London is home to fantastic sports, with the likes of football, rugby and horse racing regularly staged at various venues around the city.
Delve a little deeper and there’s plenty of other sports worth checking out, but did you know that the London area has a resurgent ice hockey scene?
The London Racers’ brief flirtation with the Elite League ended in 2005, but there are now numerous clubs helping to raise the profile of the sport across the city.
Read on to find out more about the ice hockey organisations around London.
London Raiders
The London Raiders are an ice hockey team based at the new Sapphire Ice & Leisure Centre in Romford.
The Raiders play in the South Division 1 of the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), the second tier of the sport in Britain.
The club recently returned to Romford after a spell playing out of Lee Valley and the move could be the catalyst for a top flight franchise in the capital further down the line.
Use this 10bet casino offer to boost your bankroll to bet on the Elite League and keep an eye on the Raiders’ progress as they bid to develop over the next couple of years.
Streatham IHC
One of the oldest British clubs still in existence, they were founded in 1932 as Streatham, before adding the name Redskins in 1974.
The club were one of the leading teams in the British Hockey League during the 1980s, with their biggest rivals being the Nottingham Panthers.
Streatham are now nicknamed the RedHawks and compete alongside the Raiders in NIHL South Division 1. Former London Racers, Newcastle Vipers and Sheffield Steelers enforcer Jeremy Cornish is currently the club’s head coach.
Haringey Huskies
The Haringey Huskies are members of NIHL South Division 2 and play their home games at the iconic Alexandra Palace.
The Haringey name has been synonymous with the British game dating back as far as the 1930s. The Racers and the Greyhounds have been used as nicknames, although it’s the former which is the most well-known.
The London Racers utilised the Haringey Racers lineage within their marketing, but their demise saw the name disappear for a few years.
The Haringey Racers returned to the ice in NIHL South for the 2013/14 season, but they were replaced in 2017 by the Huskies.
Lee Valley Lions
The Lee Valley Lions are based in Leyton, East London, where they play at the Lee Valley Ice Centre.
They were originally formed in early 1984, and after a series of friendlies the 1984/85 season was their first in competition.
The club competed in Heineken Division 1, but they suffered a gradual decline in fortunes and disbanded in 1995 for financial reasons.
Lee Valley Lions was reformed in 2005 and now plays in NIHL South Division 2.
