capacity Lee Valley Ice Centre in Leyton , East London . Though the arena was considered by some to be rather small and not fit for Elite League hockey , it served as home and the fans took to it ( Block 7 was always a great place to be ) and there was always very vocal support from the away fans . The offseason had seen some ambitious moves made by the management in hiring British hockey icon and former NHL draftee Dennis Maxwell as Head Coach . In an attempt to make the Racers a competitive team , Maxwell and assistant Robinson set about hiring players in their mould - strong and gritty with talent and a will to win . The likes of Ian MacIntyre and Steve Moria added massive experience to a roster which also featured young , up - and - coming British players in Mark Thomas , Adam Dobson , Richard Hargreaves , and Jason Hewitt . Though often criticised for their rough style of hockey , many found the team and the characters surrounding it to be a great source of entertainment . Perhaps nobody personified this better than Canadian enforcer Jeremy Cornish . Maligned around the league for a perceived lack of skating ( or general ) ability , Racers fans quickly took this young , affable lad from Ontario to heart as he took on and dominated some of the toughest players in the league , putting in endless hours to improve his game . With the NHL lockout , Racers fans were lucky enough to have two players join their ranks from overseas . Tough defenceman Eric Cairns and elusive centre Scott Nichol joined the team ( Nichol left mid - season due to a family illness but was to return ) and added an experienced and talented core to the team which would see them make the playoffs , perhaps ahead of schedule . They were to be eliminated by the Cardiff Devils but after such a fantastic season for the London Racers , much optimism was held for the following season . 2005 - 06 season . The Racers continued development came to an abrupt end on November 21 2005 . On November 5 , during a game against the Nottingham Panthers , Slovenia n defenseman Blaz Emersic sustained serious facial injuries after colliding with a protruding object in the rink boardings . Days later on November 13 , a piece of plexi - glass was smashed . Though no supporters were hurt at the incident , it raised safety concerns . When the same section of glass smashed again at a training session the following Tuesday , serious questions regarding the safety of players and spectators watching top flight hockey at Lee Valley emerged . Unable to find a new venue or secure agreement on improving safety at Lee Valley , the Racers withdrew their team from competitions on November 21 .