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National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
SIMMONS: Trader Cliff Fletcher turns 90: Maple Leafs legend still going strong
Everywhere Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin go, they are associated as members of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Associated for life. Article content Both of them were brought to Toronto by general manager Cliff Fletcher in one-sided deals accomplished by the most astounding big-name and big-game trader in hockey history. Article content Everywhere Lanny McDonald goes, everywhere his moustache is shown across Canada, he is associated with the Calgary Flames, the face of that franchise even though he played just 492 of his 1,111 National Hockey League games there. Article content Article content He was brought to Calgary in 1981, the second season after the club moved from Atlanta, in the deal that enabled Fletcher to begin the reshaping of the transferred franchise. Article content All this — and so much more — will be talked about, laughed about and toasted over as stories will be told on Fletcher's 90th birthday on Saturday with 18 family members and friends gathering for the weekend and longer in Laguna Beach, Calif. Article content 'Has anyone else worked 70 years in the NHL?' asked his son, Chuck Fletcher, who still works as a senior executive with the New Jersey Devils. 'My dad started with the Montreal Canadiens in 1955. He's been drawing an NHL paycheque ever since.' Article content Fletcher is on the current payroll of the Maple Leafs in a role of senior advisor, although he admits it's not much of a role anymore. Article content He has trouble walking and difficulty hearing these days, but no trouble watching hockey, talking hockey, or certainly retelling the stories of his own remarkable Hall of Fame career. Article content Article content 'His memory is incredible,' said Chuck, who has worked in the front office of six NHL teams. 'He can tell you everything. You do all the things that he's done and to have the ability to recall all it in such vivid detail, it's very impressive.' Article content Article content What's impressive is the list of accomplishments for his dad along the way. Trading is almost a lost art in today's salary-capped hockey world. But, when it wasn't, Fletcher was a veritable master of the big deal. Article content He stole Gilmour from Calgary just months after he had left the Flames for the Leafs. He all but stole Sundin for 13 Toronto seasons from Quebec in an emotional exchange for Wendel Clark and others in one of the most difficult trades he ever made. He stole McDonald from what was then the Colorado Rockies to begin the Flames footprint in Alberta. Article content He did a lot of stealing along the way. Article content But that wasn't all. In Calgary, he traded for Hall of Famer Joey Mullen and traded away the Hall of Famer Brett Hull. He traded for Grant Fuhr in Toronto and then dealt the Hall of Fame goalie to Buffalo for Hall of Fame winger Dave Andreychuk. He brought Tie Domi to the Leafs, traded for and traded away Larry Murphy, traded Mike Gartner for Glenn Anderson. Article content He drafted Hall of Fame players Al MacInnis, Joe Nieuwednyk, Mike Vernon, Hull and Sergei Makarov with the Flames, while also bringing borderline Hall players such as Gary Roberts, Gary Suter, Theo Fleury, Kent Nilsson and Paul Reinhart to the NHL. Article content The resume has just one Stanley Cup — the 1989 victory by the Flames — and that seems wrong. It should have more. At least one more from Calgary. And who knows what might have happened had the refereeing turned out differently in the 1993 Leafs playoff series against Los Angeles. Article content Article content But when Fletcher looks back now at so many exceptional deals, he does so with a certain pride and reverence. Article content 'For 2 1/2 years, Gilmour was the best player in the NHL … I thought we brought instant credibility back to the franchise at that time,' Fletcher said in a lengthy telephone interview. Article content 'Lanny gave our franchise credibility (in Calgary) when we had this all-time juggernaut just 180 miles down the road in Edmonton and had to establish something to compete. Article content Article content 'Quebec had Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg as its top two centres. Mats was the third centre on that team and they had just lost a playoff series to Montreal getting outmuscled pretty badly. They needed toughness. They needed someone like Wendel. I always thought the best way to make a trade sometimes was to figure out what your opponent needed to make their roster better and, if worked for both of you, terrific. Article content 'That happened with the Brett Hull trade. I said when we dealt him, that he would score 150 goals the next three seasons. Turned out I was wrong, I think he scored 160. But we wound up winning the Stanley Cup (with Rob Ramage). You never want to trade a player like that away, but that's my only championship and I'll take that deal any day of the week to get a Stanley Cup. Article content 'You know, I was able to trade Brett because we had Joey Mullen, a 50-goal scorer at right wing. We had Hakan Loob, a 50-goal scorer and we had Lanny, all on right wing.' Article content Of all the famous deals made, the one that rarely gets mentioned is a deal close to Fletcher's heart. Article content Article content 'I won't call it my biggest trade, but it might be the most significant,' Fletcher said. Article content In August of 1987, Fletcher acquired defenceman Brad McCrimmon from Philadelphia in exchange for a first- and third-round draft pick. That was before his famous 'Draft Shmaft' line in Toronto became famous. But the importance of the deal remains with Trader Cliff. Article content 'We gave up a lot for Brad McCrimmon, but he did so much for us. He was our leader in the dressing room. He was our leader on the ice and a very physical presence. He ran the room. In a way he ran our team. You can't underestimate what he meant to us. Article content 'The Flames team that won the Cup in '89 had six Hall of Fame players on it, but we were almost eliminated in the first round to Vancouver, who finished 40 points behind us. If Vernon doesn't make two career-like stops in overtime, we're gone — there is no Stanley Cup. After that, we go on to beat L.A. in four, Chicago in five before beating Montreal in six. That's how close it can be between winning and losing. Article content 'In 1986, things were different then. They didn't schedule days off between playoff series. We played St. Louis in the conference finals and went seven games with them, even though we shouldn't have. The final started right after Game 7. We ran out of gas by about Game 3. The way they schedule things today, with more time off, we might have won that year.' Article content That was the year they knocked out the dynastic Edmonton Oilers, interrupting what could have been a run of five straight Stanley Cups. Those were the Oilers of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Fuhr and Paul Coffey. The Oilers they sometimes played 18 times a season. Article content 'You have to understand, we move from Atlanta, we're the nobodies trying to establish ourselves and there's this all-time juggernaut building just down the highway. It was an incredible challenge to build a team that could compete with them, let alone win. Article content 'I'm proud of what we accomplished in Calgary.' Article content The hockey in Alberta in the 80s may have been the greatest NHL hockey ever played. Article content Article content When Fletcher decided to leave the Flames, where he had begun as expansion general manager in Atlanta, after the 1991 season, he thought he would take a year off and enjoy Florida life. Article content Instead, he immediately was sought after by the two wealthiest teams in the NHL. Both the New York Rangers and Leafs offered him front-office control of their hockey operations. He listened to both pitches and he chose Toronto. Article content At the beginning of his second season with the Leafs, his first with full-time Gilmour, his first with Pat Burns coaching, the Blue Jays scored their first of two consecutive World Series victories. Article content 'Toronto was electric back then, sporting wise' said Fletcher, whose two children grew into adults in Toronto. (His daughter Kristy is the COO of the Juno Awards). 'What the Blue Jays did — we respected their operation so much — was incredible. Their excitement became part of our excitement.' Article content As Fletcher gets ready to celebrate his 90th birthday, he knows that Pat Gillick, the architect of those Blue Jays teams, has a birthday coming up in just a few days: 'He's just a few years behind me. I think he's turning 88.' Article content Article content When Fletcher came to Toronto, he got to know one of the board members of the Leafs — including a guy named Ted Rogers. Article content All these years later, Ted has long since passed and the Leafs are corporately owned by Ted's, son Edward. The board Ted was part of was tossed aside when Steve Stavro took ownership control of the Leafs. Article content And Fletcher, who had two different stints as GM, with Stavro and with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, has remained with the team through the past five general managers and, while he doesn't travel much anymore, he doesn't miss a game on television. Article content 'I know how seriously he takes this,' Chuck said. 'I've sat with him for a lot of those Leafs playoff games. And he's a diehard, He's all-in. And that Florida series last year, with all the highs and lows of that series, that was a tough one to get through.'
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
B.C. Lions, Toronto Argonauts to play home games on the road during FIFA World Cup
The CFL will make way for the FIFA World Cup next summer. Article content Both the Toronto Argonauts and B.C. Lions will play home games away from their respective venues during the World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 with contests in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Article content Article content Vancouver and Toronto will combine to host 13 matches, with Toronto's BMO Field staging six, including Canada's first-ever World Cup game on home soil June 12. Article content Seven games will be played at B.C. Place Stadium, including Canada's group matches on June 18 and 24. Vancouver will also host knockout stage games July 2 (round of 32) and July 7 (round of 16). Article content The CFL announced Friday that the Argonauts will play home games at Hamilton Stadium, Mosaic Stadium in Regina and Winnipeg's Princess Auto Stadium against the host teams during the World Cup. Article content The Lions will relocate for two home games, with the club planning to announce those details at a later time. Article content 'The World Cup is a cultural event, uniting entire countries and communities under a single flag,' CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston said in a statement. 'As Toronto and Vancouver welcome the world, we're grateful to other cities and their tremendous fans for so generously making a home away from home for the Argonauts and the Lions.' Article content Following the World Cup, BMO Field will require time to be retrofitted back to CFL standards. Article content 'To our incredible fans in Toronto: your passion and loyalty mean the world to us,' said Argos GM Mike (Pinball) Clemons. 'This temporary move is about showcasing our city and stadium to the world — and when we return, it'll be with even more energy, excitement and noise!' Article content The CFL added that both the Argos' and Lions' schedules next season will be made to re-establish home-field advantage for the second half of the 2026 campaign. Article content
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Swimming medals and a soccer stunner: Here's Team N.L.'s experience at the Canada Games so far
Newfoundland and Labrador athletes excelled on the home field during the first week of the Canada Summer Games in St. John's. From medal-winning performances to drama on the pitch, these were some of the best moments from the first week. N.L. athletes make a splash As of Thursday evening, the province's athletes had won three medals — and all of them were won in the pool. It started with 18-year-old Gavin Baggs of Paradise. He won silver in the men's 400-metre freestyle Para race on Sunday. "This means so much," he said after the race. "It's just an honour to be able to represent my province, and absolutely an honour to win a medal for them." Another Paradise resident, 24-year-old Thomas Pelley, won two medals. Pelley won a silver medal in the men's 100-metre freestyle Special Olympics on Monday. He followed it up with a bronze medal on Thursday in the men's 50-metre freestyle Special Olympics. "We couldn't be more proud of Thomas as he earned the title of a multi-medalist in the 2025 Canada Games right here in his home province," said Jamie Randell, chef de mission for Team Newfoundland and Labrador in a news release on Thursday. "Thomas' perseverance and love for his sport is inspiring to us all. We know the entire province is beaming with pride." What a save! Another shining moment came on the soccer field, when Team Newfoundland and Labrador's fate was on the line. On Wednesday, the team took to the field against Manitoba — not to play a full match, just a penalty shootout. See the N.L. men's soccer team in penalty kicks to break a tie in the standings 2 days ago The crowd was on their side as Team Newfoundland and Labrador took to the field for penalty shots only — and not regular match play. The CBC's Jeremy Eaton and Danny Arsenault were there to capture it all. That's because goal differentials aren't used as tiebreakers in the Canada Games. As a result, penalty kicks were needed. Goalkeeper Tawana Chitsike made a clutch save in the third round of kicks, and Team N.L. midfielder Thomas Foran found the back of the net to seal a stunning win for the host province. "I'm extremely happy and surprised at how many people came out on such short notice," Foran told CBC News. "It's just really cool to see all the support." Wildfires affect some sports It was a stressful week for many in Newfoundland and Labrador with wildfires burning across parts of the province. The fires also forced some sports to shift. Soccer was moved away from Conception Bay South due to air quality and smoke concerns, while both sailing and beach volleyball were postponed for multiple days due to their proximity to wildfires. Beach volleyball and sailing were able to resume on Thursday with modifications. A grass court was set up for volleyball, and spectators weren't present, but Newfoundland and Labrador finished the preliminary round undefeated with a win over Nunavut. The first week's athletes will wrap up competition on Saturday before they head home, then the next group of athletes will begin arriving on Sunday. More sports will kick off in the second week, including volleyball, golf, artistic swimming, athletics, men's lacrosse, mountain biking, diving, wrestling, men's softball and women's soccer.
