Cliff Fletcher Dies: Nobody In Hockey Can Match His Seven-Decade Career With Leafs, Flames And More

When you think of the term 'hockey lifer,' there is nobody who embodies that moniker more than Hall of Fame GM Cliff Fletcher, who died Friday morning at the age of 90.

From the time he was hired as a scout for the Montreal Canadiens in 1956, Fletcher has spent all but one season since working for an NHL team in some capacity. Right up to this past season, he was still a special advisor for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team he joined as GM in 1991 and led to two conference finals.

Fletcher was a trailblazer and outside-the-box thinker when it came to building teams. He won just one Stanley Cup, with the Calgary Flames in 1989, but his teams were almost always competitive and usually loaded with young talent.

There may never be another person to have as long a career in the NHL.

Watch the video above for the full story on Fletcher.

See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Hockey News

This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 4:12 PM.