Nomination for Jim Fleming

Nomination for Jim Fleming – Top 100 Contributors to Hockey
in Alberta
Introduction
Jim Fleming was born (1940) and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. He
is one of 11 children, the father of eight and grandfather to 10
children. His involvement in hockey started at four years of age
on the backyard rink and grew into numerous successful hockey
seasons as a player, minor hockey coach, Hockey School
organizer, Hockey School instructor, Hockey Canada program
developer and Hockey Alberta instructor and Power Skating
instructor. At the age of 67, Jim continues to play hockey once or
twice a week, provides power skating instruction three to four
times a week, conducts a yearly summer hockey school in
Edmonton, instructs at three to four schools each summer, and
provides instruction on Hockey Canada Programs (Coach,
Certification and Checking Clinics) on countless weekends
throughout the province of Alberta.
Below are some of Jim
Fleming’s accomplishments and contributions to hockey in Alberta
for over 60 years!
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Playing Minor Hockey
As the eldest of 11 children, Jim helped his Dad build and
maintain an outdoor rink for the family.
Minor Hockey Highlights:
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(1952-1953) Played for St. Alphonus in the Knights of
Columbus League. Jim captained the team that won the
league championship. Jim was the league scoring champion.
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(1954-1955) Captain of St. Al’s Bantams and won the
scoring championship (55 points in ten league games). The
team won the city championship and Jim was interviewed on
TV!
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(1955-1956) Played for St Al’s Midgets that won
Knights of Columbus City Championships.
Senior Hockey Career
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(1960-1961) University of Alberta Golden Bears
(Western Canada Champions)
(1961-1962) University of Alberta Golden Bears
(Western Canada Champions) 12 points in 12 games.
(1962-1963) Played with Lacombe Rockets of
Intermediate A (Won Central Alberta League Championship)
(1963-1964) University of Alberta Golden Bears (Firstever Canadian Intercollegiate Hockey Champions, Leading
Scorer)
(1964-1965) Vegreville Rangers of Intermediate B
(Won League Championship and lost Provincial Finals).
(1965-1966) Captain of Vermilion Tigers Intermediate
A. Regular Season Champions.
(1966-1967) Captain of Vermilion Tigers Intermediate
A. Won League Championship
(1967-1968) Captain of Vermilion Tigers Intermediate
A. Won the Alberta/BC Championship.
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(1968-1969) Lloydminster Border Kings Intermediate
A. Finalist Intermediate Canadian Championship
(1969-1970) Captain of Vermilion Tigers Intermediate
B.
Winner of League MVP, Scoring Title and Most
Sportsman Awards. Won League Championship.
(1970–1972) Captain of Vermilion Tigers Intermediate
B. League Championship two of three years.
(1973) Competitive career ends due to family
commitments (coaching minor hockey) and knee injuries
Today, he continues to play once to twice a week
(Vintage Hockey in Edmonton) and joins many former
teammates in tournaments throughout North America.
Family Contributions
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Built and maintained a large outdoor rink for his eight
children. Rink was extensively used by the surrounding
neighborhood kids. (see photo gallery).
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Coached his four sons for more than 15 years in minor
hockey from Tom Thumb to Midgets.
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Organized a family hockey team that participated and
won a local hockey tournament (on Family Day week-end),
which resulted in a feature interview on CTV television.
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Participated in an Old Timer Tournament with his two
eldest sons
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Regularly takes his grandchildren skating
Community Contributions
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(1974-1990) Minor Hockey League Coach in Vermilion
for over 15 years.
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Organized the first-ever hockey school in the County of
Vermilion and surrounding area.
Provided Power Skating Instruction for Vermilion
hockey players for seven years.
Currently providing (and has for about seven years)
power-skating instruction for Sherwood Park, Wetaskiwin,
Edmonton, and Beaumont on a weekly basis.
Conducted countless coaching clinics, power skating
clinics, and checking clinics throughout the province.
(2006 & 2007) Assistant Coach for the Grant MacEwan
Female Hockey Team for two years.
Hockey Alberta
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Regularly volunteers to assist with male and female
high performance programs. Involvement since 1984 as both
a coach and mentor.
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For 25 years has provided countless clinics for Hockey
Alberta. Clinics include Initiation Program, Certification
Program, as well as specific courses such as “Checking
Clinics”. On average, Jim provides about 10 clinics a year.
A fair estimate would be that Jim has conducted over 200
clinics!
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This year alone, Jim has 10 clinics already scheduled
and if you look at his inbox today he has requests for several
more.
Hockey Canada
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Master Course Conductor for the Initiation Program
when introduced in 1987.
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Master Course Conductor for Canadian Figure Skating
Program.
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Team member for rewrite and editing of the revised
Canadian Association Hockey Skills Manual.
Hockey Schools Organized
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(1973–1987) Vermilion Summer Vacation Hockey
School (Vermilion, Alberta)
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(2000–Present) Jim Fleming Hockey School
(Edmonton and Sherwood Park, Alberta)
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(1998) Spirit River Hockey School (Spirit River,
Alberta)
Hockey School Instructor
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Sylvan Lake Hockey School
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(1992 – Present) Ponoka (Black Elk) Hockey School
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(1997 – Present) Okotoks Hockey School
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Fox Creek Hockey School
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(2006 – Present) Leduc Hockey Academy
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Miscellaneous instruction in Smoky Lake and Tofield,
Alberta.
Recognition
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Jim was the recipient of the “Hockey Development
Award” in 2000 honoring the individuals who have made a
significant contribution to the development of coaches in
Alberta by demonstrating leadership and dedication through
Hockey Alberta Developmental Programs.
Other Contributions
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Wrote a book “Power Skating: The Coaching
Advantage”. This detailed power skating book provides
simple and step-by-step progressions for proper skating
techniques. This book can be found with coaches and parents
and is available in a number of hockey supply stores.
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Coordinator of St. Albert Minor Hockey Evaluations for
the past seven years. Jim has worked with the St. Albert
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Hockey Committee to develop multi-tiered program of
skating evaluations and independent evaluator scrimmages in
providing a fair means of seeding players for the year.
To help provide some additional insight, we interviewed Jim
with regards to the following:
Q: Jim, what do you remember most about growing up in the
1940s and playing hockey in the Beverly area of Edmonton?
A: We moved late in the Fall to Beverley when I was 11 and did
not have time to build a backyard rink so we cleared off the slough
across the street. We had a home and home series with a
classmate’s “team”. Our home game was on our slough and we
played the away game on a back yard rink.
Q: You have been involved in Hockey Schools for over 35 years
now. How did you get involved in organizing and instructing in
Hockey Schools and why are you still involved today?
A: I was approached by the Vermilion Rec. Commission to
organize a hockey school for them in 1973. I accepted the
challenge and used Roger Bourbanais’ audiotapes on hockey sills
as my major resource. I coordinated the hockey school at no
charge for 8 years and received a nominal fee of $300 a year from
the Rec. Commission the last 7 years of the hockey school.
Vermilion’s hockey school was a major impetus for developing
minor hockey in our community. I continue to teach power skating
at hockey schools throughout the province as the feedback, both
immediate and sometimes many years later, indicates that the
participants enjoyed and benefited a great deal.
Q: You have worked for Alberta Amateur Hockey for over 25
years now. What is it about these experiences that make you
continue to participate?
A: Initially, I became a course conductor as I recognized it as an
opportunity for professional development as a physical education
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teacher. The leadership and people skills that I developed as a
course conductor were also invaluable to me as a school
administrator for 10 years, as the best way to learn anything is to
teach it. I continue in this capacity as one continues to grow as a
person and coach or regresses. As a facilitator, I assist others in
their personal growth and continue to gain new insights from the
experiences that other coaches share at these clinics.
Q: Jim, you have been heavily involved in hockey for almost 65
years.
While difficult to isolate, what would you say is most
satisfying aspect of all of your involvement with hockey?
A: As a coach assisting individuals to develop their skating and
hockey skills and to tell them when they have done so thus
developing their self-esteem is rewarding to both player and
coach. When a team achieves beyond expectations the immediate
euphoria, the lasting confidence in self, and the latent lesson of
what can be accomplished when we work together reinforces these
important concepts both on players and coach. However, the most
satisfying aspect of my involvement in hockey has been the
opportunity to share sometimes as a coach and sometimes as a
parent the successes and participation in hockey with my four
boys. They now range in age from 32 to 41 and continue to play
and coach the game of hockey. Although they play on different
teams I usually play on three of the boys teams once or more per
season; who could ask for anything more?
Q: Provide us with a final quote about Jim Fleming and Hockey.
A: I am indebted to Clare Drake for giving me a second chance. I
am most appreciative of my loving wife, Bonnie, for so much,
including continuing to encourage me to pursue my interests in
hockey.
PHOTO GALLERY
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Jim’s book on
Hockey Power Skating
15 Years
Jim’s youngest son, Mark, poses for the
cover and demonstrates proper skating
techniques. You can find this book at
United Cycle in Edmonton
Logo
for
Vermilion
School for
Members of the famous “Sutter
Family” first honed their coaching
skills by working at the hockey school
during the early years of their career
A painting of the outdoor rink his children and surrounding
families
used for 17 years.
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Making a rink every year has been a tradition for the Fleming’s for three generations.
While hockey is the main focus, the rink also played an important role in the figure
skating development for Jim’s four daughters.
Jim instructing at one of his seven years of the Jim Fleming
Hockey School from 2000 – Present.
Ted Green (former coach of the Edmonton Oilers) made the following public comment after
his grandson attended this school….. “this is the best Hockey School I have ever seen”
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Family Boxing Day Hockey Game
While Jim has played hockey at various competitive levels he advocates that the game
has to be fun…..and that is what family events like this are all about!
Conclusion
Jim Fleming was a great hockey talent having played a leading role
(captain) on a large number of championship teams at all levels he
competed at. The legend of Jim Fleming will continue to have
lasting effects in the province. His four sons are all very active
playing hockey, coaching minor hockey, acting as referees, and
acting as instructors for hockey schools. His contributions as a
result of power skating, minor hockey coach, program developer
and clinic instructor will have lasting effects on countless players
and coaches for many years to come. I can honestly say that that
there isn’t a rink in central and northern Alberta that Jim wouldn’t
walk into without someone in the building recognizing the man
best know as “the Silver Fox”…. and saying……. “Hi, Jim, how
are you doing?”
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Proudly submitted by your wife of 40+ years and sons!
(Bonnie, David, Kevin, Greg and Mark Fleming)
Nomination Contact Information
David Fleming
Phone:
H (780) 929-2729, C (780) 983-8749, E-mail
(Lynn.Fleming@shaw.ca)
Nominee Contact Information (Jim Fleming, 780-9291248)
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