10) Defence: Kyle Horne
The guy bleeds Fife, his Father played
for us, his Granddad ran the rink, he was conceived in the skate hire
(probably), the Flyers and Fife Ice Arena owe the Horne family a debt of
gratitude for their service over the years. A great local player, who competed
on a weekly basis against the oppositions best imports in the BNL. Sadly the
SNL years almost derailed his Flyers career as he moved south, first of all to
Slough and then less south on to Edinburgh. Flyers move to the EIHL came at the
right time and Kyle didn’t need any convincing to return home.
9&8) Forward: Davie Smith & Join Haig
Just like Ant and Dec, Smithy and Haigy
were a pair, great chemistry on and off the ice. Their on-ice relationship took
them to Guildford and back winning championships both here and in Surrey, where
they rarely played on different lines. Off the ice they were the faces of the
local element of the team and were always game for a laugh at their teammate’s
expense, the nickname Todd “Green Fleece” Dutiaume springs to mind. Their names
will always be synonymous with one another which has made them impossible to
separate on this list.
7) 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.
6) 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!
5) Forward: Steven King
Over 650 games, over 250 goals and an
assist total in excess of 670! Three remarkable reasons why Kingy is on this
list. A simply wonderful competitor who is also one of the most humble men
going. Spurned the approaches of other teams for long term job prospects and
his local team. Brief cameo on Premier Sports this year hints that he could be
adding broadcaster to his list of talents very soon, hopefully he makes a
return to our screens next season.
4) 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.
3) 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.
2) 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.
1) 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?
