The loneliness of the long distance ice hockey player

And right now, the club has never felt that far away.

The Canadian centreman was eagerly looking forward to his fifth stint in South Yorkshire when the pandemic took hold.

Now, like all of his team-mates from the Challenge Cup winning side, he has no idea if and when the EIHL season will re-start.There is a small chance of a tournament in the New Year, but that window seems to be closing.

Club owner Tony Smith has said the recent Government pause on allowing sports fans back into grounds and arenas probably "means there is likely to be no point in restarting until August next year."

The ongoing uncertainty is hard on professional sportsmen.

Armstrong summed it up from his home in Calgary: "It’s been a tough off-season, no doubt about that.

"Athletes are built to work towards goals and during the off season that means being physically fit by the start of camp.

"Without a solid start date, it’s tough to find the motivation to train, but you just have to stay positive.

"Just like all the other guys, I’m trying to train for the best-case scenario while preparing mentally for the worst-case.

"I really hope a January or February start will happen, but unfortunately with the new lockdown measures likely to be in place for the next six months I’m not confident that it will."

Because of the EIHL freeze, Armstrong and others are having to seek spots on alternative rosters.

They are even having to run the rule over teams and leagues that they would not normally associate with.

"My first choice would be to play in Sheffield. However, since it does not look like the EIHL will start in the near future I am looking for a job elsewhere" said the 32-year-old."I am currently working with an agent who has been keeping me updated on potential opportunities.

"This season, there’s a huge surplus of hockey players looking for jobs which makes the process a lot more difficult.

"Consequently, I am open to play in some leagues that I normally wouldn’t consider.

"So far I have had two opportunities but neither was the right fit for my family."In a recent interview with the Press Association, Smith, who is also chairman of the EIHL, said: “Our clubs are very robust and I don’t think any of them are worried about closing down for a year.

“The 10 clubs that are with us now have been with us for quite some time, so it is important we make the point that we are strong and that we fully expect to grow and go forward with at least 10 clubs.

"You’ve got to take the positives out of this" said the Sheffield businessman.

“There were some dark days for this sport in the Superleague era but everybody has pulled together, the harmony in the boardroom is better and all the businesses are much stronger now."