The Hockey World Remembers Wayne Fleming

Wayne Fleming behind the bench of the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
Wayne Fleming behind the bench of the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

The hockey world went into mourning on Tuesday as news broke that long-time coach Wayne Fleming had passed away following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Born in July 1950, the Winnipeg native delved into the hockey world via a short junior career. Instead of trying his hand at pro, Fleming became a coach – and the rest is history. Fleming was head coach at the University of Manitoba for nine seasons (1980-87 and 1988-90), posting a 140-78-14 record with the Bisons. He also served as an assistant coach for the Bisons in 1979-80.

Fleming tried his hand at international hockey, stepping behind the bench for Hockey Canada as an assistant coach for two seasons, winning a silver medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics. He also received head coaching jobs in Sweden (Leksands IF) and Germany (EV Landshut) before embarking on a lengthy National Hockey League career. In between his NHL stops, he also served as head coach of the KHL’s Avangard Omsk and an associate coach for Team Canada’s 2002 Olympic gold medal winning team.

Fleming’s influence can be felt throughout the league, but most notably where he served as a assistant coach: Long Island (1997-99), Phoenix (1999-2001), Philadelphia (2002-06), Calgary (2006-08), Edmonton (2009-10) and Tampa Bay (2010-13).

Following the announcement of his passing, Twitter erupted with tributes for the late, great Wayne Fleming.