The president of the Original Stars Hockey League has denied reports the league has suspended play, saying a statement released Wednesday with league letterhead was not genuine.

The news release from the Sarnia Sports & Entertainment Centre had the headline, "OSHL Suspends Pre-Season Play" on OSHL letterhead.

However, OSHL president Randy Gumbley later called Toronto all-sports radio station the Fan 590 to deny that the league was suspending play.

A fan holds up a sign as Wade Belak of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates past following the first Original Stars of Hockey League game in Barrie, Ont., on Sept. 17, 2004. (CP Photo/Adrian Wyld)

He did admit, however, that the league has postponed some of its pre-season games but is going ahead with a regular season slated to start Oct. 7.

An OSHL spokesman also told The Canadian Press that the news release was not accurate and did not come from the league, and that all games would go on as planned, including Wednesday night's contest in Kitchener, Ont.

"We'll re-assess the rest of the pre-season games after tonight's game in Kitchener," Gumbley told The Canadian Press. "But for now, it's full steam ahead."

The release said that the league "plans to take the necessary time to sign additional players, finalize scheduling and sponsorship deals" before continuing play.

Gumbley was quoted in the release as saying: "We would like to have had a year to plan this calibre of entertainment, instead we've had three weeks."

The four-on-four exhibition series is designed to give NHL players a place to play while they wait out the NHL labour impasse.

Although the six-team league features players such as Vancouver Canucks goalie Dan Cloutier, Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Bryan McCabe, Boston Bruins netminder Andrew Raycroft and Phoenix Coyotes forward Mike Comrie, the games don't resemble NHL hockey.

According to league rules, body checking isn't allowed, line changes are made only on the fly and penalties result in penalty shots. Exhibition shootouts follow each 17-minute period.

Toronto beat Detroit 16-13 in the opener last Friday, which attracted 2,176 fans in Barrie, Ont. Only a few hundred fans paid to see Boston defeat Montreal 14-11 on Monday night in Brampton, Ont.

with files from Canadian Press