Voices from the past: Fernie Flaman

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.
This week Stan reaches into the world of yesteryear with voices from the past. The subject, Fernie Flaman, blended skill with sock playing for the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs from 1945-61. He won the Stanley Cup in 1951 with the Maple Leafs and upon retirement was revered in Boston as one of the most popular Bruins ever.
Stan interviewed Flaman several times for his book, "Where Have They Gone, Hockey Stars." Other interviews took place later when Flaman was a scout for the New Jersey Devils and Stan was their analyst and reporter for MSG Networks.
Flaman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990 and died in 2012 at 85.

What was your birthplace, Dysart, Saskatchewan like? I don't know of any other NHL players who came from that town.
"It was small. In fact, you could call Dysart "tiny" and you wouldn't be wrong. If there were a good 200 to 240 people in the village, that would have been a lot. Put it this way; if I wanted to make a career out of hockey, starting in Dysart, I couldn't do it. Fortunately, very early in my life the family moved to Regina, about 50 miles away and that's where I played minor hockey on a variety of teams on outdoor rinks. The winters there were very cold so there was no shortage of places to play; rinks were all over the place."
What was the first step you took, advancing toward the NHL?
"I had decided that if I was going to go anywhere in hockey, it would be as a defenseman. Even as a kid I loved playing a rough game and that was my specialty playing on the Bantam level. I'd spend as much time as possible on the ice and listen to any person who could give me advice about the game and how to play better hockey. Eventually, hockey people began to notice me, especially this one fellow in town who worked for the fire department. He was an NHL bird dog when he wasn't fighting fires, and in 1943 he recommended me to the Boston Bruins organization. I was all of 16 years old at the time."
When did you get the call from the Bruins?
"Art Ross was running the big club at the time. He had been boss of the Bruins going all the way back to the 1920s and he was very respected in the hockey world. Ross had scouted me pretty good during my seasons with the [Boston Olympics of the Eastern Amateur Hockey League] and had me up with the Bruins for a couple of cups of coffee as sort of an audition for me to eventually become a regular (in 1947-48). Art eased me in the right way. The war was over and guys who had been in the service -- like Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart -- came back and that gave management a chance to see if holes had to be filled. Before I made it as a Bruins regular, Ross sent me to the [American Hockey League] farm club in Hershey."
What was that like?
"It was ironic because who should enter the picture but my childhood idol, Babe Pratt. Now I'm in Hershey playing against really good American League players and getting even more experience when I finally get the call from Art that I was ready for The Show. That was great news, but I found out that I was going to the Bruins to replace Babe Pratt who Art was sending down to Hershey. How was that for irony. I tell you this; it sure made me feel strange."
How did it feel to become a regular on the Boston defense?
"I loved it and I loved the fans and I knew that they appreciated my style of tough hockey. I remembered that one famous Canadian author (Peter Gzowski) once wrote something like while Boston fans want their team to win the Stanley Cup, they also love good, rough body checks and that's what I was serving up to them. After five years in Boston -- three with the Olympics and two with the Bruins -- I felt that I was a part of Boston. It really didn't matter that we hadn't won a Cup. Our fans were happy with our robust style and seemed to enjoy hockey more than those in any other city."
Then you must have been crushed when the Bruins traded you to Toronto during the 1950-51 season.
"That's an understatement. As a matter of fact, I considered the trade the lowest point in my life. Really! Think about it; the Boston writers had considered me an untouchable and, therefore, I would not be traded. On top of that, Boston had become my adopted hometown. To put it mildly, when I heard that I had been dealt to Toronto, I was both stunned and hurt. One of the worst things about it was the fact that I was leaving good friends I had made on the team; fellows like Paul Ronty, Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart, among others."
How did you learn that you'd been traded to the Maple Leafs?
"I learned about it from the team but also there was a hockey writer in town named Henry McKenna who had become a good friend of mine. He phoned me right away and gave me good advice. He said, 'Whatever you do, don't talk about the trade and, by all means, don't talk about the Bruins because some day you may wind up back with the team again.' Well, even though I was beside myself with anger because I was being moved, I took McKenna's advice, stayed quiet and went to Toronto."
What was the experience like with a guy such as Conn Smythe running the Maple Leafs?
"You won't believe this but the first thing that happened was that Smythe sent me down to the minors of all things. Now I'm playing in the AHL for the Leafs' farm team, the Pittsburgh Hornets. I got the big warning from Hap Day --- he had been the Leafs coach and now was Smythe's assistant -- that I wasn't fit for the team. Before he sent me down, Day called me in for a meeting. 'You're overweight,' he said, 'and until you lose 10 pounds, don't even think about coming back to the NHL.' Well, I soon discovered that being demoted wasn't the worst thing in the world."
Why not?
"Because Pittsburgh had a terrific club and we won 11 or 12 games straight. Within a couple of weeks, I had lost 10 pounds and Day called me back up to the big team. By this time, I was getting to like and respect the Leafs organization more and more. The boss still was Smythe and he proved to be quite a character. He was the [general] manager but everyone called him 'The Major' because he'd been a Canadian Army hero in [World War l and World Warr ll]."
How did he impress you?
"He was very stern and very sturdy and he always stood by his word. If Smythe said anything, that was it. He was very big on discipline and every time he walked through Maple Leaf Gardens it looked like he was walking through an inspection; everyone snapped to attention like they would do in the army. They don't make people like Conn Smythe anymore. In any event, Day was very much like Smythe. He had played defense for years under Smythe and then coached the Leafs under Smythe and won a few Cups for him. Eventually, Hap and Conn had a conference and finally agreed to promote me back to the big club."
What was it like to be a regular defenseman on that Toronto team?
"The best part was that Smythe had kept a core together that had won three straight Cups from 1947 through 1949. Turk Broda was in goal and guys like Howie Meeker, Harry Watson and Ted Kennedy still had the goods up front and the defense was almost the same as it had been in 1947 with Jimmy Thomson, Gus Mortson and Bill Barilko as the key guys."
Who was your partner?
"They set me up with Barilko and that was just fine with me because we had the same passion for the game and Bill liked to hit as much as I did. He was such a good hip-checker that the writers gave him a nickname, 'Snake Hips.' Our coach was Joe Primeau and he kept me and Bill as a unit through the 1950-51 season. That was the year that Toronto got to the Stanley Cup Final and we wound up facing the [Montreal] Canadiens. It was a very memorable series for me in a lot of ways."
In which ways was it so special?
"Remember, I'd never been on a Cup-winner before and isn't that the goal of every Canadian kid who makes it to the NHL? Plus, the Final was a series in which every single one of the five games went into sudden-death overtime. We had won three games and the Canadiens one game when Game Five got underway. For a time, it looked like Montreal would win this one in regulation as they had a one-goal lead with about a minute left in the third period. That's when Primeau pulled our goalie, Al Rollins, and sent out a sixth skater. Sure enough the plan worked and we tied the score, sending it into overtime."
How much do you remember about the Cup-winning goal?
"A lot. Not many minutes had gone by when Primeau had me on the ice with Barilko. I was on the right point and Bill on the left when we moved the puck behind the Canadiens net. Our forwards were Meeker, Watson and Cal Gardner at center. Gerry McNeil was in goal for the Habs and I remember Tom Johnson on defense. Meeker battled Johnson for the puck behind the Montreal goal and at first it was hard to tell who'd win the rubber. Bill was watching from his side and I was watching from the right when, suddenly, the puck came sliding out right past Gardner toward the left point."
Then what happened?
"When Bill saw it coming his way he rushed forward, maybe 10 steps, and dove as he shot the puck -- for some reason McNeil was down -- and it sailed right over Gerry's shoulder and into the net [at 2:53 of overtime]. Bill just took a flyer, belted at it, and as fate would have it, the puck had eyes and hit the back of the net. We had won the Stanley Cup, the first and last for me. That was the good news; the bad news was that later in the summer, Bill and a friend went on plane trip to go fishing in northern Ontario and disappeared. It was a good 10 years or so before they actually found the wreckage. Losing Bill was a terrific loss for me, personally, and for the Maple Leafs as well, and for all the fans who loved the guy."
When did you return to Boston as a Bruin?
"Smythe called me into his office one day for a conference. He asked me if I'd like to go back and play for the Bruins. That was awfully nice of him being that my wife was from Boston and my home was there. Yes, I told him, I'd like to be a Bruin again. What's more, I respected Conn for letting me know in advance where things stood. You don't find many men in sport as decent as he was to me. So, I became a Bruin again (before the start of the 1954-55 season) and the homecoming was great. I was named assistant captain and played under Milt Schmidt who treated me good and the fans were just great."
What was the highlight of your second stint with the Bruins?
"While I was still playing, the fans and the team tossed a Fernie Flaman Night and presented me with a car and many other gifts. Getting the respect of the Boston fans -- and the night -- was a highlight of my career."
Who were your toughest opponents?
"Start with Gordie Howe, another Saskatchewan boy. He was the toughest. We didn't fight because we had a mutual respect for one another. We both played it hard and I'm sure I received a few nicks from him and I gave him a few too. In terms or defending against great ones, two lines were especially tough. One was Montreal's Punch Line with Maurice Richard, Toe Blake and Elmer Lach and Detroit's Production Line of Howe, Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel."
You finished your NHL career with the Bruins, played some minor league hockey and wound up coaching college hockey at Northeastern. Looking backward, how do you feel about your hockey life?
"Hockey was great to me. Every manager, and coach I ever played for was nice. Even with all my injuries, I'd have to say that I had a good life on ice!"