Mihai Flamaropol

Mihai Flamaropol (9 April 1919 – 30 June 1985) was a Romanian footballer, ice hockey player and coach and a writer.

Flamaropol began playing football at Gloria București when he was 12 years old and at 17 he started to play ice hockey at Telefon Club București. In his next league game he managed to score again in a 3–1 loss to Unirea Tricolor București. However, they did not get to play in Divizia A as the championship was interrupted because of World War II. His following game was in the same competition, replacing Andrei Mercea in the 77th minute of a 2–1 home victory against Czechoslovakia.

Flamaropol's last two appearances for the national team were friendlies, the first one being a 6–0 victory against Albania, and this was the only game in which he played all the minutes for the national team. His last appearance was on 20 May 1951 in which he was replaced at half-time by Gheorghe Băcuț in a 2–2 draw against Czechoslovakia.

Ice hockey career

Flamaropol started his ice hockey career in 1936 at Telefon Club București, playing as a center, winning a Romanian Hockey League title in 1937. Because Telefon Club dissolved its hockey team, in 1940 he transferred to newly founded club Rapid București which he captained at age 21 in the winning of the 1940 league. After that season, Rapid's ice hockey section was dissolved so he went to play for Juventus București until 1952, a period in which he won five titles, then he went to CCA București. At CCA he was a player-coach and managed to win five Romanian Hockey Leagues. He was also a national team player, representing it in the 1947 Ice Hockey World Championships where he made two appearances as the team finished in 7th place.

He ended his playing career in 1959, but continued to coach at Știința București, Constructorul and Dinamo București, winning four Romanian Hockey League titles with the latter. He also led Romania's national team in the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics, and in the 1973 Ice Hockey World Championships, ending his coaching career in 1979 at Romania's under-18 national team. Hochei pe gheață (Ice hockey) (1962) 50 de ani de hochei în România (50 years of hockey in Romania) (1976) Amintiri din fotbal și hochei (Memories from football and hockey) (1981) Fotbal (Football) (1984) Fotbal – cadran mondial (Football – world dial) (1984) Fotbal – cadran românesc (Football – Romanian dial) (1986) Însemnările unui sportiv (The marks of a sportsman)

Death Flamaropol died on 30 June 1985 at age 66.

Legacy The Mihai Flamaropol Skating Rink in București is named in his honor.

Honours Footballer Juventus București Divizia B: 1940–41 CCA București Divizia A: 1952, 1953 Cupa României: 1952

Ice hockey player Telefon Club București Romanian Hockey League: 1937 Rapid București Romanian Hockey League: 1940 Juventus București Romanian Hockey League: 1941, 1942, 1945, 1946, 1947 CCA București Romanian Hockey League: 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959

Ice hockey coach CCA București Romanian Hockey League: 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959 Dinamo București Romanian Hockey League: 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973