Fans of the original Lions from the 80s/90s will be very familiar with the Finns we had on the team. One of the last was Marko Pieniniemi and you can read all about his hockey career in this article published by Mark Easton.
Author: Julianne
Interested in playing for the Lions this season?
*EDIT: As London is currently under Tier 4 restrictions the ice rink is closed and no training sessions can go ahead. This position will remain unchanged until London is moved into a lower tier that allows ice rinks to operate.*
Lee Valley Ice Centre has re-opened and we are running sessions on Tuesday evenings from 8.15pm, with a £10 charge towards ice time. If you are interested in playing for the Lions this season then you need to first call Eddie Joseph on 07958 743680 to book your place.
IMPORTANT: For you to be allowed to go on the ice you must bring a completed Hockey Health Declaration Seniors form to each session you attend. This is a requirement of the rink management, so if you don’t bring your form you won’t be able to skate.
No date for resumption of hockey as yet
Lee Valley Ice Centre has re-opened, but there is currently no date as to when hockey can get started again at the rink. As soon as there is any news it will be posted here.
EIHA statement on the return of hockey 2020/21
“The phased approach back into ice hockey will be dictated by government advice on the resumption of indoor physical activity and this guidance to assist clubs in planning a return to play. Ice rinks were given permission to re-open in England from 1 August. We can now move to Phase 2 of our Return to Play plan from 1 August.”
As soon as we know when training/trials can start back up at Lee Valley we’ll post the info here.
Edit: On 31 July the UK government stated that ice rinks in England cannot re-open before 15 August, so plans to re-start hockey will now be delayed. Lee Valley Ice Centre has said that it will having a phased re-opening from 17 August and you can read more about its plans here.
URGENT: Support the proposal for a new twin-ice facility at Lee Valley
In order to preserve ice hockey at Lee Valley it’s essential that everyone tells Waltham Forest Council that they support the proposed twin-ice facility as soon as possible. If the proposal isn’t passed then it is likely the existing rink won’t be sustained for much longer and hockey/skating at Lee Valley will be lost forever. Please tell the council what a new rink will mean to you by sending an email to dmconsultations@walthamforest.gov.uk, quoting Application ID 194162. Here’s a template you can use:
Dear Sir/Madam
I am writing to you as a [user of /visitor to] Lee Valley Ice Centre and I support plans to replace this vital community asset. [I/my family] use the ice centre [insert whatever reason – ice hockey, skating, children’s skating etc] on a [regular/frequent/occasional] basis. A new ice centre would allow me to… [insert a couple of lines on what a new ice centre means to you].
If Lee Valley Ice Centre could not be replaced and had to close it would [insert a few lines what the impact of losing the venue would be on you].
Best wishes
[Insert name]