British hockey teams fear virus could put sport on thin ice

Ciaran Long found work delivering books to Northern Ireland’s libraries. Luke Ferrara caught on with a team in France before switching to a squad in Poland.

Both would prefer to be skating with their British ice hockey teams — Long for the Belfast Giants and Ferrara for the Coventry Blaze.

If the Elite Ice Hockey League is unable to squeeze in a condensed season in early 2021 after suspending its scheduled start in September, the players fear that British hockey could be set back years. Time is running out.

“Everyone would be grateful if we can get something going within the next couple of months,” said Long, a 29-year-old left wing. “For the future of the league, I think it would be great if anything happens.”

British hockey had been on a roll before the coronavirus. The league, with its feisty, physical style that relies heavily on late-career North American imports, boasts of rising attendance. The national team broke into the top level of the world championship alongside the likes of Sweden, Russia and Canada.

Liam Kirk became the first player born and trained in England to be drafted by an NHL team when the Arizona Coyotes drafted him in 2018.

Right on cue, Ferrara ended last season as the first British player to lead the EIHL in goals. The right wing scored 33 by the time the season was abandoned in March.

“People are starting to recognize British hockey more than they have in the past,” the 27-year-old Ferrara said.

With the world championship still scheduled to start in May in Belarus and Latvia, Ferrara worries his national team won’t be prepared to compete against game-ready opponents who are playing in domestic leagues across Europe.

“We can’t go into the world championships playing against Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic if we’ve had half our team not playing for over a year,” said Ferrara, who now plays for a team in Krakow. “That’s the main reason why I’ve been bouncing around teams and trying to just play wherever I can.

“There’s a line or two of our national team just not able to play. They’re probably really hoping for the UK league to start back up again.”

Unlike soccer’s Premier League, the 10-team EIHL doesn’t have lucrative TV deals to underwrite a season without fans and ticket revenue.