Toronto Maple Leafs interim general manager Cliff Fletcher, shown here, has been an inspiration and mentor to his son, Chuck, the assistant GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
Feature
Fletcher & Fletcher
Penguins assistant GM Chuck driven by dad Cliff's 'life lessons'
Last Updated Thurs., Feb. 28, 2008
By Doug Harrison, CBC Sports
Chuck Fletcher laughs when it is suggested he seek payback from his father, Cliff, on the golf course.
It's one way to get back at a loved one after he ups the ante for a player on your wish list, namely six-foot-five, 250-pound defenceman Hal Gill.
The younger Fletcher, in his second season as assistant general manager with the Pittsburgh Penguins, first contacted Cliff – the Toronto Maple Leafs' interim GM – on Feb. 24 about Gill's availability leading up to the NHL's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline two days later.
They spoke Monday and at length on Tuesday before Chuck gave in to his dad's demands and surrendered Pittsburgh's second-round pick in the June draft and a fifth-rounder in 2009.
"There were other teams interested in Hal Gill and the price went up a little bit," Chuck, who usually gives way to general manager Ray Shero in trade discussions, told CBCSports.ca. "I thought [Gill] was going to another team at one point, but things happened quickly [on Tuesday] between two and three o'clock.
"We wanted to get him and we were comfortable paying the price we did.
"I think both sides are a little more honest and come clean [when they're related]. I'm certainly not going to try to pull the wool over [Cliff's] eyes. He's a pretty honourable man in all his dealings."
Fletchers deal in 2001
The Fletchers have negotiated a couple of trades before the one for Gill, most recently on March 13, 2001. Chuck, then working in the Florida Panthers' front office, sent physical defenceman Todd Simpson to Phoenix for a second-round pick that summer.
Cliff was GM of the Coyotes at the time after spending the previous two seasons as an adviser for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"He did a better job [with this trade]," said Chuck, 40. "He's been around the block more than I have. You're not going to fool him on many."
Indeed. Chuck was a fixture at Maple Leaf Gardens in the early 1990s during his father's first go-around in Toronto. After graduating from Harvard University, Chuck was often seen sitting alongside Cliff in a private box during games, no doubt learning the hockey business.
Chuck Fletcher was a fixture at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens in the early 1990s learning the ropes from his dad Cliff, the team's GM. (Getty Images)
As a young, aspiring hockey manager, Chuck would watch how Cliff handled himself, who he talked to, how he watched games and afterwards, how he dealt with the coach.
"Those were great life lessons, not just hockey lessons," said Chuck, who lives in Hampton, Pa., with his wife Rhonda and children Kaitlin and Keith. "Ultimately, you either know players or you don't, and that's a hard thing to teach. I sort of have a lifetime education in watching a lot of this stuff."
In 1993, he spent the first of nine years with the Panthers and seven in total as assistant GM. From there, he joined the-then Anaheim Mighty Ducks as a director of hockey operations, assistant GM, and vice-president of amateur scouting and player development before heading back East to Pittsburgh.
'Silver Fox' entered NHL as scout
Cliff, better known as the Silver Fox for his white hair and ability to outsmart fellow GMs, began his NHL career in 1956 as a scout for the Montreal Canadiens.
The 72-year-old first became a GM with the Atlanta Flames in 1972, following the team when it moved to Calgary in 1980 and helping the Flames capture their lone Stanley Cup in '89.
Cliff served as Leafs GM from 1991 to 1997, and orchestrated trades for Doug Gilmour, Mats Sundin and Grant Fuhr. The 10-player trade for Gilmour proved to be one of the biggest heists of all-time.
"He [Cliff] has a tremendous eye for talent, and I'm certainly not brazen enough to suggest I'm even close to his level," Chuck said. "Some people have certain talents that aren't transferable."
On Jan. 22, Cliff signed a 19-month contract to become the Maple Leafs' interim GM, replacing the fired John Ferguson.
One of his first priorities was to get as many young assets and draft picks before the recent trade deadline. He managed to secure four draft picks this year and next for checking forward Chad Kilger, tough guy Wade Belak and Gill.
The Silver Fox, however, was unsuccessful in getting five of Toronto's top players – Sundin, Darcy Tucker, Tomas Kaberle, Bryan McCabe and Pavel Kubina – to waive their no-trade clauses.
"I thought he did well and I don't know if much more could have been done," said Chuck. "No matter what you do [in hockey-crazed Toronto], there's somebody who thinks it's a good move and somebody who thinks it's a bad move."
Perhaps Fletcher and Fletcher can hook up again next year and give hockey fans something to think about.
