Russel was born in Montreal, Quebec. He joined the Montreal Victorias in 1894 as a junior, playing for the Victorias' team in the Montreal Metropolitan League. Russel moved up to the Victorias Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) Intermediate team two years later and joined the CAHL Senior team for the 1899–1900 season.
An article by D. A. L. MacDonald in the April 14, 1934 issue of the Montreal Gazette, "Turning Back Hockey's Pages", revisiting players from earlier eras, describes Russel as being "a tireless skater, a great back checker and a fine scorer in his own right."
He was a younger brother of Bert Russel who played with the Ottawa Hockey Club.

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