American hard guy joins London's fight

The American man-mountain who racked up most penalty minutes by a defenceman in the National Hockey League last season makes his debut for London Racers this weekend. At 6ft 6in and 230lb Eric Cairns has a fearsome reputation as one of the toughest competitors on American ice and will be the top draw when the Racers take on the Belfast Giants at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on Saturday night.

Cairns and Scott Nichol, who has also joined London, are the latest imports to come to Europe following the shutdown of the NHL in America. The dispute followed an attempt by club owners to impose a salary cap.

Cairns is a close friend and former team-mate of London Racers coach Dennis Maxwell, who was determined to take full advantage of the lockout by bringing the two NHL superstars to the capital.

"I wanted a different experience and because of the lockout, I knew I had an opportunity to play somewhere else," said 31-year-old Cairns, who joined the Florida Panthers in the summer before the lockout was announced.

"I've known Dennis for a long time and I could not pass up the chance to help him out in his first year of coaching. I really loved London when I visited before and I'm going to enjoy being in a new place and around a great friend."

Nichol spent yesterday adjusting to the culture shock after taking his first look at the Lee Valley ice. The 30-year-old has played 208 NHL games scoring 20 goals but is used to crowds of 20,000 at the Blackhawks' United Center rink in Chicago.