By: Amy Tolman | Follow me on Twitter @amy7594
Several Boston Bruins Alumni share January 25th birthdays, and we honor them in this article. They are Fern Flaman, Aut Erickson, Bill O’Dwyer, Bob Sweeney, Martin Samuelsson, and Rick Adduono. We start with Hockey Hall of Famer Fern Flaman.
Fern Flaman
Fern “Fernie” Flaman was born on January 25, 1927, in Dysart, Saskatchewan, Canada. Flaman played for the Bruins from 1947 – 1950. He was then traded to Toronto, where he played for four years. In 1954, he was traded back to Boston, where he stayed for the rest of his career. Flaman was known as a physical defensive defenseman and a supreme body checker, and he was named Captain of the Bruins in 1955. He would end his time in Boston with 683 games, 30 goals, and 147 assist with 177 points.
In 1961, Flaman became the Amerian Hockey League Providence Reds player-coach-general manager. He retired as an active player from the National Hockey League after the 1963–1964 season with 911 games, 34 goals, and 174 assists. At the time of his retirement, he was third in NHL history in career penalty minutes. He stayed as the coach for Providence for one more year.
In 1970, Flaman was named the Northeastern University Huskies men’s college team’s head coach. He coached there for nineteen seasons, accumulating a 256–301–24 record. He was named United States college coach of the year in 1982 and led the Huskies to four Beanpot Tournament championships and a Hockey East championship in 1988. He retired from Northeastern the next year.
Flaman was inducted into several Halls of Fame:
- Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965
- Northeastern Hall of Fame in 1989
- Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990
- Saskatchewan Sports Hall Fame 1992
- Ted Knight Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.
He carried out the remainder of his career serving as a scout for the New Jersey Devils. He passed away on June 22, 2012, at aged 85 in Westwood, Massachusetts.
Aut Erickson
Aut Erickson was born on January 25, 1938, in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. His career started with the Bruins in the 1959-60 season, where he played for two years. Erickson played in 126 games in total, with Boston scoring three goals with 12 assists.
After his two years in Boston, he spent two years with the Chicago Blackhawks and then two more years with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Unfortunately, his career ended in January of 1970 with a spinal fusion injury. On August 21, 2010, Erickson passed away in Moreno Valley, California, due to cancer; he was 72.
Interesting Fact
To earn the status of getting your name engraved on the Stanley Cup, players must play at least 40 games through the regular season or one in the Cup final. Although not an official ruling, this standard helps dictate those who are considered part of the championship team. This ruling has allowed players like Aut Erickson and Milan Marcetta to get their names on the Stanley Cup. Neither played a single regular season game for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1967, but both played in the Cup final and as a result, earned the honour. Teams can get dispensation to include players it deems worthy to add. In 1972, the Boston Bruins included Ted Green on their list of engraved names. Green was injured in a violent pre-season game that season and missed the entire campaign, but was an integral part of the Bruins’ franchise nevertheless.
Kevin Shea is the Manager of Special Projects and Publishing at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Bob “Swoop” Sweeney
Boston Bruins Alumni Bob Sweeney was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on January 25, 1964. He was drafted out of high school by the Bruins in the 1982 NHL Draft. He would play four years at Boston College before making his NHL debut in the 1986-87 season but spent most of the year with the Bruins American Hockey League affiliate, the Moncton Golden Flames. Sweeney’s first full year with the Bruins was in the 1988-89 season.
Sweeney played six seasons with the Bruins before being claimed on waivers by the Buffalo Sabers in 1992. Bob was then claimed on waivers by the New York Islanders in 1995, waivers draft. After being traded to the Calgary Flames during the 1995–96 season. Sweeney retired from the NHL, having played for ten years, playing 639 games, scoring 125 goals, with 163 assists. He is now Director of Development for the Bruins Foundation.
Honorable Bruins Players Also Born On January 25th
- Rick Adduono – born in 1955 – 1975-76 season
- Bill O’Dwyer – born in 1960 – 1987-88 to 1989-90 season
- Martin Samuelsson – born in 1982 – 2003-04 to 2004-05 season
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