Flichel career flourishing with Idaho Steelheads

Southwest hockey fans may remember Hodgeville native Marty Flichel for his days as a blindingly fast star player with the Swift Current PeeWee Kings and Bantam Raiders, or possibly for his four years spent in the Western Hockey League with the Tacoma/Kelowna Rockets from 1992-1996.

What many people may not realize is that Flichel's hockey career has flourished south of the border, now in his 11th professional season.

Flichel is currently one of three rotating captains of the Idaho Steelheads of the East Coast Hockey League based out of Boise, Idaho. In his third season with the Steelheads, Flichel is the team's leading scorer with 37 goals and 46 assists in 64 games played.

The second place Steelheads, who play at the 5,000 seat Qwest Arena, are 37-24-2-3 and have clinched a playoff spot in the West Division of the ECHL's National Conference.

After playing much of his minor hockey in Hodgeville, Flichel played his first season of hockey in Swift Current under the tutelage of Harv Barker and Larry Johnson. In his second year of bantam hockey with the Raiders, Flichel helped lead his team to a third place finish at Western Canadians. The Raiders, coached by Marty's Dad, Barry, featured notable players such as Josh Barker (Brown University, ECHL, CHL), Shane Belter (Swift Current Broncos, AHL, ECHL), and goaltender Mike Whitney (Red Deer Rebels).

Former coach Harv Barker described Flichel as, "probably one of the fastest hockey players that I have ever seen play at that age. Marty was very puck-smart, very quick, and had great hands."

Barker recalled a time that Flichel used his trademark hesitation move to intercept a pass between two defenseman and off to a breakaway goal. The coach yelled at his defenseman, "if you are going to give the puck away give it to anyone but him."

"You could tell at the PeeWee level that Marty was going to move on to the next level. While he was in PeeWee he was actually playing some midget games for Hodgeville."

When the Raiders were at Western Canadians in Red Deer, Dave King was the guest speaker and went over to Swift Current's table and one of the guys he wanted to meet was Marty, Barker recalls.

Flichel went on to play 269 games with the Rockets franchise scoring 301 points including a 107-point campaign in 1995-1996.

Flichel admits that while he still has family in the Southwest he does not get home as much as he would like to.

"Mom and Dad are still on the farm out in Hodgeville, I have a sister and her husband and three kids who live in Swift, and then my younger brother lives in Regina. I haven't been back in two and a half years. My brother got married a couple of years ago, that was the last time I got back. It seems like it is tougher and tougher to get back in the summer. I actually started a landscaping business a couple of years ago up in Boise, so I have been real busy with that."

In his junior and professional career Flichel has played with numerous current NHL'ers including Kyle McLaren, Scott Hannan, Marty Turco, Jason Boterrill, Brad Lukowich, Richard Jackman, and Jon Sim. Flichel's newest teammate is a familiar one to Broncos' fans in former Moose Jaw Warriors captain Steven Gillen.

Among his career highlights Flichel points out getting drafted by the Dallas Stars 228th overall in the ninth round and scoring his first professional goal with the Dayton Bombers as events that stick out in his mind.

Despite playing in his 11th professional season Flichel hopes to play for a little while longer.

"With the rule changes now, if a guy is smart enough, he can stay out of the way and not get run into that much. I don't know, if I can stay healthy I'd like to play of a few more years. I still enjoy it and have fun. You see guys like Chris Chelios and guys like that are playing until they are 40, I don't know if I will play that long. I just turned 31 a couple of weeks ago here, I'd like to say two, three, or four more years, the health issue is the biggest thing. I'd like to get it (hockey) out of my system instead of being like the guys who regret it when they retire when they were 26 or 27 who I talk to and they say 'play as long as you can if you are still enjoying it'."

Flichel is already the fourth leading goal scorer in Steelheads history as well as placing fifth all-time on their points list.

As for life after he laces up his skates for the last time professionally, Flichel has put some thought into what he will do.

"I am looking at the Fire Department down in Boise. We are pretty settled down here, it will take something pretty big to get us out of here. My wife and daughter and I really love it here. I've been tempted a couple of times the last couple of years, but I just started that landscaping business and have been really busy with that. So hopefully we will build that business up and then check the Fire Department out as well."

Flichel, who scored twice and set up another in a 4-2 win over the Alaska Aces on Saturday, admits that his lengthy career playing the game he loves is the fulfillment of a childhood dream.

"I guess I always hoped so. I remember being in first, second, third grade and basically all the way through elementary school it was always my dream. I don't think at that time I realized how little chance there was with the number of kids who play hockey.

"I wouldn't change it for the world. It has been great and has taken me a lot of places and I have met a lot of great people. Like I said I would not change it for anything."