TORONTO (June 6) — It was Jan. 30, 2008 and I wandered into the lobby of the Embassy Suites hotel off Interstate–40, near Raleigh–Durham International Airport. I had arrived 90 minutes earlier on a late–afternoon flight from Toronto; the Maple Leafs in town for a game, the following night, against the Carolina Hurricanes. Eight days had passed since Cliff Fletcher, for the second time, became general manager of the Leafs, replacing the deposed John Ferguson Jr. I had no particular intention once I reached the lobby, but I came upon Fletcher and TSN reporter Sheri Forde. We made plans to go for dinner. Cliff and Sheri repaired to the hotel bar while yours truly went back up to dress more appropriately. It’s a night that I long remember… and will long treasure, now that the Silver Fox — arguably the nicest person in my years covering the Leafs on radio — has passed away at 90.

Cliff was a spry 72 that evening in North Carolina and, to this day, I ache with my entire soul that I wasn’t allowed to “report” anything Fletcher discussed during our Italian meal. Cliff was abjectly loyal to his underlings and colleagues, almost never speaking about them in public. But, he was also a connoisseur of wine and his normally tactiturn comportment weakened, like so many others, once alcohol began to prevail. Oh the stories… of how he hired Pat Burns; fired Pat Burns; traded for Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin; attended his own firing (in 1997) by Steve Stavro — stuff he would never discuss for attribution. I was dying a thousand times over. A bestselling book evolved across the table from me that night… and I couldn’t do a damned thing with it. You should be informed that Cliff never did publish a memoir, even though approached by a number of media wags (myself not included; such writers as Steve Simmons, Eric Duhatschek and David Shoalts, who knew Fletcher from working in Calgary, were far–more qualified). In 2008, it was nearing a time when the trade deadline would become topical and Sundin was in his final contract year as captain of the Blue and White. As it turned out, Fletcher pushed every available button to encourage that Sundin waive his no–movement clause for a team, unlike Toronto, with Stanley Cup aspiration. Ultimately, and to the chagrin of many in Leafs Nation, the big Swede chose to not abandon his teammates. What Cliff allowed me to do, that night in Raleigh, was fetch my tape machine and conduct an exclusive, one–on–one interview; Sundin’s situation the lone topic. It didn’t win any awards, but Fletcher (still a tad tipsy) spoke candidly about the situation. Happily, I had stumbled across something of value for The FAN–590.

Another night, more than a decade earlier, comes to mind. I had covered a Leafs/Panthers game (Mar. 15, 1997) at the old Miami Arena, which was located in the notorious Overtown neighborhood of the city. It isn’t a wives’ tale that members of visiting media, having filed their late newspaper stories, spent the night in the arena rather than risk fetching a taxi. It allowed them to wake up alive. I, too, got stuck in the old building after a hockey game. It was plainly an act of God that National Hockey League referee Dave Jackson, who had officiated the match, was also still inside. He found two or three of us with the color drained from our faces and offered a ride back to the hotel in his rental car (which, remarkably, still had four wheels). During that March 1997 trip to the Atlantic coast, Cliff and his bride–to–be, Linda, rescued me. They, too, had an intact rental vehicle and took me along — convertible–top down — to the team headquarters at the Renaissance/Fort Lauderdale Beach (Cliff never did “cheap”).

I remember the lights of Miami disappearing as we headed northbound on Interstate–95. It was difficult to hear conversation with the roof down. At one point, Cliff, driving the car, summoned me with a wave of his hand. “Howie, lean in here,” he said and I quickly moved forward in the back seat. “We’ve just signed a winger from Bowling Green University; a Scarborough kid named Mike Johnson. He’ll be making his debut tomorrow night [in Tampa]. You’re the only reporter I’ve told. He could be a good player for us.” The Blackberry hadn’t yet come into vogue and none of us had a mobile device in the car. As soon as we got back to the Renaissance, I tore upstairs and called the radio station. Johnston, the Scarborough kid, went on to score 48 goals for the Maple Leafs over parts of four seasons and, today, ranks among the premier hockey analysts on TV in his role with TSN.

Again, not an earth–shattering story, but typical of how Cliff often helped those covering the team.

Wnen he became president of the Leafs and Maple Leaf Gardens nearly 35 years ago (on July 1, 1991), two words echoed through the media: “instant credibility.” Fletcher had a particularly easy act to follow after Harold Ballard ran the team into the ground through the 1980’s. But, he quickly made his mark by acquiring veteran Stanley Cup players Grant Fuhr and Glenn Anderson from Edmonton. Fuhr would later be flipped to Buffalo for scoring winger Dave Andreychuk. But, not until Fletcher had purloined the plucky Gilmour from his former team in a record, 10–player trade. Gilmour and Andreychuk performed as if they were made for one another, helping the Leafs to consecutive appearances (1993, 1994) in the Stanley Cup semifinals. Both years with Pat Burns behind the bench; Fletcher having lured the former cop and Montreal coach (on May 29, 1992) to replace Tom Watt.

 
CLIFF’S FIRST BIO (ABOVE) WITH THE MAPLE LEAFS — IN THE CLUB’s 1991–92 MEDIA GUIDE.

When I think of Cliff, however, nothing springs to mind more rapidly than the evening of the 1994 NHL draft in Hartford… and the biggest story break of my radio career. I remember walking to the Civic Center with ex–Leaf coach Doug Carpenter. Cliff had sent me on my way with a stern warning: “Get there early; we’re working on something big.” Just more than an hour before the draft, I was loitering at the fence that separated the media from tables of the 26 teams. Rumors of a big Leafs trade had been circulating for more than a week. My former radio colleague, Bill Watters, was having a conversation with his ex–partner in the player–agency business, Rick Curran. Bill was assistant general manager of the Leafs. He didn’t know how to whisper. As such, I overheard him tell Curran: “This is gonna be big; it’ll blow your socks off.” With that clandestine clue, I raced to the phone and called the radio station. Dan Shulman and the late Jim (Shakey) Hunt were in the midst of Prime Time Sports.

I went on the air live and told of my information, without betraying Watters. “As you know, rumors of a big Maple Leafs move have made the rounds this week,” I said. “And, I’ve just discovered that the deal is going to be a blockbuster. I suspect we’ll hear about it long before this night is over.” At that moment, purely by accident and coincidence, an agent named Eugene McBurney, who I had known for several years, happened by and stuck a piece of paper under my nose. It detailed a monster trade between Toronto and Quebec that featured Wendel Clark going to the Nordiques for Swedish center Mats Sundin. I looked at McBurney. He pointed vehemently at the paper; then grabbed it from me and wrote, in large capital letters, “THIS DEAL HAS BEEN MADE!!!” I told Shulman and Hunt that I needed to pause for a moment. I put my hand over the telephone receiver and looked at McBurney as if to say “this is my career.” He replied, “go with it. Now!” At which point I returned to the conversation and said, “guys, our timing seems to be impeccable. I have been told by a very good source that the Leafs and Quebec are going to announce a giant, six–player trade. Incredibly, Wendel Clark is involved. He is going to the Nordiques in a deal for Mats Sundin.” I then read off the names and draft picks McBurney had written down; visions of construction work dancing through my head should the information be inaccurate. I needed not to worry.

Shulman and Hunt were obviously taken aback by the news and questioned its legitimacy. At no point in the week–long spate of rumors had Clark or Sundin been mentioned. “All I can tell you, guys, is I’ve gotten this from someone I really trust.” Again, my career flashed before my eyes. Within 30 minutes, however, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stepped to the podium in the Civic Center and said, “I’ve got a trade to announce.” With that, Bettman rattled off each player and draft choice in the Toronto–Quebec swap. Exactly as Gene McBurney had written on the sheet of paper. Needless to say, I felt as if I had dodged an execution. And, it all spun from that “warning” issued by Cliff. It would be the most–triumphant moment of my 17 years covering the Leafs on radio.

Fletcher cut his teeth with the Canadiens organization then joined the St. Louis Blues as eastern–Canada scout for their inaugural season in 1967–68. Today’s date is rather coincidental, being the 59th anniverssary of the first NHL expansion draft (June 6, 1967), in Montreal. Cliff joined Lynn Patrick, Scotty Bowman and the Blues at their table; the event held without live coverage in the ballroom of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Glenn Hall was the first player chosen by St. Louis after his many seasons in Chicago. Fletcher inherited his own expansion team when the Atlanta Flames named him, for 1972–73, their first GM. Cliff’s managerial career climaxed eight seasons after the franchise relocated in Calgary — the Flames outlasting the Canadiens to capture the 1989 Stanley Cup.

Two summers later, he was on his way to Toronto.

 
THE YOUNG CLIFF (ABOVE) WAS AN ORIGINAL EMPLOYEE OF THE ST. LOUIS BLUES IN 1967–68 BEFORE EARNING HIS OWN TEAM (BELOW) WHEN ATLANTA JOINED THE NHL IN 1972–73.

 
Then, there were the parties. November 2008 and November 2010 at Cliff and Linda’s sprawling estate in Scottsdale, Ariz. Fletcher, at the time, was working for the Coyotes (now the Utah Mammoth) in an advisory role. The Leafs happened to come through both times after a game in San Jose, with a night off before tackling the ‘Yotes. All members of the Toronto traveling party (players, team staff, media) were invited for food, talk… and plenty of hootch. After dinner, the players bussed back to the team hotel in Glendale, across from the Coyotes’ arena. The rest of us hung around til the wee hours. At the first gathering, Brian Burke had been general manager of the Leafs for less than a week — replacing Fletcher — and Ron Wilson was in his initial season as coach.

It was their first social gathering and they regaled us with stories from their Providence College days.

“Cliff, himself, never contacted me about the Toronto job, but made it known to [San Jose GM] Doug Wilson that he was interested if I got fired,” Wilson related on Friday in an email. “Cliff was very nice during our interview. He was very patient while I made my decision and allowed me to choose my assistant [coaches]. Getting to know Cliff was a pleasure as we discussed lots that we had in common throughout our careers. I will certainly miss him.”

As will every person that had the privilege of knowing one of hockey’s most–legendary figures.

EMAIL: HOWARDLBERGER@GMAIL.COM