Fleming Mackell

Fleming David Mackell (April 30, 1929 – October 19, 2015) was a Canadian ice hockey forward who played with two Stanley Cup winners in his 13-season National Hockey League career.

Playing career

After a stage with St-Michaels, the Toronto Maple Leafs OHA affiliate, Mackell began his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1948. The majority of it was spent with the Boston Bruins, with whom he would retire following the 1960 season. Mackell won Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs in 1949 and 1951.

After his second Stanley Cup success, Mackell was traded by Toronto to the Boston Bruins in return for young defenceman Jim Morrison. In Boston, he attained NHL First All-Star Team status for the 1952–53 season, at the position of centre, playing on a line composed of Ed Sanford and Johnny Peirson. Mackell also won the Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy in 1953, awarded annually to the outstanding Bruins player on Boston Gardens home ice. He was named an alternate captain of the Boston Bruins in 1955. Flem Mackell became a mainstay and catalyst of Boston's strong and prolific offence of the late 1950s.

In 1956–57, Mackell centred a line composed of veteran iron man Cal Gardner and Rookie Of the year, Calder trophy winner Larry Regan. Along with later Bruins linemate, Don McKenney, Mackell led all scorers during the 1957-58 Stanley Cup playoffs. In the spring of 1959, Fleming Mackell led the Boston Bruins against the New York Rangers on an exhibition tour of Europe. A rugged, hard-charging playmaker with a razor-sharp skating style, he was a side of the net scoring specialist. The versatile Mackell frequently played at left wing, principally with Don McKenney and Jerry Toppazzini, a trio whose production matched the output of the vaunted UKE Line, along with his regular position at centre. Mackell often assumed a defensive checking role, he was the catalyst of the short-lived Hustle line in 1959–60.

Upon his retirement from the Boston Bruins and the NHL at the conclusion of the 1959–60 season, MacKell briefly became player/coach for the Quebec Aces of the AHL in 1960–61. He approached the Detroit Red Wings for a tryout in September 1961 and appeared in some exhibition games, but did not make the club.

Mackell is the son of former NHL player Jack Mackell of the original Ottawa Senators. His daughter JoAnne is an established country rock singer based in Toronto . Mackell died on October 19, 2015.

In 2023 he would be named one of the top 100 Bruins players of all time.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1944–45 Montreal Jr. Royals QJHL 9 3 4 7 0 6 2 3 5 2 1945–46 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA-Jr. 24 25 25 50 29 11 13 9 22 52 1946–47 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA-Jr. 28 49 33 82 71 9 10 10 20 33 1946–47 Toronto St. Michael's Majors M-Cup — — — — — 10 15 14 29 38 1947–48 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 1947–48 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 62 22 43 65 84 2 1 0 1 4 1948–49 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 11 1 1 2 6 9 2 4 6 4 1948–49 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 52 38 38 76 65 — — — — — 1949–50 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 36 7 13 20 24 7 1 1 2 11 1949–50 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 36 22 25 47 62 — — — — — 1950–51 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 12 13 25 40 11 2 3 5 9 1951–52 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 32 2 8 10 16 — — — — — 1951–52 Boston Bruins NHL 30 1 8 9 24 5 2 1 3 12 1952–53 Boston Bruins NHL 65 27 17 44 63 11 2 7 9 7 1953–54 Boston Bruins NHL 67 15 32 47 60 4 1 1 2 8 1954–55 Boston Bruins NHL 60 11 24 35 76 4 0 1 1 0 1955–56 Boston Bruins NHL 52 7 9 16 59 — — — — — 1956–57 Boston Bruins NHL 65 22 17 39 73 10 5 3 8 4 1957–58 Boston Bruins NHL 70 20 40 60 72 12 5 14 19 12 1958–59 Boston Bruins NHL 57 17 23 40 28 7 2 6 8 8 1959–60 Boston Bruins NHL 47 7 15 22 19 — — — — — 1960–61 Quebec Aces AHL 62 13 22 35 54 — — — — — 1962–63 Los Angeles Blades WHL 29 10 21 31 26 3 1 1 2 2 1963–64 New Glasgow Rangers NSSHL 7 5 14 19 4 4 2 2 4 4 1964–65 New Glasgow Rangers NSSHL 57 49 75 124 85 — — — — — 1965–66 St. Hyacinthe Saints Que-Sr. 20 10 10 20 29 12 5 9 14 8 1967–68 St. John's Capitals Nfld-Sr. 33 11 19 30 53 — — — — — NHL totals 665 149 220 369 562 80 22 41 63 75