How Cliff Fletcher made an impact on new Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller

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Published Jun 17, 2026 • 1 minute read

Former Leafs general manager Cliff Fletcher smiles as he is being introduced as the club's interim GM in 2008.

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Cliff Fletcher was one of the greatest storytellers in the game of hockey before he passed away recently.

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It was only natural, then, that new Leafs coach Jim Hiller had a good story of his own to tell about the revered Fletcher, who was 90 when he died in Scottsdale, Ariz., on June 5.

It happened in 2015 in Halifax when Hiller was at his first Leafs training camp as an assistant coach on Mike Babcock’s staff. Fletcher was a member of the Leafs’ front office as a senior advisor.

One night after dinner, DJ Smith, also a Leafs assistant coach at the time, had a chance to sit down with Fletcher.

“DJ and I over the years have referenced that as one of the greatest nights in hockey, listening to Cliff share himself with us, tell stories, get to see the person, the humility and the caring and the pride he had in the Leafs,” Hiller said. “It’s a night we reference and we’ll never forget. It brings a huge smile to my face and warms my heart to think about Cliff Fletcher and the Toronto Maple Leafs. I think he really embodies what we’re all trying to do and be here with the Leafs.”

A native of Port Alberni, B.C., Hiller said that becoming the head coach of the Leafs is “an opportunity of a lifetime.”

“I grew up sitting on the couch with my dad, with my greatest memories of hockey, watching the Leafs, watching the Canadiens clear across Canada on Hockey Night in Canada,” Hiller said. “Being able to sit in this chair and represent this organization, I can’t tell you how much pride I have in that now.”

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