Tony Hand delighted Murrayfield Racers have some key players signed up already

Tony Hand says he is delighted to have assembled some of his Murrayfield Racers squad already for when ice hockey resumes.

The sport – like all others – is currently in shutdown due to the coronavirus crisis, but that isn’t stopping Racers chief hand preparing for when he can finally ice his team.

So far Marty Simpson, Garry Simpson, Ross Borwick, Scott Geddes, Craig Douglas and Rihars Grigors have committed to the Capital club.

Hand is delighted to have all of them on board, but made particular reference to securing experienced netminder Douglas.

The 30-year-old had previously spent the bulk of his career in Fife, icing for Kirkcaldy Kestrels in the SNL and the Flyers in the Elite League.

He joined the Racers last September, but Hand believes he will be able to play a bigger role with a full pre-season under his belt.

“I’m delighted that Craig has agreed to stay with the Racers,” he said.

“He played a big part in our success last season and I’m expecting even more from him next year.

“He’s planning to put in plenty of fitness work during the summer and that will help him hit the ground running when we return to action.

“Having spent time in the EIHL we know that Craig has more to offer – he’s an important piece of the puzzle for us and we’ll definitely reap the benefits of him having a full pre-season under his belt.”

Racers were unable to complete their 2019/20 schedule due to the pandemic, with Scottish Ice Hockey cancelling all competitive action until at least the end of May.

The campaign was still a successful one, with the team retaining the Stuart Robertson Cup and winning the NIHL North Cup for the first time.

The Racers also finished as runners-up in the Scottish National League (SNL) behind Solway Sharks and had reached the final of the Scottish Cup against Paisley Pirates.

SIH is still hoping to stage its Cup Finals event later this year, potentially giving the Racers the chance to secure an impressive cup treble, and Hand is glad that preparations are under way for that eventuality.

“Although everything is up in the air at the moment, we’re keen to keep things ticking over and Craig’s signing and our other returnees will hopefully show everyone that we mean business,” added Hand.