Hockey Hall of Fame GM Cliff Fletcher dies at 90

Hockey Hall of Famer Cliff Fletcher, who built the Calgary Flames’ 1989 Stanley Cup championship team, died at age 90, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Friday.

Fletcher had a long association with the Maple Leafs, beginning in 1991, and ranks sixth all-time among general managers with 953 all-time victories.

Toronto hasn’t played in the Stanley Cup since 1967, but the franchise made a couple of solid runs under Fletcher before falling short.

Fletcher made key trades for several players, including Doug Gilmour in a 10-player deal with Calgary. Toronto was within one victory of reaching the 1993 Stanley Cup Final before falling in Game 7 of the conference finals to the Los Angeles Kings. The following season, the Maple Leafs lost in five games in the conference finals to the Vancouver Canucks.

Fletcher also traded for Mats Sundin in 1994 from the Quebec Nordiques, and Sundin went on to become the leading scorer in Maple Leafs history with 420 goals and 987 points. Fletcher’s first stint with Toronto ended in 1997 when he retired.

Yet he was back in hockey with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1999 in a brief advisory role and later became general manager of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2001 and spent six years with the club. He returned to Toronto in 2008 as interim GM and a year later, he became a senior adviser and was still serving in that role until his death.

Fletcher was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004 in the builder category.

“Cliff was one of the National Hockey League’s greatest builders, serving seven decades with six NHL organizations and leading the Calgary Flames to a Stanley Cup victory in 1989,” the Maple Leafs said in a statement. “It was with the Toronto Maple Leafs, however, that Cliff would spend the most seasons, 25 in total. As president, Cliff Fletcher inherited a club that had finished last in the NHL’s Norris Division in 1991, transforming them seemingly overnight.

“He welcomed future Hall of Famers Glenn Anderson, Dave Andreychuk, Mike Gartner and Pat Burns to the organization, along with Doug Gilmour, in what was the largest trade in NHL history. Those beloved Maple Leafs teams would come within one win of the Cup Final in 1993 and return to the Conference Final a year later.

“The Toronto Maple Leafs and (their) fans will remain forever grateful for the many contributions Cliff made to the organization and the game of hockey. He will always be remembered as part of our hockey family.”

Fletcher’s time in Calgary included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 1986 before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in five games and won the President’s Trophy twice for the best regular-season record. The Flames finally broke through to win the 1989 Stanley Cup in six games over Montreal with goaltender Mike Vernon dazzling through the regular season and the playoffs.

“Few men in the history of hockey have had as profound and lasting an impact on the game as Cliff Fletcher,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “Revered for his keen eye for talent, respected for his management acumen and beloved for his character, Cliff devoted seven decades to hockey in myriad roles and leaves a legacy as remarkable for the many men and women he has mentored as for the franchises he helped established and games his teams won.”

–Field Level Media