Danny Stewart to return for Fife
Flyers fans can look ahead to the return to the Kirkaldy ice of Danny Stewart next season as the Elite League side announced his return of the Canadian forward for the 2013/14 campaign.
Stewart has been handed some extra stripes fro his return however, as the 34 year-old will take up the dual roles of player and associate coach to Dutiaume.
Stewart’s looking forward to the season ahead and said of his return: “I am really excited to back in Fife. We all know that it is a work in progress here and last year we made huge strides and even exceeded expectations if you ask me. The same work is going on behind the scenes to make sure we put ourselves in position to progress even further. I hope the crowds continue to grow and that our fans play their part as they did last season in helping us achieve goals”.
His new role off the ice will include being involved in putting together the rest of the roster for the upcoming season. The Fife camp say that targets have been identified and that discussions with other players they want to see back from last year are at an advanced stage.
Dutiaume said of Stewart: “Danny had a great start to the season last year but it was cut short when he sustained his really bad concussion against Hull. Once he got back to full fitness though we saw exactly what Danny brings to our team, and he will be looking to come back strong this season”.
He’s “been integral in identifying players for this season and we have both been surprised at the number of players that seem to be available to us this season. Possibly a reason for that is the huge improvement we saw in last season’s team compared to our first season back in the EIHL, and also that guys are talking about what a great place Fife is to play.”
On his own recovery from injury Dutiaume added: “I have said to our directors that I want to be playing next season but it all depends on how the recovery goes. I had my operation about eight weeks ago and the progress since has been slow but the bone has completely healed, so it is just a case of strengthening the muscles. “I was really pleased with my performances last season and if I can get back to 100% I can contribute to the team and will not be taking a place from anyone else.”
