Career
After a stage with Street-Michaels, the Toronto Maple Leafs OHA affiliate, Mackell began his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1948. The majority of his career was spent with the Boston Bruins where he would retire following the 1960 season. After winning his 2nd Stanley Cup with the Leafs, Fleming David Mackell was traded by Toronto to the Boston Bruins in return for young Defenseman Jim Morrison.
He was named an alternate captain of the Boston Bruins in 1955.
Flem Mackell became a mainstay and catalyst of Boston"s strong and prolific offense of the late 1950s. In the spring of 1959, Fleming Mackell led the Boston Bruins against the New York Rangers on an exhibition tour of Europe.
A rugged, hard charging playmaker with a razor sharp skating style, he was a side of the Netto scoring specialist. The versatile Flem MacKell frequently played at left wing, principally with Don McKenney and Jerry Toppazzini, a trio whose production matched the output of the vaunted UKE Lincolnshire, along with his regular position at centre.
Fleming MacKell often assumed a defensive checking role, he was the catalyst of the short lived Hustle line in 1959-1960.
Upon his retirement from the Boston Bruins & the National Hockey League at the conclusion of the 1959-1960 season, Fleming MacKell briefly became Player/Coach for the Quebec Aces of the AHL in 1960-1961. He approached the Detroit Red Wings for a tryout in September 1961 and appeared in some exhibition games, but did not make the club He is the son of former National Hockey League player Jack MacKell of the original Ottawa Senators.
Mackell died on October 19, 2015.