Fife Flyers coach on 'hunger' to get back to normality and 2020-21 season

The announcement of a start date and a structure for the 2020-21 ice hockey season opens the door to player recruitment getting underway in earnest for Fife Flyers.

Todd Dutiaume, head coach, welcomed the Elite League’s outline plan to start the season in November and run through to May 2021.

Flyers are one of several teams in the league yet to make any signing announcements, but they do have players in the pipeline – and now they can go back and firm up deals.

Dutiaume said: “The league and the teams all face incredibly tough jobs right now.

“We have been speaking to players and have a good idea of their plans, but the biggest hurdle was a start date and confirmation of the length of the season. They are among the first questions a player will ask. Now we have them, we have some clarity.

“I know players will have many questions, and rightly so – what happens if there is a second wave or a localised lockdown, what is the protocol for testing? These are all issues we need to be able to answer when finalising contracts.”

With a later start envisaged, the normal summer recruitment schedule can now be extended into autumn before the team comes together ahead of the face-off in November, playing on until May 2021.

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That delay impacts of individuals who normally take jobs outwith the sport during the off-season, and their own long-established routines for getting into shape.

And the fact leagues around the globe are now starting at different times will bring big changes over who is available, and when, and if they are prepared to travel.

It’s a completely news landscape for all coaches and general managers – and one that could easily change as the pandemic is tackled in different ways across continents.

Dutiaume admitted: “We know some leagues are starting ahead of the UK, while we don’t know yet when the lower leagues in North America will be back.“The staggered starts may shape a player’s thinking, but I know the guys want jobs, and want the security of having a place lined up.

“There are so many factors outwith our control, but we are where we are, and it is important to signal the sport’s return.

“People have a hunger to get back to normality. If hockey is part of your routine then you want to get that back, so the league’s announcements signal that we are moving towards that.”

Dutiaume accepts that Government guidelines could change in the event of localised outbreaks, and working across devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland leaves the league exposed to potentially different restrictions across borders.

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“We are where we are,” he said. “There are a huge number of questions on how we operate going ahead.

“How do you socially distance an ice rink? How do we get in and out safely?

“It has to be health and safety first and foremost. We already do a lot of work off ice keeping the guys healthy and looking after their wellbeing, but this virus takes it to a new level.”

With lockdown restrictions easing and a route map now in place, the recruitment process can start to step up, but November remains some time away.

“It’s not an ideal time to start a season,” admitted Dutiaume. “As a player you have your standard summer off, and by Christmas you are into the key part of a season with big games and lots of derbies; matches which have been built up since the start. Then you start looking to the play-offs

“Now that key point will be the start of the season. It will be very different, but it is much better than no season.”

His priority now is to unveil his first signings for the 2020-21 campaign to re-ignite fans’ enthusiasm.

“When everything was shut down, other than keeping in touch, there was not a lot that could be done - we’d normally be working away at the rink - but everyone is ready to get going. I hope we can get some news out in the next week or two.”