Cliff Fletcher, the famed executive who won a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989 and then turned around a flailing Maple Leafs franchise throughout the 1990s, has died.
He was 90 years old.
To the day of his death, Fletcher was still contributing to the Leafs, working as a senior adviser to the team from his home in Arizona.
Cliff Fletcher is pictured at Maple Leaf Gardens. Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images
Fletcher joined the expansion Atlanta Flames as their general manager in 1972 and remained with the team after a move up north to Calgary in 1980.
Advertisement
Fletcher’s Flames made the Stanley Cup Final in 1986, where they fell in five games to the Canadiens.
Three years later, the Flames were back in the Cup, and this time they prevailed against the Canadiens in six games for their first and thus far only championship in franchise history.
After achieving his goal of making the Flames a contender, Fletcher joined the Leafs as president in 1991 — two years removed from a title — and brought them as close as they’ve been to returning to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1967, the last year of the Original Six era.
Cliff Fletcher, wearing a suit, celebrates after
winning a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989. Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images
Fletcher was known for one of the biggest trades in NHL history, a 10-player deal that reunited Fletcher and ex-Flame Doug Gilmour, the centerpiece of the trade, in Toronto in 1992.
Advertisement
He executed several other deals early in his tenure to help bring the Leafs back to prominence, including bringing in coach Pat Burns from Montreal.
Cliff Fletcher is pictured in 2004. Getty Images
The Leafs were in back-to-back conference finals in 1993 and 1994 and made the playoffs two more times in Fletcher’s tenure.
He acquired Mats Sundin from the Quebec Nordiques in 1994, who remains the franchise’s scoring leader.
Fletcher also spent time with the Coyotes and Lightning.
He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. Many around the hockey world have shared their memories of Fletcher, including fellow executive Brian Burke, who called Fletcher “classy, smart and fearless.”
Advertisement
He is survived by his partner, Linda, and children, Chuck and Kristy.
Read the full article here