Fife Flyers’ new coach on his ethos, signings, and his strong Scottish roots

“I spend the day with the phone growing out of my ear,” he said as we chatted just days after his announcement as Fife Flyers’ new head coach.

He’s starting with a blank sheet on day one of a new era for the Kirkcaldy club with new owners and a new vision for a team which can trace its roots back to before the outbreak of World War II.

Russell is due to arrive in town in August, ahead of the puck dropping for a 2025-26 season that some fans feared might not even happen when a ‘for sale’ sign was pinned above the dressing-room door after a traumatic December saw the club come perilously close to collapse.

The formal conclusion to Max Birbraer’s takeover drew a line under what had gone before, and signalled a new start - a new team, new coach, new sense of direction and new energies on and off the ice.

“It has been really really busy, but fantastic,” said Russell. “Max and I speak four or five times a day - and I’m busy on the phone talking to agents, players and coaches, identifying the guys we want, then watching video on them. It’s full steam ahead - and very exciting.”

Starting out with a blank canvas isn’t new to the coach, and the fact he has carried out complete rebuilds with ECHL outfits Elmira Jackals - where he coached Flyers’ netminder Shane Owen - and Worscester Railers was a key point for the club’s new owners.

“I think I kept one player and ended up trading him,” he recalled. “Worcester was an expansion team and there was no expansion draft, so you started from scratch. It was my responsibility to manage and maintain the affiliations with the NHL organisation at New York islanders and that was a great experience. I really enjoyed it.”

Russell’s coaching career in North America ran until 2024 when he moved to Europe to become head coach with Slovakian outfit HKM Zvolen and then on to Italy and Ritten Renon who ice in the Alps League.

That then gave him his introduction to UK hockey as his club crossed swords with Cardiff Devils in the Continental Cup.

“I was familiar with the EIHL and watching Cardiff I was really impressed,” he said. “In the Alps League we had four imports, Slovakia had seven - Cardiff had 15! I spent time with their staff and picked their brains on the league, and their organisation - they are a very successful club.”

That link led eventually to Fife.

“I was in discussions with other teams in Europe and North America when Max reached out and we had a great conversation. He knows the league and had great success as a player here and was also familiar with the NHL organisations at New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers organisations. He is a hockey guy through and through.

“So, it is very exciting to be able to work with Max and build something special. We have an opportunity to establish a new culture and identify, and for players that is also exciting to be part of.”

The roster has yet to take shape, but Russell admits most of it will be names new to the Fife dressing-room.

“We are getting off to a later start than some clubs who are wrapping up their rosters and mopping up their last few players, but there is time. There are also some advantages - some teams are done and there are guys just becoming available for many reasons that they won’t get. We want to move quickly and get players signed, but we want them to be the right decisions and the right guys. We only have a certain number of player cards we can use.”

That work is well underway and the new owners are keen to keep the good news coming on a regular, if not daily, basis to rekindle a fan base that stuck with the team through thick and thin last season.

And what can they expect on the ice? “My team will be hard working, play with passion and be hard to play against,” said the coach. “ We will be physical, strong in defence and have speed and skill. The team we want is one to reflect the values that we find in Kirkcaldy. Not every game will go your way but the fans will go home saying they saw they guys work their asses off.”

Russell will join his players in Kirkcaldy in August, and while Fife is new territory, Scotland most certainly is not.

His dad was born and raised in Elgin, served in the British Navy in World War II, and transferred to a Canadian destroyer before emigrating. His mum was educated in Perth, and one of his sons is heading to university in Edinburgh this autumn.

He came here for a family holiday aged 20. Now a life in hockey, which has taken him to many places, brings him full circle

“We have wonderful experiences of hockey around world, but those Scottish roots hold special memories.”