First incarnation (1984-1995)
The Lee Valley Lions were formed in early 1984. In their first season, they finished in sixth place in the British League Division 1, the second tier of British ice hockey at the time. The next season, the team finished in second place, losing their last game to fall out of first place. [1]
From 1986/87 through to 1989/90, the Lions languished near the bottom of the league, never finishing higher than seventh place. In 1988/89, the Lions would have been relegated if not for the expulsion of the Deeside Dragons from the league. In 1990 British Engine became the team's main sponsor, prompting a change in the team's colours from the original white/green/blue, to red/black/white. The 1990/91 through 1994/1995 seasons were no better than what had preceded them, with the Lions remaining near the bottom of the league table, and in danger of relegation at the end of the 1994/95 season.
Financial difficulties led the Lions to fold in 1995. [1]
Second incarnation (2005-present)
In 2005, the Lee Valley Lions were reformed under former player Eddie Joseph. [1] [2] It was to compete in the English National Ice Hockey League with the team mainly comprising players from the junior system and some former players from the first incarnation. The team also returned to its traditional white, green, and blue colours. In their return season, the Lions struggled, suffered several heavy defeats, and failed to register any points. The team finished bottom of the league, losing all of their matches. The following season (2006/07) saw wholesale changes made to the team, with new coach Sergei Smolenko being brought in alongside former Chelmsford Chieftains Captain James Hatfull to bolster the team's experience. Whilst there were significant improvements, the league positions during this period were unchanged with the Lions never finishing higher than seventh (2007/08) under the new coach. With the reorganisation of the league structure for the beginning of the 2008/09 season, the Lee Valley Lions competed in the English National Ice Hockey League South Two (which itself was renamed the National Ice Hockey League South Two in time for the 2012/13 season).
There was some small non-league-related success achieved at the end of the 2007/08 season when the Lions travelled to the Isle of Wight for the first Vectis Tigers "Ice Cube Tournament" which involved several English National Ice Hockey League and senior recreational teams. After remaining unbeaten and winning their group on goal difference ahead of the hosts, the Lions beat the former English Premier Ice Hockey League side the Solihull Barons in the semi-final 4–1, followed by a 7–0 win in the final over the London University Dragons.
The 2009/10 season brought a period of stagnation and under performance for the Lee Valley Lions, unaltered by two changes in Head Coach (Ian Prince and then David Richards). Between 2009/10 and 2014/15 the best final league position achieved was seventh in the 2011/12 season.
Under the coaching of Garry Dodds and former Netminder George Alley, there appeared to be an upturn in the fortunes of the Lions. The 2014/15 season saw them finish in fifth place, the best league position since the 1985/86 season when they had been runners-up in the old British league Division One. The following year the team improved again to finish fourth, and the 2016/17 season brought another creditable fifth in the league.
The last season of George Alley's tenure as Head Coach (2017/18) coincided with a league restructure which pitted powerful former National Ice Hockey League South 1 teams such as Bracknell Hornets, Chelmsford Chieftains, Oxford City Stars and Solent Devils against the traditionally weaker South 2 sides. This saw the return of the Lions struggling at the lower end of the league. Only one league win was registered via the forfeiture of a game by the Swindon Wildcats NIHL2 team. The season's end saw the coach and most of the team leave. The 2018/19 season started with James Joseph leading the team in his first coaching position whilst retaining his role as the club's longest-serving Defenceman. With a short-benched team, mainly consisting of veteran, former recreational and junior players experiencing their first taste of senior league hockey, the Lions struggled for any consistency. The team managed a single win during the season, 5–0 away to Swindon Wildcats NIHL2. The 2019/20 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lions did not play during the 2020/21 season due to the league cancelling all games due to the pandemic. In June 2021 it was announced that the team's home, the Lee Valley Ice Centre would be closing for 16 months for major renovation work, with the team playing out of the Cambridge Ice Arena.
Eddie Joseph
