Top 75 Flyers

As we enter the 75th Season for the Fife Flyers it is a great opportunity for fans of the club reminisce about years gone by and past successes. Now we could argue all day about why last year marketed as our "75th Year" and this upcoming campaign our "75th Season" but do we really care? In the spirit of the promotions by the club I am going to talk through my favourite Flyers and I cannot stress this enough... I will be wrong, you won't agree with my choices but that's the game that's the fun of being a fan. If you disagree let me know let's share the knowledge of fans. You may be right the "Plumb Line" was probably exceptional, Bert Smith was perhaps the best local lad we ever had but I never saw them play so I won't insult you or them by including them on my list!

Now we have that out the way, let's get started.

Goalkeeper: Stephen Murphy

It's difficult to believe that Stephen Murphy is only now reaching the age of what is usually considered a prime netminder, but as teenager he was still the best stopper to fill the pipes at FIA in a long time.Incredibly reliable even then and prone to the odd wondersave, Stephen proved that you don't need a big import goalie to compete in the British leagues. He is one of those players that gets you out of your seat whether it was in Fife all those years ago or at the Odyssey last season, he will be remembered as one of Britain's greatest and we are lucky to have had him wear the blue, white and gold.

Defence:  Frank Morris

When a guy is known affectionately as the "Captain Fantastic" can we really leave him out of list of top Flyers? No, we can't. Frank was an extraordinary servant for the club, joining us in 1991 and playing in most seasons through to 2004/2005. Initially playing as a forward Frankie made a name for himself playing on the Flyers blue line. His leadership was key to our Grand Slam winning season and that along with his great service will have him remembered in these parts for years to come.

Defence: Greg Kuznik

The only player to make the list that didn't win the Grand Slam with Flyers would have been a welcome addition even on that team. Computer game fans among you may interested to know that Greg features on NHL 2001 for the Carolina Hurricanes, he's 63 overall but still.. NHL 2001! After that career achievement you may have thought it would have been downhill from there but Greg moved to Fife and won a league title in two all too short seasons. The only downside to Greg's time in Fife was that it wasn't long enough. The end of the BNL and Fife's move amateur hockey meant that "Koozy" had to move to pastures new but what a great talent he was!

Forward: Mark Morrison

Return of the Mack... not that guy, much cooler! When a guy wins coach of the year 3 times and player of the year 3 times - and had a playing career that also included captaining Canada Junior team ahead of the great Steve Yzerman - it's almost impossible to look beyond him as one of Fife's greatest. He was the player/coach/general manager that pretty much won a trophy ever year. Without Mo I would never have become a Flyers fan, after a visit to my Cubs group in 1997 I became hooked on this great game and for that I will be eternally grateful. Thank you Mo.

Forward: Russell Monteith

Thirty eight powerplay goals in a season, do I have to say anymore? Not really, but I will. A truly electric player that played in one of the most successful eras in Flyers history. Having scored at over a goal a game it's fair to say that he was one of, if not the, reason Flyers were so successful at this point. Sadly, as with Kuznik he just didn't play long enough for us. Injuries and the end of his studies meant that the end of his third season with Fife would be his last. I remember him returning a few years later to play in Frank Morris' testimonial he was still a class act and the star of the show even then.

Forward: Todd Dutiaume

If Mo got me to start going to the Flyers then"Dutes" kept me coming back. What people sometimes forget now is that when Todd arrived here in 1999 he was an elite player, one of the quickest and deadliest in front of the net. Never forget that, Todd has been an incredible servant to this club and his commitment to this club has been admirable, without him the club may have folded in 2005, but never, ever forget that at the heart of it all Todd is one of the greatest players to wear the gold, white and blue. Even last year, there were some great moments that rolled back the years, he scored a goal that guaranteed playoff hockey on a broken knee, this guy is tougher than most. He will be in Flyers folklore for the ages and after 14 years and counting, who could deny him that?

Well, there we go... told you I was wrong.

Ice Hockey Withdrawal

If Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year then July is the worst, don't get me wrong the heatwave we are experiencing is incredible and I have a terrible t-shirt tan just like the rest of Britain. For an ice hockey fan though this is a tough time, the EIHL finished in April so there are no games left to watch the NHL and AHL seasons have been finished for over a month, the draft is passed and the one day fire sale that is "Free Agent Frenzy" is done and only a few secondary players remain.

So now we are left with the 2 month wait until the hockey returns, what to do while we await the return of the Good Ol' Hockey Game. I've been thinking of ways to alleviate the pressure and here is "Murdoch's Top Tips" on how to survive the dreaded off-season:

1. Watch old hockey videos on YouTube: an obvious one to begin with, but much in the way a smoker uses nicotine patches and smackheads use methodone, we can survive a few weeks with just some old clips of Datsyuk dangling his opponents, Chara handing out some corporal punishment, the moves like Jagr and hours of footage of Paul Bissonette sitting on the bench. 
2. If watching old clips doesn't work for you then why not watch Australian hockey? I'm not joking, the season is in full swing and the AIHL promote themselves very well on twitter. They offer regular updates and even give links to game streams through Livestream and, for the Fifers among you, I have checked it is free, honest.
3. Watch Football: Seriously, watching just 15 minutes of any football game will remind you that you can wait 2 months to watch some real sport. In the mean time it will perhaps keep you going with the football rumours that are swirling about at the moment, for example: where will Suarez sign? can Mourinho recreate his former glories at Chelsea? and what was the point in Wayne Rooney spending £10K on hair plugs if all he's going to do is shave his head?
4. Start hanging about Farmfoods: OK, this is an odd one even I'll admit this but hear me out. There are a lot of freezers in farmfoods and the cool air that may remind you of an ice rink. Did you think I really had I a more insightful point than that? Come on! Also, if you are cheap buy Red Rooster as it's like half the price of Red Bull
5. Watch Mighty Ducks: Go on, you know you want to! Goldberg and the gang will fill the void that the hockey off season has left sooner than you say "Quack! Quack! Quack!" (but not out loud because that would be silly)
6. Play Street Hockey: Why not? We're not too old to chuck on the Bauer FX1s and get our Franklin sticks and play hockey in 1 minute intervals before frantically rushing to the pavement as someone yells "CAAAAAAARRRRRRR". What? We are too old? Nevermind.
7. Go cold turkey: One thing to remember about cold turkey is that it is not as delicious as it sounds and it is often very dry and tough.

Now it is clear to me that this list is neither exhaustive nor at all helpful but let's all just enjoy the sunshine and count down the days until hockey is back. It's not that long, I mean it's only 7 weeks until preseason starts. Wow, 7 weeks, how will we manage?