Off the Wires: The Passing of a Legend
The Northeastern University community experienced a great loss this past Friday with the death of former men’s hockey coach Ferdinand “Fernie” Flaman following a long battle with cancer. He was 85 years old.
Best remembered around Huntington Ave. for elevating the program from perennial underacheivers to national relevancy, Flaman led the Huskies to four Beanpot triumphs (1980, 1984, 1985, 1988), an ECAC championship (1982), a Hockey East championship (1988) and two NCAA Tournament appearances during his 19 years behind the bench. Flaman stands as both the winningest and longest tenured coach in the history of men’s hockey at Northeastern, in addition to being a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
He will be missed.
From Head Coach Jim Madigan:
“Today is a sad day for NU, athletics and our hockey program. Fernie will always be remembered as the coach of NU hockey but he was much more than that. He was a coach, friend, mentor, role model, father figure and one of the nicest [people] you will ever meet. He touched me and all his former players in such a significant manner that we will always be indebted to him. He had a strong moral and ethical compass and he passed thise traits onto all of us. He was a leader of young men!
I was fortunate to spend some quality time with Fernie the last 3 weeks and I know he is now in a better place. I know I speak for all his former players when I say, Coach, thanks for being a big part of our lives and providing us with the foundation to be good people, husbands, fathers and positive contributors to society. Coach we will miss you tremendously!”
For additional reading, we’ve assembled a list of just some of the many articles regarding Flaman’s passing.
