Around the rinks: Clubs thank fans, restart hopes dashed & Long proposal

Your Christmas look around the rinks. Hang your hat on February? Hopes of a January restart for the Elite League and NIHL clubs appear to be remote, with work now looking at getting something on the ice in February. A report in the Sheffield Star says: “Steelers’ owner and EIHL chief Tony Smith remains confident that action will resume, although his projected start date of January now seems extremely unlikely.”