Why Fife Flyers’ interim coach is putting pride before points

Pride before points is Johnny Curran’s focus as he gets to grips with his role as interim coach at Fife Flyers.

The Canadian forward stepped into the position last month as Flyers almost hit the rocks. With coach Tom Coolen axed, the last of the remaining Kazakh players heading home and Drake Pilon quitting at a time several players were out injured, Flyers need outside help to shore up the bench just to meet roster requirements. Without it, their season would have ended there and then.

The club has won just two of its 26 league games and is worryingly adrift at the foot of the table. There’s no talk of play-off pushes - instead the goal is finding positives each week and building a better ending than start to the 2024-25 campaign.

A 3-1 loss to Coventry Blaze could easily have thrown up a point, maybe two, and even the 7-1 loss at Guildford the next night simply illustrated the complete lack of luck coming their way. The outcome was emphatic, but Curran could point to two posts being struck, three two one one breaks and a penalty shot missed. He accepts Flames may still have hit seven given the errors made, but Fife’s contribution was greater than the solitary goal they brought home from the longest of road trips.

One observer summed up the night - and perhaps the season: “The effort is there, the outcome isn't.”

Turning things round is an on-going process.

“We need more shots, more bounces. We had 35 shots against Coventry which was much better - but we need to to be more lethal in front of the net,” he said.

The interim coach takes his team into another testing weekend with a home game against Dundee Stars on Saturday and a road trip to Sheffield Steelers on Sunday. Influential forward Phelix Martineau remains ‘day to day’ in terms of a return from injury, but the club is close to a definitive answer for the road ahead. What they won’t do is play him while he is hurt.

His absence has been offset by the arrival of new faces Kieran Craig and Charles-Antoine Paiment, but the team still has a fragility which is clear to see if it falls several goals behind.

Curran’s focus has been to try to change that mindset, confident that the players on the bench have the skills to win. They just need that injection of self belief which has been obliterated by a string of losses.

“The players are mentally strong, “ he said, “but some have simply never been in this position before. I’ve been through it at school, and I know there is a way out of it. I also believe we can get through it and get something out of this season.

“Charles and Kieran haven’t been through the past few months with this team. They just want to skate and play hockey - they are not as down so it is good to get them into the line-up. New guys coming in gives everyone a lift.” He continued: “We’ve told the guys we are not concerned by results. We want pride back in their personal game, the team game and the logo. Results and play-offs are not a concern right now. We have to play the right way, and be able to say we had 20-25 games of really good hockey going into the end of the season.”

Curran accepts a win would do wonders for the team - but not in isolation.

“When you see there is progress and the process changing they see things can work. We want to go and do great things but it can’t be followed by four of five losses or bad performances. We’re changing things in practice - making the sessions crispier - and getting that mental toughness back. They realise they can get something out of games

“There are no rests in this schedule. Nothing is easy but that makes it easier for our message that we have to be great every game. No-one is going to give us a win as a group. When we play our game the right way we are a good team - we have guys you could sprinkle across teams in the league and they would all blend in - but as group we are beaten down.”

Barely weeks into a coaching role he could not have envisaged when he signed for the team, Curran is on a sharp learning curve.

He won’t be able to step on the ice for some time yet as he begins rehab after surgery for a season-ending torn ACL, so training is conducted from the bench with Todd Dutiaume lacing up and taking drills on it. Work is also on-going to provide further support for the interim coach. The club has been in talks with several people, and the aim is to bring in someone with one eye looking ahead to the 2025-26 campaign.

While that process goes on behind the scenes, Curran knows Flyers could yet play the role of spoiling someone’s party. It’s a challenge he relishes.

“When we start controlling games I’ll have no problem reminding the guys how some certain teams have treated us in the past - some motivation to derail a few campaigns!”

No names mentioned, but something to shoot for. There’s a lot of hockey yet to be played. Regain that pride and the points may follow.