Todd Dutiuame and Jeff Hutchins have confirmed their intention to step back from coaching roles at the Fife Flyers.

The club would like to put on record their immense gratitude and appreciation for the dedication they have given to the club both on the ice and off it.

As a player and coach with the Fife Flyers over the past 25 years, Head Coach Todd Dutiaume will now be moving on from his coaching role. Dutiaume joined the Flyers in the BNL during the 1998-1999 season and became a Player / Coach in 2005.  He took on full-time Head Coach duties in 2014 and led the 2017/2018 squad to win the Gardiner Conference trophy.

Jeff Hutchins joined the organisation in 2016 as Assistant Coach and Director of Player Development.  Over the last seven seasons, Jeff has played a major role in the recruiting process.  Off-ice, he has built and strengthened relationships for the club, and brought in a talented group of players over the years.  In his role behind the bench, Jeff served as Assistant and Associate Coach and provided leadership to the teams he helped build.  Hutchins will be stepping away from hockey to spend time with his family. 

Commenting, Fife Flyers Director Tom Muir said:

‘’Both Todd and Jeff are great guys who have served the team well during their time with the Fife Flyers. Together, they have provided the team with great leadership, and we cannot thank them enough for their dedication to the club.

“We have two crucial roles to appoint and very big shoes to fill.  We want to ensure we bring in the right staff to lead the team to success in 2023/24. The Flyers expect to have an announcement regarding a new coaching staff in the coming weeks and look forward to sharing confirmed player announcements in due course.”

Statement from Todd Dutiaume:

‘’After much consideration and with the support of my family, I have come to the decision to move on from my role as Head Coach of the Fife Flyers.  This has been one of the most difficult decisions in my hockey career to make.  It has been an honour and privilege to have been involved with the oldest UK ice hockey club.  Over the past 25 years, I have worked and played alongside terrific players and even better people.

‘’The Fife Flyers fans are incredible, and I would like to thank them for their support over the years as a player and a coach. I want to thank the Directors for all their unwavering support over the years.  Thanks to all of the management and staff that work hard to make the Fife Ice Arena a great place to be. The old barn is a special place to me and I hope to be able to continue to support the Fife Flyers as they grow, both on and off the ice.’’

Statement from Jeff Hutchins:

‘’Firstly, I want to thank the directors and Todd for giving me the opportunity to work for this storied franchise.  Secondly, I want to thank all the support staff and volunteers, the club simply wouldn’t be able to operate without all of you.  Finally, the passionate fan base – your enthusiasm and commitment year after year is what makes playing in Fife special.

‘’Although there have been some ups and downs over the past seven years, I’d like to think there have been more up moments than downs.  I have given 40 years of my life as a player and coach, and I think now is the right time to leave the game.  My family and business need to be the priority going forward.

‘’I want to wish the club good luck for the coming season, I am sure I’ll make it to a couple games to watch from the other side of the bench.’’