Fernie Flaman
Encyclopedia
Ferdinand Carl Flaman was a Canadian
professional
ice hockey
defenceman
who played for the Boston Bruins
and Toronto Maple Leafs
in the National Hockey League
. He was known as a physical defensive defenceman and a consummate bodychecker. As a coach Flaman was successful at the collegiate ranks as the head coach of Northeastern University.
After being signed by the Bruins in 1943 and playing three seasons for the minor-league Boston Olympics
(during which time he was named to the Eastern Hockey League
's First All-Star Team in 1945 and 1946), Flaman made the big club for good in the 1947 season. He played five seasons for Boston before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, with whom he won a Stanley Cup
the year he was dealt in 1951.
He played three more seasons for Toronto before being dealt back to the Bruins in 1954 (in which he led the league in penalty minutes with 150), for whom he played seven more seasons. These were his peak years, as he was named Bruins' captain in 1955 (and served as such for the rest of his NHL career), was named to three NHL Second All-Star Teams (1955, 1957 and 1958), and played in five All-Star Games.
In 1961, Flaman was named the player-coach-general manager of the AHL
Providence Reds
, retiring as an active player after the 1963–1964 season. He coached Providence for one more year after that, coaching teams in the Western Hockey League
and the Central Hockey League thereafter. In 1970, Flaman was named the head coach of the Northeastern University Huskies men's college team, and coached for nineteen seasons (the longest tenure in school history), amassing a 255–301–23 record. He was named United States college coach of the year in 1982, and led the Huskies to four Beanpot Tournament championships and a Hockey East
championship in 1988. He retired from Northeastern the next year. He currently serves as a scout for the Devils.
Flaman finished his NHL career with 34 goals and 174 assists for 208 points in 910 games, and added 1370 penalty minutes. At the time of his retirement, he was third in NHL history in career penalty minutes.
Flaman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1990.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenceman
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
who played for the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
and Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. He was known as a physical defensive defenceman and a consummate bodychecker. As a coach Flaman was successful at the collegiate ranks as the head coach of Northeastern University.
After being signed by the Bruins in 1943 and playing three seasons for the minor-league Boston Olympics
Boston Olympics
The Boston Olympics are a defunct farm team for the Boston Bruins. They began play during the 1940–41 Eastern Amateur Hockey League season. The Olympics were often referred to by the shortened name the ‘Pics and the franchise remained active until the 1951–52 season.- Franchise History :Founded by...
(during which time he was named to the Eastern Hockey League
Eastern Hockey League
-Eastern Amateur Hockey League :The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League . The league was founded by Thomas Lockhart, who served as its commissioner from 1933 to 1972...
's First All-Star Team in 1945 and 1946), Flaman made the big club for good in the 1947 season. He played five seasons for Boston before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, with whom he won a Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
the year he was dealt in 1951.
He played three more seasons for Toronto before being dealt back to the Bruins in 1954 (in which he led the league in penalty minutes with 150), for whom he played seven more seasons. These were his peak years, as he was named Bruins' captain in 1955 (and served as such for the rest of his NHL career), was named to three NHL Second All-Star Teams (1955, 1957 and 1958), and played in five All-Star Games.
In 1961, Flaman was named the player-coach-general manager of the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
Providence Reds
Providence Reds
The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League between 1926–1936 and the American Hockey League from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The team won the Calder Cup in 1938, 1940, 1949, and 1956...
, retiring as an active player after the 1963–1964 season. He coached Providence for one more year after that, coaching teams in the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League (minor pro)
The Western Hockey League was a minor pro ice hockey league that operated from 1952 to 1974. Managed for most of its history by Hockey Hall of Fame member Al Leader, it was created out of the merger of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League...
and the Central Hockey League thereafter. In 1970, Flaman was named the head coach of the Northeastern University Huskies men's college team, and coached for nineteen seasons (the longest tenure in school history), amassing a 255–301–23 record. He was named United States college coach of the year in 1982, and led the Huskies to four Beanpot Tournament championships and a Hockey East
Hockey East
Hockey East Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference....
championship in 1988. He retired from Northeastern the next year. He currently serves as a scout for the Devils.
Flaman finished his NHL career with 34 goals and 174 assists for 208 points in 910 games, and added 1370 penalty minutes. At the time of his retirement, he was third in NHL history in career penalty minutes.
Flaman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1990.