Russell aims to take Fife Flyers to new heights
Fife Flyers have named their new coach. He's Canadian Jamie Russell and the instructions from bosses are simple: 'Build a winning team.'
The 58-year-old, who has never coached in Britain, has also been told to energise the locker room and take the Kirkcaldy club to new heights.
Flyers say the Kamloops-born playcaller has a wealth of coaching experience spread across North American college leagues, the rough-tough East Coast Hockey League and in the Slovak Extraliga.
His most recent appointment was in the Alps Hockey League with Rittner Buam who faced off against the Cardiff Devils in the third round group stage of the 2024/25 IIHF Continental Cup.
Rittner Buam also won the Italian Supercup Championship last season and Russell said: 'The new ownership group has been outstanding in developing a vision to return the Flyers to a level of pride and excellence.
'Max Birbraer is a legend in the Elite League (EIHL), and his leadership will guide us to new heights.'
Russell added: 'We are building a roster that will reflect the values you will find in the community of Kirkcaldy. We will attack games with an unyielding work ethic and passion.
'You will see players that have pride in pulling on the Flyers sweater and we intend to make the Fife Ice Arena one of the most challenging places to play in the league.'
The home team will, he declared, be known for its speed, grit and relentless style of hockey.
Max Birbraer (correct), the club's general manager (GM), revealed that from the first conversation with Russell he felt they were on the same page, not only about how hockey should be played, but the type of team we would like to build in Fife.
The Kazakhastan-born Israel international forward added: 'We both felt that this is a tremendous opportunity of having a blank canvas where we can put our own stamp on. 'The fact that Jamie has successfully undergone a full re-build process several times in his extensive career holds huge value as that's exactly what is happening here in the Kingdom of Fife.
'As an associate GM, coach Russell has the creative power of putting together a team which reflects the identity of what truly is a hockey town, hard work, passion, fearlessness, they are just some of the building blocks of our new identity.
'We are planning to balance this with skill and entertainment which we think is a winning formula in terms of giving our diehard supporters the match night experience they deserve.
'During the due diligence process, one common theme kept coming through, Jamie is a true leader.'
Birbraer had a message for the club's success-hungry fans: 'Get behind this team and fly together.'
FLASHBACK: Action v Coventry last season courtesy of Fife Flyers
Like this:
Like
Related
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
20 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Aryna Sabalenka ‘learnt a lot' from reaction to losing the French Open final
The Belarusian was heavily criticised after attributing the defeat to her own mistakes rather than Gauff's performance, and apologised both privately and publicly for describing the match as the worst final she had played. The two players looked to have put those hostilities firmly behind them in social media clips posted from Wimbledon on Friday, and Sabalenka was contrite in accepting the negative response her comments prompted. Tweener alert 🚨 Fair to say that Aryna and Coco were having fun on Centre Court 🤝#Wimbledon | @SabalenkaA | @CocoGauff — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2025 She said: 'I've always been really good with Coco. Honestly, as I said in the statement and I messaged to her, I didn't really want to offend her. 'I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions got over me. I just completely lost it. 'I did what I did. I get what I deserve, I believe. It was a tough time for me. The lesson is learned. 'Honestly, I'm kind of glad what happened to me at Paris, because I was able to learn a lot. 'I was able to sit back and be open to myself, not just to ignore some things. I think I realised a lot of things about myself in those last stages of the tournament. 'We spoke with the team. I think we learned something. I really hope it will never happen again.' Sabalenka, who is up against Canadian Carson Branstine in the first round, has no qualms about facing Gauff again should the two end up involved in a rematch in the Wimbledon final. 'If I make it to the finals, I don't care (who I play), but also I would love to face Coco,' she said. 'If she's going to be there, I'm happy because I want to get the revenge!'. Sabalenka has been limbering up for the tournament by having a hit with both Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, with the former happy to offer advice drawn from his vast experience. Novak Djokovic offered advice to Aryna Sabalenka (Ben Whitley/PA) She said: 'Novak is the best. First of all, I was able to hit with him, which not every guy would be able to do. Then you can chat with him, he will give his honest advice. 'It's amazing to hear opinions of such a legend. We were just chatting about stuff that I'm struggling with a little bit. I'm really thankful for the advice he gave me. 'It was a 30-minute chat. If you give opportunity to Novak to talk, he's not going to stop! I wish I could stay there for four hours and just keep chatting, but we all have our schedule. 'Honestly, I hit with Jannik for like, I don't know, 10 minutes – I was exhausted! 'An hour with Novak…now I'm recovered. I needed a day of recovery but it was a great experience. When you see someone like Jannik or Novak, you learn from them. You reflect what they do on court. It was great for me.'
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
How the Scots rated in Lions' big win over Western Force as injury causes concern
Russell composed and creative as tourists score eight tries in first match in Australia Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A convincing start for the British and Irish Lions down under produced eight tries and a half century of points but the most pleasing aspect from a Scottish point of view was the performance of Finn Russell. The stand-off burnished his Test credentials with a clever and imaginative 60-minute outing in Perth where he was at the heart of the tourists' best moments against Western Force. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The hosts were spirited opponents in the first half but couldn't live with the Lions after the break as the composite side ran out 54-7 winners. It wasn't all sweetness and light for the Lions. They botched a number of restarts and conceded nine penalties, six of them in the first 40 minutes. They also lost two-try scrum-half Tomos Williams to a hamstring injury which will be a concern for head coach Andy Farrell. It may also alert Scotland's Ben White, a potential replacement who is currently in New Zealand with Gregor Townsend's squad. Finn Russell (R) and Sione Tuipulotu of the British & Irish Lions celebrate after their victory during the tour match against the Western Force at the Optus Stadium in Perth. | Getty Images Back in Perth, there was also a try double for full-back Elliot Daly as Dan Sheehan, Garry Ringrose, Joe McCarthy and Alex Mitchell scored the other tries. Nic White, the Wallabies scrum-half, countered early on for Force. McCarthy, Daly, Mack Hansen and Henry Pollock were all stand-outs in red at Optus Stadium and Russell was the creative fulcrum. He was also a physical influence, disrupting the home side's attack, particularly during a frenetic first quarter when Western Force were at their disruptive best, roared on by 46,000 supporters. Russell's discreet hand signal paved way for third try This is Russell's third Lions tour and, at 32, it could be his last. He got a taste of the Test team in the decider against the Springboks four years ago after injury disrupted his time in South Africa but this feels like his moment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He took two minutes to make an impact against Force, executing a perfect kick-pass to Sheehan who was loitering on the right wing. It is the sort of move Russell makes looks easy and it opened things up nicely for the Irish hooker. The Lions captain for the night popped it back to James Lowe who returned the favour with a smart offload out the back for Sheehan to score the opening try. Russell added the extra two points, his first of five successful conversions. White hit back immediately for the hosts after the Lions lost possession at the restart and Ben Donaldson's conversion evened things up at 7-7. There followed some shaky moments for the Lions. They gave away four penalties in the opening four minutes and were warned by referee Ben O'Keeffe but they weather the storm and a great break from Pollock helped reestablish their lead. The youngest Lion on tour exchanged passes with Josh van der Flier, raced away and then had the awareness to find the supporting Williams who scored. At this point, things became turgid for the Lions and Western Force were enjoying more possession and territory. It took another moment of Russell inspiration to put the tourists in the driving seat. With Force expecting him to kick a penalty, Russell gave a discreet hand signal to his team-mates, tapped and sped towards the line. He was stopped short but managed to offload to Daly for the try. Getty Images Pollock's celebrations in front of the Force players sparked a brief melee and he was yellow-carded soon after but the Lions went in at the turn 21-7 ahead and never looked back. Three tries in an eight-minute spell early in the second half took the game away from the Australians and the Lions' strength from the bench meant they dominated. Williams got his second try but injured his hamstring in the process and Ringrose and McCarthy also got on the scoresheet as the Lions moved 40-7 in front. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Lions debut for Huw Jones Huw Jones came on for his Lions debut and linked up with Sione Tuipulotu in the centre. Jones has been nursing a persistent Achilles injury since the Six Nations but looked sprightly as he intercepted a White pass and chased his own kick. He and Tuipulotu then combined nicely with a move straight out of Scotstoun but Jones was tackled just short. Tuipulotu, who started at inside centre, was busy but not quite as influential as he had been during the send-off match against Argentina in Dublin when he had been at 13. It would be nice to see him starting alongside Jones and that opportunity should soon arise, with the Lions due to play Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Wednesday and then the Waratahs in Sydney next Saturday. Getty Images The other starting Scots were in the pack. Edinburgh prop Pierre Schoeman was part of a scrum that struggled at times but looked dangerous in the loose, while Glasgow lock Scott Cummings was culpable during the first-half restarts but was solid in the lineout. Russell made way for Marcus Smith just after the hour mark and the Lions ran in two more tries in the final 10 minutes. Daly nabbed his second after being played in by Smith following good work by the Lions pack and then Mitchell scored the final try with the clock in the red following some smart handling by Daly, Tuipulotu and Hansen. Smith converted both. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It was a satisfactory evening for Farrell, a big improvement on the Argentina game which was lost 28-24, with a caveat around the standard of the opposition. Western Force finished ninth of 11 teams in the Super Rugby standings, winning just four of their 14 games, but they did field six current Wallabies against the Lions. White, their extravagantly moustachioed scrum-half, said he had wanted to 'bash and bruise' the tourists ahead of the Test series. Williams' injury excepted, the Lions came through relatively unscathed and looking a lot more cohesive than they had in Dublin. With Russell at the helm, they will roll on to Brisbane in good spirits. Teams and scorers Scorers: Western Force: Try: White. Con: Donaldson. Lions: Tries: Sheehan, Williams 2, Daly 2, Ringrose, McCarthy, Mitchell. Cons: Russell 5, M Smith 2. Yellow card: Pollock (Lions, 40min). Western Force: B Donaldson; M Grealy, M Proctor, H Stewart, D Pietsch; A Harford, N White (capt); T Robertson, B Paenga-Amosa, O Hoskins, S Carter, D Swain, W Harris, N Champion de Crespigny, V Ekuasi. Replacements: T Horton, M Pearce, T Tauakipulu, L Faifua, R Prinsep, H Robertson, M Burey, B Kuenzie. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad British and Irish Lions: E Daly; M Hansen, G Ringrose, S Tuipulotu, J Lowe; F Russell, T Williams; P Schoeman, D Sheehan (capt), T Furlong, S Cummings, J McCarthy, T Beirne, J Van der Flier, H Pollock. Replacements: R Kelleher, A Porter, W Stuart, O Chessum, J Conan, A Mitchell, H Jones, M Smith. Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (NZ).
Wales Online
an hour ago
- Wales Online
Emma Raducanu humiliated Donald Trump-supporting Wimbledon ace who caused storm this week
Emma Raducanu humiliated Donald Trump-supporting Wimbledon ace who caused storm this week Maria Sakkari made headlines for her fiery on-court clash last weekend, but the Greek tennis star was left to rue her words by Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon last year Maria Sakkari has stirred up controversy with her on-court antics (Image: Rob Newell - CameraSport, CameraSport via Getty Images ) Emma Raducanu once embarrassed a controversial tennis star who attended US President Donald Trump's inauguration gala at Wimbledon. Greek tennis star Maria Sakkari found herself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons last weekend after she was involved in a foul-mouthed confrontation at the Bad Homburg Open in Germany. The 29-year-old took issue with Yulia Putintseva after beating the Russian-born Kazakh 7-5, 7-6 in the competition's third round. Tensions spilt over post-match as the players clasped hands over the net, with Sakkari seemingly unhappy with the handshake. She told Putintseva to "act like a human being,' to which the latter responded by saying she had, before instructing Sakkari to "go f*** herself". Visibly taken aback, Sakkari replied: "What?!" Putintseva gestured with her arms outstretched, having possibly been left upset by Sakkari's reaction to winning an epic tiebreaker. She then kept gesturing for her opponent to walk away, with Sakkari instead following her rival to her chair and demanding: 'F***ing hell, I'm what?' before brutally telling Putintseva: 'Nobody likes you.' Article continues below Sakkari is no stranger to fiery behaviour on the court, having also clashed with Danielle Collins in Montreal back in 2023. After hitting a ball into the stands, Collins complained about the action to the umpire. Sakkari, while preparing for her second serve, responded: "It didn't even hit anyone. It was on the ground." Collins refused to back down as she stated: "Shut your mouth, shut your mouth.' That only served to escalate the argument, with Sakkari adding: "What's your problem? I didn't hit anyone. I framed the ball," to which Collins said: "You hit the ball into the stands, Maria. You almost hit someone." Sakkari even tried to unsettle British No. 1 Emma Raducanu before their third-round match at Wimbledon last year, suggesting it wouldn't be an easy encounter for Raducanu against a top-ten player. Emma Raducanu dismantled the Greek tennis star at Wimbledon (Image: Getty ) However, Sakkari was left to rue her words as she was defeated inside 92 minutes with a score of 6-2, 6-3, making 31 unforced errors in the process. Article continues below Remarkably, Sakkari and her boyfriend, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, were spotted at the inauguration gala for Trump ahead of his second presidential term earlier this year. Mitsotakis gained an invitation to the event due to his father, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, being the Greek Prime Minister. They were invited by Congressman Konstantinos Bilirakis, representative for Florida. Mitsotakis, whose grandfather was also the Prime Minister of the country, has been dating Sakkari since around 2020. Raducanu, meanwhile, was overcome with emotion after coming from behind to beat Ann Li in the first round at Eastbourne earlier this week. The world No. 38 has been struggling with back spasms and was forced to pull out of the Berlin Open last week. Raducanu showed resilience by recovering after losing the first set and securing the win, giving her some much-needed confidence in the build-up to Wimbledon.
