Fernie Flaman

Who was Fernie Flaman?

Ferdinand Charles 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, 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, for whom he played seven more seasons. Those were his peak years, as he was named Bruins' captain in 1955, was named to three NHL Second All-Star Teams, 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, 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 carried out the remainder of his career serving as a scout for the Devils.