Fernie Flaman is the only Northeastern men’s hockey coach to lead a squad to a Beanpot championship win. It wasn’t once, but to all four titles.

After a playing and coaching career in the National Hockey League, Flaman took over the Northeastern program from Jim Bell as head coach for the 1970-71 season. He’d stay in that roll until after the 1988-89 season.

The Massachusetts Hall of Fame recognized Coach Flaman Nov. 9 for his work in the hockey community all-throughout his career, including his 19-seasons with Northeastern, by inducting him into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2011.

Thirty-one years later, Flaman’s fondest moment is still bringing home Northeastern’s first Beanpot win. He and his players from the 1980s, credit that first Beanpot win in 28th annual Beanpot in February 1980, to the turning point for the hockey program that current students flock to see.

The 1979-80 men’s hockey squad, then a member of Eastern College Athletic Conference Division 1 East, was 5-16 in conference (finishing 7-20-0 overall) play but pulled off the unthinkable.

“We were not picked to win the Beanpot, actually picked to finish last,” Paul Filipe, former Northeastern Husky defender from 1979-82, said. “We were kind of the doormat of that tournament.”

They upset Boston College in overtime for a 5-4 win in the final. A week earlier, Northeastern overcame Boston University (ECAC 8-14-0, overall 11-17-0) in overtime, winning 6-5 in the first round.

“We were lucky to win, I’ll tell you that,” Fernie Flaman, head coach in 1980, said in a phone interview Friday. “We had kids that came that night and they were a foot-up on the ice.”

Flaman is the only coach in Husky history to have not just one, but all four, Beanpot championships in his 19 season tenure as head coach, 1970-89.

“There were just two Monday nights in February where we had it together and were focused. No one was going to take it away from us,” Filipe said. “It was our time for winning … all the stars lined up for us those two Monday nights, sometimes that’s all it takes.”

Whether it was luck or fate, Flaman said he believes that win sparked interest, not only in players but also in fans, turning the program into what plays beneath the DogHouse today.
“Once we got going, and won that game in 1980, we got the program going up and doing very well,” Flaman said. “The program was left in pretty good condition for whoever took over in the ‘90s.”

The university began to show interest in the program roughly the same time as the sale of then-Boston Arena to Northeastern. The sale was finalized in October 1979, just before the first Beanpot championship season, giving the Huskies their own current home, Matthews Arena.

“Northeastern was just starting to put money into the hockey program with the renovation of the arena, which is what drove me to Northeastern,” current head coach Jim Madigan, who played for Flaman and the Huskies in 1982-1985, said.

With a home of their own and a spark of luck, the ‘80s turned into a historic run for the Huskies. The team captured four Beanpot titles, two league championships and an NCAA Frozen Four appearance.

Following their Beanpot win, the 1981 team managed to break even in the standings, paving the way for a run to the national championship the following year.

Filipe was one of seven freshman recruited for the 1978-79 season. Together, they lead the 1982 team to the NCAA tournament as seniors.

“[We] had seven seniors on the [1981-82] team, all of us were leaders, all of us had been there for four years. It all came together that year,” Filipe said. “We had a great group of freshmen that came in, including [current Northeastern] coach Madigan. We had solid freshmen and good leadership … it just sort of clicked.”

The ‘82 team put up 212 goals, only allowing 140 into their own net, during their 25-win season, which the season ended with a 6-2 loss to Univeristy of North Dakota in the semifinals of the NCAA championship tournament, but a 10-4 win over University of New Hampshire clinched a third place finish overall.

The energy from ’82 didn’t relinquish as the Huskies found themselves playing at the then-Boston Garden six times in 10 years for the Beanpot final, winning three additional titles in ’84, ’85 and ’88.

Flaman’s eight winning seasons as coach are a program-best and the league championships and NCAA Frozen Four appearance Flaman lead his squads to will forever be remembered along Huntington Avenue.

According to the Hall of Fame website, inductions are based on candidates’ ability to “distinguish himself or herself by exceptional performance and outstanding character reflecting favorably upon the game of hockey in Massachusetts … an appropriate role model for young players, and an exemplary representative of the game of hockey.”

“He taught us about hockey, but also about life,” Madigan said in reference to Flaman’s leadership. “Always trying to make sure we are good people, respecting people whether it be on campus or off campus, doing the right thing … He lead by example. Always preaching doing the right thing, on the ice, off the ice, in the classroom.”