William Mayer Flett (July 21, 1943 – July 12, 1999) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

for the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

and

Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...

. Flett then moved to the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

, playing with the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

, returning to the NHL with the Oilers in the

1979–80 NHL season The 1979–80 NHL season was the 63rd season of the National Hockey League. This season saw the addition of four teams from the disbanded World Hockey Association as expansion franchises. The Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, New England Whalers (l ...

Playing career

Born in

Vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since ancient history, antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its correspondi ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Flett played his minor hockey in

Okotoks, Alberta Okotoks (, originally ) is a town in the Calgary Region of Alberta, Canada. It is on the Sheep River, approximately south of Calgary. Okotoks has emerged as a bedroom community of Calgary. According to the 2016 Census, the town has a population ...

, then played

junior hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

with the

Melville Millionaires The Melville Millionaires are a Canadian junior "A" ice hockey based in Melville, Saskatchewan. They are members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). They play their home games in the Horizon Credit Union Centre which has a seating ...

of the

SJHL The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years of ...

. From 1963–64 through 1966–67, he played for teams in various minor professional leagues ( AHL, EHL, WHL, CPHL). In 1967, when the NHL expanded from six to twelve teams, Flett was drafted by the expansion Los Angeles Kings. In his rookie season, playing on right wing, he scored 26 goals and was named

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

NHL West Division rookie of the year. Flett was nicknamed "Cowboy" because in addition to being a hockey player, he owned a cattle ranch in Alberta and he was also a

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

performer. Flett's rodeo career ended when the Los Angeles Kings owner

Jack Kent Cooke Jack Kent Cooke (October 25, 1912 – April 6, 1997) was a Canadian-American businessman in broadcasting and professional sports. Starting in sales, Cooke was very successful, eventually becoming a partner in a network of radio stations and news ...

threatened to fine him $1,000 ($ today) for every rodeo he appeared in. He was well known throughout his career for being one of the few hockey players at the time to sport a full beard, and for being one of the last players to play without a helmet. Not known for his playmaking skill or skating, Flett did possess a booming and heavy slapshot and when paired with the right center who could get him the puck, he was among the league's biggest scoring threats. Flett scored 24 goals in his sophomore season. His goal production declined significantly in his next two seasons. He was acquired along with

Ross Lonsberry David Ross Lonsberry (February 7, 1947 – May 4, 2014) was a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), left winger who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Philade ...

Jean Potvin Jean René Potvin (March 25, 1949 – March 15, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, ...

and

Eddie Joyal Edward Abel Joyal (born May 8, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and Philadelphia Flyers between 1963 and 1972. He also played ...

by the Flyers from the Kings for

Serge Bernier Serge Joseph Bernier (born April 29, 1947) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), right winger who played seven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and Quebec Nordi ...

Bill Lesuk William Anton Lesuk (born November 1, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals, and Winnipeg ...

and Jim Johnson on January 28, 1972. He had his best season in 1972–73 with 43 goals with the Flyers. Flett was a member of the Flyers 1974

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

champion team. He was traded from the Flyers to the

for

Randy Osburn Randoulf Allan Osburn (born November 26, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played 27 National Hockey League (NHL) games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a profes ...

and Dave Fortier on May 27, 1974.William Flett (RW) 1971–1974 – Philadelphia Flyers.
Retrieved January 24, 2023. He was waived by the Maple Leafs after reverting to his indifferent play. The

picked him from waivers, and Flett had one last productive year in the NHL when he scored 23 goals in 1975–76. In 1976–77, the Flames sold him to the

of the WHA where he averaged over 60 points per season over the next three years. When Edmonton joined the NHL, he found he had little left and retired after 20 games. He scouted for the Oilers after that.

Death

In May 1999, Flett entered the hospital due to a gall bladder condition which eventually contributed to liver failure. Flett received a liver transplant; however, his body rejected the transplant. Flett died on July 12, 1999 due to liver failure. He had battled alcoholism for many years and claimed to be sober for "4 or 5 years" after checking into the

Betty Ford Clinic The Betty Ford Center (BFC) is a non-profit, residential treatment center for persons with substance dependence in Rancho Mirage, California. It offers inpatient, outpatient, and residential day treatment for alcohol and other drug addictions, as ...

Rancho Mirage Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and locate ...

in the early 1990s. Flett was survived by his wife Doreen and three sons, Cody, Dean and Shane.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

*''Hockey Stars of 1969'' by Stan Fischler *''The Complete Handbook of Pro Hockey 1976'' by Zander Hollander

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flett, Bill 1943 births 1999 deaths Atlanta Flames players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey right wingers Charlotte Checkers (EHL) players Denver Invaders players Edmonton Oilers (WHA) players Edmonton Oilers players Edmonton Oilers scouts Estevan Bruins players Ice hockey people from Alberta Los Angeles Kings players Melville Millionaires players Liver transplant recipients People from the County of Vermilion River Philadelphia Flyers players Rochester Americans players Springfield Kings players Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players Tulsa Oilers (1964–1984) players Victoria Maple Leafs players