Ron Flockhart (ice hockey)

Ron Flockhart
Born	(1960-10-10) October 10, 1960 Smithers, BC, CAN
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	AHL Maine Mariners NHL Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Montreal Canadiens St. Louis Blues Boston Bruins
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1980–1991

Ronald E. "Flockey Hockey" Flockhart (born October 10, 1960) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player.

Playing career

Ron Flockhart scored over 300 NHL points in the 1980s playing mostly with the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues. Perhaps, Flockhart's greatest contribution to the sporting world is his role in the creation of a little known hockey spin-off known as "flockey." Named after Flockhart himself, it remains a mystery as to what extent, if any, Flockhart played in the formation of the game. Regardless, Flockey became an instant hit that swept suburban basements in the late 90s and impacted all those that played it. After an impressive season with the Regina Pats during the 1979–80 Western Hockey League season, he was signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Flyers. While he played most of the '80–81 season with the Flyers AHL affiliate Maine Mariners team, he appeared in 14 regular season and 3 playoff games for the parent team. His best NHL season came the following year, as Flockhart averaged a point a game scoring 33 goals and assisting on another 39 for 72 points. Though he enjoyed another solid year in 1982–83 with 29 goals and 60 points in 73 games, the Flyers as a team continued to have trouble advancing in the playoffs. After a slow start at the beginning of the '83–84 season, Flockhart was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the trade that brought Rich Sutter to Philadelphia.

Flockhart spent the next two seasons playing for the Penguins and Montreal Canadiens, and in 1985–86 joined the St. Louis Blues where he tallied 22 goals and added 45 assists. It was his highest point total since his first season with the Flyers. Over the next few years, Flockhart's playing time fell with the Blues, and he ended his NHL career with a brief 4 game stint on the Boston Bruins. Although Flockhart's NHL career was at an end, his professional career continued for a few more years with SG Cortina and Bolzano HC in Italy.

Flockhart's style was often called "Flocky (or Flockey or Flockie) Hockey", for his tendency to rag the puck rather than move it quickly up ice.

Awards

According to Gene Hart, former play-by-play television and radio commentator for the Philadelphia Flyers, Flockhart won the "Grizzly Award" each year he played for the Flyers. As recollected in his autobiography "Score: My 25 Years With the Broad Street Bullies", Hart created this "award" for the NHL player born in Smithers, BC who had the highest point total at the end of each NHL season. Hart originally coined the award as a joke between Joe Watson and his younger brother Jimmy Watson, both low scoring Flyers defensemen who were born and raised in Smithers (and at the time were the only 2 players from this small British Columbia town). With the emergence of Flockhart, he became a lock for the award during his NHL playing days.

Records

• Holds Philadelphia Flyers record for fastest two goals (8 seconds) during a game against the St. Louis Blues on December 6, 1981. The Flyers won the game 8–2.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1977–78	Medicine Hat Tigers	WCHL		5	1	0	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Regina Pats	WHL		65	54	76	130	63		17	11	23	34	18
1980–81	Maine Mariners	AHL		59	33	33	66	76		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		14	3	7	10	11		3	1	0	1	2
1981–82	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		72	33	39	72	44		4	0	1	1	2
1982–83	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		73	29	31	60	49		2	1	1	2	2
1983–84	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		8	0	3	3	4		—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		68	27	18	45	40		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		12	0	5	5	4		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		42	10	12	22	14		2	1	1	2	2
1985–86	St. Louis Blues	NHL		79	22	45	67	26		8	1	3	4	6
1986–87	St. Louis Blues	NHL		60	16	19	35	12		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	St. Louis Blues	NHL		21	5	4	9	4		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Peoria Rivermen	IHL		2	0	2	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Maine Mariners	AHL		9	5	6	11	0		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Boston Bruins	NHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	SG Cortina	Italy		31	31	34	65	25		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Bolzano HC	Italy		40	53	94	147	15		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Bolzano HC	Italy		33	36	44	80	32		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				453	145	183	328	208		19	4	6	10	14

Coaching

Flockhart also coached the Dallas Freeze of the Central Hockey League for 3 seasons (1992–93 through 1994–95) as well as the Reno Renegades (later called the Reno Rage) of the WCHL between 1995–96 and 1997–98.

External links

• Ron Flockhart's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Oldtimers' Hockey Challenge player page