Fife Flyers could have two former National Hockey League (NHL) forwards with over 1,500 games behind them in their squad for the trip to Glasgow Clan in the Elite League on Friday (19.30).
David Booth was due in Scotland early on Friday and Milan Lucic, arrived in the Kingdom on Thursday morning. Flyers hope his paperwork is cleared on time.
Booth, aged 41, has played in over 500 games in the National Hockey League (NHL), and Lucic arrives in the Kingdom with 1,177 regular-season NHL games behind him. He helped Boston Bruins lift the Stanley Cup in 2011 and also iced for Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames during 17 seasons in the world’s top ice hockey league.
The 37-year-old will know a face in the Flyers dressing-room as club captain, Garet Hunt, iced with the newcomer in the Western Hockey League with Vancouver Giants.
Another former NHL player, Simon Despres, who was drafted by Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, and also played for Anaheim Ducks, misses the game at Braehead having picked up a suspension in last Sunday’s home defeat to Nottingham Panthers.
And his fellow defenceman, Jeremy Masella, remains on the injury list.
Russell, Fife’s head coach, said he will manage the minutes of Booth and Lucic if they are both cleared to play in light of their travel and the fact that they have not played competitively in recent days. He also appreciates that it will take time for them both to adjust.
That’s not just to the style of play, but also to getting used to their new team-mates, the environment, different officiating and also adjusting to the size of ice rinks in this country.
However, their addition should allow Russell the facility to use four lines and to spell his players, saving them from being burned out during games, a real issue in recent months due to a heavy injury list.
The well-appointed Braehead Arena, should, he added, give Booth and Lucic a favourable impression of the sport in this country, and he added: “We’re looking for them to play in Glasgow.”
Overall, Russell does not believe Fife have been at their best against Clan so far this term. Results are not good. The sides have met in the league before this season, Clan winning 5-2 at The Fife Ice Arena on Saturday, November 22, the pair clashed on four occasions in the Challenge Cup, Fife losing out every time.
This could be an ideal time to face the men from Braehead with Corey Neilson’s men having been knockout out of the Challenge Cup on home ice by Nottingham Panthers on Wednesday in the elimination game. Panthers now face arch rivals, Sheffield Steelers, in the semi-final, incidentally.
Clan outshot Panthers, the current league pace-setters, 28-24 but lost 4-1. The sides blanked the opening session, but the visitors won the middle period 2-1 and the final session 2-0 and Neilson said: “Score one goal at home, before an energetic crowd, not good enough.
“They (Nottingham) blocked a ton of shots and it was really difficult to get the puck to their net, but I do not think we matched that intensity, both defensively and offensively.”
He will certainly look for a bounce back from his squad against Flyers who could feel the blast. Of course, Neilson’s 22-year-old son, Logan, is in Fife’s squad and goes into the game after converting a fine solo goal last weekend which helped set-up a confidence-boosting 5-3 win over Coventry Blaze at Kirkcaldy.
Nottingham accounted for Flyers 4-1 in the Lace City last Sunday, but the Kirkcaldy club have had a full week to prepare for tonight (FRI) and are undoubtedly searching for a boost as they head into a busy Festive schedule.
The Fife club prop up the rest with seven points from 20 games. Clan are sixth with 18 points from the same number of starts and Neilson will not wish to contemplate two home defeats in three days. They also come into the game on an “unfortunate” recent run of results.
His men have found the net on 41 occasions so far, the third worst total in the division, and they have shipped 58, while Fife are the lowest scorers on 34 and they have let in 87, 18 more than second-bottom Dundee Stars.
A road win would set-up a pre-Christmas cracker at Kirkcaldy on Saturday when Clan visit in the return (face-off 7pm) and Russell said the signing of the two ex-NHL players has created a buzz around the rink and in the town.
Now he hopes that energy can translate into improved performances from his squad.
