LONDON, UK – The famous arches of Alexandra Palace have seen a lot of drama since the rink opened in 1990, but a fortnight ago it witnessed another memory that will live long in the minds of those present.
The ice hockey teams based here have had a varied history from the championships of the late nineties in the old English Division 1, through to the struggling days of the English Premier League and the brief glimpse of Elite League hockey, and subsequent mothballing.
These days the league team compete in NIHL 2, slowly building from the bottom with a committed bunch of players and a team owner who played junior hockey in the Palace and has been a senior player through the good and bad times.
Dave Richards Junior is now in his third season calling the shots at the London Haringey Racers, and has brought some much needed stability to a team not short on controversy and chaos in the past.
“It has been an experience bringing hockey back to the Palace” he admits in his broad cockney accent.
“We have had great highs with four figure crowds at times but in truth, it’s the hard work of people like my wife Verity and the volunteers we have here that keep the club running. I just write the cheques”.
Band and Richards all smiles
“This season I really want us to kick on and try to win something which is why we have brought Drew (Campbell) back in and a few other guys that have some real talent to be up there in the mix when it matters”
Richards’ enthusiasm has not been jaded by running a hockey team and indeed the sport and the hockey family were there to support him when he and Verity lost their daughter Ruby aged just 4 months earlier this year.
It was a heart-breaking moment for the young Richards family, and one which defined the club over the summer with the term ‘Ruby’s Racers’ borne out of the tragedy.
In typical generous fashion, Richards declared the recent cup game against Slough Jets as an official memorial game for Ruby Richards to benefit the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Trust.
The charity received hundreds of pounds as a result and the storyline could not have gone better for the Racers as they won 6-1 with none other than Mr Richards scoring the opening goal.
The added bonus was that it was his long-time friend and team mate Lee Mercer providing the perfect saucer pass across the ice for Dave to convert and celebrate with his team mates under the famous arches of the Palace.
“To be honest the goal has been a long time coming” admits the 32 year old, not known for his prolific scoring ability.
“It was even more special to start the game with friends like Merc and Bandy (Alastair Band) on the ice and the emotions were hard to control”.
“Everything was a bit fuzzy and surreal while I was out there, but most importantly it gave the team a boost and we went on to win 6-1 and really kick start our season”.
The Racers have their work cut out in NIHL 2 with Chelmsford Warriors already leading the way at the top of the league in the East, and Cardiff and Bristol putting together strong rosters in the West.
The aforementioned Player Coach Drew Campbell has a tough job, but Richards is confident things will go well this year.
“We only had one pre-season game with a bunch of new guys and new systems and I think that was a mistake on the clubs part but we’ve scored goals and that’s normally a massive problem for any club but not ours it appears”
“This year we needed to get the win against Slough as it was a cup game and we want to be in the hunt for every trophy come the back end of the year”
Trophies may still evade the Racers this season however a 15-1 win over Invicta Mustangs last weekend will raise expectation levels higher. Recent history suggests a long term view is crucial to the success of the club and Richards agrees.
“The ambition for Racers Hockey is to help younger guys and be a platform for them whatever league we are in, but most of all we just love hockey and hope we can try and share it with the people of London”
“That’s why we do the deals on tickets and kids go free, we will never stop those deals as we want to create exposure for the game and get as many people involved as possible whilst at the same time try and win some trophies along the way”
If you want to donate to the Ruby’s Racers fund click the link HERE
Contact the author: david.carr@prohockeynews.com
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