Fife Flyers: Squad back in training ahead of Dundee Stars double header​

With the nights drawing in, every hockey fan knows the normal order of weekend life is returning, as proved by Flyers’ squad returning to training on Tuesday.

Twelve months ago newly appointed head coach Tom Coolen was at the helm as a new era for Flyers was about to commence.

After a compressed recruitment window, Coolen’s newly assembled team used two weeks of training camp and exhibition matches to form the basis of relationships and on ice understandings that would develop as the season progressed and ultimately provide fans with more highs than lows in eight months of fluctuating fortunes.

Earlier this summer the head coach drew an analogy between recruitment and fishing, being able to know when to try and hook signing targets and when to move on.

It’s been a process that has resulted in another exciting dynamic with a roster that still has a North American core but with the addition of talent from eastern Europe and in particular fans, not only the Flyers faithful, will be eager to see the impact the four Kazakhstan additions have on the Elite Ice Hockey League.

There are obvious parallels to be drawn to the late 1980s when the Flyers ‘broke with tradition’ and signed three world class Czechoslovakian players in what was a completely different era to now.

Before blades hit the ice on Saturday night in Dundee and then the return game against the Stars at Fife Ice Arena on Sunday there will have been a significant logistical effort to complete.

Getting accommodation ready, airport collections of players at the start of the week, hopefully this time with no lost kit in transit, cars to be collected and everything that goes with getting acclimated to new surroundings on and off the ice.

With 15 new faces in town that’s a lot of familiarisation and life adjustments whilst trying to get up to speed with on ice matters.

That’s why the next couple of weeks are important. Building friendships off the ice and in the room, shaking off the game rust and building on conditioning, starting to create a team ethos as coach and players learn about each other and forging partnerships with line mates whilst starting to dissect the detail of the game.

It takes a bit of time to even get some of the basics in place and secondary to all of the above will be wins and losses for now.

For Flyers fans it will be a first chance to see the new faces do their thing and make some early decisions on who their favourite player(s) might be.

Sunday night will also see people meet up again with many who they consider to be part of their extended family and with whom they talk and share a laugh for two thirds of the year.

In many ways at this time of every season it can be considered a new era as the expectations and aspirations of the team and fans alike are established.

One thing that binds everyone together however is the sense that it’s good to have hockey back.