Fife Flyers return to the ice on Wednesday as they prepare for their first pre-season challenge game against arch rivals, Dundee Stars, on Saturday (7pm). They entertain the Tayside team in a return on Sunday (5pm).
The newcomers trained on Sunday night, had Monday off and were in the gym, on the bike or weight training, on Tuesday as the build-up continues.
Coach Jamie Russell confirmed all the players signed have acclimatised well and are keen to get going in competitive action.
Time has flown by for Russell, a retired ice hockey defenceman, as he pulls a global jig saw together to make up the new-look Fife Flyers.
The club’s head coach has hardly had time to breath since he said yes to the job, working on player recruitment, visas, accommodation and equipment and so much more.
However, things are taking shape and the club will ice in their first competitive fixture, a double-header challenge against arch rivals, Dundee Stars, this weekend.
It’s a change from their pre-season schedule which was thrown into the bin when Romanian club, CSM Corona Brasov, suffered travel problems and were unable to fly into Scotland last week.
Russell admitted that everything possible has been thrown at the club’s new bosses, but they have come through and there is light at the end of the tunnel. All playing personnel have arrived in the Kingdom.
They face a gruelling week of practice as they get to know their new coach who was originally attracted by the challenge of lifting Britain’s oldest professional ice hockey club up the Elite League table.
Frankly, the only way is up for Russell and the new ownership after two tough years, last year in particular, when they propped up the rest by a long way.
But there is fresh optimism at The Fife Ice Arena and 59-year-old, Canadian-born Russell, is at the forefront of the revival.
Basically, he and Kazakhstan-born Israeli international ice hockey forward, Max Birbraer, the club’s general manager and president, have re-built the roster from scratch.
They could possibly add another, as yet, unnamed player this week, but Russell, who was head coach at Italian club Ritten/Renon, who play in the Apls Hockey League, last season, is keeping his cards close to his chest.
He is, however, confident his new recruits have the character, work ethic and desire to make Flyers a force and Russell has found his first week in Scotland to be “awesome”, as well as being extremely busy and demanding.
He was, however, enthused by a fan night hosted at the rink last weekend when his newcomers, plus the Kirkcaldy Kestrels, staged a practice and also involved fans in a skate with the players session. The supporters loved it and so did the new head coach who described it as a “fantastic event”.
The loss of the challenge double-header against Brasov was not a set-back for Russell who is vast experience of college and professional hockey in North America and elsewhere.
Why? Because his hand-built squad would have gone in against the Romanian tourists with only three days of practice, now he has a week to prepare.
The new bosses took over in the Spring after the former directors stood down after nearly three decades in charge, and Russell said: “What Max and the new ownership team have done here is a miracle.”
Birbraer and Russell basically had a blank canvas as regards players, and he conceded it was a challenge, but they have now recruited 15 imports and he said: “We believe they are the right guys for the job.
“We have built the foundations and they have leadership qualities, they have character and a lot of the guys are serial winners.
“Now, they have to get up to speed quickly and, thankfully, everybody is here. We will possibly have another import in this week, but we shall see.”
Rome was not built in a day, a point conceded by Russell, and fans will have to be patient as the players get to know each other and the chemistry kicks in, but Russell firmly believes that the new team can make Fife Flyers great again. Time will tell.
